I’m never really included in the the planning stages of a family vacations. The only thing I need to know, are the dates, so that the trip doesn’t conflict with any of my personal obligations. Costa Rica, through my eyes, is a story of a beautiful country with bountiful resources that was a blessing to experience.

My traveling companions were Mike, (husband), Mikos (son), Jenny (daughter-in-law), Maddie, and Wil (our grandchildren). My son had worked on this trip for months, planning and paying for excursions months in advance, and making sure that we would have smooth sailing, I am grateful to my son for his loving hand, and special effort he put into making this trip come together.

When we arrived in San José we picked up the rental car and headed to a local Hilton for a one-night stay. The following morning we drove for several hours to El Tanque, a small village outside of La Fortuna, which is located on the foothills of the Arenal Volcano.

There are no addresses in most of Costa Rica, just street names. The Airbnb, in which we were staying read 300 meters from the soccer field; turn right on the street of Victoriano’s (a local restaurant). The place is a two story house lined with palm trees, and with these visual directions we made it to our destination.

We were greeted by Yadira, the caretaker of the home, and her sister Petrona. The home is a picture of a decorator’s dream. (It helps that the owner is an interior decorator.) It’s put together with natural Costa Rican stone, and the floors are all red brick, accented with wood. Everywhere you looked was a splash of comfort mixed with beauty, making you fall in love with this rustic home. I honestly could have stayed there the entire time.

By the time you reached the French doors of the house, your eyes would follow the patio overlooking a paradise garden, with walkway meandering to a gazebo, or to the edge of the jungle. The flowery scent of Costa Rica caused me to overdose on allergy meds, but I was fine with that. The birds serenaded us with early morning songs and the cicadas, in tenor, picked up the evening shift.

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Yadira, and her sister Petrona, cooked for us. I quickly made friends with them, but it was not until the following day that I met Joaquin, the groundskeeper. They made our stay safe and pleasant.

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On the day that my family went on a whitewater rafting adventures, I stayed behind. After breakfast I invited Yadira, Petrona, and Joaquin to a Bible study. Petrona looked downcast from the time we met, and I knew something was not right. She shared with me that she had to leave Nicaragua because of the political unrest. There was such sadness in her eyes when she spoke of her two children that she had to leave behind. I knew then that I had to teach on Matthew 6:25-34, about worrying. I explained to Petrona that God knows of her great sacrifice and that she would be blessed for her efforts. Petrona needs a job in order to bring her children to Costa Rica. I assured her that God will take good care of her children (who are in the care of her mother) while she is in Costa Rica. I also taught on the Passion of Christ, one of my favorite passages. I was most impressed when they shared with me that they abstain from eating meat for entire 40 days of Lent.

After Bible study I invited them for lunch at Victoriano’s. We walked to the local restaurant, and we all ordered hamburgers, and boy, were they tasty. My family must have been feeling guilty because I kept getting text messages from Mikos telling me how delayed they were going to be. I guess they thought I was going to sit around and twiddle my thumbs until they got back. After lunch we took a taxi into La Fortuna. This was my only disappointment, as this little village was saturated with souvenir shops, some pricier than others. One thing I did enjoy was visiting the Cathedral; as I walked in, a statue of Jesus resurrected is on the back wall of the main altar, it was magnificent.

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This reminded me that on the way up to La Fortuna, we passed many homes that had large wooden crosses with purple sashes draped across them. The Ticos (Costa Ricans) are mostly Catholic, and it shows in the reverence they have for our Lord during Lent. Perhaps this may be one of the reasons that they are considered some of the happiest people on earth. The Ticos, who lead simple, faithful lives, are a sustainable culture, growing most of what they eat. They are big exporters as well, with bananas being their biggest commodity.

As a family we visited the Arenal Hanging Bridges. For the first time I saw monkeys swinging freely from one treetop to another. We also saw a sloth perched high up in the tree. We saw many types of other animals living the Happy Tico life.

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La Fortuna Waterfalls is 500 steps down, which means it 500 steps up. It was through the grace of God that I made it. On the way back up Mike was behind me, making sure I did not slip. I took a lot of breaks, but never suffered muscle aches the following day. I attribute this to my sporadic workout regime, and singing (to myself), “One step a time sweet Jesus.” I could not believe that my family got into the water at the bottom of the falls, I have seen one too many episodes of “The Monster Inside Me” to ever do that! I prayed against any parasites.

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Mikos was most impressed with the leaftcutter ants and their industrious way of life; he felt convicted, and said that he needed to work harder, (definitely wired a capitalist).

Before we left for Jacó, both Yadira and Petrona gave me their prayer requests, which I promised to take with me to the Holy Land.

We drove for hours and finally reached Jacó, a beach community. Again no addresses, but thank God for the Waze APP, as we arrived unscathed. Mikos and Jenny only stayed with us for one night, and then they were off to Antigua.

Yadira’s cooking was wonderful; she made everything from scratch. Each meal included fried plantains, black beans and rice, and of course, an array of fresh local fruits. I loved all the fresh fruits, with the exception of the papaya, which left a throw-up taste in my mouth.

I thank God for allowing us to bond closer as a family, I understand my daughter-in-law Jenny better and how she sacrifices for her family. Every breakfast at Rancho Arenal, we would order our meals, but Jenny was so busy getting things together for everyone else that every time she sat to eat, it looked like leftovers. Mikos would say, “Aww baby, do you want half of my bacon?” Jenny never complained; she just ate, and it was mostly fruit for breakfast. She taught me a lesson on servanthood. She was like Jesus, and we all know that He was the greatest of all servants.

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Both Maddie and Wil traveled back with us to the States; aside from breaking up a few catfights, all went well. We all arrived in one piece, safe and sound, praise be to God. PURA VIDA!

Job 12:7-10 New King James Version (NKJV)

⁷ “But now ask the beasts, and they will teach you; And the birds of the air, and they will tell you; ⁸ Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you;
And the fish of the sea will explain to you.⁹ Who among all these does not know That the hand of the Lord has done this,¹⁰ In whose hand is the life of every living thing, And the breath of all mankind?

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Holy Week is the highest of all Christian celebrations. For me, to be able to be there in the flesh is the most blessed and cherished time, as this rejuvenates my spirit. The Lord has once again opened doors for me to visit the place of His birth.

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I am always fearful to tell Mike that I am going to the Holy Land. It was no different this time. Mike understands my calling and would never discourage me from my work with God. Mike also knows that he will be financially obligated to help me with the trip.

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I prayed for several weeks before deciding if I should go. When the price of the airfare was announced, I almost had same amount in my savings. I prayed again to be certain that it was of God, and not just me wanting to be there during Holy Week. I asked God for a confirmation and when I opened the Bible, I got the verse Luke 23:26, about the Passion. I was still too scared to tell Mike. I asked God to give me a sign as to when to approach Mike with the news. I went to bed with my nerves on end. That night the Lord gave me a short beautiful dream. In the dream I told Mike that I was going to the Holy Land. Mike stared at me with a broad smile, and the dream ended. I felt a sense of security and knew that it was time to tell Mike.

When I told Mike, it did not go down like the dream. Mike reminded me that he was planning to retire soon, and went over some big expenditures that we were going to incur. Then he said, “I will never stop you from going and doing God’s work.” Mike never smiled like during the dream, but was more stoic than anything.

Mike always makes sure I have plenty of money for any unexpected incidental. Sometimes at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport, we are charged extra for luggage. When leaving Israel, if you do not have a direct international flight, the price is different for luggage. We are flying Turkish Air and they fly from Tel Aviv to Istanbul, which is considered a domestic flight. These are not hidden costs, but they always catch us off guard. Normally your carry-on bag can weigh anywhere from 17 to 26 pounds, depending on the airline. We were scrutinized about our carry-on luggage, and were told by the Israeli security that we were only allowed 8 pounds domestic. My carry-on already weighs 5 pounds, so that meant that we needed to redistribute the weight by putting our belongings in other, larger bags. The strictest airport in the world does not make any allowances for anyone, I once had to pay $125 for overweight luggage. You do not dispute with security personnel in Israel because they always win, and they have big guns.

In most cases, when you leave Ben Gurion your luggage is going to be searched, and by that, I mean that security goes through it by taking everything out. Don’t worry though; you get to put it all together. All this takes a lot of extra time, so that is why we arrive about 5 hours before departure, to make certain we all get through security unscathed.

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We always use American money to get by in Israel. Though Israeli citizens still use the shekel, the same currency that was around in the time of Jesus, I never exchange money because everywhere that I’ve been to in Israel takes the good ole American dollar.

There is always unrest in Israel, but we are never discouraged from going. Everywhere you go in this country, you will encounter army personnel with huge rifles and guns, so we always feel safe.

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As I write this, there are problems brewing on the Gaza Strip. We have visited the Gaza Strip, and on one of our earlier trips, we stayed at a hotel on the beach. We arrived early in the evening, and everyone wanted to go to the beach. The night was brightly lit by moon’s reflection. We frolicked in the waters of the Mediterranean until we grew tired and went to bed. The following morning, my friend Millie and I decided to take a long walk on the beach. We could still see out hotel from a distance, when I saw two men running toward us. These men were from the hotel security staff. They were yelling in broken English, “What are you doing? You could be killed! Go back to the hotel!”

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Our main purpose to visit Gaza was to bring medicines to the St. Teresa of Calcutta convent. This was the first and last time I have visited the Gaza Strip. Travelers are strongly advised not to travel in the Gaza Strip, because of all the political unrest.

The Gaza Strip is located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It is exclusively Palestinian territory, populated by Palestinians Arabs, and it is ruled by Hamas.

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Please send me your prayer requests, as I promise to pray for all your petitions. I will either leave them at the Western Wall (Wailing Wall) or the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Pray for our safety as we carry the Cross down the Via Dolorosa, on Good Friday. God Bless!

Proverbs 27:9 New King James Version (NKJV)

⁹ Ointment and perfume delight the heart,
And the sweetness of a man’s friend gives delight by hearty counsel.

We met Anthony when we were a young family. We traveled to Pueblo, CO, because Mike was looking for a chip fryer to make tostadas and Anthony’s family had one for sale. Mike was 26 years old and Anthony was 20. When Anthony picked us up at the airport he insisted for us to stay at his home. I was a bit apprehensive because he was a complete stranger. I tried to get Mike’s attention to give him the “no” look but Mike had already agreed. After we settled in, Anthony said he was going out.

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To give you an idea, Anthony lived in what we considered the sticks, where back yards go on for miles; this was country living.

Anthony was single and he was partying until the wee hours of the morning. When I woke up, he was sprawled out on the couch. My children were hungry, we had no car, and he had cereal but no milk. I called Mike into the bedroom and we had a quiet argument, in a concerned whisper, I explained to Mike. “Why are we here? I told you that this was not a good idea! We are like country prisoners, and the worst part is that we don’t even have a car!” Mike tried to calm me down but I was too upset, saying, “You need to wake him up and we need to go to a hotel!” By this time my arms were crossed and locked against my chest.

It was midmorning when I heard Mike wake Anthony up. This was Anthony’s normal life, and it was no big deal, Anthony was moving slowly, telling me that he was going to take us to the best breakfast in town. My thoughts were, “Whatever!”

We drove past what seemed to be acres and acres of corn fields, when suddenly Anthony turned into a driveway of someone’s home. “Now what!” I thought. “Oh, my Mom and sisters are making breakfast for us, you’re going to love their cooking,” He said. I remember what I was wearing that day because it was so conspicuous, city clothes in a small farming town. As we walked into a room full of strangers wondering why I was dressed like that. I wanted so badly to lock eyes with Mike to give him “the stink eye” but he steered clear of my view. My maroon shirt with coordinating top, and mule heeled sandals was not ideal for a breakfast with a family of strangers who were mostly dressed in jeans and hiking boots.

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The green chili over eggs and potatoes was the best and the comfort food made us feel welcome. I will always remember this day as being the worst and best day of meeting Anthony.

Through the years we have remained friends, and Anthony’s wife Laurie and I would become good friends. Both Laurie and Anthony were free spirits, with combustible personalities, and together they were the best stand-up comic show ever. We loved being around them. Anthony and Laurie had two sons, Aaron and Marcus. These boys spent many summers with us in California, and Mikos spent several summers with them in Colorado. We were vacation buddies as well.

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We decided to take a vacation with our friends to Ixtapa, Mexico; the trip produced many memories. We once went off the grid and had lunch at a local place in an outdoor patio. I can’t remember if it was shrimp or lobster we were eating when a one-eyed stray cat came up to me. My heart was filled with pity, so I tossed a piece of fish to the cat. What happened next was the biggest catfight over the fish. About ten cats were waiting in the wings, and they most likely used the one-eyed cat as a decoy to tug at the hearts of American tourists in order to get their daily fish fix.

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You’d think we learned our lesson, but no, the next day I wanted soup, and while I was eating, my spoon scooped up a full chicken foot, with long hanging toenails. I know that this type of soup is common in this part of Mexico, but I could not acquire the taste, or get the image out of my head.

The waters of the Pacific Ocean were not that hospitable to us, either. We all got whipped and chopped around. I remember my head hitting the bottom of the ocean floor and feeling my neck get twisted like in the movie “The Exorcist.” I thought for sure that I would suffer for the rest of my life, but thank God, I was just sore for a few days.

Our flight going home was delayed by 6 hours so we were stuck at the airport in Zihuatanejo. I remember watching laborers building a wall one brick at a time, almost like counting sheep. The monotony of waiting was making me crazy, but thank God for clean restrooms.

Both Mikos and I caught the virus from our ancestor, Montezuma. On the way home from the trip we both sat next to the bathroom on the plane. The following day Mikos had to pitch for his baseball team. He held back good pitches, due to Montezuma’s curse. So I guess we could categorize this as being a trip from hell, but it was fun to be with our friends.

Mike and Anthony both owned tortilla factories, and were members of TIA (Tortilla Industry Association). The group had annual meetings and we always got together with Anthony during these events.

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Our friends attended both of our children’s high school and college graduations. Anthony attended both of our kids’ weddings as well. One of Anthony’s sisters even named her daughter Ciriza (our last name) but spelled it differently, Cirissa.

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Anthony never stops talking, and he is funny. He calls you out on everything possible, and has a memory of a dolphin. His facts are seasoned with vivid, descriptive, recollections that awaken that dormant thought in your brain that is in agreement with him. Poor Mike never gets a word in, and I’m forever attempting to prove him wrong.

With Anthony’s new business, he has shared that he will be making regular trips to California (pray for us). We wish our friend well with his CBD’s (cannabidiol oil) business and look forward to more memories.

Proverbs 18:24 New King James Version (NKJV)

²⁴ A man who has friends must himself be friendly,
But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

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