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First, we went to a local village called Pijije and gave out shoes, toys, and tooth care kits. The people were very thankful for what they were given, no matter how small it seemed to us. One girl named Sophie was ecstatic when Seth Holland gave her a little angel bear beanie baby, and immediately started to play with it. Another little boy went back into his house before we left to color in his new coloring book. We were invited into one family's house, which was pretty much a small, 4 room wooden structure with a tin roof. She was so proud of it, and I must say, she had some very pretty lace curtains on her windows. It amazed me that they were so happy and proud of what we probably wouldn't even call a home, and made me think about how thankful I am for my house, for my own bedroom, for everything I have. About the time we were heading home, a few kids kept coming up to us, asking if we could give their friends shoes. Eventually, we had to turn them away, much to our dismay because we knew they would have to go without something like shoes.
Despite such things as that, we have had a great time down in Fortuna. We went trekking through a local farm with a native named Alfredo, who is basically the Costa Rican equivalent to Chuck Norris. We hiked through cow poop, mud, and over rocks and hills to see howler monkeys and wade around in the river. Lydia Womble and I stayed up in the front with Alfredo, or at least we tried to until he disappeared over a hill close to the end. We have also gone white water rafting. I found it both fun and challenging. It was fun because I got to raft through a river with two of my really good friends, Caitlyn Foster and Aaron Estrada, and my dad, Bruce Fussell. I think it was challenging mainly because I was in the front with my dad, who is much bigger than me, and every time we had to 'get down', I had to try my best to squeeze into a compacted space with him. Fun, but not very comfortable.
Today, we had a carnival in a nearby village called San Bernardo, which was a very big success, if you ask me. I ran the bracelet-making station with Caitlyn, and participated in the two skits we did for the kids. It was really cool, and even though we couldn't always understand each other, everyone had a great time. This afternoon, we went door-to-door handing out flyers to the locals telling them about the movie night we'll be having. I was exposed to the graciousness, hospitality, and overall joy of the people in Costa Rica. One elderly couple had a pretty long conversation with us, asking about our team and other things. The lady gave me a kiss on the cheek when we were done :).
I've learned so much on this trip, everything from the language and culture, to the lessons learned through the devotionals and opportunities given to the team while we've been here. Costa Rica has been a great experience. I can't wait to see what else God has in store for us in the rest of our trip!
- Eden (The Seed Church)
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