Day 7: Day Off?

Today was a really good, albeit long, day. 

I started by going for a run. I ran to La Sabana, the huge park we walked to for worship the other morning. It was a little closer than I thought, but I got 2 miles in total, which was nice. 

After my run, I found this in my room:

What you're looking at is candy and a sweet note for me, sent by Alexis. What a way to start off a day :D

We went as a team to get breakfast together and talk a bit about how the trip had felt so far for the two who are going home soon. What they shared was really encouraging and helpful. 

In the early afternoon, we walked to downtown San José to go to the mercado central with a few H@ngout students. Jose Carlos y Antonio guided us around and helped out soon-to-return-home teammates find some fun things. Tanya joined us, también. We also got to have some good conversations and make a little but better connection with all three. It was a lot of walking, but it was raining a LOT today, so we didn't mind being inside for so long.

After the market, we walked to a nearby café and sat with the same students and Lagos, Ana Raquel y Esther and talked for a couple of hours. These kind of conversations are what we're here for (as far as our interactions with the church members and students are concerned). Tesla shared her testimony and the cost and beauty of relationship with Christ. We talked about religious experience and the difference between religion and relationship with God. We talked about culture and language and the things that are important to us. Also, we joked and laughed and connected. Today made me very excited about the long-term connections that Lagos and Ana Raquel are making and the mid-length connections our team will get to make. 

Before he left, Jose Carlos nos regalo un dibujo that he had made. He told me earlier that he had been sitting in his room, listening to death metal and drawing a butterfly, which was confusing to his roommates. Then he gifted us the butterfly drawing!

When the time came, we walked to the space their church rents for their service (the weekly church meeting is on Friday nights). We got there 5 minutes after 7, and were the only ones there. As people trickled in, we could feel the warmth and love in this church. Everyone greeted every other person as they came in and there was a general air of fellowship and....church. It made my heart want to worship. And worship we did. It was lovely. Gomez shared a message, and I understood about 80% when I was focused, but I spent about 40% of the time thinking about how terrifying the idea of teaching is. So I wrote down some preliminary notes for what I want to teach. Y'all will probably hear it first.

After the service, we took an Uber to a restaurant and ate with a few church friends. It was super rica, whew. We spent another hour talking, and then came home around 11. I think we're all pretty tired, but it was a really good day. 

Tomorrow will be COVID tests, a farmer's market, and some museums. Hopefully, more of the students and people here will join us!

PRAYER

-for us to...you guessed it...walk in step with the Spirit!

-for continued healthy team dynamics

-for more connection opportunity with students

-for us to aprovechar the opportunities that we have

-for negative COVID tests, obvi

-for more worshipful moments

-for an awareness that every moment can be lived on mission