Sunday, March 9, 2014

After a good nights sleep on the beds we helped make on our last trip to Poas we woke early….about 5 a.m.!   It gave us plenty of time to get ready for the morning activities.  Breakfast is scheduled for 8 a.m., up the hill at the dining facility.  We had a typical Costa Rican breakfast of beans and rice with scrambled eggs and corn tortillas.   Stephen and Anne gave us a little orientation and then we had time to finish getting ready for church which started at 10 a.m.  When we were here three years ago we worshipped under the garage roof.  Attendance at that time was about 150 and now they run nearly 400!  And, in a partially completed building!   The La Finca church has a very vibrant praise team with drums, keyboard, guitars and brass instruments…and they don’t turn down the microphones!  People started coming in and soon the church was full and the service started.  Of course, it started on Latin time….which does not necessarily mean 10 a.m.  After a good time of music and prayer time, Jimmye and Anne went up to the platform.  Jimmye preached the sermon and Anne interpreted.  Jimmye presented the church with a couple of Evange-balls.  Pastor Johnny Calvo then took over the service and expounded on Jimmye’s sermon and gave an invitation where three people were saved.  Then  we were dismissed for lunch which was served by the church ladies.  At 1:30 we loaded on the bus and headed down the hill to San Jose on our way to the seminary.  Our driver decided to take the long way to give us a tour of the city.  It took about an hour and half to finally reach the seminary.  Half of our team saw this the last time we were here but the other half wanted to visit, especially James.  In 1969 he was part of a team who came here from SNU to build the very first buildings of the seminary.  He was so excited to be here and see what it now looked like.  We did a little walking tour, had a little history given to us by missionary Shelley Webb, rested a while at Anne’s house and then walked up to one of the dining rooms where we were served a delicious meal.  Then back on the bus to come back to La Finca where we had evening devotionals and then to bed.  We were all so tired it didn’t take long to go to sleep!