Hello everyone! This is Rachel Brock, not Amber. She has been neglecting the blog, so I will be taking over for today.
Saturday morning we all went to a coffee plantation which turned out to be a lot more interesting that we all thought it would be. Jenna got to turn the beans that were drying in the sun. Just like a Nicaraguan immigrant. Then we drove up to the volcano Poaz. (Its smelled like sulfur.) We took a nice hike up the trail to see it and a longer hike into the rain forest to see the lagoon. It was beautiful. The rest of the day we relaxed back at church.
Yesterday was Sunday. We attended church at Pastor Angel's church in the morning and spent the rest of the day relaxing.
Today, Monday, we went to La Escuela de Ninos (The Little Childrens School). This was a school that was started by a wealthy lady, Tita, and her husband to help a few select children succeed in school and life. Tita told us that the children don't have any idea about how important hand washing or tooth brushing is. They teach them all these things when they come to school, and also feed them and sell clothes to the mothers. They are having winter vacation right now, but about a hundred children came to eat lunch there, and about 40 of them stayed for our health and hygiene presentation, but best of all was that we got to give out Sawyer Water Filters to all the mothers who came. They got a bucket with the filter attached that can filter 5 gallons of water in 45 minutes. They all got to take these home and hopefully they will use them all the time now because the water in that area was really bad and everyone was sick.
Tomorrow we're returning to the Salvation Army to install a hand washing station in their kitchen. We will also have about an hour to play with the kids there. This is our last day of work, so please pray for the work we'll do there, and of course pray for safe travels as we return to the states on Thursday.
God bless!
Monday, January 18, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Over the Rainbow
We've been in guanacaste now for three days, and I now know what Dorothy felt like in The Wizard of Oz! I've never felt such strong wind in my life.
We are in a very high-altitude area, just adjacent to the Arenal Volcano. The wind is constantly moving here, so much so that I thought a hurricane or tornado might be coming. It makes an awful howling sound in our hotel. It's unseasonably cool here right now, and we've heard it's because it's so cold in the US. So instead of getting sun-burned, we are getting wind-burned. But God is still working.
We've held two vision clinics the past two days and have met with over 700. And there were only a handful that we could not get glasses to. There was one lady who was in her 80s. She had severe cataracts, and hadn't been able to see for quite awhile. I took her reading on a machine called the "sure shot," which is a machine that can read the exact prescription of the eye within 10 seconds. Her prescription was something like -9.99, .5, which is BAD (most were around a
+\- 2)! We were really worried that we wouldn't be able to find what she needed, but fortunately we found something close, and suddenly she was able to read and see distance! The first thing she read was a teammate's shirt which was in English! It was a great experience, to see someone who hadn't seen in years be able to see world around her.
The water project is moving along steadily. A few of us worked into the night tonight, so that we would be able to train the church members tomorrow morning. We've had some awesome welders, a man named George and one of our teammates Tierah.
Tomorrow will be our last day in this area, and then we will travel back to San Jose, hopefully making a stop to view the Pacific ocean. Hopefully the weather will be a little better once we get off this mountain, but it's been an awesome ride while we've been here!!!
Blessings!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
We are in a very high-altitude area, just adjacent to the Arenal Volcano. The wind is constantly moving here, so much so that I thought a hurricane or tornado might be coming. It makes an awful howling sound in our hotel. It's unseasonably cool here right now, and we've heard it's because it's so cold in the US. So instead of getting sun-burned, we are getting wind-burned. But God is still working.
We've held two vision clinics the past two days and have met with over 700. And there were only a handful that we could not get glasses to. There was one lady who was in her 80s. She had severe cataracts, and hadn't been able to see for quite awhile. I took her reading on a machine called the "sure shot," which is a machine that can read the exact prescription of the eye within 10 seconds. Her prescription was something like -9.99, .5, which is BAD (most were around a
+\- 2)! We were really worried that we wouldn't be able to find what she needed, but fortunately we found something close, and suddenly she was able to read and see distance! The first thing she read was a teammate's shirt which was in English! It was a great experience, to see someone who hadn't seen in years be able to see world around her.
The water project is moving along steadily. A few of us worked into the night tonight, so that we would be able to train the church members tomorrow morning. We've had some awesome welders, a man named George and one of our teammates Tierah.
Tomorrow will be our last day in this area, and then we will travel back to San Jose, hopefully making a stop to view the Pacific ocean. Hopefully the weather will be a little better once we get off this mountain, but it's been an awesome ride while we've been here!!!
Blessings!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Leaving for Guanacaste
Hello all!
Tomorrow we leave for the province of Guanacaste.
We've had a long week, installing two of the most complex water systems I've ever seen. At one site, we plumbed 5 different water outlets, managed to pipe water 8 feet into the air, and still managing to get clean water. At the other site our biggest challenge was trying to buy a fixture that would reduce a 1 in. water spigot to a 3/4 smooth pipe thread. After an hour and a half of conversing with a tico, we finally managed to rig a contraption that worked well.
Our team has meshed well with the four canadians that joined us. Its very interesting to encounter such different cultures here. The team is learning a lot, and we are making lots of friends. Today, we had to say our goodbyes to some new friends. As always, its very hard to leave the children, who we befriend and become very close to.
I had an interesting experience trying to teach some young boys and teenagers how to play american football. Lesson 1: teaching them how to throw. Lesson 2: Teaching them to play nicely and not to maim each other.
Tomorrow we make the four-six hour journey to Guanacaste to install our last system. I'm excited to finally be in the country and to smell the fresh air. Please pray for safe travel and a simple install. We will update as we are able. :)
-Amber
Tomorrow we leave for the province of Guanacaste.
We've had a long week, installing two of the most complex water systems I've ever seen. At one site, we plumbed 5 different water outlets, managed to pipe water 8 feet into the air, and still managing to get clean water. At the other site our biggest challenge was trying to buy a fixture that would reduce a 1 in. water spigot to a 3/4 smooth pipe thread. After an hour and a half of conversing with a tico, we finally managed to rig a contraption that worked well.
Our team has meshed well with the four canadians that joined us. Its very interesting to encounter such different cultures here. The team is learning a lot, and we are making lots of friends. Today, we had to say our goodbyes to some new friends. As always, its very hard to leave the children, who we befriend and become very close to.
I had an interesting experience trying to teach some young boys and teenagers how to play american football. Lesson 1: teaching them how to throw. Lesson 2: Teaching them to play nicely and not to maim each other.
Tomorrow we make the four-six hour journey to Guanacaste to install our last system. I'm excited to finally be in the country and to smell the fresh air. Please pray for safe travel and a simple install. We will update as we are able. :)
-Amber
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Day 1 Arrival
The team was awake by 3:30 this morning, to board a 6:30 flight. After months of preparation, we were finally leaving the country! Our experience at the airport was surprisingly uneventful, especially after all the talk of increased security. We boarded in Louisville with ease, and in Houston we had to time to go the restroom before they boarded our next flight. In San Jose, we were ushered through customs and brought to a bus where four men loaded approximately 24 pieces of luggage on top of tour bus in no time at all, a truly amazing feat.
Driving through San Jose and into San Felipe, where we are staying, the first thing I notice is the disparity of living situations in Costa Rica. We passed a few blocks that would be considered middle-upper class. Then cornered next to it would be a slum, with tin houses pressed up against each other. I remember seeing this last time I was here, and thinking how unusual it is to have these two closes living so close to one another. In the U.S., the rich are usually separate from the poor. You hear about the bad part of town or the other side of the tracks--separate from those who can afford to live in nicer neighborhoods. But that is not the case in Costa Rica. Here, poor communities seem to wedge into wherever there is space.
We arrived at Pastor Angel's church, Iglesia Cristiana del Dios Viviente, and settled in quickly. Our living quarters are much different than I expected, and I'm learning to accept the fact that nothing is as I expected. We were treated to a coffee and crackers break while we awaited our dinner at 6:00. We found ways to entertain ourselves during our free time. Benjamin played with some children, Tierah and I played around on our harmonicas. Some rested and some read. When 6:00 rolled around, we began to look in the kitchen for people cooking, to help them prepare. However, there was no one around. This began our first lesson in "tico time." "Tico" is the term used to describe a Costa Rican, and "tico time" is the phrase used to describe the local attitudes regarding schedules, in that one is never set. We said dinner was at 6:00, but that didn't necessarily mean that dinner was at 6:00. This will be challenging in ministering to the Ticos. We will need to learn to be flexible and observe "tico time."
During our devotion this evening, we talked about some of the goals we wanted to accomplish while we are here, and some things we want to keep in mind. Cassie and Tierah hit the nail on the head when they commented that "it's not about me; it's about the relationships." We are here for the people, not to feel good about ourselves. We are here to serve, not be served. We are here for God, not for ourselves. I think that is the number one thought that we could keep in mind.
Tomorrow brings preparation for the ministry sites. We will be scoping them out and beginning to plan for the water systems. Please pray for us, specifically as we search for supplies for the water installations. It is my prayer that things go smoothly and without hitches, however I know that with God, all things are possible and that he has given us "every place where the sole of your foot treads" (Joshua 1.3).
-Amber
Driving through San Jose and into San Felipe, where we are staying, the first thing I notice is the disparity of living situations in Costa Rica. We passed a few blocks that would be considered middle-upper class. Then cornered next to it would be a slum, with tin houses pressed up against each other. I remember seeing this last time I was here, and thinking how unusual it is to have these two closes living so close to one another. In the U.S., the rich are usually separate from the poor. You hear about the bad part of town or the other side of the tracks--separate from those who can afford to live in nicer neighborhoods. But that is not the case in Costa Rica. Here, poor communities seem to wedge into wherever there is space.
We arrived at Pastor Angel's church, Iglesia Cristiana del Dios Viviente, and settled in quickly. Our living quarters are much different than I expected, and I'm learning to accept the fact that nothing is as I expected. We were treated to a coffee and crackers break while we awaited our dinner at 6:00. We found ways to entertain ourselves during our free time. Benjamin played with some children, Tierah and I played around on our harmonicas. Some rested and some read. When 6:00 rolled around, we began to look in the kitchen for people cooking, to help them prepare. However, there was no one around. This began our first lesson in "tico time." "Tico" is the term used to describe a Costa Rican, and "tico time" is the phrase used to describe the local attitudes regarding schedules, in that one is never set. We said dinner was at 6:00, but that didn't necessarily mean that dinner was at 6:00. This will be challenging in ministering to the Ticos. We will need to learn to be flexible and observe "tico time."
During our devotion this evening, we talked about some of the goals we wanted to accomplish while we are here, and some things we want to keep in mind. Cassie and Tierah hit the nail on the head when they commented that "it's not about me; it's about the relationships." We are here for the people, not to feel good about ourselves. We are here to serve, not be served. We are here for God, not for ourselves. I think that is the number one thought that we could keep in mind.
Tomorrow brings preparation for the ministry sites. We will be scoping them out and beginning to plan for the water systems. Please pray for us, specifically as we search for supplies for the water installations. It is my prayer that things go smoothly and without hitches, however I know that with God, all things are possible and that he has given us "every place where the sole of your foot treads" (Joshua 1.3).
-Amber
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