| |
|
| |
|
Preparing for
Costa Rica
|
| |
| 1: Steve
decides to go to Costa Rica |
| "So, I got my
passport in the mail this week. Why did I need to get
one? Well, as it turns out, I'm heading to Costa Rica
at the end of January on a short-term missions trip...
I really, really hate to fly. Oh, and my Dad is coming
too!" |
| |
| 2: An
Update on Raising Support |
| "I attended
a meeting about the trip.... Apparently, a lot of folks
out there love the idea of me being terrified of new adventures
and all that, because I'm happy to report that I have
met my fundraising goal. Thanks to all for your support!" |
| |
| 3: Trip
Location Video |
| "One of the
missionaries from Costa Rica sent a DVD just before Christmas
showing what the campus looked like, including a sense
of the geography and buildings. Thanks to the wonders
of the Internet, that video is now available online to
view!" |
| |
| 4: Flight
Information |
| "The countdown
continues for my trip to Costa Rica. Dad and I fly out
on Friday from Chicago, with a stopover in Charlotte,
NC, before continuing on south to San Jose, Costa Rica.
Total flight time to and from Costa Rica is roughly 7
hours." |
| |
| 5: Dad
lost his Passport! |
| "We had such
a stressful challenge this week. You see, on Sunday, Dad
realized that he could not find his passport. He had it
for some of our previous meetings where we recorded the
info off it, but since then it could not be found." |
| |
|
| |
|
Flying to Costa
Rica
|
| |
| 1: The
Day Before the Flight |
| Amy writes: "Well,
the time has now come for Steve to take the trip to Costa
Rica! Steve's day (and mine) starts early on Friday (we're
getting up at about 3:30 or 4 am)... I'll be posting updates
throughout Steve's trip as he is able to communicate with
me." |
| |
| 2: Got
to North Carolina! |
| Amy writes: "Steve
called this morning a little after 9 am. He made it safely
to Charlotte! He said the flight was on time, smooth,
and uneventful... He was able to relax, put on some noise-canceling
headphones, and listen to music on his iPod." |
| |
| 3: Let
the Adventure Begin |
| Amy writes: "According
to US Airways and their website, the team's flight arrived
in Costa Rica safely. They actually landed 15 minutes
early at Juan Santamaría International Airport, so hopefully
all is well." |
| |
|
| |
|
Live from Costa
Rica
|
| |
| 1: Arriving
in a Foreign Land |
| "I'm happy to
report that our flights just rocked. Holy cow, was that
ever a huge answer to prayer. I mean, it was pretty darn
wild. The thing that I was pretty worried about the most
worked out today. I totally felt everyone praying for
our safety" |
| |
| 2: Digging
Trenches & Shoveling Gravel |
| "Frankly, I’m
very tired. Today was our first full day of actual work.
There were a lot of projects on tap today, most of which
were done in preparation for cement work. Probably one
of the most backbreaking involved digging a trench." |
| |
| 3: Anyone
for a Bullfight? |
| "We went to
a bullfight on Saturday night. Technically, this wasn't
exactly a bullfight. It was more a 'get drunk and get
in the ring with the bull' experience. Oddly, it didn't
take any alcohol to convince two of our team to get in
the ring!" |
| |
| 4: Concrete
Fun! |
| "Today was Day
1 of our concrete work. Our primary project this week
involves pouring many winding sidewalks around the campus,
with side projects involving sidewalk lighting and some
driveway creation." |
| |
| 5: Tico
Time, Beef, and Gambling? |
| "Today marked
our second day of pouring concrete... I should also mention
that Randy broke a sledgehammer. He then tried to make
up for it by balancing our only remaining one on his chin...
Our night was capped off by a game of tossing colones." |
| |
| 6: Monkey's
Brains and Bad Concrete |
| "We poured 4
different slabs of concrete… another large extension to
the driveway and 3 pathways... I must say it has been
interesting to see the dynamic of a group gel like it
seems to have happened over this trip." |
| |
| 7: Taking
a Break in the Sun |
| "Our destination?
Fiesta Resort in Puntarenas. We had to drive up and over
a mountain to get here. And yes, it was a bit freaky.
High cliffs, narrow roads, small guardrails. But we survived.
We're here to chill for a day after a long week of work." |
| |
| 8: Final
Day in Costa Rica |
| "Today was our
last full day in Costa Rica... Had some interesting conversations…
which is probably one of the things I've enjoyed the most
on the trip. I took a dip or two into the ocean… and then
promptly burned the bottom of my feet on the blazing hot
sand." |
| |
| 9: Heading
Home |
| "Would you believe
they charge $26 just to leave the country? Dad's flight
from Charlotte to Chicago was not the same as the rest
of the group... we rushed through security and ran (and
I do mean, RAN!) to our gate... We made it!" |
| |
|
| |
|
After Costa
Rica
|
| |
| 1: Reflecting
on the Experience |
| "In this series
of After Costa Rica posts, I hope to expound on
the experience, while sharing some photos and videos to
give you a better sense of what it was like for me now
that I have had some time to think." |
| |
| 2: Multiplication
Center Video Tour |
| "We take a look
at some of the geography at the International Teams Multiplication
Center via video. Just for fun, see if you can keep track
how many times I use the phrases 'cool', 'crazy', and
'pretty darn'." |
| |
| 3: Looking
to the Future: Training Center |
| "One must remember
this is a large, camp-like piece of property with a few
buildings. Expansion is needed to best use the facility
for the purposes of training. Thus, a large 2-story Training
Center is being constructed as the money comes in." |
| |
| 4: History
of the Multiplication Center |
| "I mentioned
in one of the videos that I would tell the story behind
the property we worked at. From those I've talked to,
even after the fact there has been some confusion regarding
exactly what we did, where, and why while in Costa Rica." |
| |
| 5: Discussing...
Fear of Flying |
| "And I don't
know if I can completely explain it, but as soon as we
started that crazy acceleration down the runway to take
off, a peace came over me. God was in control... and I
could physically account for that. It was wild." |
| |
| 6: Discussing...
Familiarity & Different Churches |
| "Gone were the
catchphrases we so love in the Christian subculture. Gone
were the superstar leaders we love to follow here. That's
not to say that folks don't have that down there, but
the emphasis was notably absent." |
| |
| 7: Discussing...
Language Barriers |
| "Language was
obviously an issue. We got to experience what folks up
here who don't speak English must feel like. You felt
so hopeless and lost. I certainly have a different perspective
on Spanish-speaking residents in North America." |
| |
| 8: Discussing...
Manual Labor & Commercialism |
| "One of my big
fears and challenges heading into this Costa Rica trip
was the fact that there was a bunch of manual labor involved.
As I've mentioned before, I don't tend to be very handy
with... well, my hands." |
| |
| 9: Discussing...
Missions Without a Hut |
| "I think about
'Missions Week' at church, where visitors dress up in
weird clothes, smelly food is served at some sort of potluck
with stale coffee, and folks who are totally out of place
culturally tell stories from the field, typically dressed
like dorks." |
| |
| 10: Discussing...
Technology |
| "One thing that
I found very eye-opening was the abundance of technology
used in Costa Rica. One night I single-handedly brought
down the campus Internet connection and phone service
because I was attempting to upload daily video to YouTube." |
| |
| 11: Discussing...
Family Relations |
| "When Dad signed
on, we set up an interesting father/son missions trip
experience. To be honest, I wasn't so sure how that dynamic
was going to work out. I love my Dad, but we have different
ways of relating." |
| |
| 12: Discussing...
Trip Planning |
| "'Why are you
going again?' That was a constant theme leading up to
this trip. I guess I lay some of that burden on my church,
which I think could probably have done a better job actually
defining what the heck this trip was." |
| |
| 13: Discussing...
Final Thoughts |
| "When I returned
home, I actually had another memory that reminds me every
day of my time in Latin America... my wrist. I was concerned
that I might have reaggrevated an old injury. To my doctor
I went to get some X-rays." |
| |
|
| |
|
Fun Stuff
|
| |
| Happy
5th Anniversary, Amy! |
| "Amy and I marked
our 5th wedding anniversary while I was in Costa Rica.
Not being with her in person, I did the next best thing...
a special message sent via the Internet through a new
technology known as Sandmail!" |
| |
| Beverage
Review: Fanta Naranja |
| "It's time for
a famous Steve Tanner beverage review… this time live
from Costa Rica! Up for testing… Fanta Naranja! It quenched
the thirst quite well. I’m thinking this was due to the
second ingredient listed: Azucar." |
| |
|
|
| |
