By: Daniel and Marie
After a restful 3-4 hours of sleep last night, we woke up to our first delicious meal in Costa Rica! The chefs made us rice and beans, eggs, toast, and fresh fruit (amazing mango and pineapple). On the bus ride to our first school, we got our first look at the beautiful mountains and valleys in daylight. When we arrived at Panama Republic school the students welcomed us with bright smiles and waves – they were so excited to see us! While at Panama Republic we worked with five different PE classes all around 4th grade. During each class period one of us had the opportunity to share a testimony with the students to explain why we were there. We told the kids about our love for Jesus and our love for sports and how we use sport to glorify God. It was so cool to connect with so many different kids through sport despite the language barrier. We were able to communicate through smiles and laughter! We especially had fun playing soccer and sharks and minnows with them. Cam, Hannah, and Marie even got to join the students during their traditional dance class!
After a beautiful morning with the elementary aged students, we headed back to the AMCA house for lunch. We were treated to another delicious meal. Soon after we finished eating, we left for Joven Prison, a juvenile Detention Center. We spent time with two different groups of about 10 young men for an hour each, playing sports, sharing laughs and giving testimonies. Any nerves we had going in were quickly resolved once we starting playing games with them. It was such a cool opportunity to bring sports to a group of guys who don’t get to experience sports in the same ways that we do. Despite their difficult situations, we all were unified by sport. If you were watching from the outside, it would have been hard to tell who were the prisoners and who were not. After playing fútbol and basketball, we all sat together and had a snack and shared our gratitude. The young men wanted to make sure that we were enjoying ourselves in Costa Rica. It was surprising to a lot of us that they cared so much about our experience, especially considering their own circumstances.
Our first day in Costa Rica was so cool, and after dinner we had the chance to reflect with one another during team time. We shared the most meaningful parts of the day, listened to leader Ben share his testimony, and talked about the 10 commandments during bible study. We’re all looking forward to another day filled with new faces and smiles tomorrow!