After our usual morning routine of devotion, alone time, and breakfast we headed out for final morning in the la cuenca community. We went to a different park in the community that had a soccer field, swings, and a jungle gym which was a great spot for kids of all ages to join in with us. Upon arrival we split up and went out to the surrounding homes to invite kids over to the park. The older kids stayed at the soccer field to play some pick-up soccer while they younger kids gathered in the shade of an overhang for another vbs lesson on Jonah. Since we were in a different part of la cuenca it was a different set of kids and so we were able to use the same lesson from the previous day. Part of our team acted out the story of Jonah while Isaac narrated. Then Luke gave a short lesson on obedience to God along with a testimony from a member of our team about obedience to God in their own life. Following the lesson we had a pipe cleaner and bead craft to make whales for all of the kids to take home. It was so great to see our team finish well in the community and work hard until the last minute to care and love our new friends of la cuenca.
After the vbs lesson and snacks we went back to our original la cuenca location to say goodbye to all of the kids that we have developed relationships over the week. It was a tear-filled goodbye because God has truly created some deep bonds between our team and the kids. God has shown up in some unexpected but great ways through these kids and I think we will remember them and their impact on us forever.
Following the goodbyes our team ate lunch at vidanet and then loaded up on the bus for a long bus ride up to our debrief location in Tamarindo, Costa Rica. Upon arrival, the team was excited to see that our debrief location is a hostel on the beach. We choose to have a day of debrief because it is very important for us to take time to process all that we have seen and experienced. So, this hostel called Casa Aura is going to be the location for us to discuss, reflect, and listen as we open ourselves up to the transformation that God is wanting to enact in us. After getting checked in we walked down to a local food court for dinner, spent a little bit of time souvenir shopping, and then gathered together for our first of three small group times while we are here. We re-visited Abraham who was the character we studied in our pre-trip meetings to start looking back at our week for encounters with God and moments that helped us connect to God. We are excited to continue processing and please be praying that God would seal the lessons we have learned on our hearts and minds during our final day here in Costa Rica.
