Maestras Visitantes....

Isn't it neat to know that there are women all over the world who take part in the Visiting Teaching program? Hermana Munroe went visiting teaching this week with Daniela. They visited Hermana Leda Ballestero and shared a spiritual message with her.Viv, Hermana Ballestero's daughter, was teaching an English lesson to one of her students inside the house, so they had to meet outside on the patio. It was a nice day and so luckily it was a good plan to sit outside.

Branch Fundraiser....

Our branch held a fundraiser last Friday. Everyone brought food to sell so that they could raise money to help the youth go to camp. We tried many different bocaditas (finger foods) and they were pretty tasty. There were a few that we chose to walk past but the majority of the food was good and it was all for a great cause. There was a program before the meal. President Jimenez took the lead role in a skit.....

Daniela and was there serving food....

Hermana Blanco was serving her arroz con pollo (chicken and rice) dish. It was very good!

Darim and his friend were there selling horchata. I am sure that most people know what this is. If not, it is a drink made from ground rice, milk, sugar, and cinnamon.

Hermana Munroe getting in on the action. I think she was getting a glass of horchata here.

We found our thrill on blackberry hill....

We have located an enormous roadside patch of lovely blackberries. It is located along the coffee roads just outside of San Pablo. We always stop to pick them on our early morning walk and then we hurry home to have a delicious blackberry/pina smoothie. Yum!

Lilies of the field.....

Not only do we pick wild fruit, vegetables, and berries but we have found beautiful flowers too. We picked these lilies the other day as we were walking near our home. Aren't they beautiful?

Here is Elder Munroe reading by the lilies....

P-Day Excursion...

There is a huge dam being constructed about a one hour drive from where we live. It is part of the Pirris Hydropower Project located on the Pirris River basin (Pacific Slope). It is nearing completion. Alex Fuentes, a member of the Branch, works on the project. He invited us to visit the dam site with him and his wife Daniela. So on our P-day this week, we took him up on the offer. The dam is 370 feet high and very impressive. Right now all of the river water passes through the dam but in December of this year they will cut the flow to begin filling the valley shown in the pictures. Eventually a huge lake will form behind the dam. A conduit at the bottom of the dam will carry the water under high pressure seven miles down stream to the power house where two huge turbines will generate the electricity. We found it all very interesting and felt lucky to get a tour. Afterwards, we ate lunch at the "Restaurante Mirador Las Brisas" which overlooks the Pirris River valley and the mountains beyond.

Verdueria El Cipresal.....

We stopped to get some veggies this week at this little stand. It is located up the mountain from where we live, just outside of San Pablo. Pretty cute little place!

Dance Festival....

We attended the Festival Nacional de Folclor, a dance festival, to end our Independence Day celebrating. We had a long day full of parades and festivals but this was the "cherry" on top. It was spectacular! We paid a whopping $2 per person and the program was 5 hours long. They had professional dancers and singers as well as local talent. They performed all sorts of typical dances that are from the various regions of Costa Rica. The dresses were bright and full of color. We are so glad that we were able to attend. We made sure that we got there early so that we could have front row seats.

San Marcos Independence Day Festivities

We went to the San Marcos parade in the afternoon. There was much more action there and the bands were great. We also saw many of our branch members taking part in the festivities. It was nice to see many of them there.Fabricio, Hermana Mora, Hermana Munroe, Elder Munroe, Daniela, and little Maria

Ginette and Deilyn were busy watching the parade.....

One of the bands passing by.....

Our branch presidents daughter, Miteidy, is one of the girls in this group....

The bands kept the parade alive....Cute little Deilyn dressed in typical clothing.....

Daniela, Maria, and Hermana Munroe stopped to take a break from all of the festivities.

Little Maria Fuentes....

There wee lots of people in the plaza that day.....

Hermana Munroe and Katherine, a member of the branch, in the town plaza....

San Pablo Independence Day Parade...

We started out our "Independence Day Celebration" early Wednesday morning by attending the San Pablo parade. It was interesting to see all of the bands and school children but it was probably the SLOWEST parade we had ever seen. Here is Elder Munroe all ready for the parade.....

A cute boy dressed in traditional Costa Rican clothing. We noticed many little boys who had mustaches drawn on their faces. Very cute!

The school kids getting ready to march....

Elder Munroe and Hermano Juan Blanco waiting for the parade to begin.....