some dancing, some playing and some working... Llano Verde

Becca, Lillee, and Stephanie, moving lumber...

the team line dancing to the song "a work in progress", which we all are!!

hot potato game with the soccer ball...

the shrinking group

down to the last few...

drink water! drink more water!!!

Kaylee going for it with the power tools...

more dancing...

ooooo! fresh guacamole!

"Jesus is my Superhero action song..."

line dance

Jesus is my Superhero... better than Barbie!  (go for it, boys!!)

Well, one more Llano Verde post after this one and I'll be caught up to where we are today... hanging out at Wisdoms' house without any Wisdoms here (miss you guys!!). Right now, I can hear a marching band practicing at the nearby school.  We went out to Llano Verde for church Sunday ... 6 hours travel day on Saturday, youth group, sleeping in the tent in the church, church the next morning, then 6 hours travel day back to San Jose and Wisdoms' house.  Wednesday we will leave for the ocean.  Thinking of all you that we love and miss.... love, Shari

a random look at the team's time in Llano Verde...

As far behind as I am in my posting of our team time in Llano Verde, I will just try to get them posted. Sorry for the most general and disorienting way of showing you things that made up our trip there...

nighttime card games

there were times of ministering to each other, as well the people of the village.

Reuben and Dale praying for Wayne

Ashley and Doug helping kids with crafts

planning sessions, Becca and Steph and Lillee, going over the kids' program

rest times... Lillee, resting on the benches

mystery night visitors...

Every night after we went to bed, I kept hearing things hit the tin roof  and roll off.  I wondered what in the world it was...  Turned out the big tree beside us was an almond tree and the almonds were falling off onto the roof.  For something so small, it sure made a BIG sound rolling down the tin roof overhead!!

Shelley and Faith, holding our "beautiful feet" sign

Clint talked about 'how beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news'.  So one of the signs we made said:  "beautiful feet".  The template we used for the "feet" were the youngest missionary's feet, Chloe Wisdom's.
And that is all blogger is going to let me upload today... Wishing you a very blessed day, love, Shari

More projects done in Llano Verde...

(disclaimer: I have NO idea WHY blogger leaves these giant spaces in my posts, but you know what it's doing to my OCD nature!!!!!)

a beautiful sunset in Llano Verde, on an evening when it didn't downpour ...

"Many hands make light work..."

Reuben Perez

Walking to the school to do puppets, line dancing, a skit, a craft, and an action song in which Jesus is our superhero, better than any superhero, including (and not in order) Batman, Ugio, Dragonball(?), Superman, Spiderman, Barbie, and..... I forget the rest... Ask one of the team... they can tell you AND do the actions!

the little blue school where we did the program :

conversation in the lumber shed...

Shannon Harkness, Ronny, and Erin Wisdom

Nail gunning boards up between the new windows and frames...

Steve Schemstad, Reuben Perez, Dale Weide

caulking the windows...

Wayne Cress

more caulking...

Steve Schemstad

washing out one of the giant coolers which kept our food stuff...

Ashley Stephens, Rochelle Scoggins

how to remove sawdust from your clothing...  air compressor power!

Doug Irons, Russell Wisdoom

till next time... May God bless  your socks off, like He did ours in Llano Verde... love, Shari

Smilin' in the rain....

What's a little rain to those crazy Washingtonians?  We were wet and smiling!!  Work projects got done regardless of the weather.  And cooler was better than sweltering hot!!

Dale Weide, Stephanie Mitchell, Becca Sophoson

And yes, it did pour down in buckets at times!!

not naming any names, A.S, C.W., B.S, & S.M.

Some were even crazy enough to play soccer in the mud puddle out front.  You know that crazy idea that once you're wet you might as well have FUN being wet...

Steph, Dale, Jerry Chilcote, and Becca

We had some great fun together, as well as great work efforts, great worship, great conversation, huge laughter...

oh, alright. i will  mention ALL their names: Ashley Stephens, C.

J. Wisdom, Becca Sophoson, and Stephanie Mitchell!

And the rain was the reason that the women's tent village was set up inside the church building.  The men's tent village was down the road, set up inside the community building. We surely appreciated it on the nights it downpoured and the night of the terrific storm!!

this lovely heart I found in the corner of the bathroom walls... i thought it was maybe an ant mud home but i was told it was la cucaracha nest.  hmmmm. does it sound any better in Spanish????  Best wishes for just enough sunshine to warm your skin and just enough rain to keep our beautiful area green!!  love, Shari

team projects in Llano Verde:

drilling holes

sanding

look out! she has a crowbar and she's not afraid to use it!

are they making the missionary pull out his hair?!

the right tool for the right job...

carving

sawing

and more sanding

The projects involved framing and installing windows, sawing lumber, sanding boards, restoring a cabinet, creating and carving beautiful wooden signs, some plumbing, some wiring, along with two school programs, which included puppets, a craft, dancing and songs.  We also hosted the village women and pampered them by painting nails and doing hair, washing their feet, and doing a craft with them.  We also went out visiting homes. We did dramas, singing, puppets, dancing, sharing, and just socializing.  We had a few people who spoke some Spanish but I was so proud of the team...EVERYONE tried to speak and learn a little Spanish.  We experienced a jungle walk, a baptism, a pig butchering, the loudest most awesome thunder and lightning storm any of us have ever been in (including our missionary hosts). Yes, it did rain, but we were equipped with fashionable rubber boots.  I know I threw a lot of writing at you, but it was easier than trying to punch it in between photos as blogger has not been very hospitable to me (sorry for always whining about that!).  Til next time... love you ALL! Shari

we had every amenity you could ask for...

It's all a matter of perspective...

costa rican coffee sock

we had a several coffee makers...

Renee Wisdom, missionary extraordinaire...

we had an in-door kitchen...

an indoor shower with refreshingly cold water...

or an open-air option, if you'd like....

fashionable, yet functionally appropriate footwear...

and decorative air conditioning...  may all your needs be so  luxuriously met!  love, Shari

headed out to Llano Verde for a week...

We loaded up in the vehicles but some of the team had to get in their last minute computer time because we were headed out into "unplugged" territory... no internet service, no wifi. O my!!

Robin

We always make a stop at the place where the iguanas hang out, to see what they are up to and take photos of them; especially if we have people who've never seen them before. The restaurant there throws out their scraps, so that's why the iguanas hang out there.

We arrived out in the village late afternoon as the sun was setting faithfully around 6pm, as it does every night. (Yes, I miss our long summer days back home!) We set up our tent villages and then it was time for youth group. Here is some of the team taking in all the newness and listening to people preaching and singing in Spanish, and wishing they could understand it all...

In the background, you can see the team women's tent village, set up inside the church to protect us from the rain. It was definitely the rainy season!!

Sunday morning and it's time for Sunday School...

 The kitchen of the church... I LOVED that it was all open to the jungle view, with breezes blowing in to cool you as you scrubbed pots and pans.  Unfortunately, one of our projects is to install windows all around the building. Nicer for the people of the church, the people of Casa De Emanuel, The House of God.

Carol Chilcote and Stephanie Mitchell

And Monday morning, the work day begins...

Dave Mitchell, Dale, and missionary Clint... "So, Boss, what are the plans for today?"

It was rainy, buggy, muddy and the showers were cold but we were all having such a wonderful time with each other and the people of Llano Verde.  There were moments of sunshine and moments of great storm, sweet worship and singing, exuberant dancing, and every moment of every day rang with laughter.  More pictures tomorrow.  Rice-and-beans-kind-of deliciousness is wished to you today... love, Shari