Counting the Cost

Leia is enjoying some of her Daddy's ice cream
Yum, Yum!!



Inside of a Catholic church. The center of town is always
where the Catholic church is located.

Outside of a church in Coronado

So, yesterday started with taking a trip into Alajeula to find a charger for my camera batteries. David forgot the charger, and I had to have a camera. We were only on day 3 of our trip. And if you know me very well then you know I love to take pictures; they tell the story. Our house hostess directed us into town, and we would have never gotten out if it hadn't been for her. There were so many people everywhere. We passed so many people laying on the streets homeless. I cannot even find a word to describe what the majority of these people call their homes.

From Alajuela we traveled back into San Jose to meet John Ward and his former exchange student, Eddie. David has been corresponding with Eddie through email regarding potential towns that we could visit and live in. In the process Eddie has sent him information regarding several pieces of land. Eddie drove us into a suburb of San Jose that was out in the country and showed us a piece of property. We viewed a piece of property behind someone's home that was less than an half acre and cost $115,000. We have concluded that we will probably always rent here because it is way cheaper than buying anything. We then drove to another community, Coronado.

Coronado did not leave a very good impression on us. For some reason it gave us a very uneasy feeling. I cannot say there was any one particular thing. Well, maybe one. While walking down the street to a restaraunt with John Ward, we passed a police man holding a machine gun. If it is necessary to hold a machine gun across your chest with a large loop of bullets hanging from your belt loop, then probably not the place to bring your children.
.
We have figured out that it will cost more to feed our families here and that is with completely relearning how to cook, because lots of things you cannot get here. We think we have a pretty good understanding of how so many of these people are teetering on the edge of survival. How can they afford food? The main staples of rice and beans cost more than they do in the states. Velveeta cheese is around $20 a box. Oh my...that is a staple item in my pantry at home. What will my children do?
The cars, from what we have heard, are super expensive here. We have not looked at them yet, but it is on our list of things to accomplish this week. I see why there are so many people wandering the streets. They cannot afford cars, food, or homes. The rate of pay here is so much less than a minimum wage job at home, but yet their food is more and their cars are more.
We spoke with Kathia, a local Costa Rican here in Atenas, tonight and have made definitive plans to accompany her On Tuesday to visit some families in Alajuela. We were originally going to visit the Nicaraugan family, but she says this project is much more pressing and needs more people. She says some other people she knows are going to go see the Nicaraguan family. Her sister has learned of 15 families that are living on the river in Alajuela. Their homes are made of cardboard boxes and they have no floors. Anything you can think of as a necessity, they do not have it. We have planned to meet her early Tuesday morning to go buy supplies to take to these families. We are hoping we will be able to buy sheet metal, tarps, ropes, mosqiuto netting, bug spray, rubber boots, and food for their homes and families. We pray God will oversee this effort and these people will see God's love, even if we are only meeting them for this short visit.