Safely at Campamento Roblealto

We have safely arrived at our destination, though the journey was long.

Our travels started at 4 pm on Thursday as we exited the gate of Fair Havens in two vans.  Our first stop was Newmarket as we needed to pick up something from the mall.  We gave the interns an hour to get anything that they needed and we back on the road at 6.  The snow picked up and the drive through Toronto was slow, slow, slow.  We were able to make it to London around 8:30 where we picked up Jesse (who wasn't able to attend the orientation) and had dinner at Swiss Chalet.  Snow once again slowed our drive, as we drove to the border crossing at Sarnia, but we made it there safely.

At the border my van needed to stop so that the German interns could go and sign forms, which are required for them to enter the States.  There was no one waiting in the office, so we were back on the road in 20 minutes (all time record).  We made it to the airport at 2 am and settled down for a wait.  They didn't open the check-in till 4 am, for our 6 am flight, but all the interns were in good spirits.

Waiting at Detriot's Airport

We flew to Houston, and then to San Jose with no problems at all.  The flight actually arrived a half-hour early.  With us on the plane was another group, mainly from East-Tennessee, that was coming for a missions project in another area of Costa Rica. It is great to meet brother and sisters in the Lord for around the world.  We got through customs fairly quickly, but it could have been faster (If you are travelling always make sure that you fill out your forms in pen and not pencil, else you have to go to the back of the line.  Learned by an intern first hand)

Arthur was there to greet us at the airport, along with weather that was in the upper 20's and Sunny.  As we loaded our luggage into the trailer, we were greeted by Robert Bruno, the camp director and chair of CCI Latin America.  The trip to the camp takes only 30 minutes but the group stopped at a grocery store for snack on the way up.

The Girl's happy to be in Costa Rica

The Boys Cabin ("La Choza")

The Girl's Cabin

The camp is beautiful and overlooks the central valley of Costa Rica.  We can see all the way to the ocean, on a clear day, even though we are almost in the center of the country, as the camp is at around 6000 feet in elevation.  We will be staying in 2 cabins (one for the girls and one for the guys) so we will have lots of room. The food has been well received by all the interns, even though some were worried about eating rice and beans (which are nearly always served, along with other food).

At the camp we have been meeting the national staff.  Many of them, thankfully, speak some English.  There is also a team from Camp Pine Cove, in Texas, that are staying for a few more days.  They helped with camp last year and a few of them were here last year when last years team was here.  It has been nice for the interns to talk with them about their experiences integrating with the camp and working with people that don't always speak the same language.

Making Friends with the Pine Cove Team

Tomorrow morning we will be off to Monte Dios church in the nearest town.  We will write again soon,

On behalf of the interns,

Allan