After some hours at the beach, and for some of us the swimming pool, we ate dinner together and then enjoyed Team Time under the stars, while far off lightning lit up the night sky.

Tomorrow is our last full day in Costa Rica, it’s hard to believe our time is coming to an end.  After spending the  morning here at the hotel, and making the most of our beachfront, we’ll make our way back to San Jose for our last night in Costa Rica.

But not without stopping for some coffee to take back to the US with us!

Buenas noches!

The Team

It will be about a 4 hour journey in the bus today, so we would appreciate your prayers!  We are so grateful for good health and safety thus far, and we know many have been praying.  We’ll see you soon back in the US!  For now, we are off to the beach!

Nos vemos…

The team

So today, where to begin!  We began the day heading to a local prison where PTR Costa Rica visits two times a week to work with a group of young men, using soccer and basketball to build love and hope into their lives.  We were able to join the effort today as we filed into the prison, handed in our passports, and walked into the ‘gym.’ We huddled up for prayer together as the young men filed in, handcuffed together, escorted by various armed guards.  Our PTR Costa Rica contingent introduced us all, and then one of our team shared her testimony as they listened very respectfully.  We then split their group into various team for some 5v5 soccer, and our group did the same.  It was a blast, and the guys from the prison played very fair, and very gently as well, but still in a manner that showed their amazing skills!  We rotated through multiple games for an hour or so, mixing with them in the bleachers between games, but then their free time came to an end after the girls shared 2 songs with them, which they LOVED!

We were then taken on a sobering tour of the facility, hearing some heartbreaking stories.  Really, the prisoners in the prison could be any of us, but for the grace of God.  Many of the team expressed their surprise  in the guys who came into play against us- how they seemed gentle and respectful.  The truth is, we all make mistakes.   This experience is a great reminder to all of us about the forgiveness of Christ and how with out His truth in our lives, we could be there too.  The time in the prison was eye opening to us all I think, and  a good time with those we met, who were very grateful we spent the morning with them playing soccer and sharing.

After the tour we headed to the school where we would be doing some painting.  The tour put us a bit behind schedule, but since flexibility is key, we knew it would just have to be okay!  We gobbled up lunch upon reaching the school, and then broke out the paint!  We were to paint a ‘mural’/design on the wall surrounding the basketball court/soccer field, and also repaint the goal post and lines marking the cement floor.  Everyone jumped in with lots of energy, as the clock was ticking towards the time we would need to leave by to make it to our game!  We had about an hour and a half to get it done, and it was so cool to see everyone working at different things to help get this project done!  It turned out great, and hopefully it will bring some smiles to some children’s faces in the days, months, years to come.

We said our goodbyes and headed back to the house for a quick snack, before boarding the bus to head to our second and final game during our time here.  Equipo Arenal Coronado was our opponent, the current top women’s team in the country(not counting the National team of course!). The field was very nice, and it was clear from the start that this would be a tough match.  Both teams played hard, battling to a 1-1 tie.  Corinne scored in the first half, and then Arenal Coronado tied it up in the second half…after a very questionable foul call! Arenal’s goalkeeper made an amazing save that kept Messiah still at 1 goal,  and so the game ended in a draw.  Messiah did well against this very skilled and quick team.  What makes it even better is that Messiah spent the day working and even playing, and still managed an amazing effort.  After the game, one of our players shared her testimony, all prayed together, took various photos, and loaded back on the bus to head home for dinner.

It’s been a great week for sure, but we are clearly all feeling the effects of the schedule.  I couldn’t be more proud of this group of young women who have served as Jesus would serve, and have loved the children and opponents as He would have them love.  It’s been a blessing for me to be a part of.  As I mentioned earlier, we’ll be heading to the beach tomorrow, which means we could be ‘offline’ until our return on Friday!  We have a bit of a drive, so we’d appreciate your prayers for sure!

Thanks for your continued support, we are soaking up the time here in San Jose!  New pictures and video are up on the PTR Facebook page, be sure to check them out!

Pura vida!

Eric, for the team

We all slept as late as possible today(6:30), all were tired from the long day before. Again, some of the group had the pleasure of waking up to tropical birds chirping…though they may not describe it as just that!

But today there would be plenty to do again, so we loaded up our energy at breakfast before heading out for clinic number 1 of the day.  This group was mostly first to third graders, all from a local school.  PTR, the school, and another Costa Rican non profit are working together in this part of the city in a joint effort to bring hope and love into the youths’ lives here.  We were blessed to have a role in just that.  Both a counselor from the school, and an employee of the non profit stopped by the field to express their gratitude and thanks to us.  The school counselor, as she left, said something to the effect of this:  ”Its great to be working together. But what is most important of all, is that you are teaching them about the love and message of Jesus Christ!”  Amen, and amen.  Again, we feel blessed to even have the opportunity to support the ongoing work here, and are humbled to be welcomed so warmly by so many people here.

The second session was a group, again from the school, of fourth to sixth graders.  This group was pretty talented, and listened very intently.  It was a great way to end our clinics here in Costa Rica for this trip.  The team did a great job through out the day interacting with the children and teaching them the various skills of the day, but most importantly, showing by their actions and smiles that it was the love of Christ that brought us here.  We had 4 team members share their testimonies today, in addition to coach sharing about the importance of sportsmanship  and character.  We can only hope and pray that if they remember anything from the day, it had little to do with soccer, and lots to do with the love of Christ.  The great thing about this group of kids today is that every Tuesday they come to this field to meet with PTR Costa Rica volunteers to receive instruction and a positive and uplifting message.  Hopefully we have helped the effort, even in some small way.

We were grateful that despite the ominous clouds, the rain held off for our clinics!  In fact, not 3 minutes after loading back into the bus, the rain began.   Some would argue it was pure coincidence, but we will choose to believe that HE was watching out for us!

POPS was a mandatory stop on the way home for a late afternoon snack, and a much deserved thank you to the team for their hard work in the past few days. We got back to the house, cleaned up, and had Team Time. Coach led the discussion about being “Created to Become Like Christ.”  We discussed the term growth, and what that means, as well as what characteristics we think of when we think about Christ.  The list was lengthy, and we know we will never succeed at perfection…but we don’t have to!  That’s the great thing about grace and forgiveness.

Then we were off to church again for the mid week service.  It was an encouraging time once again being with our Costa Rican brothers and sisters to worship.  The pastor then continued to challenge us saying that as believers, our encounters with Christ will bring about transformation.  It was a great follow up to our Team Time discussion of becoming more like Him!

We ended the night with dinner back at the house.  The team was happy to have pasta, as they were loading up for the second game of the trip tomorrow!  We will also be doing some painting at  a local school, and heading into a local juvenile detention center where PTR Costa Rica has been working for the last couple years.  Please pray for the team, for safety,  for the girls who will be sharing their testimonies, and those that will be listening.

Thanks again! New pics from the day are up on the PTR Facebook page, and we”re working on the clinics video highlights, so stay tuned!

The team

By the time we got home and ate dinner, it was 10pm.  During Team Time we had the pastor from the church we are working with join us as he shared his testimony.  There were not many dry eyes in the room during his time of sharing about what the Lord has done and continues to do in his life.  He is an amazing man of God and we were all blessed and encouraged through his words.  We are so grateful to all our brothers and sisters from this church who have made this whole experience possible for us, and we look forward to joining them again tomorrow night for a time of worship.

But first, our last 2 clinics tomorrow! We continue to appreciate your prayers.

The latest pictures, and a short video from the game can be seen on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pushtherock

Clinic highlights will be coming soon!

Buenas noches….

The team

It’s been an amazing day thus far to say the least.  We just returned from a busy morning and afternoon of clinics and are eating a quick snack, especially the girls, before heading out to our first game!  Needless to say, the team is very excited. We’ll get back to you later tonight with those results.

This morning we went to the first school of the day to work a clinic with about 60 fourth graders.  We split them up into four different groups and had them rotate through stations, before then dividing them up to play some small sided games.  We were also able to have 3 of our team members share their testimonies, and again, all did a fantastic job.  The 60 or so children seemed a bit more like 100 at times, but all did a great job in demonstrating patience and love, which of course is key!  After a few hours at the school, and lots of pictures and autographs signed, we headed to a park to eat our packed lunch.

We sat in the shade and relaxed for a few minutes while refueling our energy stores, and then it was off to the next school.  We were told that we would have about 120 children, with ages ranging from 7-12, and that there would be a small grassy area to use!  Our minds were working in overtime to come up with a creative ‘solution’ to the situation, and coach did a great job of just that.  We did a little skill exhibition from several of the players, and then had some of the children show off their skills.  After a few competitions for the children to enjoy, we ended with a game of ‘Gauntlet,’ which could best be described as organized chaos but it served as a neat opportunity to also share about how being honest when playing the game is of utmost importance.

The kids loved the day, and again the team showed tons of love and energy, despite the long morning, and having a game in just a few more hours.  Two of the team members shared their testimonies, and the children did a great job listening.  They were an energetic group, and it was a pleasure to be there.  The school organized a quick snack of fresh pineapple for us before we headed back to the house, where we are currently gearing up for tonight’s match!

We’ll be back later to fill you in from there!  Thanks for your prayers!

The Team

We began our day with some extra sleep, which never hurts!  We didn’t have to be ready to head out of the house until 8:45 am so we all enjoyed the extra rest…though the birds make it tougher to sleep in for some of us!  Anyway, the ‘slower’ morning was a nice break for all of us, and when the bus pulled up, we piled in and headed to the church we are working with.  They served us a wonderful breakfast of fresh fruit, and then gallo pinto, a traditional Costa Rican meal of rice and beans.  It is humbling to be so appreciated before we had even arrived, to the point where they serve us an amazing meal and treat us with such high regard.  We truly felt welcomed and at home like they asked us to feel.  After our breakfast we headed into the sanctuary for the beginning of the service.

The service began with an unbelievable time of singing.  The passion and energy was contagious.  Most of the team commented that even though you may not understand the words, it doesn’t change the feeling of the spirit moving.  The Lord works across all languages, and the same in all people.  It was so great to be able to share this time with our brothers and sisters in this church body.  We were then invited to sing, and the team did a great job!  The coaches/leaders decided to let the girls shine in this moment, so they took pictures and video, seriously, someone needed to get footage:)

The pastor shared his message from James 4:4-10 and challenged us all to stop trying to live as part of this world and also as Christians.  Instead he offered that we need to ‘sell out’ for Christ.  We MUST be different, there has to be a transformation that takes place when Christ enters our life.  We can’t live 100% for Him if we are still striving to keep a foot in the ‘world.’ (The church was kind enough to translate the sermon for us!)  At the end they also shared a humbling thank you to our group, a word of thanks to us for coming and being part of the ongoing ministry here.  They also prayed a special prayer for us as we go through the rest of the week.  We were so grateful to have had the opportunity to worship together with this church.

We then headed to a local mall for lunch, which clearly included POPS(for most of us) and then stopped at the National Soccer Stadium for a few photos before heading back to the house.  The girls wanted to go for a walk so we headed out and walked around for a while, chatting and taking pictures.  We passed a park where there was some open area to play, and after being inspired by some others playing soccer, the team decided to head back to the house, change, and go play!  It was a great time together, and though the field was anything but ideal, it was a fun and relaxing time.

Back at the house we had dinner(lasagna!) and then Team Time.  Our leader of the night shared about our purpose of being “Created for God’s Family,” as we discussed the importance of this aspect of our Christian faith.  The posse is heading to bed now, as we have a busy day tomorrow!  Thanks again for all your prayers!

Hasta manana!

The Team

After introducing us and leading us in a rousing few minutes of the Hokey Pokey(in Spanish of course) we were then told we were on for the time!  We started with a couple rousing rounds of Head It/Catch It before dividing up the children that had come, so that we could play some small sided soccer games.    It was a blast to see the excitement in the faces of the children as they enjoyed playing soccer with a group of us, and others, cheering them on from the sidelines!  When our time was drawing to a close, they had all the children sit in a circle, and then they led them through the Gospel story.  Following that, one of our girls shared her testimony, and did a great job too! The children listened very well and we all felt blessed to have been able to be  a part of the great ministry happening here.  We were given a tour of the church, and then it was on the road to head back for lunch…and then a game….

Flexibility is the name of the game!  Much to our annoyance, the university that we were scheduled to play had back out of the game, so that meant re-planning the rest of the day. Though surely disappointed, the team responded very well to the news.  Instead of playing, we headed to the market to do some shopping, and then swung by a park for an intrasquad match.  It was so much fun to get out and play some soccer, all with the backdrop of the nearby mountains!  It wasn’t the most smooth soccer field any of us have ever played on, but we were kept safe and called it a night as we headed back to the house.

Dinner was amazing and then we had Team Time, discussing our purpose of pleasing God in all circumstances.  How true worship is a lifestyle.  We enjoyed some quality discussion on the topic, some reflection on the amazing day we had just experienced, and we discussed the game plan for tomorrow!  We’ll be joining a local church for the service tomorrow, and then we will be eating lunch with them a the Mall after that.  It will be an awesome day!

Thank you all for your prayers today.  It was evident that somewhere, someone was remembering!  On that note, that’ll be it for tonight…and tomrrow will be a highlight as we worship with our Costa Rican brothers and sisters. Hasta manana!

More pictures and a video are up at www.facebook.com/pushtherock

The Team

We’ll be eating breakfast shortly and then we are off to a local church to run a morning clinic.  We expect 50 children, but it could be more…or less!  We never know really, see above comment about flexibility!  This is an outstanding group, and they’ll be more than able to handle the challenge.

After spending a couple hours teaching and sharing, we’ll be back for lunch and then off for the ladies’ first match of the trip.   A nearby university phoned yesterday to say they’d like to play, so the team is pumped to get out on the field to let their skills and love shine!

We’d appreciate your continued prayers for travelling safeties, energy, and lives to be impacted for eternity! More to come later:)