Friday

Earlier this week when we visited Hogar Escuela, Fr. Arturo spoke to us about the importance of their children learning English. He said learning our language opens up a world of possibilities for these children who are being raised by single mothers in Barrio Cuba, the poorest neighborhood in San Jose. This thought lingered in my mind. I had studied Spanish every year in school since I was three years old, and I remembered little songs, sayings, and stories from spanish speaking visitors from far away lands. I remembered how this brought the language to life and helped lay the foundation for the grammatical study I would experience in middle school and beyond. I mentioned this to Fr. Eduardo, and asked if I could share my experiences with the children of Hogar Escuela. Yes! Yes! Yes!

This morning, after a beautiful Eucharist at Diocesan House, I had the pleasure of being a special English speaking visitor to three excited groups of children. I taught them the song "hello hello how are you?" using our hands as puppets, and "my head, my shoulders, my knees, my toes" first slowly, then faster and faster. I showed them pictures of my family and my life in NC. They chatted excitedly at the images of Page in a tutu, doing gymnastics, and on the school bus, and of Jon playing soccer and running track. I showed them a photo of Kenny taken at Hogar Escuela last year with a little boy on his back, and they knew exactly who that boy is - in fact, he was in the first group of children! I told them that today there is snow at our house and showed them a photo of Page with a snowman, explaining that snow is white and cold. They wondered, do we make snowballs and throw them at each other? Yes we do! They saw pictures of St. Timothy's and a photo of myself with Mickey Mouse. Each picture was met with excitement and echoes of English words as they mimicked my sounds. We ended the sessions with a round of "Jesus loves me" sung first in English, then in very loud enthusiastic Spanish!

After the lessons I joined the older kids on the playground. It only took a few minutes for them to really open up, practicing their English and asking me question after question. I taught them how to play Star Tag and we played a raucous game, round after round until my legs ached. There were lots of smiles and hugs when I left. It was a wonderful morning.

When I got back to the worksite, the pipes had been laid and the ditch was filled in! The afternoon was spent cleaning up the worksite, moving dirt piles and gravel, and cleaning the sanctuary in preparation for Sunday services. The ladies from Esperanza Viva came to talk with us about their group and ministry to each other and other HIV+ women in Costa Rica, which is housed at the Church of the Ascension. What a moving story! We presented the ladies with material and sewing supplies to help with their business. We brought along our Chris and Linda puppets which have accompanied us much of the week, and the ladies were so glad to see them! We hope they can send finished products back to us with Fr. Arturo when he comes to NC in March so we can sell them on their behalf.

Bishop Monterroso was on the worksite again today, and joined us again for dinner. What a great guy. He is so passionate about doing God's work in real and tangible ways that change lives, and his vision is contagious. We chatted at the table long after dinner about our experiences this week. We tossed around ideas for expanding our companion relationship, particularly the relationship between St, Timothy's and Church of the Ascension, and also ways we can assist Esperanza Viva. The evening ended with a Dance Party, complete with Obispo dancing the salsa.

It's hard to believe the work week is over. Although we are finished with shovels, wheelbarrows, pick axes, brooms and rags, I know that, for me, the work is far from over. My eyes and heart have been opened to the people of this place and I want to stay present. Not just present here, but more present at home as well.

This week, the people of the Diocese of Costa Rica have taught me several things:
Search. You don't have to look far to find opportunities to make a difference, but you do have to do it yourself, and to look outside of yourself.
Listen. By first listening to others you can begin to understand what they really need, and it's likely not what you think they need.
Believe. A deep, deep faith that God will provide is really the only resource you need to get started. Stay close to Him, invite His spirit into your work, and speak of His love to others. In this way, miracles can (and do!) occur.