Friday, March 18

Friday
Today we packed all of our belongings and boarded the bus for a 3 hour drive to La Fortuna where we will spend the night. There are many on the trip that have motion sickness and certainly had a problem with the steep curves we encountered going down the mountain – but attitudes have been great! Our devotion today came from Philippians 3 – again – right on target! With the majority of our mission work complete – we wanted to maintain the spirit of unity, the desire to serve, and keep our eyes on the lookout for God’s hand and provision. We need to be aware of Satan’s attempts to bring us down. Paul encouraged believers that it is not deeds that God desires but the righteous living – we must not boast or have confidence in our own flesh. Our daily focus should be knowing Christ - counting all else rubbish. So much of our journey has been a faith walk and God has powerfully shown His faithfulness to each of us this week. We discussed faith and desiring to become more and more like Him! These devotion times have been great – just looking at what God has said and applying it to today and when we get home. Susan got up and spoke to the students – she shared that every day we have a choice to make – to fully engage – have a positive attitude – or pull back in negativity and just not engage in life at all. Her words were so impactful to the group – over and over we heard the students at various crossroads say – I choose…..(a positive choice). Great encouragement!
Our first stop on the way was a small store on top of the mountain. There was a huge hill that the students immediately ran down – it was straight down!!! The way they ran and played - you would think they grew up in a town with no hills! The ride was beautiful – mountains, rolling hills, fields of pineapple, coffee, cows, more cows, flowers, unusual vegetation, houses on cliffs, the students could not take it all in! The roads are not wide – but our bus driver has 20 years of experience – Drew kept him straight!
The next stop was at a magnificent church and gardens in Zarcero. The shrubbery in front of the church had one man that groomed these for the last 20 years. These were 15 plus foot shrubs are in the shapes of an elephant, tunnels, monkeys, etc. The students played all in the gardens. No one expected what they saw when they entered the church. It had a cathedral ceiling. The primary religion in Costa Rica is Catholic. The church had paintings on the walls and ceiling. There was a man painting and repairing the ceiling art. It is a grand church. The stained glass windows are beautiful. Elizabeth M. explained the altar and the candles. Most students had never seen anything remotely that spectacular. It literally took your breath away and drew you to worship!
We still had a little over 2 hours left on the drive. Some of the students played games while others slept. Courtney has introduced the team to a variety of random games – Brandon told her she had more games than Hasbro! Finally we arrived in La Fortuna. The place we are staying tonight is simply beautiful. The soil is so rich in the area which is evident in vast variety of flowers and trees - they are so vivid, unique, and beautiful. We quickly had lunch – lasagna, fish, and salad – and of course – rice and beans. No meal is complete without them.
The entire way to the hotel we could see the volcano in the distance; however, clouds were significantly covering the top. Right when we got off the bus – they parted. The hotel workers encouraged us to take pictures quickly before the clouds settled back on it – they were not very optimistic that we would see much. After photos were taken everyone had about 5 minutes to settle in their rooms and we headed off to hike a trail which led up a mountain to see the volcano closer and some of the lava from the 1992 explosion. What a hike! We walked on large trails through the rainforest – there were orchids, ferns, and bamboo scattered all around as well as unique other flowers. Jimmy stopped us at several points and explained trees, flowers, and the landscape. He showed pictures of the eruption and talked about the volcano today. It is still active – it stopped spitting fire about 5 months ago – so no one knows what to expect next.
The last 5 – 10 minutes of the hike was steep and there were difficult stairs and rocks to climb to be able to see the lake and volcano. There was such team unity – no one was left behind – all the team members pulled each other up to the top so all could see the volcano and the lake. The clouds stayed lifted the entire time – it was amazing! Again – creation testified to a mighty Creator who is not only AWESOME – but never ceases to thrill and delight! Creation has over and over again spoken to this group!
The climb down was really tough – there was a steep staircase – the students lined the stairway and sang Praise Concert songs as they held the hands of those that needed help – it was such a special sight – the entire senior class loving and helping each other - I truly do not think anyone will forget the bond at that moment – all in one accord singing praises and unifying to help the body of Christ – it was a precious moment – a witness to Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
9 Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:
10 If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up.
11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

As the last of the team members exited the trail – it began to rain – we never had a clear view of the volcano again – God’s blessings and provision again prevailed! We missed the rain and saw the volcano with perfect timing! We are all amazed at how He is blessing us! Jimmy is too!
Another highlight was around the corner – literally – we went and swam in natural hot springs. This water was heated by the volcano. What a blast! There were several “pools” you could swim and they were varying degrees of heat. It was so much fun and helped all the aching muscles from the previous three days of work.
Exhausted – we loaded the bus and headed back to the hotel – yes – for chicken, fish, rice, beans, or a hamburger. Most of the team went straight to bed after they ate – others hung out by the pool and visited. Again – Hasbro made them play a game – this time it was to tell random facts about themselves. These students have been together for years and yet knew so little about each other – it was fun to listen to!
Finally, they were ready to call it a night – another blessing! It rained hard on the tin roof most of the night. At first it was loud – then it became soothing. We were beyond exhausted.
I have loved every minute of the work we have done this week. I have loved seeing the students literally broken by their time with the children. Certainly today was not better – just different. Since this is the first time for most of the students to travel beyond North and South Carolina – the landscape, flowers and mountains are blowing their minds. Psalm 104:24 (Amplified Bible) says, 24O Lord, how many and varied are Your works! In wisdom have You made them all; the earth is full of Your riches and Your creatures. This is what they are saying – often not verbally – but it is all over their faces. They cannot take it in. Over and over we have said today – He spoke this into existence. What a mighty God we serve! A God so powerful that since He can speak this into being He can certainly empower us to fulfill our call – our need to go back and live fully and completely for Him.