Mussmanni and UA 1490

Hey everyone! 

We made it through the airport security and checked our bags and now sit awaiting to board UA flight 1490. 

Prior to departure, we headed out for breakfast to Musmanni, a local bakery chain. It was a sugar coma for most of us. With all the pastries, Danishes, donuts, breads, and other specialty treats the calorie intake was in overload mode. And with most of us still recovering from last night's double Big Mac the gluttony level was on high. Nonetheless, it was fantastic and well worth it. It was the last check on Eka's must-have list for San Jose- the first two being an ice cream place called Pops and a specialty pizza from Pizza Hut (believe it or not).

Anyway, we will check in again stateside. Until then, hasta luego Costa Rica.

Josh

Earthquake! Terremoto!

So apparently there was a small earthquake last night while everyone was asleep here in San Jose. I personally did not feel anything because I can sleep through anything.

We wanted to give you the update that we were ok from this but also update you on our trip since we have not posted for a good while.

Yesterday was Sunday-Funday as we took a break from all the clinics and water demonstrations to enjoy some of the tourism here in Costa Rica. We started the day departing from la finca or the farm with some emotional adios-es and see-you-later-my-friends. Don Tony and Dona Rosa and everyone on the farm were such great hosts and we had formed such great bonds with those on the farm that saying goodbye was difficult and heartfelt.

After saying our goodbyes we trekked to the Nacional Parque de Arenal. The scenery was breathtaking. God's handiwork is quite majestic down here in Costa Rica and the Arenal region and surrounding area was no exception and might be the pinnacle of what we have seen.

The first thing we did as a group was visit the hot springs. No


w I don't know about you but when I think hot spring I think of the side of a mountain with some waterfalls, pools, and what have you. This was not what we experienced. This place was a five-star spa, hot springs water park. Yeah, there were pools of extremely hot water but it was really touristy. Nonetheless we enjoyed getting in the 100+ degree waters and going down the fast and seemingly dangerous water slide. We followed up the time in the pools with a volcano-side (like mountainside but on a volcano) restaurant meal. Yes there were beans and rice but some of us enjoyed some of the more homey tastes of spaghetti.

From there we trekked from the hot springs to our canopy zip line tour, in the rain. Lots of rain. And I slept so I don't really know exactly how the bus ride went but I know Travis and Mackenzie talked photography while others most likely played some kind of game.

The canopy tour was, how do I put this, interesting. Our main guide Marco was clinically insane. His broken but surprisingly good English made what he said just that much more interesting and comical. One of his more memorable quotes went something like "don't let yourselves spin on the line because I don't want you to hit the trees, they are really expensive."

I rained nearly the entire canopy tour and actually didn't hinder us at all. It was great- possibly highlighted by the extremely large swing we all got to experience.

The rest of the day was spent in the bus traveling back to the AMCA house in San Jose. We, of course, played games for the three hour trip and killed a few people playing our mafia game (honestly, the game is interesting, and doesn't sound as bad when you know the rules.)

We are about to chow down on some pancakes and head out to our last clinic.

I hope everyone back home is doing great.

Josh

uno mas

Hola. Another day in the land of Costa Rica and another early start. Between the lovely radio at 5am and he kind rooster, our team was up bright and early For Jesus. But low and behold, a monkey appears in a nearby tree and the day was off to a great start. Following a tortilla and rice breakfast, thewgroup got ready for a day of service near the ranch. As we headed off towards the sanctuary, we scooped up some stones we would later use during a commitment ceremony. We love Jesus no matter what. It was neat. Afterwards we began digging holds, filling holes and carrying heavy cement slabs up a mountain. As the sun came out, shirts began to loose there sleeves. Ater a longandtirin morning, a mountainsideluch was very welcomed. While we were feasting, could it be, yes, we were surrounded by 7 silly monkeys. Awesome. The excitement did not end there as we returnedto carrying more slabs and digging more holes, mmm. Everytime that i felt tired and saw a gairl doing hard would i decided i needed to pick i up. We were not as good as we thought, but we decided to commit toreaching the goal, carrying all 60 concrete slabs up the mountain. As we were struggling to make it up, we decidedto singou created onthe spot costa rica song to raise our spirits. Omar, one of the natives decides to carry one by himself. at this point we have 4 people to one slab. Immediately afterwards, cannon and i(ben) decide to step up to the challange as well. The journey was near death. Oh well. Aftercompleting th last slab as a group we prayed and exchanged words. It was evident God was with us during the day. It was 'pretty neat' how we could spend our day in servanthood, helping Don Tony and honoring God. Afterwards we enjoyed the showers juntos. Pura Vida.

¿Hablas Español?.....No

Hey guys, we´re at Escuela Punta Cortes near the Nicaraguan border and so far everything has been going very well. We left the Replandancer around 7:30 this morning and it took us around 2.5 hours to get to our school to run our second clinic. Most of the trip was on a dirt road where we cannot go fast at all, but we´ve found ways to entertain ourselves. Coming to Escuela Punta Cortes has been such a blessing. A lot of kids here at this school come from families that are very poor but the kids here are very well behaved, disciplined, and extremely respectful. We played kickball, soccer, dodgeball, and flag tag and every single kid and even though it is so hot and very humid, did not stop playing. During the water breaks, Mackenzie and myself (Drew), had the opportunity to share our testimonies to the kids through Eka, our translator. Talking through a translator is not easy, because you need to talk in short, simple sentences. So the night before, we had prepared what we were going to say, but I left my paper at the farm so I had to go from memory today. A couple guys prayed with me before I shared to bring peace and for God to speak through me and He did. God is doing some amazing things here, not only in the AROMA team but in the people who have provided us hospitality and the people who we have visited. I am extremely excited about what the future holds for this trip and I hope all is well back in the states.

Pura Vida,
Drew Pagenkopf

The blog post from yesterday will be available as soon as possible, it is more difficult than we thought to get wifi to post.

Paritas en la mañana!

Waking up after an incredible sleep to what is the sound of multiple las paritas (parrots) may sound like the most annoying thing in the world, but when it is in this city, it is quite refreshing and welcomed.

Our morning started with a fresh brewed pot of coffee (or three) on the back porch of the AMCA house, talking of God's majesty and his works. (The coffee is fantastic down here by the way).

We followed up our morning cafe with a breakfast that was just as good as the food last night. Fue muy rico. Breakfast was followed by a good stroll around town, just taking in all the character this city has in a very limited sample. The weather has been great- mid 60s with not much humidity.

We are now waiting to set our sights on Los Chiles. We've been warned it is a bumpy but beautiful trek north. We will keep you all in the loop.

Hasta luego!

Josh

First Night in San Jose

Well we made it to Costa Rica! After leaving Messiah at 4 am and traveling until about 5pm local time we made it safely to the AMCA house in San Jose with very few incidents except maybe a few rough plane landings. We had a very long but fulfilling day despite being in San Jose for only a couple of hours. It was great getting to know our fellow team members better on the long journey. We even had some opportunities to talk to and encourage people on our way, starting right in Washington DC at the airport. Upon arriving in Costa Rica we met some Push the Rock employees who welcomed us with open arms. We settled into the AMCA house where we will be staying the night before heading to the farm in Los Chiles tomorrow morning. After we got a tour of the house we walked around the neighborhood and found a local park nearby. We threw around some footballs, lost a Frisbee and played some lacrosse. Kenzie, Jenny and I had an awesome opportunity to play with two little local girls on the playground. It was amazing being able to communicate with and play with them despite the language barrier. We trekked back to the house afterward where we were met with an incredible Costa Rican dinner of chicken, rice, beans, chips and salad with a chocolate cupcake for dessert. After dinner we had team time where we discussed Push the Rock's mission and what we will be talking about during devotionals for the rest of the trip. We ended with some worship songs and prayer then closed the night with a game. Tomorrow we will be leaving for Los Chiles where we will be spending a majority of our remaining time.

Buenas Noches,
Kaylene 

Wheels down in Costa Rica!

Hey everyone!

We made it! We are now at the AMCA house in San Jose!

Panda Express and the Houston Airport

Well we landed safely in Houston around 10:20 a.m. local time and proceeded to the nearest food concourse for a much needed meal.

Seven of us ventured over to Panda Express and loaded up some fried, high-caloric Chinese food prior to boarding the plane for Costa Rica. Needless to say we all had our fill there.

We sit here waiting for just a few more minutes as we prep to leave the country via United Airlines flight #1055. The next time you hear from us we should be in San Jose, Costa Rica.

Until next time, adios!

Costa Rica AROMA '13

Wheels up!

We Made It To Dulles And Are JusT 13 Minutes From Take Off. Continued Prayers for Safe Travel Would Be Great. another Update Coming After Touch Down In Houston.

Apologies For The Capital Letters. My phone Doesn't Like The Blog.

Josh

29 hours until the bus rolls out!

Hey Everyone!

Just wanted to give you a quick little update on the upcoming trek the 14 of us will be embarking on in 29 hours! Yep, that's right, we will be heading out from campus right around 4 a.m. Sunday morning for those of you that are good at math.

The past two days have been great days for the team to really come together just to get to know each other, be in prayer and fellowship, and just prepare our minds for the trip ahead. Prior to this our team had little interaction with each other as we are comprised of student-athletes from four different teams-- wrestling, men's lacrosse, track & field, swimming-- some athletic training students and staff, Mike from Push the Rock, and Travis from Sawyer Water Products.

For those of you that don't know we are headed out to Los Chiles, Costa Rica-- a town just south of the Nicaraguan border in the heart of Central America.

We also wanted to take the time to give you the heads up regarding our blogging over the next week and a half. We will try our best to blog for those of you here at home, keeping you in the loop, but we want you to keep in mind that where we are going is a fairly remote part of the country and we will often be out of the range of internet or mobile services. If you don't hear from us for a few days, KEEP BREATHING! We will be in touch soon enough to catch all of you up on our travels and experiences, and the way God is working through us along the way!

We appreciate the support you have given us to this point in the journey and the fact that the trip is just over a full day away makes this more of a reality and has the whole team in high spirits for the journey to come (except maybe waking up at 3:30 a.m. on Sunday). We would appreciate your continued support through prayers sent our way as we travel and for the duration of the trip!

Stay tuned for the next update! God bless!

Costa Rica Aroma Team '13