Many First's

We had an amazing time this weekend at the lodge up in Arenal. Thank you for all of your prayers; we certainly felt them. Every last detailed came together perfectly; I could not have planned it better even if I tried. The girls had an incredible time and can't stop talking about everything we saw and did in a short 36 hours. The girls had the opportunity to learn in a hands-on-way about all different kinds of farm animals and rainforest life. In addition, the weekend was full of lots of laughter and being silly together as we tried new things. More than anything, it was a great time building deeper relationships in a way that would never be possible within the tutoring center.

A Photo Essay of the weekend...

We picked up the girls at 7am in Los Guido in our microbus. On the way up, the girls experienced thick fog for the first time ever. They kept looking out the window saying, "Estamos en el cielo!" We're in heaven! Thanks to the fact seatbelts don't really exist here, the girls were able to bounce all around the van as we had a sing-along, promptly producing lots of motion sickness.

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Catalyna and Leah in the microbus

Luckily we made it to Leaves and Lizards without any accidents. Shortly after arriving we headed down to the barn to learn how to ride a horse. The girls were super excited, but got a little freaked out once we were actually near the horses. Notice Madai's face.

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Debbie did a great job easing their fears and teaching them how to comfortable control the horse. Within an hour everyone was riding with confidence.

Catalyna kept wanting to go faster. But as we were riding in a corral, it wasn't really an option.

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Belkys was extremely hesitant to go near the horses, and it took a lot of convincing to get her to even try it. But it was amazing to see her confidence level increase, especially after a scary freak out when one of the horses got spooked. She was amazing!

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It was also my first time ever on a horse! So fun to be able to share the experience with the girls.

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After riding, we shared a lovely dinner with Steve and Debbie and headed back to the cabin to rest before our big hike the next day.

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That night we all enjoyed hot water showers, and the girls used a blow dryer for the first time before sleeping like queens in our luxury cabins

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After our big breakfast of fluffy pancakes, cheese omelets, and bacon (all very special treats here), we headed off to hike through the rainforest with our trusty guide, Oscar.

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Catalyna, Belkys, Judith (Madai's mom), Madai


It rained on us almost the whole time, but we were prepared!

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Due to the rain, there weren't as many animals out and about, but we were still overwhelmed with God's amazing creation. It reminded me of all the nature hikes my family would do growing up.

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Our ride home held one more surprise for the girls.... McDonalds!!! Here in Costa Rica, American fast food is rather pricey and considered a very special treat. (The thing for middle class families to do is is have birthday parties at McDonalds) When we pulled in to the parking lot, the girls could not believe it! It was a great ending to a fabulous weekend!!!

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A very BIG thank you to Steve and Debbie of Leaves and Lizards for making this unforgettable weekend possible!!!

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