Baseball and Horse Races

Coming back from CR I had a a full weekend planned.

It started off with some Angels baseball. Where we kicked butt in the 13 inning after a long close tied game. After we got to enjoy a summer night concert with Mercy Me performing. I love watching a Christian band play in a public place and watch so many fans stay to listen to their amazing music!!

On Sunday my family and I headed off to the horse races in Corona Del Mar, floppy hats and all. It was my mom, sister and my first time so we each got to bet on whatever horses we wanted, with my Dad's help of course. The best part, our seats were right in front of the Celebrity box where the Saints football players were  sitting. It was fun to watch them gamble, cheer and sigh the same as all of us. Overall I won 4 out of the 5 races I bid on and ended up way more successful at guessing then my sister. I would suggest the horse races to anyone!! It is super cheap, minus the drinks and betting part, and so much fun to just watch the horses and people around you.

After a great weekend back, it was back to work for me on Monday. It was nice to get back to a normal schedule and see everyone at my work. They even had a little pizza party at lunch and had be talk about my trip! I do miss CR a lot and seeing all of the students/friends everyday but it is good to be back!

Back to the real world

I have been back from Costa Rica a little over a week now and though it was not hard to get back on track it was hard to leave such a beautiful country behind.


The mission trip in itself was amazing. Costa Rica is a beautiful country, full of loving people just waiting to hear about the love of Jesus Christ. It was a great experience for me and it was such a blessing to watch the students of HSM serve the lord and grow in their faith as well.


We started off in San Jose were we stayed at a great little hostel in the heart of the city. There my van group went to a local High School, Junior High and orphanage. At the high school we were able to communicate pretty well since half their classes are taught in English, but since it was our first stop it took us a little longer to get in the groove of things and feel comfortable. The Junior High was probably our hardest stop, since we were not aloud to speak about Jesus at all. This confused and frustrated my group at first but after talking it over we realized it is not always about speaking but about showing. We played games with them, did a short lesson on tolerance and morals and just loved on them and at the end we gained more relationships there then anywhere else. The orphanage was small but full of children, aging from 3 months to 12 years old. Just playing with them in their tiny backyard and giving their care takers a break for a couple hours was so rewarding. Our hearts broke for those kids knowing that they were just dropped off, and though the care takers and local church love and take care of them so much, you know all they want is a real family.
After the first couple days we rejoined with the other 2 groups and went to feed the homeless, to an old folks home, another orphanage were all of the children there have some short of mental/physical disability, and Jholy(a local ministry that is part of one of the churches we worked with, that puts on secular plays and shares God's love at the end).
Feeding the homeless touched a lot of our students. I have had the privilege to feed to homeless at Skid Row but for a lot of our students this was their first time. It was a reality check and definitely put life in perspective for everyone! At the old folks home we spent the hour dancing, and seeing the smile on their faces was enough to touch our hearts. The metal/physical disability orphanage was really tough to see. The children there aged from baby to later 20's but even though their age was old they looked like young teens because of the illness they have. To watch the nuns just spend all their time just caring for these children made me so grateful for the life I have. It was hard enough to take care of the kids for the couple hours we were there, but there is no way I could do it everyday, I have so much respect for those nuns! Jholy was a really cool experience for us as well. It is a local theater that is run and put on by all ages and is paid for by their own money or donations by people who come to their shows. It was neat to do some warm up exercises with them and then be able to watch one of their shows at night. The city supports them completely because they dont affiliate themselves with the church but they do spread God's love in their own way. All their shows are very secular and appeal to everyone not just the Christians.


Now we are only at Sunday, I know we did a lot in the first 4 days but dont stop reading just yet. Sunday we went to the local church we were working with (a purpose drive church, pastored by Giovanni) and taught in the youth room and got to know the youth group a little bit. It was cool to see how their youth group does a service compared to Saddleback. After we headed back to the hostel to hang out and then later that night went back to the church to celebrate Mother's Day with them.


Monday we left for Jaco...ahh the beach...hahah I wish, more like ewww the heat and mugginess. In Jaco we went to a turtle hatchery, a teen mom school, the slums and zip lining. The turtle hatchery ended up being a bust but it was fun to spend time on the beach and watch a storm. The teen mom school was really neat. It is the only school in CR that allows teen moms, pregnant or ones with kids already, to go to school and get help from a babysitter while in class. We got a chance to celebrate Mother's day with them with some pastries , prayers and talking. The slums really made us all be thankful for what we had. These families lived in man made built shacks a little ways from the freeway in the woods by a river. It was so fun just hanging out with them and then surrounding them with love and feeding them. The students really loved hanging out with these kids and really formed a heart for the less fortunate, and we walked away wanting to grab things from home and send it to them.

The last day was spent relaxing and zip lining through the trees of Costa Rica. It was a fun way to end the trip and just talk about all that we had learned about the past couple weeks. Coming home was rough and we left a group of people who we built lasting relationships with. After crying and hugging a bunch we walked into the airport and onto the planes back home, as changed people. I learned so much about myself and about others. My relationship with God grew stronger and I came home wanting to do local peace work. I also gained a small group of senior girls who I am so excited to get to know and mentor. This was an amazing missions trip and I can not wait to go on more in the years to come!

Costa Rica through the eyes of a student!

Kris Paulino


The last few days have been pretty crazy here in Costa Rica. Friday was a very emotional draining day. We started the day by going to an old folks home in Heredia. It was a very different type of ministry than what we had been doing in the previous days. It was actually a lot of fun just to hang out with them and love on them. I danced with a lady in a competition and we came in 3rd place. Even though we got out, she still kept dancing which was really funny. It was cool to see a really practical way to serve God and I realized it was somethng I could do at home. Later in the afternoon we went to an orphinage for handicap children. This was one of the more emotional ministries we did all week. It was hard for me to see the older kids and adults there because here I am, about to go to college and start my real life, and for them everyday is a stuggle to live. Seeing this truly inspired me to live my life to the fullest and to use all of the talents God has given me for His kingdom. After the orphinage, we went to Pastor Arthur´s church and hung out with their youth ministry. It was fun to play soccer with them and just be kids.


On Saturday we got up early and went to the JHOLY theatre where we met up with Hector and his wife. They showed us a PowerPoint of their plan and mission for JHOLY. I was extremely suprised how strategized the whole program is and how much dedication is put in to the show. Some of the actors put us through some excersises that they do to get ready for the shows. They took these excerises really seriously which showed their passion for the JHOLY ministry. I was kind of bummed because we weren´t able to feed the homeless due to the heavy rain. After lunch, we went over to Pastor Rudy´s church and visited their Mother´s Day Hoedown. It was hilarious because we did some dancing and they had some of the moms model for everyone. That night we went back to the JHOLY theatre to see their prodection. It was amazing. I had know idea what it was going to be like but it exceeded any expectations that I had. It was awesome to see how they shared the love of Christ to packed theatre even though the show had nothing to do witha bile story or anything like that. That to me was one of the best parts of our trip because it was put on by students for students.


Now were leaving for Jaco tro work with some river kids in the slums which should be very intresting. Bye Mom I´ll see you in a few days.

Peace out San Jose, Costa Rica, Hello Jaco!

Hey Everyone

We are leaving San Jose this morning and off to
Jaco, the beach or should I say the more humid, more hot temperature city were Phil and others have said we will be sweating A LOT!
I am so excited to see another part of this beautiful country! Last night we ate dinner on the top of this hill that overlooked basically the whole city, all the lights were amazing! This place is so big, we have not even touched half of it.
I have to go to breakfast now and get ready to leave but here are some more pictures...

Love you and miss you all from home!

 Mikaela and this statue thing that is at every resturant!

 pouring rain at our hostel

 some of my van group

the stanky crew! (Krissy, Me and Tanner)

CR cont...

Back for like 20 so I decided to upload some photos and wrap my story up until this point!!!

The came home from the streets tired and sadden. Their hearts were touched and they realized things that they never really thought before. As we were debreifing this morning with everyone, students spoke up on how they take things for granted or how actions have consequinces! It is great to see them realizing but not just that wanting to do more about it!

So today we are off to a retirement home, were vistors rarely come and then another orphanage. We are going as a big group today so all 26 or 28 of us! I can not wait to see the students and my heart be changed after today. More heart wrenching stories and sad faces are coming our way.

Please keep praying for us and the work we are doing down here!
Thanks

The locate AMAZING coffee shop the leaders escape to for a refresher!

Emily and Me! Love to watch my lil sis grow in the Lord! 

 Tanner and Krissy talking to the orphans about Jesus and his love for them

 Krissy and the 16 week old baby that was just dropped off. The baby doesnt even have a name.

 Hotel Toruma! First Hostle

 The pool at the Hostle...pretty cold!

an authentic meal! SOO GOOD! chicken, rice, veggies, black beans and onions!

Costa Rica So Far

Well it sure has been a trip so far!
Finally we arrived a day in a half late to Costa Rica!! We spent that day just relaxing, catching up on sleep and preparing for the next couple days!
I have been blessed with an amazing group of students we I am learning more and more about each day! They have been so strong and with no complaints at all! I watch them in the activities we do and plces we go and I can see them growing in the faith, learning more about who they are and stepping completely out of some of their comfort zones!
With the days being pretty long we are all tired by 8 but we seem to stay awake to talk as a group, journal, read the bible or just soak in what God as done that day! The first day my van went to a High School and Junior High were we had a lesson and games for them. We got to talk and love on students and show God´s love. Though at the JH it was a little harded because we were not aloud to talk about Jesus, we as a group though frustrated and not wanting to go back there the next day, stepped it up and became a light for God.It was all about showing and not telling and making them realize that Christian and the church we were partenering with that day love them so much and want them to know God!
It was hard to go back the next day to the JH but we sucked it up for God, knowing there was some reason we were meant to be there.
The night after our HS and JH experience our van group got together and just debreifed and some of the group told their testemonies. I was so proud of them for being able to speak on the spot and just share with the 10 of us their life story and how they came to know God! I was touched to hear their stories and so excited to get to know them more and help them in their faith walk!
The next day(Thursday) we went back to the JH and then to an orpahanage in the afternoon. I saw hearts stirring as students were breaking for what these kids didnt have and learning that though they have so little and are unwanted they still have smiles on their faces. The orphans loved seeing us. We played with them for a good 2 hours, soccer, jump rope, bubbles and slinky. Just to see them happy in that moment was enough. Then Tanner and Krissy stepped up and gave them a story about how much Jesus loves them and how he will never leave them. I was so proud of them stepping up and doing this, when it was so last minute!!
That night we hit up the streets super late at night with all the groups and passes out food to the homeless and talk to them. My students heart broke as they saw these people on the streets having nothing, and listening to their stoiries of hardship. .....
I have to go, breakfast time but I will finish later with pictures to come too!!!

Beyond tired

Sorry for misspent things in on my phone, anyways...

I don't think, no I know I have never had to deal with this much bad customer service and postponement. My Costa Rica team and I were suppose to be on a flight this morning at 1 am as we bored the plane excited and ready to serve the Lord we set I. Our seats and tries to fall asleep. About an hour maybe a little more later we get taken off the plane, yep it was canceled. So 26 of us were tired and with out a plane to Costa Rica. We get put up in a hotel only to wait another hour for a bus to tKe us there. Once there the students spread out over couches falling asleep were ever they could, while we wait another hour for our rooms. Finally 5 am we get keys and are off to get 5 hours of sleep before breakfast and leave for what they told us was a 3pm flight. HAHAHA that is all I'll say cause after getting no phone calls from the airline, Traveling back and forth between hotel and airport and me on hod for 5 hours total today, at least 45 min a call, I do have other choice of words but I'll refrain. Finally we got a 2:00am flight and some answers and hopefully compted tickets. So now we are in the airport once again, tired and excited. We pray for a safe flight or for the plane to actually take off and good service.

Taca is our airlines and I they have the worst customer service!! Don't expect them to answer the phone or be at the airport before hours.

I am excited for this trip but so unsure of what God is trying to tell us. I am pooped and ready just to crawl in bed. Please keep praying for our team!!
Thanks

I'm on a mission

NO NO NO not that type of mission...I am on a mission trip :)

I am off to Costa Rica, off to explore a new place, off to lead 23 high school students on a life changing experience, off to learn, off to step out, but most of all I am off to spread God’s love!

I am going with Saddleback HSM to show God’s love to the people down there. You might be thinking, “Wow Costa Rica you are so lucky that is no missions trip that is a vacation,” but I won’t be sitting on the beach sippin margaritas, tanning, and enjoying a new resort. I will be in the slums of Costa Rica, working with local churches, teaching and playing with children, painting, cleaning, witnessing and more.

I am hoping that I will be able to get on my blog to post pictures and such(I am currently figuring out a iphone app for that) otherwise you can follow the HSM blog http://hsmcostarica2011.blogspot.com/...we are trying to have a student write something every night but the days will be long and full of work so we might just all crash.

THANK YOU to all who have and are supporting me on this trip! I cant wait to send you pictures and notes telling you stories and how God changed my life and the students lives! Please keep praying for safety, protection  guidance, and open hearts for our group and the people in Costa Rica!!!

See ya in 2 weeks!

2k4kids

2K4Kids

The 4th annual 2K4Kids went so well this year! With a year of change, growth and new beginnings, I am really starting to see our impact on students and other people's lives! In this past year the 2K4Kids foundation with the help of many have started a club on a local campus, had a successful 2K4Kids 4th annual walk/run, gave out many scholarships and packaged up a good amount of backpacks full of school supplies and gave them out all around Temecula, Falbrook and Murrieta area! This foundation is doing great things and we are just beginning, as a young foundation we are looking for ways to grow and raise more money to help students reach their goals and have their dreams come true! I can not wait to see what this next year brings!

At the event it was the last time me and my sister would see our cousin before he left for his freshman year at UofA, so we decided to have a little fun. Now we always have fun together and have gotten closer over the past couple years but I think we hit an all time high last night! I mean he needs to have some good pictures of us for his dorm room so that he doesnt forget about us right?? So here they are...

kindness at its best

We love him soooo much!

If you want to learn more about 2K4Kids and what we are doing check out the website! Feel free to donate, or learn what you can do to help us, help others!!

Love you and miss you everyday Kari! Hope you have a smile on your face when you see what we are doing in your name!! xoxo