Vineyard Family and Supporters,

Well, here we are on day three of this crazy missions trip. We have successfully survived a day and a half in Costa Rica and it has been a total blast.  Today, however, was not a "get to know each other" day, but a work day, and a work day it was.

We started out the day by waking up at 6, as usual, and eating a wonderful Costa Rican breakfast (this time it was sausage and egg sandwiches).  Right afterwards, we set out for the Vina Monte de Dios, Pastor Pablo's church.  When we got there, those who had gone to Costa Rica before were encouraged to see that the church was not quite the same: it had walls! While we had given the church a roof last year, it now looked like an actual building. The team was really excited to see that the work we had done last year was being carried on by the church. God had used us and then continued building His Kingdom through others.

Shortly thereafter, we split into groups and went off to do our different work projects.  One group had a time of intercession before they went out to do door-to-door prayer, and yes, it was as hard as it sounds, but also as rewarding as you would think.  The other two groups walked to a local park and proceeded to begin working.  Half of us began to paint a graffiti covered building and the rest began to do yard-work by the park's basketball court.  But you need to grasp that we did not do yard-work like we do in the states.  This was full-out jungle style work.  We weeded with machetes and Joseph, a Vida 220 member, mowed the entire side of the park with a weed-whacker.  Needless to say, the yard work was incredibly difficult, but also really cool.

Later, the group that had been praying returned and jumped right into painting the building.  It was incredible to see the transformation that took place.  The once graffiti-ridden mess had become a beautiful, bright orange building.  Many of the girls tirelessly painted the entire day and, thankfully, their efforts were rewarded. By the late afternoon the entire park was changed.  The basketball court was looking good, the walkways were clear of weeds, the entire lawn was mowed, or maybe whacked, into order, and the building looked awesome! Many Ticos noticed our work and expressed thanks and appreciation for our efforts.  One group even got  cake from one especially grateful Tica! We are confident that we have made an impact and know that God will continue working in the lives of the people of Costa Rica.

We ended our work day by all going out for house-to-house prayer. Then, tired and excited, we made our way back to the base.  A few hours ago we finished our debrief and I can hear sounds of worship music coming down the hall. We are super excited about the rest of this trip and cannot wait to see what God is going to do next. That's it for now!

Jamie Earl