Another Amazing Day!

Friday, April 4th

Posted by Kim

Today we got up and had breakfast at the Observatory. We had a wonderful view of the volcano while eating breakfast. There were rocks and lava coming down the side of the volcano and smoke coming out of the top. During the day the lava looks white but you can still see it flowing down the sides of the volcano.

After breakfast we headed straight to the zipline. As soon as we got there we got our gear and loaded into the Sky Tram. The Sky Tram reminded us of the trams that go from country to country at Busch Gardens. The Tram took us to the top of the mountain where one of the guides gave us our instructions for the zipline. Even though he kept telling us how safe it was, we were all still really nervous. The platform that we started on was 600 feet high. The first two zips on the top of the mountain are practice zips...they aren't too high off the ground and they are only about 30-40 feet long. These two zips give you a chance to get used to the position and to learn how to stop. When it is time for you to stop on the zipline, you are supposed to open your legs because this helps to slow you down and it prevents you from kicking the cord when you stop. Everyone else did great on the practice zips... I did not! I was so nervous about stopping that I opened my legs a little too late and I kicked the guide in the head! Oops!

The first "real" zip after the practices was about 400 feet long. Dave went first and after watching him, we were all even more excited and even more nervous. The zip went from the peak of the mountain we were standing on, across a valley to the peak of another mountain. The view was amazing from the platform we were standing on, but it was even more amazing from the middle of the zipline. We could see so far in all directions while flying through the air... It was incredible!! A lot of us asked the guides to take video footage on our cameras of the view going across the zipline... you should ask one of the teens or staff to show you the footage! There were about 8 zips total... the longest one was almost half a mile long!

It is so hard to explain how amazing this experience was for each of us. Melissa, Dave, and I were so proud of everyone for stepping out of their comfort zones and pushing themselves to do this! Everyone was so brave!

After the zipline, we headed to an Italian restaurant for lunch. We had pizza and soda... it was delicious and reminded us of home! As soon as we finished lunch, we went into La Fortuna to go shopping. We walked through downtown, went to the supermarket to buy coffee for friends and family back home, and just enjoyed spending time with each other. At about 3:00 we headed back to the bus to head to the hotel where we would be staying for the night. It started to rain as we loaded the bus... this was the first and only rain we saw while in Costa Rica!

The hotel we stayed in Friday night was called the "Lands in Love" hotel. It is owned by a group of Israeli vegetarians. It is located right in the middle of the rainforest. Because of the location there were lots of bugs and creatures sharing our space! We saw hummingbirds, toucans, lizards, and HUGE bugs. We had spaghetti and milkshakes for dinner at the hotel.

After dinner we met as a group. We voted on our last MVP and Dorcas. MVP was Angharad for her amazing attitude throughout the trip! Angharad is so positive and was such an encouragement to all of us all week. Dorcas was me for kicking the guide in the head at the zipline. I was the only one voted Dorcas twice for the week... what an honor!

Melissa led devotion Friday night. She surprised all of the teens with letters that she had collected from their friends and family back home. Each teen had a packet of letters and they took them to a quiet place outside to read and reflect. When we re-gathered as a group, lots of the teens were teary-eyed from reading their letters. The teens were so grateful that their friends and family had taken the time to write to them.

Once everyone finished reading their letters, we spent time reflecting on our week. Everyone really enjoyed being at the camp the first part of the week. All of us connected with the kids and the staff at the camp and we had a great time while we were there. The last two days were especially amazing and the resounding thoughts that came from our experiences on Thursday and Friday were that God's creations are incredible and that we are so grateful that we had the opportunity to see just how incredible God is. The waterfall, the volcano, the rainforest... all of these places were so beautiful and God's hand was so evident in all of them. We will show you all pictures but pictures do not even begin to give justice to how beautiful the country of Costa Rica really is.

Our trip has come to an end but the memories that we made will last a lifetime. This group of 18 people is now bonded in a way that no one outside of the group will ever understand. Melissa, Dave, and I are so proud of each teen that is a part of this team. These teens set an amazing example for our YMCA and for our country while in Costa Rica. Thank you to all of you who thought of us and prayed for us while we were away... we are so grateful to have such wonderful friends and family!