Monday, December 8th, 2003
And Concluding THoughts
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This was our last day in Costa Rica and we had nothing scheduled this day except to go home. Our flight was not scheduled to leave until around 3:00 in the afternoon, so we used the morning to shop for souvenirs and say good bye to those we had grown to love dearly while there. The little boy Diego had become quite attached to me and he was extremely distressed to see us leaving. I had given him my "sombrero" the night before and he had hung it up on the wall and said that no one was going to touch it. Larry and Susan purchased gifts for some of the kids and Mary Lynn and I also gave a few things of ours away to the kids as gifts. I had brought a couple of cheap "walkie talkies" with me that week and the kids had so enjoyed playing with them that I gave them to Isaac, Moises youngest child, for him and the other kids to enjoy.
That morning we also took Maritza to her school where she works during the week so that she could get a few things done. School was out while we were there so Maritza did not have to go into work the past week, but she needed to do a few things this morning. The owner of the school gave us a tour and showed us around while we were there. After this we picked up Walter and he went with Mary Lynn, Moises, and I into downtown San Jose to a special souvenir shop where we purchased some T-shirts and other gifts for people "back home." We also purchased a very large bouquet of flowers for Martiza for all of her hard work. We went back to the house and then said our good-byes to everyone there. It was a tearful time. We then packed everything that we were bringing back into the van and headed to the airport. On the way, we picked up Maritza to say our good-byes to her as well.
Our flight home was uneventful and we arrived back at the house around 2:00 AM approximately one week and one day after we had left.
Concluding Thoughts
We were able to accomplish the goals that we set out to fulfill for the trip. Altogether we had twelve different Bible studies including the formal ones. We worked with two different congregations. We handed out over 2000 pieces of literature and left new Bibles and songbooks for the church in Coronado. The clothing and toys that we brought were also well received and they encouraged us to bring as much as we could each time we came. We encouraged the brethren there and in turn were encouraged ourselves. We also were able to confirm that the work in Costa Rica is continuing to go forward and progress. As I mentioned earlier, subsequent to our visit, Mario was baptized into Christ. There was also another baptism that took place at the Coronado congregation on December 25th. We consider both of these conversions to be the result of the work that we have done and are continuing to do in the country of Costa Rica. It is very encouraging to hear that souls are being saved and the gospel is being taught. We hope to hear of additional fruits from our labors in the future as well. Our job is to sow and water and God WILL give the increase. We give Him all the glory for the great things that we have been able to accomplish in the name of His Son Jesus.
Acknowledgment
I want to thank Susan Elliott for keeping a diary of events during the trip. That information was invaluable in putting together this report.
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