CarpentersFootsteps

Sunday, July 17

2011-07-17T20:56:00.002-06:00

We started the day attending church in Fray Casiano where we finished last year. It was a nice time to reacquaint with our friends. Later in the day, some of the group rode a bus to Miramar to visit the new job site. The footers are poured which is a good thing. This location is in a hilly area, and more rural. We were surrounded by Howler Monkeys in the trees above us. The people we met were very friendly and very humble. It looks like we have a great week to look forward to.

Last Costa Rica Blog

2010-07-26T09:23:00.002-06:00

1) The Volcano at Arenal.

2) The church we visited Sunday morning.

3) The church we visited. The sign means, “The Church of Christ Without Borders.”

4) Peter and the Volcano.

The debate often arises as to whether it is proper for a mission team to spend time and resources site-seeing and being tourists. I remember being on a youth mission trip to Russia when we had finished our difficult and powerful ministry to orphans. We were due to travel from the Moscow area to visit St. Petersburg. This would be purely sight-seeing. The youth on that trip didn’t want to go and had a hard time reconciling the poverty we had just experienced, and the time and resources we were preparing to spend. A wise adult with the group said, “we have experienced some of the worst of this country. We have seen poverty, depression, neglect, lack of hope and basic care. It is also important to see the best this country offers. To see this county’s art, architecture, and beautiful places is extremely important.” I agree with that statement. If we do not see some of the beauty of a country or place, we may go away with a skewed perception and a false understanding of a country and its people.

So on Saturday, we traveled North to the town of La Fortuna, to Arenal. Arenal is known for it’s ACTIVE volcano, yes—ACTIVE volcano. From the pictures, you can see how immense it is, and how close we are! If you look closely, you can see a plume of smoke coming out of the top of the volcano. The conventional wisdom is that if the smoke stops coming out—run! There are small rumbles and blasts that occur regularly. Last night we could even see hot molten rock shining it’s astonishing heat into the night. It’s quite a site!

This area is built around the volcano and offers horse back riding, zip lines, white water rafting, waterfall and other various hikes, and more. We participated fully in these events! Sunday morning, several of us attended worship at a local protestant congregation. We all enjoyed the two hour service, (which was air-conditioned-Gloria a Dios!), and stayed in town to have lunch. You will see pictures of the sign for the church and the inside of the church before worship started. The name of the church is “The Church of Christ Without Borders.” It was exciting when we knew a song that they were leading. When they played, “How Great Thou Art,” it was power and moving as we could sing along in English, while our church friends sang in Spanish.

Today we head to San Jose to spend the night. We will leave first thing in the morning from that airport and arrive in Atlanta later in the afternoon. We are expecting to arrive in Tallahassee around dinner time.

Overall it has been an amazing experience. The partnership and with the church in Fray Casiano, in Puntarenas, is valuable, meaningful, and powerful. ITCF has been working for four years with this church and the benefits from the relationship building and the construction building are clear. We all want to thank you for your prayers and support of this trip that is transforming and powerful. God bless you all.

See ya’ll soon!
El Pastor

Costa Rica Blog #4 pics

2010-07-25T07:48:00.004-06:00

1) The wall is finished, and the concrete floor has been poured!

2) Not a great picture, but one showing some of products from the sewing table. Some are holding clothes and some are wearing clothes.

3) A dancer in the congregation as they shared their native dances and clothes

4) Children in “white face” singing a song about the first white missionaries to come to Costa Rica and bring Christianity with them.

Friday, we finished the work with our friends at the church. We worked our normal morning shift and finished as much as we could. The church wanted to do a presentation of some sort in the afternoon.

Construction
The wall that didn’t exist before we arrived, was completed! They can now add roofing and be close to brand new usable space in the church. Word was then done to level the ground, mix enough cement, then pour the concrete to make a new floor that would join the new wall. Right as it was time to go back to the hotel, all but a sliver of the floor had been poured. This was a successful construction week!

The Soccer Field
The field was finished and working on Thursday, and on Friday it was used non-stop all day! There are several great things about this field. The first thing is that since the field is smaller than a regulation field, the smaller children will have a place to play when the bigger kids are using the regulation size field near the school. The second thing is that this will help to keep them occupied and off of the street as much. The third thing is that the church will keep the goals and balls locked up and will administrate the use of the field. This will mean that neighborhood kids who are not members of the church will come to the church and have some interaction with people from the church. The fourth thing, is that it will just be fun! It’s hard to keep childhoods intact in this oppressive environment. This will let the children run and play.

The Sewing table
After sewing clothes with many women in the church, it was wonderful to see them hold up their finished projects at the “Friday fashion show.” There were many more who took cut fabric and patterns for clothes to be finished later. This too was an amazing ministry as several women learned how to use the sewing machines, so they can continue to make their own clothes after we’re gone.

Bible Study
The bible study was completed on Friday morning. The children seemed hungry to learn scripture and there were several children who memorized twenty or more scripture verses. The curriculum worked well and the children of the church are now familiar with several major biblical characters and the way that God used them to spread the word.

The Afternoon
With all the emotion of the week, we came back to the church knowing this would be the last time we would see and spend time with our friends this year. They had prepared several presentations for us.
They led us in singing praise songs. They did several dances in their beautiful native clothing. One song had several children in “white face” singing with gratitude for the missionaries who came to Costa Rica to bring and spread Christianity.

Buddy, Patty and I were called to the chancel area to say a few words about our week. They presented Buddy, Patty, Sonia, and Ellen with gifts. The church then gave all 42 of us gifts—all 42 of us. It was a nice time of celebration, prayer, and gratitude for the partnership between the church and ITCF. It was then time to say goodbye.

As music played, people milled about hugging and saying goodbye. Many of us gave away clothing, shoes, tools, whatever we could part with. The emotion was strong an intense as everyone from young to old was teary eyed at the prospect of leaving. When we finally all loaded into our two large vans, it was quite a spectacle! The street was filled with church members on both sides of the vans. It felt like a parade of which we were the guests of honor. As we drove away, we looked back and waved good bye until God brings us back together again. Our hearts were full and our souls refreshed by a week of serving Christ by serving one another.

The work portion of our trip is now completed. Tomorrow morning, Saturday, we will pack up and head North to Arenal. This is a beautiful area of Costa Rica built around an ACTIVE volcano. We will spend a few days there, then head home on Tuesday.

Thank you for your prayers and keep them coming!

Peace,
El Pastor

Costa Rica Blog pics #3

2010-07-23T07:15:00.002-06:00

1) Andrew, as the Apostle Paul, pays a visit to the bible study.

2) The wall is growing and nearing completion.

3) The soccer field is finished and in use!

4) Celebrating Zach, Andrew, and Hunter’s birthdays.

Today is Thursday, and progress is being made. The wall that is enclosing space next to the sanctuary could be finished by the end of this work day. Today’s bible study is centered on the Apostle Paul. The soccer field is nearing completion. Several benches/pews have been completed. And if there was ever any doubt, Jesus will bring power to this church annex today, (Jesus, pronounced Hay-Seus, is the electrician!).

We are starting to wind up the focal point of our trip, working with this special church. Last night the youth led the reflection time, (which we do every night), and it was especially meaningful as both veterans of this trip and first time youth shared their experience thus far. Let me just say that there was not a dry eye in the house by the end of the reflection. The Holy Spirit is working and moving and weaving its transforming power.

We finish the work tomorrow, on Friday. We will work our regular shift in the morning, then go back to the hotel for lunch. We will then go back to the church for our second shift, as we have all week. The difference is that the church has prepared some presentations that include dancing and music of some sort. We are excited about this offering from our friends. We will then come to point we have been dreading all week—saying goodbye! If last night’s reflection time is any indication of the emotion we will encounter on Friday afternoon, when we all say our farewells, it will be teary celebration of the relationships God has brought into being.

There is already a sense that when we leave we are abandoning the children that we have come to know and love, to a street existence that does not hold much promise for them. This compounds the emotion we feel as we begin the process of leaving. But we also know the saving power that can come from the church that has been build with blood, sweat, tears, and love. This church has the power to transform its membership and the community.

In the Carpenter’s footsteps has been in partnership with this church for four years. On this trip it has been a blessing to see the children grow, re-connect with old friends, and continue to build the relationships that are at the heart of this trip. To put it simply, today will be a sad and a happy day. We have been blessed.

El Pastor, Danny

Costa Rica Pics-2

2010-07-22T13:59:00.003-06:00

1) The soccer field and construction of new PVC soccer goals. The church annex is on the right in the foreground and the church itself is the salmon colored building in the back of the picture.

2) Mixing concrete—the old fashioned way

3) Zach wrestling with angels

Costa Rica
As a first time participant on this mission trip, I’ll try to give you some of my impressions and observations. Costa Rica is a beautiful country. We arrived last Friday night and didn’t start work until Monday morning, so we had a chance to visit NAME national park. The geography is stunning as the dark cliffs of the rainforest meet warm sandy beaches. On that first day, one of our beloved drivers, Ricardo, stopped at a bridge. He was just smiling and said, “Go look.” When we did, we saw no less than seven of the largest crocodiles I had ever seen! This was better than any zoo exhibit I had ever been to, and this was in the wild. Of course, when asked what they all eat to stay so healthy and large, Ricardo just smiled and said, “tourists!” He also said that national geographic as been to that river and deduced that there are 44 crocodiles per kilometer in this particular area!
In the NAME national park, some took a walking trail and saw the likes of Iguanas, howler monkeys, capuchin monkeys, and much more.

The Church
The area the church is located is economically depressed, to say the least. The unpaved streets are lined with dwellings that testify to how people can live, and make a life in harsh conditions. Rusted tin constitutes the majority of the roofs. Any material can and is used for any purpose, in order to make a home.

The church itself is the nicest structure on the street. It is a concrete structure with moveable seats as it is a multi-purpose space. There is a raised chancel area up front, and it looks and feels like church. There is electrical power and they have an ample public address system. The pastor’s name is Carlos and he welcomed us warmly for worship last Sunday. During worship we presented his church with two sets of communion wear, (two ceramic white chalices and two matching white ceramic plates). These came from a local artist in Tallahassee. During the service I was invited to say a few words, which I did. Sonia Carbonell translated. The youth and children of the congregation had prepared some special dances for us, which “got the house rocking!” Even though there is no air conditioning in the church and we all lost five pounds in sweat alone, it was a wonderful service.

The Work
There are several projects going on at the same time. Inside the church, there is a bible study that is done once in the morning, then repeated for the second group of children in the afternoon. In addition to the bible study, there is a sewing table with machines brought this year, and in years past. The idea is that in addition to making some clothes for the children, local women are taught the skill of sewing. There are also various crafts set up for the children as well. The youth on our trip function as super heroes as each one of them is loved and in demand instantly. At any given time, each of them may have any number of local children using them like a jungle gym. It is fun to watch and the youth are great with them .

One construction project is to enclose an open space that connects with the sanctuary. For the last few days we have been building a concrete block wall. When it is finished, a concrete floor needs to be poured, and a tin roof atop steel beams added. We will probably not finish it all. Then, across the street, there is an annex to the church that will most likely be used for education space. Currently, this building is being wired for electricity. There are permanent partitions to be built in this annex. We are also building benches/pews, and large tables for the church. In addition to these plans, there is a little field next to the annex that several of our trip participants have desired to clean up and prepare as space for the children to play football (soccer to you Americans!). Overall we have an ambitious work agenda, and we are working in partnership with many from their church, (they are dedicated and hard working), to get as much done as we can in the time that we have.

The Culture
The smell on the street of dirt, garbage, and oppressed lives, reminds us that we are in the right place to find, follow, and serve Christ. And yet, the people we have met have been warm, friendly, and truly grateful that we are here. We have disrupted the normal business of the drug dealers by the spectacle that is 42 Americans coming to work in the area. The police have become a permanent presence, and we are grateful. We work hard all day, go home for lunch, then come back in the afternoon to continue our work.

It is difficult for us to imagine what life is like for the people in this area. Poverty is central. We can work all day and get a lot of work done. But when we drive in and out of the area, we are reminded of what we are up against. The houses that can afford it have razor wire enclosing their small houses. We have noticed that on many of the walls that surround some of the houses, they will take broken glass, and affix the broken glass to the top of wall, sharp edges facing up, as a defensive measure.
We see the teenage prostitutes in the street and I can only think of my two precious daughters, that if circumstances were different, they too would be selling themselves out to survive. I can barely stand it.

What can be done against such cyclical chains of poverty and oppression? When we follow Christ into these places, to do the work that is being done, and when we nurture personal relationships, over time the church where we are working has the potential to engage these oppressive forces and be a literal “game changer” for the church members and for the community. This church can become a place for worship, praise, gathering, learning, teaching, playing, learning life skills, instilling morals, cultivating disciples, and offering hope that life can and should be more. That’s why this work is so important.

Peace.
Pastor Danny

More Costa Rica Pics

2010-07-20T07:42:00.004-06:00

At the Construction site (Notice Steve Panton actually working!).

A quick look at one part of the bible study with the children inside the church

Eryn and Brianna making friends!

Rev. Danny

Costa Rica Pics

2010-07-20T07:37:00.004-06:00

Swimming companions!

Tarzan!

Monkey business

Sunshine in Costa Rica! Welcome to the first work week at Iglesia Casa Bendecion. We arrived at the work site for our first day of work – welcomed by the smiling faces of the members of Pastor Carlos’ church. As always, it takes a little while to get things organized (LOL) and up and running.

Our bible lessons with the children this year will center around the philosophy of Christ’s conversation with Cleopas on the road to Emmas in Luke 24. So we will be walking with the children through the entire bible in one week. No easy task! We will teach them about the people of the bible whom God called, who were ordinary people, but called to do extraordinary things, with God’s help.

One of the mission members from Atlanta, Dick Dubose, had graciously agreed to take on the role of Moses, costume and all. He did a great job, totally in Spanish no less. Once the children have quietly listened to the scripture lesson (right!) Sonia Carbonelle takes on the task of asking questions to see who can remember what the lesson was about. The questions are not easy, I only got 2 out of 10. Those children who correctly answer the questions receive a prize zip lock bag, lovingly packed by us with all kinds of basic essential items, a small toy, and some markers or crayons and maybe a coloring book. Those children that participated in the questions and answers received also a white Tshirt to decorate. That’s our way of giving the Tshirts out a few at a time – but we will give out all 200 by the time we leave.

Today we begin with Rahab, tomorrow is Ruth and we wrap pup with the Apostle Paul, who will take us into the New Testament and into the Grace of Christ. It will be a wonderful adventure and I am so excited – tired but excited!!!

Senora Elena

Friday July 24 - Hasta Luego

2009-07-25T17:27:00.003-06:00

We say "hasta luego” and “si, proximo ano", what else would you say?

I did not have a handkerchief to bring to the Friday short workday and goodbye service. So I brought a hand towel....not enough. As Merlino mentioned, there was a localized flood in Puntarenas. We finished off a few remaining construction details, purchased some supply line and a toilet lid for the special project, gave away whatever clothes, gifts or personal articles we wanted to offer and then prepared for the service. We had live music, traditional dancing, prayers, thank yous, gifts, awards, and finally a multitude of hugs. We had made so many friends in a short time. We worked, played and taught together all week and it is hard to see it end. We have watched many a child grow up, friendships grow stronger and the love of God is the common thread; the fuel, the glue, or whatever metaphor fits best. As Sonia said earlier, these people are full-of-it and it shows. We will be back because the Fray Casiano church still needs our help and we have a covenant with them.

Thank you all for supporting the ministry of In The Carpenter's Footsteps.

Solo Deo Gloria

John

Friday July 24 - The Full Armor of God

2009-07-24T21:33:00.005-06:00

A Nuestra Familia de Christ Presbyterian:

Ellen Hicks and I decided to do the Bible lessons for this Mission Trip on Ephesians 6:10-17 - The Full Armor of God. For months we prayed and researched material appropriate for the Fray Casiano children. We did encounter a few obstacles, especially with the "Sandals of Peace", but God kept reaffirming us about our lesson theme.

Today we concluded a week of infused, contagious enthusiasm from children (and adults) that we might think don’t have much. In reality, they have it all. These people get it. It is not about what you don’t have, it’s about being content with the blessings the Lord bestows upon us. It’s all about the love.

If I have to pinpoint the highlight of the week, there are two. Last year "Chombo", a rebellious boy, drew some inappropriate signs on my T-shirt when I passed it to be signed by the children. This year I asked him if he realized that what he did was wrong. He answered yes and I told him I thought he owed me an apology, which he didn’t do. Chombo came to all lessons, twice a day, tried to participate and did all the crafts. I kept showing him that I loved him and didn’t bring up the T-shirt issue again. By Thursday all the children had "The Full Armor of God", including Chombo. When I asked him to sign this year’s T-shirt he was surprised. I could hardly hold back the tears as I read it: "forgive me, Alfredo". He no longer goes by his nickname. Again, it’s all about the love.

These are out winners, Rodrigo and Rosangela

My second highlight was also a true blessing. On Monday morning I challenged the older children to try to memorize the daily Scripture from our Bible lessons. I had brought a special gift for the winners; one for a boy and one for a girl. Yesterday afternoon Rodrigo didn’t have any competition. He recited Ephesians 6:10-17 with few errors. It was difficult with the girls. Both Rosangela and Kimberly did an outstanding job. But there could only be one winner. They said that winning didn’t matter, that the important thing is that they were memorizing Scripture. Never mind who won; it’s all about the love.

Today, after the farewell our brothers and sisters from Fray Casiano had for us, I was trying to make a clean escape to the bus as I could no longer hold the tears. Rosangela (yes, she won) intercepted me, hugged me and crying said that no one had ever challenged her to read, memorize and enjoy Scripture the way I had. She promised to maintain her sharpened "Sword of the Spirit" with daily Bible reading. She promised to stay close to the Lord.

Glory be to God

Sonia Carbonell

Friday July 24 - Sewing News and ESL

2009-07-24T20:59:00.000-06:00

Costa Rica Sewing News

What an exciting week to find so many women and one teenage boy eager to sew! Once the seven sewing machines were cleaned and oiled, material and sewing notions sorted, women were anxiously waiting to begin sewing projects. Indeed there were many projects constructed, from clothes to purses and chair covers for our bus. Our men constructed a couple of tables for our machines and cutting. By Thursday we could have used 10 or 12 sewing machines as ladies waited patiently for their turns. Accolades go to Martha Ann, Neasta and Kathy for their diligent support of this activity. They were truly a Godsend! Patricia, a church member has the fabric to prepare a large banner for the church. Our sewing week concluded with the women and children participating in a Fashion Show.

Seeing how eager these women were to sew for themselves, their children and each other, I met with Patty, Buddy, Tom and Pastor Carlos with Efren translating. Pastor Carlos agreed to letting the women establish a sewing circle in the church, using the sewing machines on Saturdays and the women would be encouraged to start a sewing/craft business. A $28.00 donation was made to the sewing circle to help the women get started.

Lastly, we discussed the possibility of offering ESL (English as a Second Language) classes next year and Pastor Carlos readily said he’d like to see ESL offered to adults as well as children.

Jan Conkright

Friday's Happenings

2009-07-24T19:42:00.002-06:00

Well, there was flooding in Puntarenas today - mostly tears. It's always hard to say good-bye but we all know it's more like "Seeya' next year!"

It was a great week with good progress on the annex and renewal of friendships. We also built new friendships within In the Carpenter's Footsteps and with our Costa Rican friends.

The Russell Clan made it safely to San Jose with Senior Miguel at the helm and, God willing, we will be back in Atlanta tomorrow evening. Buenas noches!

merlino

Thursday July 23 - Ebenezer

2009-07-24T07:28:00.004-06:00

From a bag of trash to miniature scissors to pieces of the hardest wood God ever created to beautiful pieces of handmade art - our Ebenezer

As many of you know, each night we have an hour devotional we call "Reflections." Each of the main church groups takes a night and provides a devotional to share. The youth have their own night. We also take time to reflect on the day's events and prepare for the next day. It is valuable time. On the last night, Buddy and Patty do the devotional and we build an Ebenezer. The scripture that introduces the concept of an Ebenezer is 1 Samuel 7:12-14 and it's general meaning is:

An ebenezer is a “stone of help” or a reminder of God’s real, holy presence and divine aid.

And so we built our Ebenezer. Each person brought forth an item that held special meaning to them for the week. Many brought gifts given to them by the children; others brought items from the construction site, the sewing center and from VBS. Each had a story of meaning, some were christened with sweat or tears. It was a joyous and emotional time. It also meant our week was coming to an end and our last day with our friends would be tomorrow.

Vamos con Dios

John

Thursday July 23 - Special Need Project (day 2)

2009-07-24T06:28:00.002-06:00

A throne fit for a king

Today the materials were purchased to complete the roof and septic tank/toilet project. Following a description of the problem at the group reflection meeting last night, more than enough money was collected to buy the materials. We began by laying another course of cement block to prevent the rising seasonal flood waters to submerge and flood the tank. We found the water rises daily within a few feet of the house as well as flooding even higher during the rainy season.

It was good to see the husband of the house not only pitching in to help but taking charge of the bulk of the work. "Ticos" here take pride in their work, but the problem they face is a lack of funds for materials. PVC pipe was laid and a base of wood and concrete was constructed for the toilet. The finished product was "MAGNIFICO." A throne fit for a king Tears of gratitude flooded the eyes of the woman of the house. This project was very gratifying.

John Burkhalter

Wednesday July 22 - Special Need Project (day 1)

2009-07-23T12:49:00.007-06:00

During low tide the water is a few feet from the blue door, at high tide the water surrounding the "toilet" is about 1 foot deep.

One of the married couples that has worked very hard on the church construction and lives nearby. They live on a tidal river and they have no toilet facilities at their home. They are using only a hole in the ground behind their home. When the heavy rains come in the spring and falll, the dirt floor of their home floods from the rising tidal river and this water carries human waste into their home. Also, the tin roof has holes that allow rain to leak onto their beds and other areas of the home's interior.

Low tide, water is about 20' from the back of the house, yes water quality is an issue

Some of our team members have taken up a collection to purchase the materials to (1) complete the septic tank on the property that was started but never finished, (2) install a toilet on an elevated stand, and (3) patch the roof holes. Work on these projects began July 22.

Dick Dubose

Wednesday July 22 - Shield of Faith

2009-07-22T22:46:00.002-06:00

Today started off with a 20 min. bus ride to a nursery where we got 12 patic plants to put in front of the church. It looks much better but we got ate up by ants in the process. Sarah literally had ants in her pants. After planting, we came inside and got mobbed by kids in yellow hats wanting our autograph. We decided to adopt two kids. I want to adopt a 7 year old boy named Mauricio and Sarah wants to adopt a 9 year old girl named Lilibeth. –Emily

Today Efren did a presentation about the importance of sexual transmitted diseases. I took my child Lilibeth, sat her on my lap, and let her watch the presentation. Even though she is 9 years old, I figured it’s never too early for these girls to learn about sexual transmitted diseases. After he was done eith the presentation, he gave the women all my purses that I had when I was little. They were filled with hygiene products to give to the women. I suddenly got really emotional when I saw all of my purses being to good use. The youth was in charge of the reflection tonight and we decided to discuss Proverbs 22:6. I think we did a pretty good job discussing the bible verse and how it relates to what we are teaching the kids and how we are affecting their lives. -Sarah

Tuesday July 21st - Ninos y Concreto

2009-07-22T07:52:00.004-06:00

We continue to be blessed, though admittedly sore. Another fruitful day Tuesday with many children showing up for VBS and continued progress in the annex building. Had some light rain that did nothing but cool off some sweaty heads and settled the dust.

In VBS there were 200+ kids during the day. Sonia and Ellen lead them through study that provided them the breastplate of righteousness. On Monday they received the belt of truth. These children need as much protection against temptation as they can get. Chronic unemployment and poverty provide many opportunities for the young adults to stray towards an unhealthy lifestyle. By arming the children, we hope that they hear the message and can ignore that lifestyle when the time comes to make that decision. Our youth are providing the energy necessary to handle this many kids. This is no easy chore, they are relentless in the amount of attention that they want. On Friday I am sure there will be an emotional response.

The sewing center is going great. More tables were constructed to provide space to cut patterns. On Monday, our team of ladies were teaching, on Tuesday the local women were sewing for each other. Hallelujah! Even more glorious will be the fashion show that we will have Friday morning.

On the building front, we had the front sidewalk half-poured by the time we left for the day. The walls were prepped for stucco and applying the rough coat had begun by the time we had left. They were stringing lights as we were leaving. Power was dropped into the building, and the tough business of making the concrete posts "square" has continued. It is hard work chipping away at a twisted concrete post (see below). More concrete block was also installed. The tile for the floor has been delivered and I expect we will be on our knees for the next two days. Mission has a way of doing this. Every day when we leave there are 20 people still working; every day when we arrive they are already there. We are very thankful for each other.

Sorry, I could not figure out how to turn the video 90 deg.

No one from the team has gotten hurt. We had another scaffolding collapse but the young man on it escaped injury. Some scrapes and many, many blisters. Being under roof has kept us from getting seriously toasted by the sun and the occasional breeze blows through giving us new life. I think I know what that is. It does not get any better than this. And all to the glory of God.

John

Monday July 20th - Post 3 (wow)

2009-07-21T05:14:00.000-06:00

Lunes, Julio 20:

Although two buses transported our equipment and group from San Jose to Puntarenas, we only have one bus with us at the hotel so it shuttles two groups of us to and from Fray Casiano. It is only about a 10-15 minute trip. The Russell Clan was in the first group headed to Fray Casiano, about 8:30. There were a few kids waiting when we arrived. The first job I had was painting a bonding agent on the inside walls. We used rollers attached to poles so we could cover the walls to the ceiling. Aside from that task, the remainder of my day was spent chipping away concrete that had seeped through forms around the structural support columns in preparation for a hard coat. It was very tedious and painstaking work. I was not the only person performing this task. John Watts, Inger and Dick DuBose spent a little time to all day working on it, as did some of our local ticas y ticos.

At one point, one of the ticas pointed to her mouth and started chewing. She had remembered that last year, I had handed out gum, so I went to the Russell bag, reached in, and did not disappoint her and her co-workers.

Occasionally, I walked into the church. The ladies and youth had the community busy. The sewing center was set up and ladies were busy sewing. Kids were at tables working on crafts or in Bible study. There was a big group because the schools are closed due to the swine flu pandemic. So, the normal slow, daily increase in kid population came s a surprise to the group.

…and maybe a note about dinner at the hotel. The theme was Costa Rica. Every night there is Costa Rican food but there was even more special food for us to try. The waiters and waitresses were dressed in colorful garb. Everyone chowed down before heading to Reflections, led by our Georgia folks.

merlin

Monday July 20th - Post 2

2009-07-21T05:05:00.000-06:00

Buenas tardes!

Today was our first day at work. It was awesome seeing all of our friends from last year. Nazerath, Oshuay, Vanessa, Ruth and more. Our sewing ladies went straight to work with our brand new sewing machines. For our VBC, Mrs. Ellen and Mrs. Sonia lead the bible verses and we made our belt of truth. It was amazing to see all the kids run around in their newly-made belts. As a youth group, we decided to do some energizers. Although the kids didn’t realize they were supposed to dance too! We danced to Revolution and Funky Town. Tanner Searcy made sure everyone knew he had choreographed the Funky Town dance. In construction news, Inger fell off the scaffolding. Don’t worry though, she surfed it down, like her cousin David did last year. Hasta luego!

Eryn Russell & Corinne Watts

Monday July 20th - First Day

2009-07-21T04:22:00.000-06:00

We are off to a good start for our 2009 Mission to Costa Rica. Sonia Carbonell and I met with the minister’s wife, Rut, and Dunia, the coordinator for youth programs at the Church Sunday after worship. They gave us the news. The kids are out of school all week because of influenza. Once Sonia and I got over the shock we began to brace ourselves for the fact that we would not have 50 children for each session – morning and afternoon like we normally do when the children are in school. We would have all of the children all of the time! We had prepared 200 foam crosses for the name tags and about 3 pm we had run out. That gives you an idea of the number of children we had today for our first day. I can only believe that God is going to see us through this. You know how we love a challenge! Today the lesson was on the belt of truth, because as Christians we have to start everything with a firm foundation, the truth of God’s word, or anything we build will not last. Tomorrow we will be teaching the breastplate or righteousness – each child will get a Tshirt with “Guard your heart” scripture to decorate and keep, I can hardly wait. Boy am I glad we brought plenty of Tshirts.

Ellen

Sunday July 19th - Worship

2009-07-19T14:07:00.008-06:00

The Church Office and Sunday School Rooms - it has a new roof!

Hola familia:
Well, our first full day in this beautiful country, filled with beautiful and very warm people, began with morning worship at our community church in Fray Casiano. My family was in the first shuttle that left the hotel. When we arrived, it was apparent that the roof had been installed on the church annex so that was one task we would not need to complete. The windows and doors still need to be installed and Pastor Carlos would like the floors tiled so there is plenty of work to do.

Our new friends from Fray Casiano

Soon people started arriving and there were so many hugs and kisses! Even people I did not recognize greeted me with much love. I could see the excitement in Brianna’s and Eryn’s eyes as their little “buddies” arrived.

Not long after Ricardo shuttled the second half of our group to the church, morning worship began. Miss Sonia and Efren translated much of the worship for us. Unfortunately, with less than ideal acoustics and a location near a very welcome fan, along with the fact that my hearing is not as sharp as it used to be, I missed much of the service. but it didn’t matter. You could easily feel the spirit moving amongst us. Again, I was blessed to have worship with my fellow Americans, and children of God. I very much look forward to rolling up my sleeves in the morning and sweating a little. Solo Deo gloria!

merlin

Saturday July 18th - Arrival

2009-07-18T18:27:00.004-06:00

Hola Familia de Christ Presbyterian:

Your missionaries arrived safely in San Jose at midday today and are now in Puntarenas at the hotel. Today went very well, on the whole. We did have a late start out of Tallahassee with a mechanical malfunction that kept us at the gate for awhile. But we made it fine to Atlanta where we met up with the missionaries from the GA churches. It was good seeing the Burkhalters again. God was definitely with us today in San Jose where we were wisked through baggage checkout without having to have our bags opened. Nuestro amigo y hermano en Jesucristo, Ricardo collected us at the San Jose airport and has ferried us to Puntarenas. Costa Rica is a beautiful country.

Our group is a wonderful mix of young and um..not so young and experienced and inexperienced. Many of us have been on a Carpenters Footstep’s mission but on different trips, others this a first time experience. So with God’s help we are building a new team, with experience and energy. We have much to do in Fray Casiano. Tomorrow morning we will be heading to church there to share worship. We cannot wait to gather together with music and praise.

Continue to pray for us. More blogs will be forthcoming from Corinne, Merlin, Eryn and maybe we can find a few others.

PS: Yes, that is Efren with the Transformers backpack.

John

July 7 - Preparing for Mission

2009-07-07T09:03:00.000-06:00

As the In The Carpenters Footsteps mission team prepares for their trip to Costa Rica, we are reminded of why we are going and what we want to leave with the people of Fray Casiano. Here is our prayer and theme for our trip.

THE WARRIOR'S PRAYER

Heavenly Father, Your warrior prepares for battle. Today I claim victory over satan by putting on The Whole Armor of God!

I put on the girdle of truth! May I stand firm in the truth of Your Word so I will not be a victim of satan's lies.

I put on the breastplate of righteousness! May it guard my heart from evil, so I will remain pure and holy, protected under the blood of Jesus Christ.

I put on the shoes of peace! May I stand firm in the Good News of the Gospel so Your peace will shine through me and be a light to all I encounter.

I take the shield of faith! May I be ready for satan's fiery darts of doubt, denial, and deceit so I will not be vulnerable to spiritual defeat.

I put on the helmet of salvation! May I keep my mind focused on Your so satan will not have a stronghold on my thoughts.

I take the sword of the Spirit! May the two-edged sword of Your word be ready in my hands so I can expose the tempting words of satan.

By faith Your warrior has put on The Whole Armor of God!

I am prepared to live this day in spiritual victory!

Amen

Sunday Worship, Day 7

2008-08-02T05:32:00.000-06:00

We worshipped with our Costa Rican neighbors in their small curch in Fray Casiano. It was quite a service with much music, clapping and joy. The spirit of Christ was all around us. We were treated to Costa Rican dances in native attire. The young ladies were beautiful!

Then In the Carpenter's Footsteps sang a song to the church in Spanish, and plan to do the same for the Christ Presnyterian Church congregation in Tallahassee when we get back.

Then the hard part-the good byes. I think there were more tears shed in the last moments than all the rain we had all week. The kids latched on to every one one of us. Hugs, kisses, exchanges of addresses and gifts. I'd rather have had a concrete block drop on my foot.

...but, we promised to complete the buiding, and so there will be at lest one more trip!

merlin

Saturday Evening Reflections Day 6

2008-08-02T05:19:00.001-06:00

Every night we get together for Reflections. It is a time for business and announcements but more importantly, to share our experiences for the day. Tonight, we built an Ebenezer. If you don't know the story:

"Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, 'Thus far has the Lord helped us'" I Samuel 7:12

Everyone brought something from the job site that remineded them of God's work that had been accomplished.

Solo Deo Gloria!

merlin

Saturday afternoon-more photos

2008-07-27T06:19:00.002-06:00

Sylvester and Buddy

Chino and Noel (our Nicaraguan concrete mixer) on the new slab

Our group inside the church

More kids. They were everywhere!

Saturday, Julio 26, Afternoon Report

2008-07-27T06:12:00.002-06:00

our main man, Chino on the finished slab

Yamalee

Eryn with Yamalee and Brianna with Tailyn

Inger with Priscilla

On the building side, Pastor Carlos let us know that we got all of the hard work done, and they would be able to put the roof on the building. The church has the supplies for the roof already. Although it rains every day, the rain did not interfere with the cement work. Wonder why???

Inside, the group had a party with the kids. We also handed out packages and gifts.

This morning, we will be headed to Fray Casiano to worship one more time with our friends before heading to La Fortuna. This may be the last report from the group.

It has been a real blessing to be here. My family has met a lot of new friends from the US as well as in Fray Casiano. Thank you all for your prayers and support. Without you, this would not have come to fruition.

Be ye doers of the Word and not hearers only.

Saturday, Julio 26, Day 6, Pictures from the morning

2008-07-26T14:22:00.002-06:00

Passing Chino on the way to work. Chino has been the local tico keeping us in line. He is a hard worker. I'll try to find a better picture. The next pictures are the floor before we got started this morning, and the last is a little dog who hung out for a while. There are no fat dogs in Costa Rica.

Saturday, Day 6, Julio 26, Eryn's Report

2008-07-26T14:07:00.001-06:00

As usual, the church was full of action or what i like to call "organized chaos" with running kids, sewing ladies, and lots of headaches. Todays theme was fishing. Mrs. Sonia led her bible study with a new way of getting the kids to pay attention- TOYS!!! And yes, this worked real well, besides all the screaming. The story was about Jesus and the fishermen, one of my favorite stories. So instead of a craft, we set up a fishing game, throw your line, get a toy. The kids loved it!!! So after a nice fishing trip, it was time to play. We put up another Espanol Veggie Tales movie that almost made me go deaf. The kids ran around, wanting to be picked up and spun. Dizzy stuff there. But, at least they love hanging out with us, even thought we have no idea what they say! After a fishy morning, it was time to leave & eat and boy was I hungry!

Eryn

Saturday Morning, Day 6

2008-07-26T12:54:00.002-06:00

Just a quick report before heading out to eat lunch. I worked outside on the building and we were able to finish pouring the floor for the entire building because some of us went out early and got a head start. One more half day to work.

25 Julio, la manana de viernes

2008-07-25T14:34:00.002-06:00

More pictures.

25 Julio, Dia 5

2008-07-25T14:27:00.001-06:00

We accomplished a lot of concrete work this morning with the early start.

We also had a visit from a small group of missionaries from Minnesota. They had heard about our work so they stopped by for about 45 minutes.

Thursday, Julio 24, more pictures

2008-07-25T06:03:00.002-06:00

"Bug" con uno tico y mi chica mas locas, Eryn.
(Victoria with a little boy and my craziest daughter, Eryn)

A hoto of the church and "concreto" work.

...y una chica mas bonitas!
(...and a lovely little lady!)

Thursday, Julio 24, Christus vive!

2008-07-25T05:55:00.001-06:00

Hola mi amigos y amigas!

Inside the church, the sewing center was abuzz with ladies working on various items. Not much more I can say about that 'cause, to be honest with you, I don't sew.

Every time I went inside the church, the kids were all busy with crafts. Carol told me the kids really, really, enjoy the crafts, and she said some of the adults were in on the action. Ellen had them making stepping stones.

Our own lovely "Bug" (Victoria Woods, VW) has gained so much experience she'll need as a mother! Every time I saw her, she was holding a baby or had a couple of kids attached to her. Actually, all the folks working inside the church have had kids hanging on to them. The kids don't hang out with the mason crew because we're a rough crew. Actually, it's because we are pretty nasty at the end of our work.

Speaking of the building, we finally made, what I would consider, good progress. We poured the ceiling beam along one side, bucket by bucket. The lintel on the opposite side is ready to pour. It was a long process because you could not put more than 2 scoops of raisens, I mean cement, in a bucket beccause it had to be lifted up to the top of the escaffoldo. We also leveled out the floor with gravel so today will be a non-stop mud day.

Keep us and our friends in your prayers.

Wednesday, July 23, Day 3

2008-07-23T18:18:00.002-06:00

Well, the building went painfully slow today. At the end of the day, forms were completed and the mud started to flow. It looks like some of us will be heading out an hour early in the morning to make up some time.

Inside, there was a lot of activities and laughter. The kids built stepping stones out of mortar and decorated them with "gemstones". It looked like everyone had one or two kids hanging around them. Everyone has a buddy! Emilo continued his Bible study with the teens.

We found one group of people in the neighborhood in desparate need of food, so wedipped into our pockets and bought them beans, rice and a few extra goodies. All they asked for was beans and rice. We truly don't understand how much we all have until you have an opportunity to see those who really are needy.

God has kept the rain away during work hours, and that is good news.

Until tomorrow. Hasta manana!

Tuesday, Day 2. We made it!

2008-07-22T18:13:00.002-06:00

Yesterday, we met our other friends in Atlanta. Not long after we left Atlanta on a 767-300, the pilot told us a sensor light was on and to make a long story short, the jet circled back and landed in Atlanta. The good news was that we did not have to leave the aircraft, and we were back in the air about 90 minutes later.

We were not long at the San Jose airport, and customs let us go through unchecked. That was very nice, so we were not too late arriving at the hotel. Everyone was pretty beat so most of us ate, and relaxed.

Today we started our work in Fray Casiano. In the morning, there were about a dozen kids inside working on crafts. This afternoon, there were probably 50 or more kids. They are a lot of fun. There is a church service tonight at 7:00 (9:00 EST), and we'll be going there.

Work on the building went slower than anticipated. The lintels went in and tomorrow we'll fill the blocks. After the mud sets, we can finish the blocks and start on the roof.

Continue to pray for the folks here. They are wonderful people. Pura Vida!

Saturday, July 19. Packed and Ready to Go!

2008-07-19T18:47:00.002-06:00

The folks in Tallahassee met tonight to finish packing up supplies. Everyone was assigned a crate full of tools, school supplies, sewing equipment and other items to share with our friends in Costa Rica. The excitement is growing! Tomorrow, we will be commissioned as part of morning worship.