June 12, 2016
IMG_2428I considered writing a full itinerary of our morning, but I scrapped that idea after how much of the agenda was collecting and distributing the team’s passports, moving luggage, and filling out forms. Needless to say the process of flying in large groups is not for the bureaucratically challenged.

After being stuffed into an airplane and four total buses, we arrived at the Pura Vida mission in San Ramón at around 1 PM local time. Two hours does not seem like a major change, but by lunchtime we were prepared for dinner.

The rest of the day was spent on baggage and  orientation IMG_2431IMG_2432(“Latin up” is our code word for toughing it out when the showers go cold, the mattress is stone, and the local water shuts off at 10 PM.)

We also paid a visit to some of the VBS sites to spread word of the week’s activities. Many of the youth were intimidated at first and hesitant to approach the people of the barrios. A phrase book is one thing, but on the street the language barrier looms high in the fenced-in patios of IMG_2430family homes.

Tomorrow begins the real work. Tomorrow, with luck, we wake up ready to go, adjusted to the cultural divide, the time change, and the nutritional impact of rice and beans 24/7.

Please continue to include our team in your prayers. Thank you for your support. We know you are with us.