Originally,
This was my Costa Rica blog. Now, I've decided to put my thoughts up, and more specifically what God is teaching me at any given time.
Well, I've reached a significant mark. I finished another semester of college! While working part-time at that! It is amazing just how much the physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion has begun to catch up with me. I've been going and going. Now I just want to get away from it all. I want to go on a retreat to the beautiful mountains of NC, with the Christmas tree fields and the birds singing, where the stars are clear, bright and shining. Where I'm reminded of my childhood home, in the country, and oh it was so beautiful. It also brings to mind when we went down into the Grand Canyon Arizona with our Jeep. On the way out, my mom turned off the lights and we just sat there, in awe of the in stars. Without the humidity, and light pollution, you could see all of the constellations. How I marvelled at God's creation. We began to worship then and there, in our little Jeep, with Hannah, Candace, Casiphia, Mami, and myself. What a wonderful memory.
I can't wait to return to Arizona (SOON!). I am hoping this summer coming up, or the next, to fly over, and maybe go on that much talked of road trip to CA with Candace. I've always wanted to go to LA, see all the sights, maybe even work on my surfing skills : ) Then again, Mi Abuelita has talked of going to Bolivia next summer, but that also depends upon the political/security situation-things have been pretty heated over there lately, it has been dangerous for U.S. Citizens. We shall see-Lord willing, everything will come together for both of these trips.
Something I realized today is just how much I have been striving. It was only when I stopped to take a breath (figuratively) that I realized how tuckered out I am. It sneaks up on you- one day, you are totally surrendered before the Lord, then little by little, life begins to steal your peace. Someone says something negative, money gets tight, problems arise, and before you know it, you don't recognize where you're at. Well, how do we fix this problem? you might ask. It's simple, I believe. Worship the Lord, Read His word, repent of carrying the burdens, worries, and sin that so easily entangles. Be quiet before the Lord-meditate upon His word and His attributes. Ask Him what it is that has been pulling you down and holding you back, then kick anything that has been stealing our affections. Take out the trash that life so easily piles inside of your heart. If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us of all our sins. I am going to rest in Him. It's the only way to live. Great is your faithfulness, Lord God!!
~Lysandra Elena~
Friday, December 12, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Recap of our trip
Wednesday July 30th- We went to the park downtown and passed out flyers for an outreach the following Saturday.
We went to a high school that was having a Senior fundraiser, with games and a local radio station hosting the event. It was very exciting to perform there because the energy of the crowd was so high. We were able to do our Intro (skating and dancing together in one amazing piece), as well as our dance "Forgiveness." The students truly enjoyed it and we were excited to see them respond so positively.
In between schools, we grabbed some lunch. We went onto an elementary school performance and that went well too.
Thursday, July 31st- Breakfast at 7am, Performance at an elementary school
Performance at a private school, Pasos de Joventud. It went well and the kids were really interactive. We enjoyed playing with them and the kids responded positively. The principal thanked us and invited us back again.
Friday, August 1st- We went to San Jose de la Montana- at first, the students weren't very receptive, but we prayed and pressed through. God really touched their hearts, and after we performed, many kids told me that they enjoyed the dancing and how it really had meant a lot to them.
That night, we performed at Oasis Cristiano at Excelensia Mercedes Sur.
Afterwards, we had a time of fellowship at the Pastor's house. The teens from the church showed us a dance that they put together, and it was really fun to watch. I enjoyed getting to visit with all of them and can't wait to see them again.
Saturday, August 2nd-
Outreach at Centro Cristiano de Heredia. It was in the morning, and the turnout was mostly skaters since there was a skate competition and some cool prizes such as a board & trucks. When it started raining, they almost cancelled the competition, but it stopped just long wnough for them to finish up. We came back to the hotel for lunch, then pedicures. Then we went to McDonald's to call & e-mail our families.
Sunday, August 3rd-
We went to the 7:30AM service at Centro Cristiano de Heredia. We danced for the first and second services during the offering, then we went to the soccer game. It was La Liga vs. Los Heredianos. La Ligua won!!! Then we went shopping at the mall with Gabhy and David, two locals that often hung out with us. That night, we rented Martian Child and had a movie night. Afterwards, we prayed for Gabhy, and God really ministered to her. It was cool to see God touch her life, and let us be used for His kingdom in the process.
Monday, August 4th-
We went to San Jose with Pastor Ignacio to see the church plant that our home church, Manna, is helping to start up. We prayed for him and took pictures. Then we went shopping in downtown San Jose. We met up with Gabjy and went to a cute restaurant for lunch. It had Tico food (that is, food that is typical of Costa Rica- Rice and beans, soup, small coffee, and a guanabana juice). We continued shopping, then caught a bus back to Heredia.
Tuesday, August 5th-
Shopping downtown Heredia
Dinner with the Pastor of Centro Cristiano and his family, Freddy y Anna Soto, Magda's family, David y Sandra, and the team. It was very special when we prayed for them afterwards.
Wednesday, August 6th-
We packed up our luggage in David's truck- it sure was piled high! Our flight was supposed to be at 10pm, but instead it was at 11 or 12pm. So we began our journey back to the US. It's always a good time to reflect while you're flying back home, and that's what I did- along with catching some shut eye ; )
We went to a high school that was having a Senior fundraiser, with games and a local radio station hosting the event. It was very exciting to perform there because the energy of the crowd was so high. We were able to do our Intro (skating and dancing together in one amazing piece), as well as our dance "Forgiveness." The students truly enjoyed it and we were excited to see them respond so positively.
In between schools, we grabbed some lunch. We went onto an elementary school performance and that went well too.
Thursday, July 31st- Breakfast at 7am, Performance at an elementary school
Performance at a private school, Pasos de Joventud. It went well and the kids were really interactive. We enjoyed playing with them and the kids responded positively. The principal thanked us and invited us back again.
Friday, August 1st- We went to San Jose de la Montana- at first, the students weren't very receptive, but we prayed and pressed through. God really touched their hearts, and after we performed, many kids told me that they enjoyed the dancing and how it really had meant a lot to them.
That night, we performed at Oasis Cristiano at Excelensia Mercedes Sur.
Afterwards, we had a time of fellowship at the Pastor's house. The teens from the church showed us a dance that they put together, and it was really fun to watch. I enjoyed getting to visit with all of them and can't wait to see them again.
Saturday, August 2nd-
Outreach at Centro Cristiano de Heredia. It was in the morning, and the turnout was mostly skaters since there was a skate competition and some cool prizes such as a board & trucks. When it started raining, they almost cancelled the competition, but it stopped just long wnough for them to finish up. We came back to the hotel for lunch, then pedicures. Then we went to McDonald's to call & e-mail our families.
Sunday, August 3rd-
We went to the 7:30AM service at Centro Cristiano de Heredia. We danced for the first and second services during the offering, then we went to the soccer game. It was La Liga vs. Los Heredianos. La Ligua won!!! Then we went shopping at the mall with Gabhy and David, two locals that often hung out with us. That night, we rented Martian Child and had a movie night. Afterwards, we prayed for Gabhy, and God really ministered to her. It was cool to see God touch her life, and let us be used for His kingdom in the process.
Monday, August 4th-
We went to San Jose with Pastor Ignacio to see the church plant that our home church, Manna, is helping to start up. We prayed for him and took pictures. Then we went shopping in downtown San Jose. We met up with Gabjy and went to a cute restaurant for lunch. It had Tico food (that is, food that is typical of Costa Rica- Rice and beans, soup, small coffee, and a guanabana juice). We continued shopping, then caught a bus back to Heredia.
Tuesday, August 5th-
Shopping downtown Heredia
Dinner with the Pastor of Centro Cristiano and his family, Freddy y Anna Soto, Magda's family, David y Sandra, and the team. It was very special when we prayed for them afterwards.
Wednesday, August 6th-
We packed up our luggage in David's truck- it sure was piled high! Our flight was supposed to be at 10pm, but instead it was at 11 or 12pm. So we began our journey back to the US. It's always a good time to reflect while you're flying back home, and that's what I did- along with catching some shut eye ; )
Here are my journal entries, with comments, from our trip this past summer.
7/30/08
We're in Costa Rica!
When we started practices, it seemed like we'd never get here, but here we are half-way through. Here's a recap of our activities so far:
Wednesday, July 23rd
Arrive at Manna Church at 2AM (!)
Depart for the Raleigh airport. Our flight was supposed to take off at 7am- but it was cancelled due to inclement weather. At first, we were told we wouldn't get a flight until the next day. Then, God worked it out so we all made it (on two different flights), to Atlanta. Our flight to Costa Rica was also delayed a few hours, so we finally made it into San Jose, CR at 12:30am (our time). All in all it was almost 24 hours later that we arrived in Costa Rica. What a trip! But we sure did see God's hand in orchestrating a flight to Atlanta, and the last leg of the trip into Costa Rica. By the time we got to Liberia, CR, it was 3AM (our time- 25 hours later...) We stayed at a hotel called Daisyta (it was beautiful).
Thursday, July 24th
We got up super early and went to two schools: Teocali, a bilingual private school, and another public school. At Teocali, they had a cultural presentation for their national holiday, and they even let us join in their broom dance- where the person left without a dance partner had to take the broom and sweep. It was quite an experience. When we came back to the hotel, we rested and then had some team bonding time swimming in the pool.
Friday, July 25th- We went to the festival and bought delicious ice cream treats. The vendors had tiny little carts, with an ice block that they would shave the ice off of into a cup, pour syrup on top, put some powdered milk in, and then pour sweetened condensed milk on top. There was a parade of all the schools, with different displays, etc. After the parade was over, we went back to our hotel, moved our belongings into El Salon de Victoria, the building they've rented for Centro Cristiano de Liberia, and got settled there. That night we went to the rodeo, which was pretty cool. The riders would come out on the bull and start hitting their spurs into the bulls sides and the bull would buck maybe 6-10 times, then the rider would either jump off or be thrown off. When the bull had calmed down a little bit, three men on horseback lassoed the bull and brought it back into the pen. I was glad it wasn't the other kind of rodeo where they actually kill the bull because that's just cruel.
Saturday, July 26th-
Outreach at the park; RUSH performance.
We went early on Saturday morning to set-up for the outreach. When we started, there was a small crowd watching and the response was very positive. After the performance, when we were packing up, a gentleman told us that we were very good and he really enjoyed the music and dancing. Some skateboarders also had a chance to try out our "patineta's" boards. They sure liked that : ) Another positive thing that happened was that a man from a local newspaper interviewed Magda, one of our team leaders and also a native of Costa Rica, about what we were doing. He said that if we come again next year, he wants to go around with us to each school and do a big story on why we do what we do.
Later that day, we prepared for an outreach at El Salon de Victoria by handing out flyers. I walked a few blocks around the general area with Carlos and Andrew. At the outreach itself, Audriana shared the good news about Jesus and we can have a personal relationship with him. Several people either rededicated their lives to the Lord, or came to know him for the first time. This is why we do what we do. We wanted to see people come to know the Lord, and the lost ones come back to Him. We also had fun teaching everyone a dance during worship, and it was exciting to interact with the natives. I really enjoyed it.
Sunday, July 27th-
We traveled by bus & car to La Playa Hermosa (The beautiful beach), a gorgeous paradise on the Pacific with crystal blue waters. It was breathtaking!! After a relaxing day playing soccer, swimming, playing water volleyball, and laying out, we departed by bus to Heredia. It was a long trip. We almost didn't make it that night because our bus broke down. It started smoking, and we thought something was wrong, and our leader was wise enough to tell us to run to the other bus. We were crammed like sardines, most of us standing, for 2 more hours. I sat down after awhile but it really wasn't that much more comfortable. We finally got to San Jose, and a schoolbus that had been rented for us took us the rest of the way to our hotel paradise, Hotel Ciebeles San Rafael de Heredia. It was like coming home, since I stayed at this same hotel last year. I ran in and went right to bed.
Monday, July 28th-
We all slept in after our many adventures the day before.
We went to the mall and window shopped for awhile. The Paseo de las Flores (mall) has a huge movie theatre in it as well, and the movies only cost about $4.50 each. That's half of what it is here- so we went to see The Dark Knight. It was pretty good, if a bit intense at times.
Tuesday, July 29th-
Performed at an elementary school and Samuel High School. Came back to the hotel for some seriously needed rest.
To be continued...
7/30/08
We're in Costa Rica!
When we started practices, it seemed like we'd never get here, but here we are half-way through. Here's a recap of our activities so far:
Wednesday, July 23rd
Arrive at Manna Church at 2AM (!)
Depart for the Raleigh airport. Our flight was supposed to take off at 7am- but it was cancelled due to inclement weather. At first, we were told we wouldn't get a flight until the next day. Then, God worked it out so we all made it (on two different flights), to Atlanta. Our flight to Costa Rica was also delayed a few hours, so we finally made it into San Jose, CR at 12:30am (our time). All in all it was almost 24 hours later that we arrived in Costa Rica. What a trip! But we sure did see God's hand in orchestrating a flight to Atlanta, and the last leg of the trip into Costa Rica. By the time we got to Liberia, CR, it was 3AM (our time- 25 hours later...) We stayed at a hotel called Daisyta (it was beautiful).
Thursday, July 24th
We got up super early and went to two schools: Teocali, a bilingual private school, and another public school. At Teocali, they had a cultural presentation for their national holiday, and they even let us join in their broom dance- where the person left without a dance partner had to take the broom and sweep. It was quite an experience. When we came back to the hotel, we rested and then had some team bonding time swimming in the pool.
Friday, July 25th- We went to the festival and bought delicious ice cream treats. The vendors had tiny little carts, with an ice block that they would shave the ice off of into a cup, pour syrup on top, put some powdered milk in, and then pour sweetened condensed milk on top. There was a parade of all the schools, with different displays, etc. After the parade was over, we went back to our hotel, moved our belongings into El Salon de Victoria, the building they've rented for Centro Cristiano de Liberia, and got settled there. That night we went to the rodeo, which was pretty cool. The riders would come out on the bull and start hitting their spurs into the bulls sides and the bull would buck maybe 6-10 times, then the rider would either jump off or be thrown off. When the bull had calmed down a little bit, three men on horseback lassoed the bull and brought it back into the pen. I was glad it wasn't the other kind of rodeo where they actually kill the bull because that's just cruel.
Saturday, July 26th-
Outreach at the park; RUSH performance.
We went early on Saturday morning to set-up for the outreach. When we started, there was a small crowd watching and the response was very positive. After the performance, when we were packing up, a gentleman told us that we were very good and he really enjoyed the music and dancing. Some skateboarders also had a chance to try out our "patineta's" boards. They sure liked that : ) Another positive thing that happened was that a man from a local newspaper interviewed Magda, one of our team leaders and also a native of Costa Rica, about what we were doing. He said that if we come again next year, he wants to go around with us to each school and do a big story on why we do what we do.
Later that day, we prepared for an outreach at El Salon de Victoria by handing out flyers. I walked a few blocks around the general area with Carlos and Andrew. At the outreach itself, Audriana shared the good news about Jesus and we can have a personal relationship with him. Several people either rededicated their lives to the Lord, or came to know him for the first time. This is why we do what we do. We wanted to see people come to know the Lord, and the lost ones come back to Him. We also had fun teaching everyone a dance during worship, and it was exciting to interact with the natives. I really enjoyed it.
Sunday, July 27th-
We traveled by bus & car to La Playa Hermosa (The beautiful beach), a gorgeous paradise on the Pacific with crystal blue waters. It was breathtaking!! After a relaxing day playing soccer, swimming, playing water volleyball, and laying out, we departed by bus to Heredia. It was a long trip. We almost didn't make it that night because our bus broke down. It started smoking, and we thought something was wrong, and our leader was wise enough to tell us to run to the other bus. We were crammed like sardines, most of us standing, for 2 more hours. I sat down after awhile but it really wasn't that much more comfortable. We finally got to San Jose, and a schoolbus that had been rented for us took us the rest of the way to our hotel paradise, Hotel Ciebeles San Rafael de Heredia. It was like coming home, since I stayed at this same hotel last year. I ran in and went right to bed.
Monday, July 28th-
We all slept in after our many adventures the day before.
We went to the mall and window shopped for awhile. The Paseo de las Flores (mall) has a huge movie theatre in it as well, and the movies only cost about $4.50 each. That's half of what it is here- so we went to see The Dark Knight. It was pretty good, if a bit intense at times.
Tuesday, July 29th-
Performed at an elementary school and Samuel High School. Came back to the hotel for some seriously needed rest.
To be continued...
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