Day 2: The Island of Chira -- getting there, ministering on, being stranded on, and being rescued

On January 7, the team traveled to the Isla de Chira in Nicoya Bay. The ride over took about 40 minutes, but because the water was rough, we could not dock at the port. We disembarked in a mangrove swamp and hiked up to the main road--even through someone's back yard. Our team ran a Bible school day for about 45 kids in a church. The team members sang, played games, helped with crafts. Most importantly, they connected with kids. Words learned in class became real life conversations, and where words could not be found, hugs and smiles and ready hands to hold worked to bridge language barriers. Returning to our boat brought another adventure. We walked to a pick-up point at the edge of the island, and where was our boat? Out about 400 yards or so, just drifting. We enjoyed a time of exploring the end of the island, a brief team meeting, and lots of nature before being rescued by a small boat that towed the larger one to us. The little boat (sorry for my lack of boating jargon) pulled us all the way back to the mainland, which this time took about an hour and a half.