The Liebersteins Visit!

Bryndon and Stephen share a very tender moment...tasting guaro (a popular Costa Rican liquor) with Coke. It is best to sip slowly, as I'm told, to avoid the unpleasant burn reminiscent of drinking rubbing alcohol. For further information on drinking it straight up, you may consult Jonathan Berrios.

But why do we have to go?! We're having so much fun...

In the center of Cartago, there is a fresh fruit, vegetable and meat market that takes up a whole city block.  It's convenient and inexpensive, and there is so much variety.  It's really helped us eat healthy!!!

Below are pejiballes, a starchy vegetable (or fruit???) that typically are cooked, and served warm with a dollop of mayo. Some vegetable stands cook them for you right there in the market...and boy do they smell good!

Last Sunday, a sister in our group, Lisa, invited us over for lunch, and just happened to make Bryndon's favorite thing in the whole world: buffalo wings! The only disappointment -- Bryndon couldn't get any sauce stuck in his mustache this time!

The newspaper reporter that is fixing Kris' toilet, you all know him as Bryndon...

 

Something about the mannequins down here is different... 

And yes, that's a horse...

Do not try this at home, kids.  Not only is he a plumber, but they have taught him how to check if wires are active. Last Sunday, we helped repair the Kingdom Hall. Some crooks got in and stole all the wiring from the ceiling and an electrical fuse box off the wall. Bryndon's job was to touch the wires together when instructed, so we could see which lights turned on...it was very technical. You probably wouldn't understand...

Doky's Bath

"Will this torture ever end?!"

But I guess it was all worth it...she seemed to like his new look! This is Cici, the neighbor's poodle -- the two of them are an item!

The Basílica de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles (Our Lady of the Angels Basilica), above. A massive pilgrimage takes place every year in the beginning of August; as a demonstration of their piety, some believers choose to crawl up to the Basilica on their hands and knees.

Last week, we visited the Orosi Valley, not far from Cartago. 

Nancy, are you paying close attention?  You probably already know this, but I learned that growing coffee under shade produces higher yields and results in better fruit. Coffee grown in the shade takes long to ripen and is often thought to taste better because the long ripening times contribute to complex flavors. As a result, many conscientious consumers, some concerned with bird habitats and biodiversity on coffee plantations, look for “shade grown” coffee, below.
 

Also found in the Orosi Valley, the Reventazón River flows through the steep-sided valley until it collects into a beautiful lake formed by the Cachí Dam.

What an intriguing pine?! I looked it up online; it's an Araucaria heterophylla, commonly called Norfolk Island Pine. That's what it naturally looks like, with no pruning.

 

Can you see the mustache from here?

Rebecca, Karen, Rachel, Marilyn and Carolina; taking a shady break from walking in the sun.

Calling it a cat nap somehow doesn't seem to fit...

We don't believe in all work and no play...

Last weekend was the District Convention in Spanish at Estadio Nacional in San Jose. Peak attendance on Sunday was over 24,000.

This is a brand new stadium, a gift from China to Costa Rica, and now the largest stadium in Central America.  This fact created many opportunities for a great witness to be made.  Many non-Witnesses were drawn to the convention simply as an opportunity to see their country's new pride and joy, free of charge. Police officers on duty at the convention were seen using the phones to take pictures and videos as thousand of us filed into the stadium calmly and orderly. When a brother asked them what they thought, the officers replied, "We don't feel like we're working. We're enjoying watching how orderly you people are. It's a privilege to see something like this!"  So our brother responded, "What you are witnessing is a small taste of what God's kingdom will accomplish on a worldwide scale!"  What excitement for me each time I saw one of the stadium employees or security staff with one of our publications in hand. One stadium employee told us Saturday that she stayed up until 2 a.m. telling her daughter all that she learned during Friday's program.



Although the seating was not exactly comfortable, the stadium was very attractive and clean. You gotta give it to the Chinese -- they built it to withstand earthquakes measuring up to 8.5 on the Richter Scale with no damage! (Bryndon would like to point out that they haven't yet tested that theory.)

On Saturday afternoon, 279 were baptized. 

The seating is partially covered from the sun...but...not the rain...and boy, did it rain! Ezra 10:9 was read on Sunday; it really hits home after this convention.

The wind blew the rain sideways, so a poor soul had to hold an umbrella behind the speaker so his Bible and notes wouldn't get drenched.

The new stadium's technology was put to good use; the lyrics of the songs were put on the teleprompter for all to see. Karaoke at a convention - they know how to have fun!!!

These two are really getting along... 

Although there are a few missing, below is our Cartago English group after the meeting last Thursday.

 

Last Tuesday, there was a free concert held at the Cartago amphitheater. The Banda de Cartago performed a few pieces and then we heard the visiting Western Kentucky University Band.

A few interesting flowers I found along the way...

Sunset from our backyard...