Day 3: Sunday

Today we got to get up a little bit later than usual, eat breakfast at the hotel (gallo pinto again), and then drive to the church for the service. Let me just say, it was AWESOME! And I don't mean cool or neat like the word has come to mean, I mean awe-inspiring, stunning, stirring. All the locals sang and worshiped with such passion that you don't see in many churches. The local worship team led several songs in Spanish, which were similar styles as songs you would hear here in the US. Like I said, the locals were singing along and clapping and they had such great joy and hope, it was really inspiring given their circumstances. The one I specifically remember enjoying was Vamos A Cantar. The other American group that I mentioned had a few girls who sang a couple of our songs we sing here (in English). After the music, the pastor (from what I could tell; he spoke only Spanish) talked about and commended our 2 groups for a few minutes. Then the leader of the other group preached as a guest speaker. He spoke Spanish, but was not fluent, so he spoke in English while their local bilingual guide translated after each sentence. His message was on Matthew 11:28 and what it means to find rest in Jesus. It was really cool to hear in two languages, to hear the Spanish language being used along side with English, and see the gap between cultures/groups being bridged.

After the service, we did the "Easter Egg Hunt." I put it in quotations because we didn't actually do a hunt. We didn't have an available field like we had expected, just the parking lot. So, instead, we handed out the eggs to the kids in bags we had brought. The children absolutely LOVED the Easter eggs. We had some leftovers, so we offered them to the teens who were hanging around after the service, and some of them were really excited to get them.

Bethany and Ruth talking to a few girls

Bethany quickly found a baby to hold

Mrs. Monroe with precious little Roshell and a few boys

These two boys hung around at the church for a while playing with their tops - they LOVED them

 After a little while, we ate lunch at the church, then got back in the van to go shopping. First we went to a store where we got a pillow (which was one of the things the family needed whose house some of the group went to on Saturday). Then we went to a grocery store to pick up the supplies we would need for our "cooking class" at Ariana's house. Many of us also bought a certain type of salsa (different from the salsa we have here...it's more like a sauce) to bring home that they had everywhere that was muy delicioso. After we got our groceries, we headed to Ariana's family's house where her mom, dad, and sister welcomed us warmly (her sister, Monica, spoke English, and her father spoke a little). Then, step by step, her mother showed us how to make a few Costa Rican dishes: one was the main course we ate for dinner, made of chicken, rice and all kinds of stuff, and the other was an appetizer of beef and potatoes that was eaten on corn tortillas. Both dishes were absolutely FABULOUS! The appetizer was done long before the main course, so we sat for a good while talking, braiding each others' hair, etc.  We also got to try a dessert that Ariana's father had made before we got there, which was a mousse-ey delicacy (that tasted a little like cheesecake) topped with a crumble that was like graham crackers, but more fine. It was a really nice experience culturally and Ariana said it was good for her family as well, to practice their English and step a little outside their personal comfort opening their home to eight guests.

After thanking our host, we headed back to the hotel for devotions and talked about what we had learned that day. Then we went swimming at the pool, got ice cream at the lobby, then came back to our room to play cards and talk again. We also watched a little tv (which was comical because most of it was in Spanish), played some music, ate snacks, and eventually went to bed.