Hey friends! Things are going great here in sunny Costa
Rica. Spanish classes are going along and our Bible teacher taught his last
class with us before leaving for Nicaragua. He and his wife and their two
little boys will be leaving for the States in about two weeks. Things at the
orphanage are going really good, the kids are really getting into the Bible
stories we are doing with them! The last two weeks the oldest boy has been
reading the Bible stories. Next week another boy is going to read as well! It
is so exciting to see how God is working in their lives! One of the new boys
does not seem to like the Bible stories though. Be praying for him that God
will soften his heart, heal his hurt and really let us help and love on him.
The interns for next year have been decided, I am so excited for them! Three
girls, Marissa, Abby and Stacey and one guy, Zack. They are some really good
friends of mine here and I am so excited God has put this together for them!
With momma Sonya not coming back next year the four interns are going to have
quite a few new responsibilities compared to past interns, so really keep them
in your prayers as well. I’m not quite sure what is in store for me next year,
but I know it’s going to be great! I think God still has things to teach me
here before showing me what I need to do next year. I really want to serve
somewhere but I’m not sure where. Last Monday morning we got up around 4 AM to
leave by 5 AM so we could get to the border somewhat early. Fourteen hours we
arrived at the camp we were staying at for the week. Tuesday morning we had a
really good time to sit and read Bible until lunch. After lunch we had an hour
of free time which we spent in the pool before the kids arrived. For three days we held a little two hour camp for kids who are supported by Compassion International. The kids
showed up at 3 and we did different water games, shared testimonies, and sang
songs before finishing in the pool. The pool time was probably the craziest
part of the whole trip. You have about 100 kids in an Olympic sized pool all
jumping in, climbing on you, begging you to swim with them, let’s just say we
were ready for them to leave at 5 every day. Wednesday was different, we went
to a town called Granada and took a water boat tour to “Monkey Island.” That
was interesting… It was not quite what we were expecting, there were only four
monkeys on this little rock with trees. When we got back to the main land we
went into the town and took a carriage ride tour! It was really neat to see
what all the old buildings were, the architecture in the town was so beautiful!
We had a little bit of time to spend walking in the town to buy souvenirs and
explore. So, here’s a tip if you’re ever here in Central America, do not ever
take the bamboo flowers the kids make for you. Even if they say it’s free, it never
is and they will follow you around begging for a dollar. You can try to give
them the flower back and they will still say no and ask for money. I guess you
learn something new every day. After that adventure we went back to the camp
and ate lunch. We were looking forward to the pool because the kids wouldn’t
come for two hours, or so we thought. As I was walking back to my cabin I heard
the laughter of kids and thought to myself “Oh no, please let me be hearing
things” but nope, the kids were definitely there two hours early. They were
also planning on staying until five like all the other groups too. However, it
was a really fun time with the kids! We started a whirlpool that turned into a
conga line. The next day the kids came at 9 in the morning so we could have the
afternoon to pack and rest before the long drive home. Last year when going
back into Costa Rica it took them 5 hours at the border, sometimes the border
patrol likes to give problems just because they can. This year it only took us
two hours, which meant we were able to make it back to San Jose before 4 which
is when traffic gets bad. We were expecting to be home super late but we were
home around 3:30 in the afternoon. With that early arrival, Christy, Amy and I
were able to go to my Bible teacher’s house and hang out with his wife Bekah
and their two boys. John was in Dominican Republic teaching this week so I
think Bekah was rather lonely, she said she missed us a lot. We missed them and
it really made me think of how hard it’s going to be when they leave for good. So this is what is happening here in beautiful Costa Rica! We're getting really close to the end, keep us in your prayers that we may finish strong!
XOXO,
Allysa
XOXO,
Allysa
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