The Early Bird Catches the Worm..or Pastries

Hola from Costa Rica!  This fine Thursday was filled with volleyball, new friends, and shopping!  The day started off at the crack of dawn - 5:15am (Thankfully, the sun was already out which helped in awakening our spirits).  Knowing that we were stopping at a tasty bakery for breakfast gave us extra motivation for loading the bus at 5:45am sharp!  After getting our fill of coffee, pastries, muffins, and bread, we were ready to tackle the day ahead of us.

With our bellies satisfied, we arrived at the Word of Life Christian school about 45 minutes away from our homestead.  Our first session began at 7:00am with the seniors (which is 11th grade) of the high school.  They were more than energetic and willing to learn as we ran the clinic.  The four grades (7th through 10th) following the seniors were just as enthusiastic to share the love of the game.  With only having one court with groups of about 15-20 students, we were able to have one-on-one interactions and were able to engage in meaningful conversations since all of the students were fluent in English!  Oh, how great it is to be independent from Bucky's superior knowledge of Spanish (we don't know what we would do without her).

After a total of five hours of volleyball under our belt and many beautiful testimonies shared, we were ready to get our shopping on!  Juan (our fearless bus driver) drove us swiftly to our destination of a local market where we learned the art of bartering.  We'd say we got a few great deals.  The team came away with many gifts.....sorry, no spoilers here.

From there, we traveled to a supermarket, aka - Walmart, to snag some snacks for our evening match against a local club team.  With players' families' cheers echoing through the gym, we were ready for the last match coached by Coach Tobias and Brittany Salloum.  Each game was played with passion and heart.  Coming away with four victories, Alycia shared the Gospel with the club team making known the love God has for each and every one of us - even on our bad days.

All packed up (smelly, sweaty, sleepy, and most of all - hungry), we climbed on the bus to make the trek "home" where we had a delicious dinner with the fam,  Once our bellies were full, the team went over the highlights of the day's activities keeping it on the shorter side since we have another early morning tomorrow.

All in all, the team is thankful for the opportunities of the day - especially since the whole team was able to be together.  With many getting sick early in the week, it is a blessing to be able to serve along side each one of our teammates and leaders.  Although the days of serving at the schools are over, we are ready for another opportunity of sharing the love and Word of Christ as we go on an adventure tomorrow as well when we arrive back in the USA.

Thank you for your continual prayers and support.  We feel so blessed with the people we have met, the experiences and laughter we have shared, and the love we have given and received.  God is faithful, gracious, and kind.  Please keep praying for our last couple days in CR and as we travel back to the USA on Saturday.   Until next time - much love,

Makayla and Jennifer