Time to Dig In

Quick note on my last post; nothing has changed. Liberty fans are still fair weather in every sense of the word. After packing the student section for the JMU game, they began filing out at halftime. Of a 7-10 game!

Anyway, the next two weeks are gonna be crazy for me as far as school goes. I have papers due both weeks, and a presentation and part of a project due next week. The good news is that my parents are coming out next Thursday for Family Weekend, so that is the "light at the end of the tunnel" I am focusing on. Also good news is the fact that after next week I only have five and a half weeks left in the semester, which is pretty crazy. And after that, only one semester of college left!

Liberty Football

For the last few season's Liberty's football program has been growing by leaps and bounds. Last year they finished the season ranked #14 in the FCS, narrowly missing the playoffs, and this season they opened the year playing at West Virginia. They hung with them, too, losing only 20-33. Earlier this month, the Athletic Director, Jeff Barber, announced plans to expand Williams Stadium, home of our football team, from 12,000 to 30,000 seats when it is all said and done. And now, the team is getting ready to play what very well could be the most important in program history, against James Madison. Currently, Liberty is ranked #24 and JMU is #6 in the FCS. If Liberty wins, and is able to play well the rest of the season, we should easily make the playoffs. That in itself would be a major milestone for the team and school, legitimizing us as a true football university. But, what may arguably be an even more important result is a change in the student/fan culture.

Until now, Liberty students have been very much fair weather fans (granted this is only my second year on campus, but it is just that obvious). Last season, it was fairly rare to have a full stadium by the end of the game, either because Liberty had it rapped it up by half, or because it was raining, too cold, whatever. On top of that, after we lost a home game last season, the first in quite a while, attendance dropped by 1,100 (it was even Homecoming), and a few weeks later was down 7,500 after losing on the road. That's just not the way it is supposed to work. If we want to be a true football school, we need to have dedicated, die-hard fans that will support the team through anything, all the way to the end. But what I see now, two and a half hours before game time, is awesome. It's raining out, it's cold, and yet there are students lined up to get into the stadium! That is what we need! Yes, marketing did a great job of getting everyone hyped up during Friday's convocation, but in the past that alone has not worked. Something else is changing. Already this season we set an attendance record of 16,000+ at our home opener, and now they expect 20,000 to show for this game. I really believe that this game could be the deciding factor in changing the fan culture, and send Liberty students into a football frenzy.

Fantasy Football, Not Just For Fun

For the last four years or so, I have played fantasy football with some good friends of mine back home in Wisconsin. It is always a fun time, although my team is usually just average, and I have also missed the last two drafts because of school. Anyone who plays fantasy sports knows that the drafts are half the fun. Most years I only play in one league a season so I do not get too obsessed with it, but this semester I am required to be in a league for one of my classes. That's right, I am actually running a fantasy football team for a class project! Of course, it is much more than that; we are basically building an entire franchise (logo, stadium, game revenue, economic impact analysis, etc.) around our team and then "selling" it to an investor at the end of the season/semester. Now comes the shameless plug. The team a friend and I are running is called the St. Louis Spirit, and in order to make it more realistic and hopefully gain an advantage over the other franchises when it comes time to sell, I have set up a twitter and Google site for it. Twitter is here, the website here. Check 'em out, follow us if you like (I certainly don't expect you to turn device updates on for a fictional team), and enjoy the football season! Go Pack! Go Favre!

School Has Begun

Last week was the first week of school at Liberty. It was a fairly laid-back week, but that is kind of typical when half the classes are a review of the syllabus or course projects. Still, I do get the impression that it will be an easier semester than I was anticipating, though still challenging. Over the weekend, I went to Panther Falls with a bunch of guys from my dorm and our sister dorm, which was a nice break from all of the reading I was doing (I like to get ahead). This week is Spiritual Emphasis Week, which Clayton King is leading for the fifth year in a row, so it should be an interesting couple of days.

Back at Liberty University

Last night my family dropped me off at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia for my senior year of college! I am not gonna lie, I will be happy when it is over. After only a year of being on-campus, the rigmarole of moving here for a few months then back home for a break, then back for another semester, and back home again has gotten old. I love the school and the people, but I like having one home. This year I had to be on campus a week early because I am a prayer leader this semester. The school wants all of the student leadership to get some training and help move the freshman in. Unfortunately, there isn't much else to do.

Hasta Luego, Costa Rica

Wednesday was a perfect end to my trip. All day I was out in Los Guido with a group that was basically running Upwards sport camps. And it was a blast! In the morning, they set up a bunch of carnival games in the soccer field, and I would say well over 100 kids came out. I made balloon animals, and had a great time. Around noon, we cleaned everything up and went to the community center for lunch. After that, we headed back to the field and the group setup a soccer clinic, with six or seven drills for the kids to rotate through. They also had cheerleading for the girls. Another 100+ kids came out, many returning from the morning. When that was all finished, we had a bit of time to kill before dinner, so we went up onto a mountain that had a great view of San Jose. While we were up there, I caught a lizard, and Mihai decided to bring it back to the House as a pet. But, unfortunately, it escaped in the bus, and was not seen again. Back at the Villa, we had dinner and a devo from Ron Bishop, the founder of SCORE International. Afterwards, I needed to leave pretty quick so we could take a new group (there are six down here now, with over 120 people total) to the hotel, and pick the other group up to take to the House. That turned fairly chaotic because we did not know which rooms the new people would be in, and I could tell they were about to fall asleep where they stood. But, everything got sorted out, and we headed to the House, where I got packed for the morning.

Today, I am going to a big devotional in the morning that all of the groups will be at, and then head to the airport to start the journey home. This trip has been fantastic, and I have really enjoyed serving alongside some of the most dedicated Christ-followers I have ever met. I hope I will get the chance to come back someday.

Bad Bus Luck

Tuesday I got to go out with the big group on their free day. In the morning, we went to Fossil Land for zip-lining. On two of the lines, I grabbed onto the pulley with my feet, let go, and hung upside down. It was awesome! While we were waiting for the other half of the group to finish up, a few people also went down a waterslide that I heard was pretty sweet. After everyone was done, we headed to Fresas for lunch, which was good, as usual. In the afternoon, I went with the smaller group to the House, and we hung there for a bit while a few other people from the rest of the group went to get food to feed the homeless and get it ready. When the bus was coming back to pick us up, the clutch broke, so they had to get a different one. The group from the House got loaded into the new one, and we headed over to the hotel to pick everyone else up. But on the way, the bus took a turn too tight, and got stuck in the gutter. And guess what was parked on the street behind us; the other bus that broke. So, they called two smaller buses and split everyone up between them, and we went downtown to feed the homeless in those. That went just fine, and afterwards we went to the hotel for dinner, the group had their devotion, and then we went back to the House.

Mr. Clean

Monday I was not really sure what was going to go on, so I went to the Villa with my work clothes in my backpack, just in case. As it turned out, I left the Villa pretty quick and went back to the House to help unload some luggage. We have a group of 51 down here right now, and they are split up between the House and a hotel type place that I have not been to before. So, I helped unload their stuff at both places. After that, I went back to the Villa and helped clean up two of the bunkhouse rooms to get them ready for more people. Once that was all done, I helped clean dishes for a pretty long time, and then had some lunch. After lunch, I headed back to the House with our “half” of the group (only 14 people) to let them get settled in, and then went back to the Villa to help clean some more. Eventually, there was a break in the action, so I played cards with some of the interns before helping get dinner ready for the big group. We took it to the hotel so they could all eat together, and they also had a meeting and hung out. When they were all finished, we went back to the House for the night.

Lots of POPS

Sunday was a pretty normal day. In the morning, we went to the church that a few SCORE missionaries, Stephanie and Andrea, go to. This was the first church I have been to that had a full band. And did they ever use it! We sang a ton of songs! The pastor joked that they do not sing the traditional three song set, and that they know what time the service starts, but not when it ends. After church, we headed back to the SCORE House and had lunch delivered. We also had time before leaving again, so I took a short nap. Afterwards, we went to the orphanage and had a great time. One thing the boys there really like is getting shoulder and piggy-back rides, so a bunch of us were doing that for most of the time. The group also presented the “everything skit”, and at least one kid understood it pretty well. On our way back from the orphanage, we stopped at a mall for ice cream, and then went to the House for dinner. After dinner, a few people wanted to walk to POPS for some more ice cream, so I took them out. It was a perfect night for it!

It is kind of hard to believe, but I only have three days left, and then I head home on Thursday. It has been a great trip, and I have enjoyed everything I have had to opportunity to do.

Cleaning Day

Saturday I got a break from working on the garage because Walter was unable to come. I think that means Friday will have been my last day working on it, since I have been told I will be going out with the groups this coming week. I did still stay back at the Villa, though, and in the morning helped get the bunk house ready for a new group by cleaning the windows, and then cleaning up some paint supplies that were left out. After lunch I organized the tool shed area, which was very enjoyable to do, and then helped clean some floors. Once that was all finished, I helped in the kitchen until I needed to leave, washing dishes and cutting up some meat for a spaghetti sauce. Dinner was at the House, as usual, and afterwards I sat in on another Bible study the group had.

One thing I have to complain about is the next door neighbor’s asthmatic rooster. Every morning the thing starts making this hoarse, grasping noise that I guess is a crow. And of course it wakes me up! But, I finally figured out, after 3 weeks, that it does not wake me up until about 6:30, which is when I need to be up anyway.

Intern on the Roof

Friday morning I worked with Walter on getting some window type things screwed onto the garage. We needed to work from the top of the tin roof, which did a fantastic job of reflecting the sun back at us and raising the temperature. Luckily, we got some cloud cover for a bit. We also got chased down by some rain for a few minutes, but it stopped and we were able to finish those up by lunch. It was actually very enjoyable work. In the afternoon, Walter worked on adding some extra support to the frame, and I dug a trench that a drainage pipe connected to the downspout will be put into so that there are not huge pools of water when it rains. I worked on that until I needed to get ready to go, and then played cards with a few other interns while I waited for the bus. Dinner was a lot less hectic than usual since we had pizza delivered to the House, so I got a chance to talk with some of the people from the group, mainly about my northern accent. Apparently I say “bag” and “coke” very oddly.

Gutter Ball

Thursday I worked on the garage some more. In the morning, I smashed some holes through a concrete wall to put extra drain pipes through, and then helped Walter put the gutters up. While we were putting one of the end caps on, I did it a different way that I thought was easier than how he had been doing it, but accomplished the same thing. I could not really tell if his reaction was “Why didn’t I think of that?” or “Why did you do that? Now we need to fix it.” Either way, the end cap was on and the gutter went up. Unfortunately, one of them was not slanted enough to allow the water to run out, so we needed to take it down and re-hang it. We finished that after lunch, put on the downspouts, and then Walter called it a day. There was still a while left before dinner though, so I started painting the ceiling. After that, I helped get stuff ready to take to the House for dinner, then headed out. After dinner, I sat in on the group’s Bible study, covering Philippians 4:4-13, which was a good time.

One bit of very exciting, unrelated news is that season one of Star Wars: The Clone Wars comes out on blu-ray November 3. My guess is that I will own it by about November 3.

Back to the Garage

The plan Wednesday was for me to go out with the group from the House again, but they needed me to stay at the Villa instead to help Walter with the garage. In the morning and a little bit after lunch, I worked on painting what would be the outside face of some drywall sheets. I was only able to use a brush, so it took me a long time to finish them. While I was doing that, I also passed up sheet metal for the new roof when he needed it. Once the roof and the painting was finished, I helped screw the drywall onto the side of the garage, as well as keep an eye on a couple people from another group who were painting the ceiling and rafters. For as simple a task as putting six screws into a sheet of drywall is, it took us forever to get them done. I do not know if the screws we were using were bad or if I am just completely incompetent with a screwdriver, but to get one screw in took me about 7 other screws that ended up on the ground. It was pretty pathetic. By the time we were finally done getting all of the drywall up, it was time for dinner. I normally eat at the House with the group staying there, but this time I ate at the Villa, and then they picked me up to go home for the night.

The weather in Costa Rica has, so far, been very nice. Considering it is just north of the equator, it has not been too hot. I think it has been hotter back home in Wisconsin at times, actually. The humidity is not bad either, although when I went to Limon, which is on the other side of the mountains and closer to the Gulf, it was much more humid. They only have two seasons here, winter, the current season, and summer. Basically, the only difference is that right now it rains pretty much every afternoon, from May to November, and in the summer it is dry. There is no temperature difference. Perhaps the best weather is at night, when it gets down to about 65 degrees, which is perfect.

Tracts and Bracelets

Tuesday we were back to our normal routine. In the morning, we took the new group downtown to hand out tracts and power bracelets. This was the first time a group handed out the bracelets downtown, and it was a great idea. They were meant for the kids, but even the adults wanted some. Some people were also a bit mystified that we were giving them out for free. As far as the response to the tracts goes, this was probably the most successful time yet. Several people from our group were stopped to talk about the tracts and Christ further, sometimes for quite a while, which was really good. One guy in particular stopped two from our group to talk about religion in general. From what I heard, he held a very subjective view that all religions were right, and that you are “saved” through good works. However, both of these propositions are clearly wrong – John 14:6, no one comes to the Father but through Christ; Ephesians 2:8-9, saved through faith, not works. Throughout the conversation, he never changed his stance or even softened up, but perhaps it will be the beginning of change. After we finished up with the tracts, we got some ice cream at POPS (a Costa Rican Dairy Queen) and headed back to the Villa for lunch. In the afternoon, we went to a park on the top of a mountain that had an awesome view of a valley and hung out there for a little bit, and then went to a nearby church to hand out more tracts and bracelets. The church is actually the ruins of an old cathedral, the site dates back to the early 1500’s, and has now been converted into a garden on the inside and a big plaza in front. We only had a half hour or so there, and then headed back to the House for dinner.

A Full House

Another group came in Monday afternoon, so I went to the airport with Mihai to pick them up. Right before we left, he got a call from Raymond, who said I should go to the Villa instead to help out, but about five minutes later, he called again and said I should go to the airport. That was confusing. Once we got the bus loaded up at the airport, we took the group to the SCORE House where they will be staying for the week. I think there will be a group staying here now until I leave next week(!), which will make things quite a bit more hectic than they have been the last week or so. Back at the House, everyone got settled in, we had lunch, and Mihai gave them a quick orientation before we took them to the supermarket to kill some time. After that, we went back to the House and had some free time before dinner, which Jose and Raymond brought over from the Villa.

Quiet Sunday

On Sunday morning, we went with a group to the small church in Los Guido. The man who started the church, Pastor Gabriel, is the only pastor there, so he leads the services, including singing. During the first half of the service, a few people from our group shared their testimonies, as well as a man studying Spanish in Costa Rica. Then another missionary from the area gave a sermon. After a short break, a few more highschoolers from our group gave their testimony, and then the group leader gave a short sermon to end the service. After church, we headed to 2x1 Pizza for lunch, and then went back to the Villa to chill for a bit. A few people from the group went swimming, and I helped out with some dishes. In the afternoon, we headed out to do some souvenir shopping. We first stopped at a flea market that I went to with the soccer team, and then drove over to a street that had several actual stores. It reminded me a bit of the Wisconsin Dells. It is kind of fun to shop at the open markets, cause bartering is perfectly acceptable. Often you just have to act uninterested, or really be so, and they will lower the price. Next, we headed back to the Villa for dinner, and I helped out with some more dishes before Jose took us back to the House.

Calm Before the Storm

We got another late start on Saturday, which was nice, and headed to the airport to pick up a new group. They were supposed to come in the night before, but had a whole bunch of problems with the airlines (go figure). Jose and Manolo were also there to pick up Manolo’s wife who was in Argentina for surgery, but they left way before us. It took the group quite a while to get through customs, but once they were out, we went to the Villa for some lunch. After that, we had some time to kill, so we took them down the road a ways to a strip mall to shop and look around. Mihai and I just chilled in a little restaurant area inside the supermarket, and there was a dubbed version of “The Three Amigos” on TV, which I just watched and laughed at the lines I knew they were saying. I got the feeling that the humor is lost in translation for that movie. After walking back to the Villa, we had dinner and caught another cab back to the House. It has been a very relaxed two days, which is very nice because by Monday there will be three groups staying with SCORE, and there will not be fewer than that for several weeks.

One thing about Costa Rica that is similar to the U.S., but at the same time is far different, is driving. They drive on the same side of the road, the steering wheel is on the same side of the car, and they have traffic lights, but that is about it. The first noticeable difference is that speed limits are guidelines, not really set rules. In the past, I knew that our bus was often flying down the highway, and today I got a chance to catch how fast we were going; 90 KPH, in a 70 zone. And just about everyone was doing the same. Another interesting thing is that motorcycles can go pretty much anywhere they choose, and it is the norm for them to drive between lanes of traffic to pass everyone. I bet they are able to cut their travel time in half by doing this. Another difference is that it is not uncommon to run red lights, and that is even with a green light that starts flashing before turning yellow. Finally, cars do not stop much for pedestrians. Unless you are at a controlled crosswalk, if you make it to the other side without getting hit, you have earned your right of way.

Faith as a Mustard Seed

Friday morning was nice and slow, I do not think we got picked up until after 9:00. Once we got going, we went to the store with the medical group to buy food for food distribution in Los Guido. Everything went well there, and we headed back to the Villa for lunch. After eating, we did not leave right away, so I helped with a lot of dishes. Once we got rolling, we went to SCORE’s new 8-acre property and Jose gave us a tour. It is a very nice place somewhat in the countryside, and they have very big plans for it. Right now, the foundation for one building is all that is done, they finished it on Thursday, and the rest of the structure will be completed in early fall. I do not know what the timetable is for having the entire project finished by, but they plan on having at least a soccer field, a gym with a swimming pool, a dorm building, a church, and a smaller building to house about 30, which is what they are working on now. After we prayed over the site and looked around for a bit, we went to a local hole-in-the-wall shop for some homemade ice-cream. I got mint dipped in chocolate, which was pretty good. Then we headed to the grocery store again to pick up some more food to feed the homeless, and went to the Villa so the group could get it all put together. When they were ready, we headed downtown to the “red zone”, our normal spot, to hand it out. Everything went as usual, except for that a man talked to me for maybe five minutes. This was the first time that anything like this has happened to me while down there, and it was very interesting. I could not understand most of what he was saying, but he did say he did not know why he was in that place or in those circumstances. He also said that what Jesus has blessed, no one can curse, and that faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains. I do not know if this man was saved, he said he knew a little bit of the Bible, but he was absolutely correct about those two things. Once all of the food was gone, we went back to the Villa for dinner, and then Mihai and I caught a cab to the House.

MEDIC!

Ok, so it was not that kind of medical clinic, but it was still pretty hectic. After staying the night at the Villa, I headed out with a medical group to Guacimo, Limon early Thursday morning to help run a medical clinic. When we got to the church, they set their stuff up and started seeing people right away. At first, since I do not have any medical knowledge or Spanish skills, I helped reorganize some medicine so that everyone got double the amount of some typical, over-the-counter stuff. This was the group’s last clinic, and they had plenty of extra medicine, so they wanted to make sure they gave as much out as possible. In addition to medicine, they also had some basic reading glasses to give out, which I guess is a really big help to the people here. After finishing with that, I helped shuffle patients between the main line in the church, and a smaller one right outside the exam room. I did not feel very useful, though, because another guy was doing it also and knew how it worked a lot better than I did. Around noon, we were all going to break for lunch together, but there was a miscommunication, so we had to eat in shifts. That kind of made things crazy, but I guess it did mean we never had to stop seeing people while we ate. By the time everyone was done eating, the doctors had treated about 64 people. After lunch, I helped move the lines again, but this time I got the hang of things and felt much more useful. We worked for about 4 more hours nonstop, and treat another 140 or so people. In all, the group gave basic exams, medicine, and to some, reading glasses, to a total of just over 200 people. It was amazing! I think it was the best thing I have done here so far. After packing everything up, we headed to the Villa for dinner, then I headed back to the Casa SCORE. One thing I would like to ask is that you pray for the pastor of the church we were at. He is from Argentina, and has waited 20 years to come to Costa Rica to start a church. I think he has been here for about a year, and was recently diagnosed with lung cancer. He is going through Chemo right now, and needs strength for that, courage for his family, and a heart to continue his ministry. I know he would really appreciate your prayers. I also want to share how this medical team came to Costa Rica. For about 15 years, the leaders of this group have been going to Honduras for their clinics, but on July 2 they had to cancel this year’s trip because of the overthrow of the president, and the U.S. State Department’s subsequent advisory not to travel there. Well, some phone calls were made, and by July 4 they were set to come down here and stay with SCORE. And what a blessing they have been!

Yard Work

On Wednesday morning, I think the plan originally was for me to help Walter (yes, I have been calling him Walker. My bad) with the garage, but he never came. So, instead, I helped around the Villa with various chores; cleaning a few windows, washing off some porch stairs, getting rid of some spider webs, and helping Adolfo cut the grass. He was using a weed-whacker to cut it all, that is kind of the norm here, and I was raking up and bagging all of the cut stuff. While we were doing this, he showed me a mango tree that SCORE has in the yard, and let me try one right off the tree. It was a little too bitter. Finishing with the yard took up pretty much the whole day, but afterwards I put up some screens over a few windows in the kitchen to help keep the flies out. After dinner, I headed over to the House to pack some clothes. I left with a medical group early in the morning today to go to Limon (another province/state), so I stayed the night at the Villa to make things easier. On the way back, I stopped at the grocery store with Manolo to get some things for lunch.

A Child Saved

Tuesday I got to go out with a group to help with a medical clinic in Los Guidos, where “the hole” is. At the clinic, which was in the community center, another group performed basic checkups and gave out medicine, while our group entertained the kids outside. We had music, face paint, chalk, soccer, and power bracelets; the ones with the six different colored beads that present a basic story of salvation. At this outreach, a child was led to Christ, which is the first person I have direct knowledge of our ministries saving. After we had lunch, we went to “the hole” to distribute some food. Usually, we give it to several church families that live down there, but this time we also helped out a lady who had approached the pastor earlier and asked that we help her. It was great to reach out beyond the church community, and potentially bring someone into it (she said she would attend a Thursday night women’s Bible study). While we were down there, the pastor also told us that by this time next year, “the hole” will no longer exist because the government is making the area a protected environment. Some of the families will be moved to a new government apartment type complex that was built by a foundation called Costa Rica-Canada, but unfortunately, not all will be able to stay there, so many will be moved elsewhere. During our entire time in Los Guidos, we had two armed police officers as escorts, which was the first time this had happened while I was down there. I did not realize that they were there specifically for us until we were pretty much done for the day, but it served as an obvious reminder of the type of neighborhood we were in. After finishing up, we went to a local mall to kill time before dinner.

Argentine BBQ

And I quote, “Dad, you will be happy to know that on Saturday we finally finished the garage!” This is only true from a certain point of view. The garage is finished in that the old one has been replaced (although there may be some siding to put on one side, but we will see). It is not finished, however, in that we are now expanding it. On Monday we worked all day on it, and got a lot done. This is a much smaller project than rebuilding it was, so I am hoping it will be done before the weekend. After we finished that up for the day, I got some time off until dinner. We had a special dinner, called an Argentine BBQ, which included steak, chicken, sausage, and ribs. It was all amazing. I know none of my family will believe this, but I had two of everything; two steaks, two chicken breasts, two sausages (my favorite of the lot), and two ribs (four total). Afterwards, the group we were with had a final meeting since they are leaving in the morning (3:30 am!), and then we headed back to the House.

Oh, and for those keeping count, that is now two Star Wars references.

2 For 1 Sermons

On Sunday morning, we went to a church that is celebrating its 20th year of ministry this year, which is very impressive. It was also the biggest and nicest church I have been to here yet. We stayed for two services, but a guest speaker, John Wilkerson, gave the sermons in English both times and had them translated by the church’s pastor. It was really nice to be able to understand! The translation, however, was clearly not word for word. For whatever reason, the pastor decided to put his own twist on it, so it was like two sermons in one. Afterwards, we went back to the House and had pizza delivered for lunch. We had some time before we needed to leave again, so it was nice not to be rushed. In the afternoon, we headed to the orphanage. I believe SCORE sends a group or two there every Sunday, which is a fantastic ministry to the kids. When we got there, there was another SCORE group, but we got everyone together and each group presented a couple skits. I was very impressed that they were able to get the kids to sit down and listen. Usually they are very excited that we are there, and just want to play. After the skits, we handed out some toys and candy, and headed home for dinner. On the way, we stopped at the biggest Catholic cathedral in Costa Rica. Every August 2, 2 million people, nearly half the country’s population(!), come from all over Costa Rica to be there, some by foot for over 100 miles.

One of the most . . . unique . . . things to adjust to while I have been down here is the necessity to throw toilet paper in the garbage, not flush it down the toilet. The first time I heard that during the soccer team’s orientation meeting, I thought I heard wrong or did not understand. But sure enough, that is the way it works.

Every Job Needs a Foreman

Dad, you will be happy to know that on Saturday we finally finished the garage!

In the morning, I did some painting here and there around the Villa while Walter finished up the framing, and after lunch I helped out with some dishes. Then, in the afternoon, some people from the same group that helped out on Friday stayed back again and we tackled about five different painting jobs, including the garage. Raymond put me in charge of everyone, and I started them on staining a few more brick columns, painting the garage, cleaning and painting/staining a fountain, painting a dumpster, and cleaning and painting a grill. It was a lot more difficult managing only 10 people doing all of these jobs than I thought it would be. Some of the jobs were spread out, so I did a lot of running back and forth making sure people had paint, brushes, ladders, and whatnot. Eventually, as some of the smaller jobs got finished, I was able to pitch in and help clean and paint the grill. Right as we were finishing up the last of the projects, I needed to get ready to go to the House and get some much needed dinner. I am very glad we finally got the garage done, and Jose has said I will get to go out with some of the groups this week, which will be a nice change of pace.

All Hands on Deck

First of all, Happy Birthday America! For 233 years you have been the greatest nation on the face of the Earth. God willing, you shall always be.

Now then, on Friday an entire group stayed at the Villa to help out with various projects. I was with a few of them cleaning up the nearly completed garage. Once we got that done, we replaced a grate over the street gutter and then went inside to stain some brick columns. It seemed odd to be doing that to brick, but they were in a room that was basically a big covered porch, so I guess it helped waterproof them. It made them look a lot brighter red, too. After lunch, both groups went out to separate ministry activities, and I stayed behind to help Walter work on the frame of the garage. We should be done with that today, and be able to get it all painted, weather permitting, which means the garage should be completely, 100% finished by the end of the day. Finally! For dinner, we went back to the House again. I am guessing that is how it is going to be done the rest of the time this group is here, but already we are getting a pretty good system in place to make it less of a hassle. The bigger problem is going to be the massive amounts of garbage it generates, and no place to put the bags outside where animals cannot get to them.

Where'd the Ladder Go!?

Thursday we were finally able to finish the garage roof! The weather cooperated, for the most part, and we were done by about 3:30. There are still some screw holes in the sheet metal that need to be caulked, but that is a 2 hour job at most. I am not sure if there is anything else left to finish on the rest, but if there is, it cannot be very much. In the morning while we were working, the most exciting thing to happen yet occurred, but not in a good way. While I was painting over some welds in the roof framing, the ladder fell out from under me. Luckily, I had my arm wrapped over one of the main beams, so I was just left swinging there like a monkey, paint still in hand. All I had to do was set that down and grab on with the free hand, and I dropped down. Fun stuff. After we finished with the roof, I had a little bit of time before leaving for the SCORE House, and was able to chat with my brother one last time before he leaves for OCS (“Salute to a Future Marine”). One change-up from the normal evening routine was that the new group that came in, and is staying at the House, had dinner there. This was the first time we have done that since I have been here. It was actually more of a challenge to do than I thought it would be. There are about 20 people in this group and we brought all of the food over from the Villa in to-go containers. That worked well, but once everyone started eating, it turned into a bit of a mad house. After dinner, Manolo was checking out some electrical issues and turned the breaker for the whole house off and on real quick, which elicited some screams, which I thought was funny.

By the way, if you want to have some of the best pineapple in the world, you need to come to Costa Rica. Or, you can buy a Del Monte, which is exported straight from here. Mihai bought some a few days ago straight from the plantation, and they are awesome!

Salute to a Future Marine

I just want to take a minute to tip my hat to my brother, Alex, who is heading to Virginia tomorrow to begin OCS with the Marines. He will be there for 6 weeks, and will return next year after he graduates from college to finish up training and fully join the finest fighting force the world will ever know. I know it will be a tough 6 weeks as his body is pushed beyond its limits, but I also know he is ready for it, he is the most physically fit person I know. Alex, we are all going to miss you, but we will all be praying for you and supporting you from home.

Stay safe, and God bless!

Workin Man

Wednesday we got some more work done on the garage, although the day was cut short again by rain. There is still work to be done on the roof, but I am optimistic that we can finish it by the end of today, if the weather gives us a hand. So far, the construction has been very interesting to watch and be a part of. One of the first times I helped out, I saw a guy holding up an extension ladder while someone else climbed up, carrying one end of a huge iron cross beam. The welder that Walter, the head guy, is using (a Miller by the way, made in Appleton, WI!) has a custom power cord that is a mix of other cables spliced together to make it longer, with the splices simply rapped in electrical tape, and in places the bare wire is showing. It is also wired straight into the circuit box. But, hey, it all works! Once we finished working, I had the rest of the day until dinner to chill. That is the nice thing about staying back at the Villa to work; there can be downtime to relax, especially when there are only one or two groups down here. Of course, the trade-off is that the work is not quite as hands-on with outreach type ministries. Once dinner rolled around, I helped get some stuff ready, including cutting up some limes with a steak knife. Is there anything better to use for those? After dinner, I helped clean up a bit before Jose and his wife took us home.

A Humbling Experience

On Tuesday, continue we did, the garage construction. The weather was even better than Monday, so we were able to work from about 7:30 to 4. We worked the entire time on the roof, nearly completing the framing that we will lay the sheet metal over. In case you are wondering why we are building a new garage, the old was made out of wood, and was beginning to warp and rot, so they decided to tear it down and replace it with a metal one that should last longer and hold up better in the weather. After we finished working, I had a little bit of time to relax before dinner, which gave me the opportunity to talk to my family. Right after dinner, we headed out with a group to go feed the homeless. I have mentioned doing this before, but have not explained what it involves, so I will go ahead and do that. First, at some point during the day the group goes to the supermarket to buy food, and comes back to the Villa to put it all together in plastic bags. Then we head out in the bus to a spot downtown, we use the same one every time, and line up against a wall with the bus in front of us and the food in the middle of the line. Then we pass the bags on down both directions and hand it off to whoever needs it. We try to only give one per person so we can feed as many people as possible, but some people will come back for more or insist on getting two or three, and we do not want to argue. It is a very humbling experience, and I do not think I will ever grow tired of making the trip.

Soccer Trip, Day 8, Monday, June 22

This kind of brings us full circle, as I already touched on this day in a previous post (June 24, “A Volcano”). So, to not repeat myself too much, I basically hung out with the soccer team until they left, and then started the internship.

Racing the Rain

Monday was pretty much back to normal. In the morning we headed over to the Villa, where I helped out some more with the new garage. It was a great day for working, and we were able to get a lot of work done. Before breaking for lunch, we got three posts set up, and began work on a fourth. However, after lunch it was a mad scramble to get the concrete poured and the fourth post up before it started raining. We kind of beat the rain. As it really started coming down hard, two of the guys were trying to prop the post up so it would stay level, and cover the cement so it would not get soaked. Unfortunately, it did not really work, because about five minutes later the post was leaning very noticeably to one side. Hopefully the cement will not set and make it impossible to fix. Once we conceded defeat to the rain, I helped out inside with some dishes, and also helped proof read a document someone was translating from Spanish to English. Some of the other workers also went to the grocery store to stock up for the week, so I helped unload the bus, that’s right, bus, when they got back. And I thought shopping for eight people was a lot! After dinner, I was able to relax for a bit before heading home.

Soccer Trip, Day 7, Sunday, June 21

After spending the night with our host family, they served us a big breakfast of beans and rice, eggs, and yogurt, which was all very good. Then we killed some time walking to the top of a huge hill to check out the area, before heading to church. This was my first experience at a Costa Rican church, and it sure was different, even more different than this past Sunday. In the beginning of the service, there was intermittent singing with presentations (not sure what for cause I could not understand), Bible readings, and a special Father’s Day song by a local musician. Our team also sang a song for the congregation. After this, the kids left for Sunday school and the main service began. When that was all finished, the children came back and recited some verses they had memorized, and gave their dads a Father’s Day gift. Two other things that were very unique to this service were that waving replaced applause, and everyone stood for most of the prayers. It was very interesting. After the service, we went back with our host family for a big lunch, and then headed back to San Jose, stopping for a bit in Sarci to shop. Overall, staying with another family was a really interesting experience. It was at times awkward, but the only real problem was the difference in language. The family we stayed with, Diego Sr. and Erica, plus David, Diego Jr., Dana, and baby Benjamin were all incredibly nice and helped make it a good time. Back in San Jose, we needed to stay at a local Seminary because this was around the time the two huge groups arrived, with a total of about 100 people, so the Villa was packed. At the Seminary we had dinner and later that night were able to play one last soccer game against each other.

Spanish Church

Sunday was another relaxed day (I am beginning to enjoy those!). In the morning, we went with the only group left to a local church. Because of the language barrier, I do not get much out of the sermons, but I am still able to get something good out of the Bible verses read, and it is an enjoyable experience. Afterwards, we all went to a pizza joint for lunch and wow was it good! I guess it was Brazilian style pizza. Next, we went to the orphanage and played some soccer. It was a bit different than last time because a lot of the younger kids played too, which was nice. After a little while there, we headed to Pastor Hubert’s (he works at SCORE) church, which was in the area. There we had a Sunday evening Bible study. Like church, the language difference made things difficult, and it was especially frustrating that I could not engage in the conversation, but it was still a good time. And finally, we headed back to the Villa for some dinner. Another group of about 21 was supposed to come in tonight, but their flight got delayed or something, so we have an extra day before things get crazy again.

Soccer Trip, Day 6, Saturday, June 20

Saturday and Sunday of the soccer trip was by far the most interesting experience I have had on my trip so far. Saturday morning we headed out for a different city, around Naranjo. There we went to a church for lunch, and then went to play in a tournament with two other local teams. We lost both games, but we did play the best soccer as a team of the whole trip. It was also an interesting tournament because the reffing was very loose, almost like a scrimmage. At halftime of the first game the ref even switched with someone else and came to play for us. After all the games were over and a local pastor gave a short Gospel presentation, we headed back to the church, where we found out we would each be staying the night with a host family. None of us knew that was the plan, and we were all taken off guard. Originally it was going to be one player with each family, but luckily our coach was able to make it two to each. That really helped make things less uncomfortable, and in a way, scary. So, they split us up and sent us on our way. Me and Dan, the other guy from the team, stayed with a great family that lived right next door to the church. They did not speak any English, which made things very difficult, but they were very accommodating. Once we got settled in, the father, Diego, offered to take us around the city in his truck (it took a call to the interpreter to figure out that was what he was asking us). We drove around Naranjo for a bit, and then got a very impromptu, afterhours tour of a local coffee plantation. Diego even got a lady to open the gift shop after it had closed so we could buy stuff. Afterwards, we headed back to the church for a Saturday evening service that included games and dinner, and then went to our host’s house for a second dinner with two other guys from the team.

A Day Off

Saturday morning was another relaxed time. The group that was staying with us at the SCORE House was leaving in the afternoon, and I stayed behind with them to lock-up and help them load the bus. Once they were all set, the bus took me to the Villa and I started helping out there. They are rebuilding the garage, and needed an extra hand with that, so I jumped right in. Unfortunately, because of rain, we were only able to work for about an hour before we had to stop. Once we got everything cleaned up, it was time to eat. Since the only group still staying here was out for the day, it was a small, quiet lunch, which was nice. Afterwards, I washed more dishes. The plan then was to wait for 15-20 minutes to see if it would rain again, and then paint some of the metal frame of the garage that we had put up yesterday. But, as it turned out, it did rain, so nothing else got done on the garage. There was also very little else that needed to get done inside, and when it was done, we basically had the rest of the day off until dinner. After dinner, me and Mihai stayed at the Villa late so he could get on the internet and talk to his family, which gave me the opportunity to do the same. Unfortunately, they turn the internet at the Villa off at 10:30, which I do not think either of us knew about, so we packed up and headed home. But back at the House, we found a spot to connect, and everything worked out in the end.

Soccer Trip, Day 5, Friday, June 19

Friday was a pretty busy day for the team. In the morning we had a game against a local high school, and we were able to tie them. I guess I do not know if that is good or bad, but it was still fun. After the game we grabbed some lunch at the Villa and headed over to a local flea market type thing for more souvenir shopping. I have come to find out that that, or stopping at a mall, is a time killing technique they use to keep us busy and stay on schedule. We also played another game in the evening, this one indoor. We lost again, but it was a nice change of pace from the outdoor games. When we got back to the Villa, we needed to completely pack, because in the morning we would be headed to another city for Saturday and Sunday, which was a very interesting experience . . .

Flan!

Friday was just about the complete opposite of Thursday. Yesterday I started the day by sanding bathroom doors with a lady from one of the groups from about 9:30 until lunch. After that, I helped in the kitchen, washing and drying a whole bunch of dishes. I also helped outside with the construction of a new garage. We poured concrete and set two posts that will be some of the main supports. When this was done, me and the main maintenance guy at the Villa cleaned out the wheelbarrow the concrete was in, right into the street gutter that led to a river, I believe. After cleaning up a bit more, I helped in the kitchen again, cleaning some more dishes, as well as making juice for dinner and preparing meals to take to the seminary again. Oh, and for dessert we had, flan!

Soccer Trip, Day 4, Thursday, June 18

Wednesday of the soccer trip was an off day from ministry activities, so we headed over to Fossil Land for some zip-lining. What a blast that was! The owner of the facility, Tom Cruise, was an older guy that was . . . energetic to say the least. He led us through the first half or so of the trip up to the lines, screaming and dancing, before he had to go back for more groups. Once we got to the first line, the real fun began. We rode four lines, each under a minute, and the views were amazing! We also stopped after one of the lines to check out some fossils and a cave the park also has. After the zip-line, we headed out to eat at a local restaurant called Fresas, where I got some chicken that was pretty good. The next stop was a local mall for souvenir shopping, followed by dinner and some indoor soccer.

A Quiet Day

Thursday was very relaxed and enjoyable. Two of the groups were gone until Friday, off at the beach, so the Villa was a lot less busy. We took one of the groups to the volcano again in the morning, and then went back for lunch. Afterwards, I stayed back to helped out with whatever was needed, but once a new group that arrived in the afternoon was fed, there was very little left to do. This gave me an opportunity to hop on the computer and talk to my brother for a while and catch-up on some news (Transformers FTW!!! Wacko Jacko, well . . .). My brothers leaves July 3 for Marine OCS, and I will not see him again until the middle of August, so it was nice to be able to do that. (By the way Alex, I ended up using that program you recommended and it worked. Thanks for the help!) Once things picked up again, I helped prepare dinner for a group that was heading to a local seminary to eat and have a devo, and then I went with them. After all that, we headed back to the SCORE Home, which was unusually quiet since one of the groups that was gone is staying there was one of them at the beach.

Soccer Trip, Day 3, Wednesday, June 17

On the third day of the soccer trip, our team went out in the morning to buy 10 meals for families at a local church. Once we had everything ready, we headed to “The Hole” to hand them out. One of the guys also got two plastic tables and set of chairs for the Sunday School. It was amazing to see people who had so little be so happy because they love God. After lunch, we headed out for another game, which we lost, but I did get a goal. After the game, we gave a few of the players a ride to the bus stop, which was kind of cool.

On My Own

Wednesday was perhaps the most interesting day for me yet. In the morning we took a group downtown, using the public buses, which is not the usual method of transportation, to pick up garbage and hand out Gospel tracts. This was pretty straight forward, and I knew the basic routine since I had done this on the soccer trip, but this time I also had to make sure everyone stayed with the group and did not fall behind. After this we got lunch, and I was originally scheduled to stay at the Villa and help there, but things changed and I was put in charge of a group for the first time. It was my job to take them back to the SCORE House for a bit, and then make sure we left at 2:15 to go to an orphanage. The orphanage was a great experience. When we got there, the younger kids swarmed the bus waiting for us to get out, and once we did we all started playing with them; giving them piggyback rides, playing tag, and wrestling. We also got a chance to play soccer with the older kids, which was really fun. It was a bit interesting though, as the game was played however they wanted it to be, and at times they seemed to be making it up as they went. When it was time to go, the group passed out candy to all of the kids, and we took some pictures. It was really a fun time. After dinner we took another group downtown to feed the homeless, and then had a devo before calling it a night.

Soccer Trip, Day 2, Tuesday, June 16

The second day of the soccer trip was the first that we started playing and ministering. In the morning we went downtown to hand out tracts, nearly 2,000 of them. It is interesting to give tracts out here, because almost everyone takes them, which I do not think is the case in the States. A couple people even asked us to come over and give them one, which definitely would not happen at home! After finishing with the tracts, we did a bit of souvenir shopping before heading back to the Villa for lunch and a nap. In the afternoon, we played our first game, against a Catholic school. We lost, but afterwards had a great time of fellowship with the other team, sharing our testimony and the reason for us being there.

A Volcano

So, my plan hasn’t worked the way I thought, maybe I can get it back on track. Here we go.

Monday was the first day of my internship, and as soon as the last of the soccer group left for the airport, they put me to work right away cleaning the pool deck. After that it was pretty easy going. I went to the SCORE House that I am staying at to set up my bed, then went back to the Villa and helped out with whatever they needed; cleaning tables, dishes, etc., before heading back to go to bed.

Yesterday was a pretty fun day. In the morning I headed out with a group to check out a volcano, which was pretty cool. Mihai, one of the head guys here, said that on clear days you are able to see both oceans from where we were, but unfortunately it was too cloudy that day. And by that I mean we were so high we were in the clouds, looking down on top of and into them. After the volcano and lunch, I went with a different group to give out food to church families in a place called “the hole”. It is a very poor neighborhood built in a small valley, where all the houses are made of scrap metal and have dirt floors. But what is incredible is the joy the people we met have because of the hope they have in Christ.

Now I’ll give you a little recap of the first day of the soccer trip, which really isn’t that exciting.

Once our group got to the Villa, we settled into our rooms and then had an orientation meeting. After that we had dinner and went to play indoor soccer to get to know each other and play together before an actual game. Like I said, not too exciting. Hopefully more to come tomorrow . . .

First Week Down!

The first week is done! Wow, that went by quick! Sorry I could not keep you all updated over the last week, but I could not get on the internet. The first part of my trip, the soccer trip, is finished and was a great time. Now I have 4 1/2 weeks of an internship. I should be able to get on the internet regularly now, so I will try to post daily with an update as well as a recap of a day from the soccer week.

Getting Ready For Costa Rica

In about 12 hours now, I will be on my way to San Jose, Costa Rica for a 5 week mission trip with SCORE International (their link is on the right if you are interested). I decided to go back in late February when Liberty University held their bi-annual Missions Emphasis Week. I found the SCORE booth and was interested in their week long sport trip to Costa Rica, I also picked up some information on their internships. After emailing with the representative that was there, I decided to go for both programs. So, from June 15-22 I will be on the soccer trip, and from the 23rd to July 23 I will be an intern at the SCORE headquarters down there.

Just to give you an idea of what I will be doing, on the soccer trip we will be playing local Costa Rican teams each day, helping around the community, and handing out Gospel tracts. As an intern, I do what all interns do; whatever they tell me! More specifically, I will be going out with other groups and being their guide of sorts. I will also help out at the headquarters with laundry, cleaning, shopping, whatever they need.

Why did I decide to go? Pretty simple actually,

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations. . ." Matthew 28:19, NKJV
"Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature" Mark 16:15, NKJV

Oh, and since I know it will be asked; no, I do not speak Spanish.