Hello Vineyard family and supporters:

We have had a GREAT first full day here in Costa Rica.  After a full nights sleep, everyone was awake and ready for the day by 7AM.  Each of us had quiet time in the midst of the mountains and morning sunshine and headed out for a day of service.

The students have been doing AWESOME and all have such willing hearts, jumping in to help no matter what the task. 

Today included two groups-one group walked the neighborhood, cleaning up trash, and greeting the residents while offering them invitations to upcoming events at Pablo's church.  They were also involved in an afternoon Kid's Club (an event very similar to vacation Bible school in the states), where they performed a skit and built relationships with the children through songs, crafts, and games.  Jamie piqued the interest of a group of students who were in awe of his origami.  He knew just enough Spanish to communicate with them and they LOVED it and the attention they were getting from Jamie.  It was so neat to see this connection. (Jamie and his brother Nate are pictured above with the children).

The second group was involved in painting an outer wall to the church.  It was made of cinder blocks that seemed to just absorb the paint, leaving patches that needed to be filled in again and again.  This truly tested the stamina of several students, but remembering that everything is being done for the glory of God, they pushed through and finished the entire wall in one day. After being covered in paint, dust, and grime both groups of students continued to serve by preparing materials for tomorrow's project: constructing a roof for a portion of Pablo's church.

One of the highlights of the day was an opportunity the team had to go out into the community and participate in a pick-up soccer game at a local park.  Several Costa Rican boys were already at the field and joined us in our game.  While all our skill levels varied greatly, it was an awesome chance to connect with those we are here to serve.