Pictures from La Tabla

Hi folks...here are some pics for you, to update you all as to what's been going on the last couple of weeks. Here is a view from the church that we stayed at last week in La Tabla...full of drugs, prostitution, and much poverty...and it was one of the best experiences I've ever had.
And here's our staff: from l to r - Julia, Chad, Bryan, Candice, Carisa, Carol and me...after a day off at the beach :)

Here is Alex, one of the youth from Indianapolis Vineyard (the team that just left us), with a beautiful little girl from La Tabla, teaching her how to Eskimo Kiss :)
And of course, the dancing in the downpour had to happen one of these days...I mean, every day...here are some of the girls from the youth group, enjoying the rainy season here in Costa Rica.

Here's the view of the hill of La Tabla...people are free to build wherever they want here, and so they build up and up and up, with whatever supplies they can find.
Here is Bella Flor who runs the church that we worked with (looking very adorable) and her husband, Gerardo, with the van that God recently supplied them with.
What an awesome experience these last couple of weeks have been...many stories, many more pictures than are here, but hopefully this gives you all a better idea of what things looked like around here!

New

Well, today I did something for the first time...I drove in Costa Rica! And another new thing...I drove a 15 passenger van in Costa Rica...and another new thing...I drove a 15 passenger van that was standard in Costa Rica. It was fun. I just wanted to share.

I'm trying to get updated pictures and stories from my time with the team that just left us. Unfortunately our internet is dial up, and so to get pictures on takes a good 40 minutes of just waiting...and I can't afford that time (literally), so please bear with me.

Apple Pie and Poas

Ok, so the story of the Apple Pie: Here I am, holding the world's most beautiful apple pie (And i'm not exagerrating...well, maybe a tad)
And here is what the world's most beautiful pie looked like after a little too much time in the oven...but Minor didn't care, and ate it all for himself anyways (ok, he shared some with us, but wouldn't let any other extended family members at it...and they lived next door!)

Here is Volcan Poas, nice and clear for all to see!
And here is part of my extended Tico family from l to r :Fran (uncle), Melissa (cousin - daughter of Fran and Chio), Carina (mom), Minor (dad), me, and Rosio (or Chio, aunt, married to Fran)
Now you can say that you've seen Volcan Poas...and the world's most beauiful apple pie to boot ;)

The last few days.

Well, here I am back at the camp, working with the other staff, preparing for our first team which is coming down on Sunday. Yikes. And I thought I was ready to be done with Spanish classes...now I'm feeling like those classes were nice ;) I am officially "in charge" of the staff, which is a rather bizarre position, but I'm looking forward to trying to really take care and invest in the staff that are here. Right now there are 7 of us: 3 gringos, 3 candians, and 1 tico. We're having fun, working hard, and I don't know about the rest, but I'm looking forward to the group's arrival.

Those of you who are praying for me, can definitely pray for wisdom and ability to converse more easily in Spanish - I am also "in charge" of the kitchen...and that means conversing daily with our cook, who only speaks Spanish, and making sure that she's making schedules for meals, knowing when those meals are, and for how many people, and what the meals involve. Pray for me!

As for the "ending" with my family - I had a great last weekend with them... I will post pictures later. I finally was able to make my apple pie for them (the first pie I've ever made), and it actually turned out! (God's grace, I do believe :)) And then on the last day, we all went to a Volcano, which I've never experienced here in all my visits to Costa Rica (shame, shame)...and when we arrived, it was rather disappointing, as all was fogged in, and we couldn't see a thing. But after about 10 minutes of waiting, suddenly the clouds lifted, and we had the BEST view of everything (pictures coming). It was a great gift, and I was so happy to have the opportunity to share this with my Tico Family. (A bonus: I got in as a Tica - prices in Costa Rica are cheaper for Costa Ricans, and are much more expensive for Americans/Foreigners, as they are assumed to have more money. So another student from the school, from the States, was ahead of us in another car with other family members, and paid $7 for his ticket in. However, I got in for $1.25 - the benefits of having dark hair and dark eyes...I rather enjoyed it.)

Anyways, things here are humming along - I covet your prayers!

More of the everyday...and in between

Welcome to more pictures...I like pictures...


Here is where we went yesterday - the children's museum in San Jose - it was a lot of fun...as you can see here:

So we proved that the children's museum isn't just for children...

Here I am with Errol...whom we pass on the way to school every day, who practices his English with us:

And here is my Masi...whom every day sends me off to school with kisses, and wishes me well:

Endings and Beginnings

Well, today is my last day of Spanish school...I will try to take some pictures today and post them, so you can see what the school looks like, and some of the people that I've been spending my time with :)
I, again, can't believe how quickly time has flown (you'd think I'd get used to this feeling in life..but still, it amazes me every time), and on Sunday I will be heading back up the mountain to meet all the new staff, and start preparing with them for the groups that are coming.
Here we go...

Hangman

Last night I had one of the best nights here - because my family and I were very hyper, and so Carina, Minor and I played hangman...in Spanish of course. It was fun to spend time with them when I wasn't doing homework, and they weren't busy with work, or taking care of Jose Andres. I got to see them as the young couple that they are, and we got to be goofy together.

I'm looking forward to these next couple of weekends with my family. I'm making an apple pie for them on Sunday...it's a very big deal, and they're very excited...I'm really hoping it will turn out :) And next weekend, there's big plans for going to the pool, and hopefully to a volcano. I'm simply looking forward to the time that I can spend with them...without homework!