The Troops Have Landed

Today is the day that many have been waiting for these past months as we are finally in Costa Rica! It has taken months of planning and two weeks of very hard work, but the payoff is already sweet. Costa Rica is even more beautiful than many of us had imagined, despite the fact that all we have really seen is our Hotel Aeropuerto and the surrounding grounds. We landed on the runway of the humble San Jose airport to the welcoming sound of steady rainfall, but it did not dampen our spirits. We briefly met Dimas, the minister of the Iglesia Metodista where we will be working the remainder of the week, as well as our driver, Alfonso, and guide, Luis. All were so kind and friendly to our group, obviously glad to have us here. The rest of our afternoon was devoted to exploring our hotel. It is not particularly large, but the grounds are covered in lush vegetation and beautiful flowers and fruit trees, which were especially beautiful after this afternoon's rain. We settled in among our gorgeous surroundings, many of us taking time to read or journal on an outdoor patio. The hotel is largely open to the outdoors, which is a new concept for many of us. It is striking that all of the Costa Rican people I have encountered thus far have spoken English, and a few of us are hoping that this will not be the case for much of the trip so that we can use our Spanish language skills. Aside from all things in the hotel, however, we did take time this evening to share our thoughts and feelings as we are so close to entering the field tomorrow morning. Our group is very ready to get out into Alajuela and to the church so that we can really start to make a difference. It was so wonderful to hear about each person's commitment to helping others and loving people, and I know that we are truly going to accomplish great things and hard work while we are here. We will set off tomorrow morning at eight thirty in the morning to begin our work. No one is quite sure what exactly we will be doing, but that is part of what is so intriguing and exciting about this mission. The sovereignty of this adventure and the promise of helping others and changing our own perspectives will be a continual gift over these three weeks.