Friday, May 31, 2013

Day two afternoon and evening

Our afternoon schedule gave us an opportunity to learn about a variety of Costa Rican plants.  During our lesson, we all had a chance to drink coconut water and eat coconut meat. 
We had mixed reactions. Some of us liked the water and meat and some of us didn't. 

We also learned about the "lipstick" plant.  It had little red seeds inside that if smashed turned into reddish orange paint.  We used it like war paint on our arms and faces.  

Some other plants we learned about were sticky leaves, sandpaper plants, and plants used for natural bug sprays and medicine.  We all had a chance to hold a "poor man's" umbrella.  It is heavier than real umbrellas and the sap is poisonous (we put a plastic bag over the end). 

 Our plant guide made us an extra treat...homemade fruit popsicles.  It was a delight in a bag!

Our next adventure was at the river.  We had a team building activity guided by Javier and Randall.  

Our goal was to build a raft to make it across the river and back before the other team.  We had a kayak, four paddles, two wooden planks, three inner tubes, and ropes that we could use to build our raft.  We found out that it was very hard and it took multiple tries before both teams succeeded.  After the activity, we got to swim in the river. We had a contest of who could hold their breath the longest.  Ben won both times by a long shot.  The river was cold and muddy but felt so good after a long day at work.  

After a refreshing ice cold shower, we ate dinner.  Our menu was mashed potatoes, rice, refried beans, mixed vegetables,  pot roast, salad, and spinach soup.  We drank water or star fruit juice.  Fox said it was the best soup ever!  

Jerry's favorite part of the day was building rafts at the river.
Russell's favorite part was swimming in the river.
Caleb's favorite part was dinner. 
Fox's favorite part was shooting basketball with the kids.

This blog post was written by Fox, Jerry, Caleb , and Russell. 




Day 2 morning

Imagine eating breakfast in a rainforest. Well, that is exactly what we did on our first morning at Costa Rica. For breakfast we had fresh fruit, eggs, sausage, and mango juice. Cole  says "On a scale of one to ten I'd give it an eleven." After breakfast we had a devotion on Acts 20:35 for our theme for the trip. After some team-building exercises we walked to the school of Chilamate. 

At the school we took a tour of the property to look at the work that we will be participating in. Our group helped teach classes, started some work, and made new relationships by playing basketball and soccer with students. Thus far we have had an excellent morning at Chilamate, Costa Rica.

By Sam, Charlie, Ben, Darnell





Thursday, May 30, 2013

Day One

Our boys did a great job traveling today. Once we arrived in San Jose, we loaded up a bus and ride about two hours to the Eco lodge in Chilamate. We ate a late lunch of pasta salad, salad, plantain chips, and empanadas. Then we had some safety training and team building exercises led by our World Leadership School guides, Randall and Javier. Even though it was raining, the boys all gave their best effort. 
Dinner will be a chicken and rice dish. After dinner we will recap the day and then head to bed since we were up so early this morning for our flight!
Below are pictures of team building exercises. 
Feel free to leave us a comment!

Students are in Costa Rica!

Hello Family and Friends of PDS! The group has arrived into the San José airport and will be meeting their WLS instructors Javier and Randall. They will grab lunch and make their way to the Chilamate Eco-Retreat. The group will start updating the blog tomorrow. Please call the WLS office with any questions during the program - 303-679-3412.

Erin Lasky
Director of Operations

Ready to Go

Our team has all arrived at the airport and we are waiting to check in. We had a prayer with parents before we left. The boys are excited! We will post tonight to let you know we arrived safely!

Update: we have landed safely in Atlanta!


Breakfast in Atlanta airport...


Tuesday, May 14, 2013

It's Almost Time!

It's hard to believe we leave for Costa Rica in 16 days! We are meeting with the boys today and will create a covenant for them to sign on expectations of the trip. Once we create it, we will post it here.
The boys have been great in our meetings to prepare for our trip. We are so excited!
Parents, you can check this blog during our trip for updates and pictures!
Also follow us on twitter at @pds_service.