Pastor Pablo picked me up this morning around 9 am. We ate breakfast at the Bazooka Café which is an americanized restaurant. I had ham, eggs, two small tortilos, AWESOME Costa Rican coffee and their infamous Guyo Pinto (which is beans and rice) which translates to "speckled bird." The reason - it looks like a speckled bird laying in your plate. It's white rice with beans scattered throughout.
We then traveled to his church in Cajon (pronounced ca-hone). It reminds me of a lot of the Dominican churches we visited but in a little better shape. It's a good size but has no classrooms. I asked him what the churches greatest needs were so we could know what we might be able to accomplish when we go down in January. There were two things he mentioned. First, the roof. It is in terrible disrepair and must be replaced. It leaks badly (especially now during the rainy season) and it radiates a lot of heat from the sun. They start church at 8 am on Sundays because it gets so hot here near the equator. The second is classrooms. They have one small area where the tiny ones go on Sunday morning but they need classrooms added to the side of the building.
The roof is the most important if they are to continue to grow. We met with a gentleman in the church who is a very gifted contractor. After determining the roof that is needed and the size, it appears that it will take about $10,000 to put a new one on. A daunting task. Should we try to go to our sister churches and friends to raise this money? ALL OF US need to pray about this NOW. January will be here before you know it.
After the visit at the church, we stopped by his father's farm. He raises coffee and I picked a few while I was there. They use a lot of Nicaraguans who come over the border during harvest time to pick the beans. They are nice people. It is similar to the Haitians who work for the Dominicans but not as impoverished. I met his mom, four of his 7 sisters and one of his 6 brothers. We ate a fruit off a tree in the front yard that was very sweet and delicious. I can't spell it but the pronunciation sounded like ma-mu-ah.
We then picked up a young lady named Wendy who lived in New Jersey for six years and speaks fluent English so we could speak with the contractor. While walking up the stairs, Wendy, the contractor and I were startled when a Parrot Snake appeared. YES - it was poisonous but they said it was young and too small and not to worry. Of course, Wendy and I had difficulty being as sold on the idea as they were.
I'm back in the room and getting ready to go to dinner with Pablo and his fiancé. We are going to Bazooka's again and I can't wait to enjoy another Costa Rican night at this little café. I have not yet met the young lady he intends to marry so I am looking forward to it.
Until tomorrow, continue to pray for me and the great need here in Costa Rica.
PB