Costa Day 6

The women of Costa Rica never get a treat such as women serving them lunch and having a room all decorated for just them.  The invite was just for women but they still brought their kids and make them wait outside!  In the US this seems impossible.  I even saw a little girl sitting in a car while her mother was inside at the store. 

We brought no decorations but found some tissue paper and white napkins.  I made these flowers like I did for Reecey's birthday party.  The women loved them so much that I showed them all how to make them after the lunch.  They couldn't believe how easy it was.  Tomorrow they are going to use these flowers for a baby shower.

 The ladies brought their kids hoping we could feed them.  We told them they had to wait until we fed all the women first.  So glad we had enough food for them.

 These gourmet cake balls were a real treat for the women. 

 Jennnifer and I singing our duet.

 Singing my solo part

 Cathy doing the devotion with translator Bethany Fisher

 It rained all day today...very muddy wall work.

Our assembly line for the gift bags for the women

Costa Day 5

Our blocks came for the wall!

 We painted this wall (look, I am finally in a picture with the roller to the left)

 Proud of our wall

 I did my part digging the trench too!

 Some of the slums...all tin houses and hilly, rough walk ways.  When we were walking through this area everyone would watch us from their windows. 

 Lots of shacks all up the hillside...tin shacks turn into these "better" places.

 We walked down this "trail"...it was a complete drop off and small trail between the houses...kind of scary.

 We have rebar too!

Costa Rica update days 3 & 4

A few of my own thoughts separate from the www.kuzdas.com site. 

It's hard to complain here...when you ask a child what they had to eat for breakfast and it was just a piece of bread...when you ask a child when was the last she's seen her father and she says she doesn't remember. Even here, we are blessed with 3 big meals a day, a warm shower, and a nice bed.  I don't think I have made it one day without breaking down into tears.  The love these child desire and the love they give to all of us even though they don't know us, is too sweet for words.  It's amazing how many of the children want the glasses because it is something they can take care of - a material possession because they have nothing.

I have been known as the mother hen around here..."the organized one"...the hair braider...the runner. I guess this probably doesn't surprise most of you as you know I am like that at home.  I do alot of things I would at home but at about 10 times the pace.  You won't see me in many pictures because I am usually the one behind the camera.  Hopefully that will change.  I get teased for being so organized and on top of things, but I know they really appreciate it as I got a round of applause last night that I was totally not expecting for all my hard work.  I don't deserve any of it...we all work hard.  I am just doing what needs to be done and using the skills that God thankfully gave me.   Here are a few additonal pictures. 

This is Allison and her new glasses.  She was so shy.  After she got her glasses, she went back to class quietly.  Twenty minutes later when school got out, she came back and tapped me on the shoulder.  She asked me so quietly if she was allowed to take them home with her.  It was too sweet.

 Really long line in the first school from Monday.

 This is Perry and Fransico (Franseesco)...she told Perry he reminded her of her father.  When we asked her the last time she saw him, she said "I don't remember".  Perry did all he could to fight back the tears.  He couldn't do it though.  He finally stepped out where I saw him sobbing by the front gate.  Luckily this little girl goes to Mark's church so we've seen her all week.  She's so sweet.

 This is the front door to the school.  They don't even get to go outside and play at recess.

 Here are the guys and Ellie K digging the trench.

 This was the line at La Finca (Mark's church - Mark is in the blue shirt).  They are waiting in line for the eye clinic. 

 Such a sweet old couple who both got glasses.  They kissed us.  They were so appreciative.

 This was the school we went to today (Tuesday)

 A group of pre-schoolers who all got glasses together

 A line of preschoolers/kindergartners

 This little girl had horrible vision (-4.00).  She was so happy to see!

 Such a sweet picture of her and Mark.

Pictures Day 2

Youth Leadership at Lafinca practicing their performance with Lucy K from our group trying to learn too.

 Cathy A reunited with Patricia...need to read blog post on Kuzdas to see whole story

 Cathy with Patricia and her son

 And the little 6 month old who is now 7

 Ellie A and Abigail H with a tired baby

 Group photo in front of the mission house (I'm on the right side 2nd row)

Costa - Day 2 update

For the sake of duplication, I won't be updating the blog with text anymore while we are in Costa. I am updating the team website so you can view it there - www.kuzdas.com - click on team reports, then click on EWO. I will however update pictures here when I can as we can not upload pictures on the other site yet. Those will probably be added later - after we return home.   These pictures are from yesterday and the blog post text that kind of goes along with these is updated on the kuzdas site referenced above.  It took about an hour to upload these pictures.  Not sure how often I will be able to do this!

This was one of the games the kids were playing when we arrived at LaFinca.  I think the goal was to get the most flour on one person but am not sure.

 "Marco" with the kids

 Another game with the kids - they had to race to eat the pineapple the fastest - there were two lines

 Here's part of our team lining up to do the slip and slide (from left to right: Ellie A, Mo K, Ellie K, Brandis U, Spencer P, Caleb U, Rod)

Perry with "Arthur"

 Mark explaining the egg game - He threw the eggs high in the air and everyone had to try and catch it without it breaking

 Lining up for Bethany's egg crushing birthday tradition

 More birthday egg crushing

 Slip and slide fun - "mas, mas" means more, more...they shouted this as they were piling on backs

 Costa kids saying their verses

 Our youth hiding candy and pencils like an egg hunt at Easter - for the Costa kids

 Costa kids looking for their "treasures"

 Some of our ministry supplies

 Preparing salvation bracelets

We're in Costa!

We are here!  We left yesterday at 9am from EWO and headed to Chicago.  We were suppose to fly out at 2:55 but it ended up delayed and we didn't fly out til after 4pm.  We flew into Mexico City and just barely made the flight the next flight to Costa.  There was a bad storm in Costa and they were concerned with landing. They waited for clearance and if we couldn't get it we would be flying on to Panama...thank God that we got clearance to land in Costa.  I was shocked that our actual air time was around 6 hours!  We arrived around midnight but due to our delayed flight, 10 of our bags remain in Mexico City.  Some of these are personal but most of them are our ministry items - including the tools and supplies needed for our eye clinics!  Please be in prayer that they arrive today.  We were told they will come on a flight tonight and arrive at midnight (they only have one flight from Mexico City to Costa and it's the 9pm flight).  Pray, pray, pray!!  Mark said he's never had a team come and not have bags missing, so he is experienced with this.

We got to bed around 2am.  I am rooming with 3 other girls - we have a bunk bed and then a full size bed and also a bathroom in our room.  It is much nicer than I expected.  I will post pictures later.  I took a freezing cold shower this morning and we can't flush toilet paper though!  So thankful I had a nice bed to sleep in!

Since we don't have our supplies we are going to do some fun things this morning.  We already did some planning things for the week this morning and our praying hard for our bags with our ministry items to arrive.  We were suppose to do an eye clinic this afternoon and as of 8am we called to reschedule for tomorrow.  Mark said at 8am there were already people standing in line waiting for the eye clinic that wasn't suppose to start until 1!  There are 40,000 people that live there and have never gotten their eyes checked.  That makes me so sad.  Excited to see what God is up to!! 
I obviously have internet access and they even have a phone that I can use for free!  We are way blessed~

Today we are going to Los Guido to have fun with some kids.  We are doing some fun water slide/slip and slide with them!  We are celebrating Bethany's birthday today in La Finca.  We will be breaking eggs over her head - this is a tradition - the number of eggs depends on your age.  Bethany is serving here for the next 9 months from our church.  Pictures later!!

Update on Costa Rica

There is not much to report on Costa Rica at this time but things are getting crazy around here as we gear up to leave on Friday.  I had my last song practice this morning with the other girl I am singing with. The song seems really pulled together and we are ready to sing it.  We have been preparing a video to have playing while singing it with the lyrics to the song in Spanish going along with it.   Once it is complete, I will post it on here so that you can see it.

I thought I would just post a short itenerary on here of what we will be doing each day.  If you can remember to pray for us each day, that would be wonderful!! I would like to try and post to the blog each day but I am just not sure I will have time or access to do this.  But I was told the missionaries that we are staying with will be updating their site.  The website address is http://www.kuzdas.com/.  Click on Team Reports at the top of the page and click East White Oak.  I took a look at it and they already have some info out their for our arrival so I am confident they will be good at updating it!  Please note that Costa Rica is one hour AHEAD of us!

Here is our somewhat tentative schedule:

Friday June 10th

• Arrive at church at 10:30 to leave for O'Hare for the 2:55pm flight.  Arrive in San Jose at 11:45pm!

Saturday June 11th

• Clinic prep set up in LaFinca for eye care clinic to start Sunday
• Survey of the work site and planning for work week - for wall building project
• Spend time with student leadership team in Costa Rica
• Children's Club - run by the student team leadership

Sunday June 12th

• Church service in Los Guido
• Eye clinic held at La Finca (mostly adults for this one)

Monday June 13th

• Work teams in LaFinca all day for building wall project
• Eye Clinic in the grade school in the am (will see 300-400 children)
• Buffet lunch with teachers in the school (will provide supplies and things needed for them to do their jobs)
• Eye Clinic in the grade school in the pm (will see 300-400 children)

Tuesday June 14th

• Work teams in LaFinca all day for building wall project
• Eye Clinic in another grade school in the am (will see 300-400 children)
• Buffet lunch with teachers (will provide supplies and other things the teachers need to do their jobs)
• Eye Clinic in grade school in the pm (will see 300-400 children)

Wednesday June 15th

• Work teams in LaFinca all day for building wall project
• La Carpio Day: share gospel in new areas (distribute toiletries or food, etc).  From what I hear this is a dangerous area!  Prayers for us please!

Thursday June 16th

• Same as Wednesday
• Women's Outreach lunch in La Carpio

Friday June 17th

• Free/fun day - white water rafting and zip lining

Saturday June 18th

• Return home - leave around 4:30am for a 7am flight from San Jose.  Wont be back to Chicago until 10pm!  Long day!