Team Costa Rica's Reflections from Day 8: No Place without a Witness, No Person without Hope

"Today our group split into two and a couple of us went to serve in another community program in Tirrases, while a larger group of us went back to serve a fourth day in La Carpio. Right when we got there almost all of the girls got started on finishing painting the wall which we have been working on for a couple days now. We worked up until lunch, when we took a break to spend time in community together and with the volunteer staff. Since this was our fourth day here, we had gained some good friendships with the staff and to some of us La Carpio had begun to feel like a second home. 

Before the kids arrived for the afternoon programs we had a pickup  basketball game. At 2:00 PM the kids arrived and we started by spending time with them at the playground and having a water balloon fight, which had already started as a war between the volunteers and ourselves. We then gathered for some fun ice breaker songs/dances with the kids, which then transitioned us into a lesson time with the younger kids, and a game of soccer, or fútball with the older boys. After, we set up a piñata using the basketball rim, and the kids had a blast with that. A piñata is a special treat for them. We then played on the playground with the kids until it was time to leave. Then came the hardest goodbye of the trip, to all the kids, and also to all the volunteers that we had become close friends with through the week. 

In the evening, we had an amazing debrief brought to us by our friend and guide, Josué. After, we packed up, and then we went out for our last round of Fro Yo ice cream to close out the trip." -Emma Cross 26’

"Friday a small group of us went to a town named Tirrases. There we had the opportunity to go on a prayer walk, pray for the people in that community and see  the town. The town suffers from poverty and a gang running the town at night. In the afternoon we worked with kids, originally we were preparing for 15 to 20 kids but then 50 showed up!  However our small team did a good job handling those little kids and we had a good time with them." - Anna Landry