Today was another incredible day here in the country of Costa Rica. We got to sleep in a little (7:00am) and we departed for our first clinic of the day at 8:15am. The school we went to today was one of the nicer places we’ve been so far. We held a clinic in an open gym which thankfully had a roof to shield us from the rain. There wasn’t as much space as we thought, so instead of 4 groups we only had 2. One of the stations was an obstacle course/tag and the other was dodgeball. By the end of the first rotation, the dodgeball group was complete chaos and everyone was dripping in sweat.
The next group to join us was the preschool-aged children. We sat them in a big circle and began playing “duck, duck, goose.” They were smiling and laughing with joy the whole time. Our third group at the same school went through a similar rotation as our first group. This time, the dodgeball station turned into the Hope College coaches versus all the students. By the end of the allotted time, there was dirt and sweat everywhere. All the coaches felt physically and mentally exhausted.
Besides playing with the kids, we (Hannah, Luke, Kayla, and Mike) also got the chance to share our testimonies. There was also a young boy who wanted to talk to the male coaches after the clinic. They prayed for him and encouraged him that God has a great plan for his life. After a quick snack, we left the school and went to an open field. At this field we had about 15-20 kids show up to play sports and talk about God. Kayla and Nick ended up sharing their testimonies to this group. While running on very little energy, we played whiffle ball, kickball, and a chaotic game of soccer. Following the games, we had a child from the group pray.
We feel like we’ve poured our love and energy out to these kids and we are looking forward to recharging ourselves for the clinics that remain. This is our last night in Platanar before we head back to AMCA.
Hasta luego!
Hannah and Mason
3Push the Rock!
