Day 19

Observations:

-Rain = Fun.
-I really really really don't want to have kids for a really really really long time.
-Giving people things gives me a rush.
-Apparently both peace signs and five pointed stars (like the ones your second grade teacher drew all over your spelling tests) are considered satanic symbols here. So is pikachu.
-Last night was the big Costa Rica vs. Mexico soccer game and Costa Rica sadly lost 3-0. Watching my tica sister and her fiance react to the game was more entertaining than watching the game itself.

-My address is

Srta. Hannah Holtgeerts

CPCI-Costa Rica
Apdo. 509-2350
San José, COSTA RICA, Cent. America.

-Please send me a letter!

-Here, I go to a straight up mega-church. There are four services and usually my host parents and I either go to the 8 or 10 o'clock ones. In the early morning it's about half full, but at the 10 o'clock it's hard to find a seat, unless you go up to the huge balcony. Every week the music team changes so that as many people as possible have a chance to lead and so far, ever Sunday I've been there I've heard some one different speak. The first Sunday I understood a solid 95% of the message, last week I understood maybe 15% and today I'd say I could grasp a good 75%. It all depends on what kind of vocabulary the speakers use. Today though, I heard one phrase that really stuck with me. The pastor talked about "famous" Christians. He said if you ask Christians today who has been the greatest Christian of all time, Catholics might say Mother Theresa, Pentacostals might say Benny Hinn, and Evangalicals might say Billy Graham. What did Jesus say? "I tell you the truth: among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist." (Matthew 11:11) The speaker went on to describe how so many of these "super christians" today are not at all like John the Baptist. He used this line: "En el mundo Cristiano hoy, tenemos muchas estrellas por que faltamos el sol." This means "In the Christian world today, we have many 'stars' because we're missing the sun." When I thought of this in English, I realized that "sun" could also be "Son." Languages are an amazing gift that God gave us.

-Hannah