The national bird of Costa Rica is the Clay-colored Thrush or Yigüirro in Spanish. It is a rather plain brownish robin-sized bird to be a national bird – BUT – the story is that it’s singing in April (mating season) is what brings the rains in May. Well, this year the rains started in April (the day the Nashville group arrived), so we don’t know whether to credit that to the little thrush or the First Adults! 🙂 But whatever – it’s been raining ever since! Each afternoon. ¡Muchas gracias!
Tourist Day for Mission Team
A Day with Helen!
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Helen (seated) at Hogar was our helper, translator, and inspiration today – another great day! Hogar de Vida, Atenas, Costa Rica |
Also today I walked some of the group to town for a look around and the walk was too much for some of them, but we enjoyed seeing the Central Mercado, Central Park and Catholic Church.
Saturday at Hogar de Vida
First Full Day at Hogar
Sorry, but we are not allowed to show children’s faces on the internet! My best photos! |
Sign at Entrance Gate Hogar de Vida, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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Matt gives team tour of campus (3 team members not in photo) Hogar de Vida, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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8:30 AM Devotional for those not in school Hogar de Vida, Atenas, Costa Rica |
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Rene painting in one of houses |
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Welcome sign for team at San Jose Airport for Thursday. Hogar de Vida, Atenas, Costa Rica |
Nashville Seniors to Help Children’s Home Here
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One view of Hogar de Vida campus, Atenas, Costa Rica |
I was recently contacted by a fellow senior adult in the church I attended in Nashville, First Baptist Church, Nashville, TN USA. They were interested in doing a mission trip to Costa Rica and so I contacted the director of the Hogar De Vida children’s home here in Atenas and in short the group from Nashville will be coming in April 2018 for a week of assorted service activities at the children’s home. If you are in First Baptist Nashville and are interested, talk to anyone on the SAALT Council or to the project coordinator Fred Linkenhoker.
If you would like to know more about the non-denominational private Christian children’s home, Hogar de Vida:
In Memory of Mary Alice McMains
The Loss of Another “Best Friend” Today
It is with great sadness that I recognize the expected death of my dear friend Rus Roach. I already miss him. -Charlie Below is the announcement I received from Tom and the funeral is available online An Update from our Executive Pastor |
Thursday, May 5, 2016
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This is the way. Walk in it.
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LifeWay VBS 2015 Theme Journey Off the Map, and yep! Parts of Costa Rica look like this! Remember, Jurassic Park was here! Some thought of Costa Rica with Avatar, but there are no blue people here! 🙂 |
I just read about the jungle theme “Journey Off the Map” and focus verse of Vacation Bible School at my church back in Nashville. I love it! It is where I have been and where I am now both physically and spiritually:
Isaiah 30:21, “And whenever you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear this command behind you: ‘This is the way. Walk in it.'”
I taught in Vacation Bible School this time last year at First Baptist Nashville and learned then this would be the theme and verse. I liked it. Soon afterwards I wrote a poem based partly on this Bible verse: “Metaphors of Modification” which was one of the early posts on this blog. I’ll let you click the link to read it if you wish. It was back when I was still dreaming, before even the relocation tour.
I have felt at peace ever since about my “Costa Rica Decision Process,” the first title of this blog, and at peace about the final decision I made in September, and all that has happened since then.“This is the way. Walk in it.” (And I understand that the spiritual meaning of this is not specifically about my move. I hope to write more about the verse later, because in some ways it is another “life verse” for me.) I will miss teaching in VBS this year and especially the theme. If you are one of the good guys who helps in VBS, think of me down here in Costa Rica! 🙂
ADDENDUM: WORSHIP WITH FIRST BAPTIST NASHVILLE ONLINE TODAY
When I was in the apartments the first four months, I was walking to the nearby little non-denominational evangelical church most Sundays and the two times I tried the “streaming worship service” from First Baptist Nashville, my connection was not good enough to get more than little hiccups of video. With my new and better internet connection in this house I discovered today that it works very well here! I’m thankful for many reasons! The local worship in Spanish is not always working for me and Pastor Frank started a new sermon series on “Mile Markers of Life” today. I’m looking forward to his messages and thank Bill Latham for sharing them on Facebook.
But the biggest surprise today was that the flower arrangement in the Nashville church looks like it could have come right out of my Costa Rica garden, with Heliconia and Red Ginger dominating the arrangement! Both are blooming in my garden every day! Maybe they chose it for the exotic VBS theme! VBS starts there tomorrow. Here’s the two dominate flowers in their arrangement:
Heliconia in my garden, Atenas, Costa Rica |
Red Ginger in my garden, Atenas, Costa Rica |
Both of the above two flowers in my garden were a part of the flower arrangement at First Baptist Nashville today as I saw them on the computer screen in a streaming of their worship service.