Mega-fiesta, MEGA-church, and MEGA travel plans!

*note* - This post was written on Friday, but due to technical difficulties I couldn't get it up on the blog. As such, all the "tomorrows" and "todays" should be read accordingly. ;)

Hey everyone! Life down here is picking up speed again. I’m starting to stay up late doing homework, and my classes are all pretty good so far. Every week I feel more and more like this is going to be a great semester. That having been said, I’ve been here for a good three weeks. Before I know it, I’ll be at the three months left point. I know that’s a ridiculously glass-is-half-empty perspective, but I just had the thought the other day. Time is flying!

Palmares last Friday was pretty fun. Many of the ticos that I met last semester who found out I was going to be around in January told me that I just HAD to come out to Palmares. It’s more or less like a state fair in the states, but the whole country comes to celebrate (and a few foreigners show up, I imagine). They had a rodeo arena, a couple mobile clubs set up (just elaborate scaffolding with TVs and lights all over), amusement park-style rides, and of course, carnie food! Our group got there at about 5:15, which was probably a mistake because a) most ticos weren’t getting off work until then, which meant most people weren’t going to show up for an hour or so, and b) there was a soccer game that night between the Costa Rica national team and Panama, which didn’t get over until about 9:30. So. . .basically we did a lot of not a whole lot for the first few hours we were there. One thing I do regret there was riding a rickety old roller coaster that looked like it took two hours to build and ten minutes to design. Why did I ride it? Because it was there. Why do I regret it? I’ve never had a stiffer neck (and for like four days straight!)

I would say the best part of Palmares for me was much like my Café Britt trip – I got to meet a bunch of new people who I hadn’t before, and made some good friends (and strengthened friendships I had already made). In some ways I think it helped that I was the only yearlong student in the group that went (not that I don’t like my fellow “veterans” – love you guys!). Ironically, amidst the insanity (and I think it would be fair were I to say debauchery) of a Costa Rican Mardi Gras type party a few of us started talking about our faith lives and how that fit in to a life studying abroad. Two of the girls I met had a friend back home who was in the USAC-Heredia program last year (as in before I was here) and told them about a church near Heredia that she loved. Ok, let’s try that! we said.

The church is called “Oasis de la Esperanza” (Oasis of Hope). I asked Jessica about it Saturday night, and she told me a little bit about it, mostly that it was BIG. She was right. So, Sunday afternoon about seven of us met up at our university to head over to the church. Turns out I should have asked Jessica where it is, because the girls who had heard about it only knew the name. We were going to get a cab, but then they said the remembered it was in San José, so we took a bus to San José and figured we’d take a cab from there. Turns out the church is actually in Moravia, which is physically closer to Heredia but one must go practically through San José to get there (you can google map it, if you’re really that curious). Long story short, we ended up spending a lot on transportation that night.

Anyway, the church itself was interesting. I’d never been to a megachurch before, but this certainly constituted as one. Apparently they have their own elementary and high schools, and nine sanctuaries the size of the one I’m used to in Jessica’s church in San Rafael. To be perfectly honest, I didn’t really enjoy the service that much. As I suspected, the sheer size of it made it feel a bit impersonal. It was so packed when we got there that we had to go upstairs and sit on some balcony level bleacher seats. The music was very overwhelming (in a “turn it down!!” sort of way – I like to hear myself and my neighbor singing), and the grand majority of the songs didn’t have the words posted on their giant projector screens so we couldn’t really sing them anyway. The scripture reading took a very long time, thanks to the pastor’s astronomically energetic articulation of each and every word – three times. After reading the passage (the woman who is cured after touching Jesus’ cloak), the pastor launched into a spirited discourse on how the physical healing power of Jesus is yours to reach out and seize. Then he invited all who wished to receive God’s healing power to come forward (about half the church did!), for which an army of prayers (as in praying people) came into the sanctuary to embrace and pray with each and every person who had come forward. The pastor began directing those praying to those waiting, and even started some Benny Hinn-style K.O.s including some violently convulsing people on the floor – all that stuff that makes us Lutherans feel right at home!

Our group overall felt pretty good about the service, although ultimately they decided to do some more exploring for other church homes (if nothing else for the commute). Some said they’d like to check out “my” church (Jessica’s in San Rafael). On a side note, I learned one of the girls in our program (who was not with us that day) has a host family that takes her to a Lutheran church every weekend somewhere here in Heredia! I asked her about it when I saw her this week, and she said she could see if she could get me directions to it. Apparently it’s a daughter church of the one in San José. Either way, I hopefully will have visited that church within a couple weeks and let you all know how it is. Also, some of us USAC students are going to start a small group Bible study this coming week, so hopefully that will turn out well!

On the home front, the paint is looking good. Luis has got most of downstairs done, and is currently working on Jessica’s room upstairs. Our living room is now a mix of pink and beige, while our laundry room is like a mix of two shades of pale green. Eli is very satisfied and sporadically exclaims something along the lines of “Oh, what a beautiful living room we have!” She got a little upset with me this week when I revealed to her that I refer to her as “Eli” when skyping with my parents. She interrupted midsentence: “Who?” “Eli,” I said. “I don’t know an Eli who lives here – I only know mami!” I gently let her know that I don’t call her mami (“mommy,” which is used here in parent-child relationships forever) when talking to my parents because my REAL mom would get jealous. She forgives me (*whew!*).

This past week Jessica put on a DVD to watch with me of a Colombian comedian whom she and Eric absolutely love. He was certainly funny, but oh – my – gosh he spoke SO FAST. It’s more than a little frustrating to watch a comedian deliver a punch line, hear Angie and Jessica burst out laughing, and afterwards have Jessica pause it to explain what was just said. I did understand a good deal of it, but it was extremely difficult to keep up with him. We’ve only got through an hour of the show, which is apparently three hours long, and there’s a whole other DVD after that one. Wish me luck!

I’ve got one more piece of exciting news before I’m off, so bear with me (this really turned out to be a longer post than I thought it would be). This past Wednesday, the two Ashleys from last semester and I went to San José to get bus tickets for some traveling! I’m now officially going to be in Nicaragua with both of them from February 20th to March 1st (we have yet to plan what we’ll be up to). Also, even more exciting, two of us (the other has a beach trip planned with her host family) will be heading up to Guatemala on April 4th (with two overnight stops in Managua, Nicaragua and San Salvador, El Salvador) and coming back the 15th. In Guatemala we’ll be staying in Antigua, the home to one of the most flamboyant and exciting cultural celebrations over holy week in the entire world. I’ll be updating you on details when I find out more, but for now go ahead and Google holy week in Antigua, Guatemala and I’m sure you’ll find some cool stuff. These trips are not going to do much for allowing me a lucrative daily budget while I’m here in Heredia (or for when I get back home, for that matter!), but I am highly anticipating both of them and I’m sure they’ll both leave those of us traveling with life-long memories!

Ok, I’ll hang it up for today. Tomorrow morning Jessica and I are going to Guanacaste for the day with a group from her church. I know how awful you all feel back home about me not having been to a beach yet while I’ve been down here, but I certainly think it’s about time! =)

Have a wonderful week. Thanks as always for your prayers and support. ¡Pura Vida!