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Hello everyone, how are you? If this simple question was asked to the majority of Costa Ricans, they would have a common response. Pura Vida! Technically this means "pure life", but they use it more to mean that life is good. It can also be used when saying goodbye.
My name is Orlando Ramirez and I am here with my wife Casie on my first missions trip ever. There were a few things that drew me to come to Costa Rica. My father is from Mexico and I speak Spanish, so the chance to come to a country where I speak the language was a huge plus. I have been stretched though, especially with my host family, as Mexican Spanish and Costa Rican Spanish have many differences. Soccer is also the major sport here and I have been a soccer player my whole life. It is amazing how easy it is to connect to someone from another culture with something as simple as a sport.
I have been working in the Sports Ministry site here with Diego, the site leader. Going to various areas of the town of Deseparados, we have been spending lots of time playing sports with the kids of each area. We've taught them ping-pong (one of my favorites), ridden bikes, and of course played soccer in every location imaginable. What has amazed me about the work Diego is doing here is he's able to reach these kids from very tough backgrounds by presenting the bible to them in various ways that all connect back to the sport they are playing. He grew up living the life they are living, and he's trying to help them see there is more to life than just their small part of the world.
To finish off the day today we took a tour of downtown San Jose. This is where I found this mural with Pura Vida painted on it. I think it is a great reminder that God has given us all the opportunity for a "pure life" in Him, no matter if we live in the tiny barrio of Los Guidos, Costa Rica or Fresno, CA. I look forward to our second week here and all that God will continue to teach us.
Pura Vida!