Yo yo yo!

Today is sadly my last morning at University of Costa Rica!  This afternoon we leave for Manuel Antonio for debriefing, and then back to the States on Friday!  This has gone SO STINKING FAST!  I feel so at home here, and the people feel like old friends.  Inside my head I have just been planning on my next trip.  I have so many new brothers and sisters, I just don't know what to do with myself!

A quick recap of my last week:  We did an art outreach on Wednesday, and it was a learning experience, but also a great success!  We probably talked to over 100 students, and had Gospel conversations with many.  One, Esteban, came to Christ!  It was awesome seeing God use people's creativity to help them think about spiritual things and open doors to Jesus!  The next day, we did Soularium Thursday, which has become our routine.  We had a sister come to Christ that day too!  Her name is Kim, and she had been hanging out with us for around a week already.  The count is not precise, because some students said they wanted Jesus and were going to pray to accept Him when they were alone.  But including those students, we have seen 9 come to Christ.  We have also found many wandering Christians and helped them see the truth of the Gospel, and get them connected with fellowship.  These conversations are especially satisfying to me, because often the students really want to follow Christ, but have no idea what that means.  I cannot wait for this last day on campus, to see what final things God has in store for this trip.  At the marriage feast at Cana, Jesus saved the best wine for last, so I am hopeful of amazing things on campus today as well!  =)

Over the weekend, we took an overnight trip to Volcan Arenal.  Last time I was in CR, the mountain was completely shrouded in low clouds.  We were very fortunate to have beautiful views of Arenal this time, and we stayed in a gorgeous little cabina outside Fortuna in the more farmland side of the community.  We relaxed in the pool, and played basketball on an ancient basketball court with concrete hoops.  It felt very Mayan.  In the morning, I ambled around the farm roads and jungle, where I found a friendly Crested Guan. (google it)  They are big impressive birds, and this one took a liking to me for some reason.  It followed me around for about half an hour, and eventually just flew off into the jungle again!  I think it was my coolest bird experience ever.  I was smiling all morning haha.   Later, we hiked to Fortuna Waterfall, which is probably 120 feet or so into a pool in a jungle canyon.  Lower down there is a sweet little swimming hole, and we chilled around there for a while.  We spent the afternoon in gift shops (my least favorite part of CR) and on the bus.  A solid 35 hours, I would say!

I am sad to leave San Jose, but eager to see home again.  A few days at the beach will be a good send-off, but I have found the people to be BY FAR my favorite part of Costa Rica.  Oddly, as we hiked through the jungle in Arenal, it was full of birds and amazing plants, but I could not wait to get back to the city to see my friends.  It was a strange feeling for me!  Thankfully, we are having a going-away party with students and the Stinters the night before we fly out.  I will miss them all dearly!  Jesus said to shake off the dust of an unwelcoming city.  I can safely say that Costa Rica's dust will be on my feet as long as proper hygiene will allow.  =D

Cordially yours,
Andrew

p.s. I always wanted to sign a letter that way

Luke 10:1-11