Bars

Costa Rica is a country full of bars. No, not the wine, whiskey, pour-your-heart-out-to-the-bartender type of bars but the metal-rod, saw-through-only type of bars. Every home, business, church, and school not only has bars on the windows and doors but are also behind high fences with barbed wire across the top. Security guards stand vigilant in front of many of these. We pay someone to watch (guard) our car everywhere we park. And this occurs in the safest, most developed, highest-rate-of-educated-people country in Central America. I recall fences and bars and guards in Mexico when I visited fourteen years ago and Rob says the same is true in South Africa, where he's done mission work twice in three years. It's disconcerting and, no matter how nice the people are, how delicious the food is, and how beautiful the countryside--there is always a slight gnawing tension that says, "You're not safe!"

Will it come to this in America, the home of the FREE and the BRAVE? To some degree, it has. Many homes have security "systems." I hold out, and pray, that we are strong enough, with a firm foundation, to prevent this from happening--at least to the degree I see in CR. Without getting philosophical about freedom, I am reminded that true and lasting freedom only comes in Christ, our Prince of Peace. No gnawing tension, there. Praise the Lord!

Yesterday, Rob and I met with Ray Zirkel, the Methodist missionary. He showed us several projects that are developing and ministries that are on-going. We were blown away by the Children's Home project: the acreage is beautiful countryside with a creek on one end. A mission team from Chattanooga was pouring concrete for the floors of one building. Two

houses for children and house parents are almost completed, There is a wonderful field for soccer and other sports. They hope to have the first children come to live with them in October and eventually they will house 60 children!

After that, we visited the Colegio de Metodista (Methodist school), an outstanding school for pre-K through 11th grade with 1150 students. It is highly respected in CR and all of its graduates go on to college (which is rare in CR-- most children are fortunate to complete high school and many only go through 6th grade).

I need to say something about the food. Yes, there are rice and beans at almost every meal but there is also a wonderful variety of fruit and delicious spices for the meats. Ray took us to a great "fast-food" place for lunch, the Rosti Pollo. La comida es muy delicioso!