Costa Rica Mission Trip, Day Four

7/3/10

This morning,  placed one of my FSU shirts above Rollin as he slept and took a picture of my own. I figure he had something to do with the boy's attempt to prank me and I am now sure that the pranks will increase/continue.

I am looking forward to today's trip to the farmer's market and the opportunity to share the gospel with the people of Costa Rica.

After breakfast, we boarded the van and went to town. Arriving at a parking area, we made our way to the open air market, with our lists of "groceries" needed, all written in Spanish.

We divided into 5 teams of 5 and took an hour to accomplish our mission, having to speak in Spanish to ask about prices. We were also given some phrases in Spanish that were meant to create some fun. Tanner, on our team, asked a vendor "Un besa grande". The male vendor did not think it too funny and did not respond, while we laughed and informed Tanner that "un besa grande" meant "big kiss."

This was a great immersion into the culture, having to do our best with what little Spanish we knew, to find what we needed, and a the lowest price possible.We bought chiles, potatoes (papas), carrots, pineapple (pina), lettuce, and tomatoes, among other items.
We carried our findings back to the van and then went to a nearby park. There we invited bystanders to observe the youth's drama, handing them evangelism tracks written in Spanish. The crowds were respectful, even hungry, to hear the gospel message. I filmed the drama using Butch's "flip" camera and the crowd appeared appreciative.

We went back to the ranch for lunch. With a coke from Katie's Corner, a small building near the Cafe', we again boarded the van and went to another park. This park is bordered by a Catholic church and a small United Methodist Church with an adjacent bookstore. The youth performed their drama twice, and again, with only one exception, the crowd was receptive and respectful of the presentation. I could not help but think that in America, the crowd would be neither interested, nor respectful, yet the people of Costa Rica seemed eager to hear the message, even from 'gringos'.

After the 3rd "showing", we crossed the street for ice cream at a chain called "Pops". I had a chocolate/vanilla sundae - wonderful!

We got back on the van and returned to the ranch. I laid down for about 30 minutes and dinner followed. After another reflection on the day, we sang "Awesome God" and played cards until bedtime.

Addendum:
I was again awakened about 12:30 a.m. CR time by the bleating of a young goat. The boys had retrieved it from the barn and placed t at the foot of my bed! Soon it was removed and sleep resumed.
After today's visit to the farmer's market,  am more determined to become fluent in Spanish, so I can both speak to the people and serve the team as an interpreter.