“Don’t Stop Believing…” (Friday, March 7th)

Brought to you by Katie N.

This morning, a small portion of our group decided to wake up the crack of dawn (4:30 a.m.) to take one last hike with Trunco. Little did those adventurers know, the hike would be extremely steep and inclined and last almost three and a half hours. The benefit of the long hike was motivating each other to get to the top. On the way, there was a lot of lush vegetation, bird calls, and the Arenal Lake. Trunco decided to “travel lightly” and only wear his shirt and Speedo on way up. It was a great hike to end such an incredible trip. Upon our return, everyone packed up their things on the bus and loaded up to head back to San Jose. On the way, our group was very surprised when Trunco recommended that we stop at an Italian place for lunch. “I know the best places,” said Trunco. Everyone enjoyed different kinds of pizzas, pasta, calzones, and salads. It was a treat for all after so much traveling on the road!
Trunco even showed us another beautiful waterfall midway through the trip. Along with a great lunch and another breath-taking sight, Nick became the DJ for the bus ride back. Many of my favorite memories are singing and dancing along to the Hannah Montana song for the hundredth time. In addition to that, Nick brought back some golden 80s songs, boy band, and a few others. One of the most sentimental moments of the day was when Trunco stopped and bought fruit for a local orphanage with all of his tip money. Our group learned that he never accepts tip money and uses that money to buy food for a local orphanage in San Jose that is very much in poverty. This instance made the group realize the open hearts of Costa Rican people and their dedication to helping the community. This made everyone really think about their impact on this mission trip.
We arrived in San Jose in the late evening after driving for almost four hours and getting stuck in a little bit of traffic. Everyone checked into the hostel and even was able to play with the newborn kittens in the lobby! It was interesting to see the different travelers coming in and out of the hostel. Once everything was settled, we walked about five blocks to a restaurant downtown that served Costa Rica and somewhat related American food. The last dinner was a great way to recognize all the fun moments in the past week and recall first impressions, experiences, etc. Our last devotion was led by Stacey and extremely meaningful to our last night in Costa Rica. It had been quite a day of traveling so everyone was “fading” (thank you for the new word Forrest) and went to bed as soon as devotions was over. No late night for magic coffee this evening! As Gail Rubin Bereny once said, “Keep things on your trip in perspective, and you'll be amazed at the perspective you gain on things back home

while you're away...One's little world is put into perspective by the bigger world out there.” Also, the Journey title relates to the song, “Don’t Stop Believing…Hold on to that Feeling.” This is a great song lyric to reflect upon after such an incredible mission trip. In relation to the feeling

of Jesus Christ and the meaning of the work that we completed with his presence.