World Impact Costa Rica

New Sidewalks

2010-07-06T20:06:00.000-07:00

2010-07-06T20:01:00.001-07:00

Carol Korol
Hola! This is Carol Korol, finally getting a moment to blog :). The week has been . . . well, it has been AMAZING!
All of our ideas, plans, inspirations all came to life, with the help of the LPDV high-schoolers. The children they
ministered to last week had an experience they hopefully will remember for a long time - I know our team won't easily
forget! Last weekend, everyone had a chance to experience first-hand life in a Costa Rican family. At our team time
Mon. night we marked an impressive map of all the places visited. The school is now out for a 2-wk. break, so for
2 days we mixed, hauled in wheelbarrows, and poured concrete into molds to make a sidewalk from the entrance of the
property to the parking lot. Along a curvy driveway and up a hill. We also worked in the Library, covering books with
plastic, writing out their cards, gluing pockets in the books, and shelving them. The weather is warm and sunny in the
AM, and it has rained every day when all the work is done! With delicious meals, good fellowship, and just enough
sleep, our time here has been very fruitful. I can't wait to see everyone and show some pictures!!!
God bless -
Carol

2010-07-06T19:54:00.000-07:00

2010-07-06T19:38:00.000-07:00

Lukas Thill
Another day in Costa Rica – one more day, and then it’s back to the airport and back to Chicago. And what a day it’s shaping out to be: complete with beaches, rainforests, and ziplines, it’s going to be a solid way to end the trip on a high note, and a nice contrast to today’s work. We had people trying to save the libraries from humidity and a nasty termite problem, and others working out on the road. I was one of those manning the pickaxe and enlarging the holes so that we could later fill them up (because that makes sense), but ever-vigilant Mr. and Mrs. Befus ensured that everybody got their fair share of work, iced tea, and ice cream sandwiches (to keep us motivated), so it turned out to be a nice and productive day for LPDV!

2010-07-06T19:28:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! It's Lindsay :)

Today (7/6) we finished up our construction work, so tomorrow... beach!

We're getting an early start- 4ish so that we can make the drive to the beach

and canopy zip-lining. So we're all pretty excited for that :)

See you guys soon, we miss you <3

In Christ,

Lindsay

2010-07-06T17:31:00.000-07:00

Caleb Cochrum

Hello from Costa Rica! I can't believe that it has already been a week and a half! We have had a great time working with and getting to know a lot of the Costa Rican people. In just two days of rallies, we were able to get to know a lot of the students both participating and helping with the multiple stations. After the few days of Vacation Bible Schools, we headed off to the host homes. The family we were staying with was awesome and we had a great weekend. The concrete pouring in the past few days was tiring but a lot of fun. We are coming back on Thursday and can't wait to see you all then!

ITS ALMOST TIME TO COME HOME!?!

2010-07-06T16:16:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is our last day before we leave. :( The team is getting up at 4:15am to head out tomorrow to go ziplining and go to the beach after because the main highway in Costa Rica is out of service due to the way it was cut out of the mountain. It was cut at such a narrow angle that rocks fell and landslides were created. So instead of it taking 45 min to get to the beach and the zipline, It will take at least 2 hours. (Its a good thing that none of us are tired (: As we get ready to leave please praise the Lord for the blessings He has given us andn also for the impact we had on the students at LPDV, and they on us. Please also pray for saftey of the team as we leave at 11am (12pm Chicago time) on Thursday to go home. Lastly pray for the students that we started relationships with, both at the school and on our homestays, and that we and others would be able to follow up with them about their walk with Christ and just out of pure friendship.
Thank you for all of your prayers and support.
See you in 54 hours, (ish)
-Pip

2010-07-05T22:31:00.000-07:00

Lindsay and Ann Maire stayed with the Orellana family. Volacano is back ground (steam from crater and clouds)

2010-07-05T22:05:00.000-07:00

Jeff, Bridget and faith stayed with the Trigueros clan! Gandpa and Grandma and their three childern (and their families) live in four houses connected together!

2010-07-05T22:00:00.000-07:00

Stephanie and Kelsey stayed with the Bogantes family.

2010-07-05T21:45:00.000-07:00

The Montalba family with Luke and I. Their son Sabastian visited in January and stayed with the macy family.

Ann Marie Bagge

2010-07-02T16:25:00.001-07:00

June 30: Hello Bloggers! Ann Marie Bagge here J Today was the second day of the rally and it was mainly for the La California kids. I helped out with some water balloon games which kept me and my team nice and refreshed throughout the blistering hot day. (and very, very entertained…hehe) The Lord has been so faithful throughout this trip and the weather is no exception. It’s been perfectly sunny the times we needed for the rally and, since no one can (or would want to) escape the tropical rain, it’s held off until we’re finished with outdoor activities. I also got a chance to share my testimony today…9 times (9 different groups rotating through my station)! Which at first I was afraid of stumbling, leaving something out or not speaking clear enough for the translators (who were two awesome high school girls from Palabra de Vida) but the Lord gave me clear thinking and I actually really enjoyed it. At the end of the rally (which was only 12:30am, but it felt much later) we ate lunch and then went to the mall with some of the juniors and seniors from Palabra de Vida. WE GOT PAPA JOHNS PIZZA (: Yay for American food…! (Although, I actually really like the food here.) 5 days, 350 pictures (..from just my camera), a few mangos and a LOT of water balloons later, I’m really loving Costa Rica. God is seriously at work here. I’m excited to see what else He has in store!

Rachel Jagrowski

2010-07-02T16:24:00.001-07:00

June 26: After a long and tiring flight, we arrived safely at the San Jose airport about 1:30 p.m. When we arrived at the La Palabra de Vida School, I was excited to encounter mango and banana trees and eat fresh pineapple (which by the has a completely different taste than “American” pineapple) for the first time ever. Our team spent some time getting to know one another and to prepare for the Amazing Grace rally. I was very impressed by the food—we had a delicious, all-natural concoction of rice, beans, and steak for dinner. Our trip was off to a great start!
-Rachel Jagrowski-

2010-07-02T12:51:00.000-07:00

God Loves Children

2010-07-02T11:30:00.000-07:00

Walk on Water: Crazy Fun!

2010-07-02T11:11:00.000-07:00

Walk on water: FUN!

2010-07-02T10:59:00.000-07:00

Walk On Water: the wet station!
Water balloon games on Tuesday and Wednesday.. kids had a BLAST!
Jesus is amazing walking on water and Peter tries to walk but his fears of the waves sinks his faith.
We can trust God´s amazing grace
Phil 4:13, John15:7
Students share to get more of God´s grace through hearing, reading, studying, memorizing and meditating on the word!

2010-07-02T10:51:00.000-07:00

I Can´t See!
Jesus heals the blind man - Amazing
God´s amazing grace today opens our eyes to His guiding us us today.

2010-07-02T10:30:00.000-07:00

Goliath station target took a beating and his head would fall off if it was an amazing shot.
Again, students shared their testimony at these stations and tie the story into how God was amazing then and his grace is amazing in our live today.

2010-07-02T10:17:00.000-07:00

Goliath station: Taking at the giant, instead of rocks and slingshot the kids used this water balloon launcher (hundreds of ballons had to be filled each day for the 274 students)
>God helps us conqueor the giants in our lives!

2010-07-02T10:12:00.000-07:00

Zacheus station: Kids palyed games winning "money" which Zacheus took his cut... later he returns having met jesus and tells them of God's grace

2010-07-02T10:06:00.000-07:00

Really Long Walk

2010-07-02T09:50:00.000-07:00

Creation Station.. kids find clues sprad out over the mango grove for each day of creation.. >Amazing

2010-07-02T09:48:00.000-07:00

Compilation draft

2010-07-02T09:37:00.000-07:00

¨Paralytic -relay"
Very creative races and even more creative studentds.

2010-07-02T09:17:00.000-07:00

"His Banner of Me is Love" station on Tuesday and Wednesday. Part of each station lesson was having the students share their testimony.

2010-07-02T08:15:00.000-07:00

Photo prior to when all the activities began. We were rested and ready for the up at 5am, breakfast at 6am, then activity setup, then run activities in eight 30 minute segments, meals, team meetings, devos, and prep for the next day.

2010-07-02T07:53:00.000-07:00

112 from a public school were bused in for Wednesday. The school staff had a gospel story in the gym with all the students. The HYACK students and students leaders from La Palabra had nine activites setup with a message of Amazing Grace.

Update from Bridget and Faith

2010-06-28T20:44:00.000-07:00

Hi everybody, this is Faith Ritchie and Bridget Oslund! Yesterday we began our journey to Costa Rica starting at 4 am, thankfully everything went smoothly. We left Wheaton in the POURING rain and also arrived in Costa Rica and were welcomed with a light rain. We made one stop in Dalas, ate some candy, and then were off on our 4 hour flight to Costa Rica. We arrived, found out that the US lost to Ghana in a really close game, but this did not put a damper on the fact that WE WERE IN COSTA RICA! We took taxis to La Palabra De Vida which was a challenge with about forty large suitcases! The roads were very different then our grid-like-smooth-flat streets of Wheaton, but it was a cool drive. When we finally settled in at La Palabra De Vida, we took a tour and now knew where we were going to set up our activities of Spiritual Emphasis Week. Last night we played soccer in their gym until dinner was ready. Our first Costa Rican meal consisted of rice, beef, a salad, unknown yellow veggies and pineapple juice, is was delicious.
The campus is gorgeous and very hilly (we learned this from our attempt at running with Mr. Oslund this morning). The Befus’s have warmly opened up their home to us and the fed us pancakes and sausage for breakfast. We also got to try papaya and fresh picked bananas. We are still arguing to decided which texture and taste best suites the papaya. Bridget is not a fan of it. We are now about to leave and take a bus to the Jeffery’s church and we found out last night that we will be singing 2-3 songs in front of the church and Mr. Aulie may or may not be called up to preach for two or three hours…hahaha. It will be very interesting to see what a Costa Rican church is like. It has not been SUPER hot or sunny yet but its humid, we are still alive and none of us have fried! OK BYE! -Faith and Bridget :]

Sunday update from Bridget and Faith

2010-06-28T20:19:00.000-07:00

2010-06-27T21:06:00.001-07:00