The Big Reveal...A First Connection.. The Tunnel of Tears

Thursday!  Last day of the Service portion of our trip.  The day started off on a down note, as Ryan W. had come down with a stomach bug, despite all cautions of eating only foods prepared by the hotel or the missions/HOPE team.  He was so disappointed not to be there for the last day of the painting and especially with the kids at the HOPE center.

We arrived at the school and had just a few things left to do on the painting, and then the cleanup.  The final work was done on the shapes, and then the tape was removed.  Then the team swarmed both rooms and touched up the lines everywhere to make them nice and crisp.. and we were DONE!   The rooms were put back like they were, desks and furniture cleaned, and then Director Paula arrived with the school Headmaster/Principal and the teacher of one of the rooms.   There was a short wonderful fiesta as all the kids of that particular class were brought in to see their changed room, and the looks on their faces made all the sweat and sore muscles absolutely worth it!

Then the team headed to HOPE for our luncheon, where we got to partake of the meal that would be served to the people of Pavas that day.  All of the HOPE staff, the summer interns and the mission team sat in the main room and enjoyed a meal of beans, a delightful chicken and vegetable medley, and potato chips.  Then we cleaned and reset the room and started getting ready for our last day of camp with the kids.

Surprisingly, this was also our first day of steady rain.  This is the rainy season in Costa Rica, but so far on this trip, it had not happened.  Today it did, but... as you shall see, it may have caused a blessing for one member of our team in particular.   The staff made the call fairly early to have the welcome recreation time indoors (it takes awhile to dry off the playground equipment and grounds to make it safe), so games were placed around the main room, large swaths of brown paper were taped down and crayons laid out for coloring, and the Blue/Green/Red teams headed to their respective places to prepare while the skit team rehearsed.

Finally, the time arrived, and the kids started coming in even a little early.  Paula saw no reason to make them stand out in the rain any longer :)   Yours truly was laying on the floor at one of the large paper sheets, coloring, when to my surprise, a boy came flying in, plopped down beside me, and joined me in the coloring.  It was the first time this week that one of the HOPE kids went straight to me upon their arrival.  Miracles really do happen at HOPE!  Maybe it was the rain, maybe it was Providence.... what do you think?  And all around the room there was a lot of fun being had with Connect Four, Dominoes, Uno, more coloring spots, you name it!

After we sang our opening song "Adios Al Ayer" (Goodbye Yesterday), said our theme "La mejor decisión es seguir a Jesús", and prayed to "El Señor", the kids watched the skit and headed out for the last round of crafts and recreation.

We met for one last time in the main room to sing my favorite Spanish praise song. "Alaba" by Elevation Worship.  (Praise)  Yes, it is a Spanish praise song now.  It always will be for me.  When I go to the SALT Conference in October, I am going to have those words memorized, and I am going to sing it in Spanish.  And I just might dance to it.

But this time.....

Paula had told us this time would be different.  Halfway through the song, the HOPE staff and interns gathered the kids in one half of the room and continued to dance and sing the normal song with them.  The Frisco Bible Missions Team moved over to the door leading to the front exit, and formed a tunnel.

And as the final stanzas of "A-a-alaba a Dios / mi corazón" were playing, those sweet children ran through the tunnel and we gave them high-fives...
......and they were gone.

See, by the dint of hard experience... Paula had told us to get our hugs in at the beginning.  They knew that it was better to have a clean break at the end.  They have seen it time and time again.  

And they were right.  It was tough enough.

We will miss them.
We will pray for them.
Vaya con Dios, los pequeños de Pavas. 
You stole our hearts, but not our memories.