Samford University

In Mid January, we welcomed our first team of 2017!  It was a large group of Cheer and Dance from Samford University in Alabama.

The ladies came with another missionary and were mainly working on construction of Children's Homes in Coronado.  However, they also wanted to do some Children's Ministry, so they hooked up with us for two days.

We spent the whole day the the Daycare doing activities and afternoons playing games and doing activities.

On the second day, the girls did 2 performances for the daycare.  One in the morning for the little kids and one in the afternoon for the school aged kids.  They loved it!!

Check out some pictures from the two days they were with us!

We got to make wooden crosses with several of the classes!

There was LOTS of English happening in the older classrooms!

More crafts and activities

The kids loved hanging out with the group

And the girls did a good job of communicating in Spanish!

Wednesday evening, we had a date night in the Children's Homes.  We sent the house parents out on a date and we had dinner with the kids.  We started the evening with playing outside and the Samford girls put on a little show for the kids.  Some of our girls jumped in and tried out cheering with them.  We even had a few on-lookers from the daycare watching and cheering with them!

Cheer and dance performance for the children in the homes.

Thursday was the same the same schedule in the daycare, but with different classes and different activities!

Getting down on their level and working together!

Each group also got to play on the playground with the kids--this group was lucky to play with the babies!

Then Thursday, the girls did two performances again.  One performance in the morning for the littler kids before lunch and nap and a second performance for the school aged kids.  They LOVED it!  All the kids were ooing and ahhing!!

Everybody loves the stunts!

Fun with the littles

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All the older kids looking on in awe!

The stunts were even a hit with the older kids!

Check that out!

 Our kids got to be a part of this group as well.  Emme got to help us interpret in the daycare classrooms and we all got to hang out with the cool girls! And at first, Leyton was upset that there were only girls on the team....he quickly got over that!

Emme and Raegan

Check out that smile on his face!!!

Although they were only here with us for 2 short days, we had a lot of fun with the team!  We introduced a lot of kids to cheerleading (el porrismo).  As I can say this was, I think, the first time we had a Cheer/dance team at the Abraham Project.

The team also has a website/ webpage about their time here: (click on the link below)
Samford Univerity in Costa Rica


Thank you Samford University for being the hands and feet of Christ in Costa Rica!

the crawfords

September Fun!

Check out what we did in September....just a peek!

Leyton got to do a special building project with Daddy--Angry bird building blocks!

At the end of August after team season, I started an English class with the older kids in the daycare. We met 3 times a week.  Trying to help these kids pass English!

My main kids!

Also in September, Bruce and I got to get away--just the two of us!  We were gifted 2 nights at a secluded hotel.  It was very nice and quiet!

The view from the balcony

Just the two of us!

Sunset

When the rain came in

We were super thankful to Laura, our intern, and to our friends, Natalia and David for helping us with the kids!

Nice to have a hatchback!

September, of course, is also the month of Independence for much of Central American countries--including Costa Rica.  So we do our annual celebration of making faroles (lanterns) and participating in parades at school.

Emme working hard

Leyton getting help with his paper mache volcano

Emme with her Costa Rica lantern

Leyton with his Volcano Turrialba

The parade at school

Presenting the faroles

For the Independence celebration at the Daycare, we had a surprise visit by the President of Costa Rica, Luis Guillermo Solis.

Talking to the daycare kids and staff

Typical Costa Rican breakfast--because sometimes you just have to!

Leyton playing pool for the first time while waiting for his haircut--coolest barber shop ever!

September was also time for Volcano Turriabla to want to start exploding again.  A picture of the ash in San Jose (this was not me)

I was also lucky to have one of my bestest friends come and stay with us for a week.  We got to do girly stuff together!  So blessed to have her come and hang out with me!

We had a dinner of close friends!

Yes, I am on my knees...Natalia really is THAT short!

Sara and I got to do a tour of horseback riding and swimming in waterfalls at Nauyaca Waterfalls.

On the way there in the morning--Perez Zeledon valley! Beautiful

Getting ready to head out!

Yeah, I don't ride horses--but you'd never know, right!!??

Stopped for breakfast on the way to the waterfalls

Just a walkin'

Arrived to the waterfalls--yes, they are that big!

And then later swimming in the waterfalls

Beautiful!

 

Then after the tour, we headed a little more south to Playa Ballena (Whale Tail beach) and walked the pretty beach!

Always find sand dollars there!

The beach--it is a national park, so not a lot of people! So pretty!

Yes, there are crocodiles....but we didn't see any

Unfortunately, all things have to come to an end!  So thankful for her!

After we dropped Sara off at the airport, we headed for our family weekend getaway!  Thankful for the family who blessed our family with this time together.  This is the second year in a row they blessed us with 2 nights at an AMAZING hotel!

We are all excited to go!!

Our view from the hotel room! 2 nights of HEAVEN on earth!

Thanks for checking out some of our happenings!  It's not always easy; it's not always exciting, but it's our life and we are trying to live it to the Glory of the Lord!

the crawfords