Costa Rica Day 4 - 6.21.19

Good morning, parents! The day started off with ham & cheese breakfast sandwiches as we headed to set up for Carnival Day. Energy and enthusiasm were high as our team welcomed over 200 kids from the La Radial community. We had two large inflatables and various games set up --- face painting, corn hole toss, wiffle ball, water balloons, ring toss, and many more. To nobody's surprise, there were pick-up soccer games running throughout the day. The kid's favorite part was definitely the tons of candy we handed out as prizes. Each wave of kids finished off the carnival with a hot dog and chip lunch. During our lunch break, we headed up the mountain to see the ruins of a historical unfinished monument on a dormant volcano. It gave us an incredible view of the valley and city below. 

After another great session at the carnival, we packed up to see some more of the city. With some time to spare, we toured the Iglesia de la Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes also know as the heavy metal church. It is entirely made of metal sheets and is the center of the town of Grecia. It accidentally arrived in Costa Rica but was supposed to be in Greece, therefore the name of the town is Grecia (Greek in Spanish). 

The day wasn't complete without some local ice cream which everyone loved after a long day in the sun. We closed out the evening with an arroz con pollo and frijoles dinner back at the site. We ended the night with our usual porch time and small groups. Luke talked on suffering, sacrifice and selflessness. We all had great small group time to reflect on the day. We are resting and eager to spend time with the kids once again at tomorrow's soccer game and pool party.