Costa Rica!

 Over the last 2 weeks Julie and I went down to Costa Rica with Livingstone Adventist Academy Seniors (and Kirk, Julie's Brother, who works at the school). It was an awesome trip that was filled with beaches, waterfalls, painting, and scaffolding! The point of the trip is to allow the students to combine their Senior class trip with a mission trip, and this year we got to go. The town we went to is called "La Mona" and is on the southern Pacific coast, very close to the border with Panama.

The flight down was good, we arrived on Tuesday night in San Jose and spent the night at the local Adventist University called UNADECA (Universidad Adventista de Centro America). Then the next day (Wednesday) we went to a valcano (Volcan Poas) and then headed to the Pacific coast for the evening. The weather was hot (always) but the ocean water was just cool enough that it was perfect to be in the waves as the evening wound down.

The next day (Thursday) we made the drive down to La Mona! The church there was built by students from Livingston years ago, and they go back every year they can to help with more projects and to keep a connection with between the church and school going. The goal for this trip was to finish the interior ceiling of the church, and repaint some of the doors and windows at the church. That evening we spent some time with the church kids.

Friday we went Zip Lining! An iconic Costa Rica experience. The zip line location was on the other side of the gulf (the Jimenez side). We took a boat across, zipped through the trees, and even saw a few spider monkeys (sadly from a distance). Then, on the boat ride back we saw some spotted dolphins, which was also an unexpected gift!

After the zip line we went to a place called Refugio Tinti. It is a piece of land that was essentially dead when it was purchased by Alexander Tinti (the current owner) about 7 years ago. Vegetation had trouble growing, animals had no food or shelter, and it was struggling. His goal was to understand the land and give it the opportunity to thrive again by supporting it in ways that were natural. He spent time working to understand what the soil needed, and what would naturally provide those needs. 7 years later the property is thriving! It is beautiful to see, and Alexander's story is a joy to hear! He truly loves the land and his part in restoring it to health!On Saturday we went to church, then spent the afternoon we went for a hike that ended at an overlook that showed an amazing view of the bay at sunset. The students and the local kids played games, and just generally had a great time. The sunset was, of course, beautiful!

Sunday was spent working on the church. Great progress was made!

We also went to a Tarzan Swing!

Monday we went to a waterfall! It was a short hike in, but the waterfall was beautiful! There were also some pools that were deep enough to do some jumps from 15+ feet high! Definitely a fun experience! Also, because of how hot it was, the day in the water felt SOOO good!

That night, at the end of the day Julie and I got to have a date night! We went to a resort in Golfito and had dinner together! Definitely nice to have an evening with just the two of us!

Tuesday was another full day of work on the church, then in the evening we went and spent some time with some of the students in who were learning English, playing games with them, and just having fun being there connecting.

Wednesday was also a full day of work, but at the end of the day the students (and Julie) got to make chocolate starting with the cocoa beans! They went through the whole process and at they end had legit home made chocolate! Then, we made our own empanadas for dinner, which were also super tasty.

Thursday we went snorkeling in the gulf. It was definitely cool, especially when a white tipped reef shark swam by! There were also a lot of colorful fish and a lot of coral, and as always the water was very pleasant temperature wise. After that we went and relaxed at a nearby lodge that was right on the beach, set up hammocks, and just relaxed for awhile before heading back to finish up some work at the church.

Friday we did some canyoneering! Our hosts operate their own adventure company (Extremo Sur). They took us up to the top of one of their favorite spots. We were able to repel over 3 waterfalls on our trip down the river! It was definitely a different experience to be in the water all day and not get cold, something very different than what you experience in Oregon! Highly recommended!

Saturday we went to church again, then relaxed in the afternoon, which was much needed, as we had been pushing hard the whole week! Sunday we started our journey home, driving back towards San Jose over a couple days. Unfortunately our flight back left at 12:50 am, so the flight home was a bit of a doosie, but we made it safely, glad to be home again! Costa Rica is an amazing place to go, and I hope to go back again someday, but it is also good to be able to sleep in Vincent again!