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Marshmallows, Boy In A Bag and La Carpio
After school today Mike went out to La Carpio and spent some time ministering to the kids. La Carpio is a squatter village where the poorest of the poor live at a landfill.
Today Mike was responsible for organizing the games at La Carpio. He organized a mummy wrap race with string and a marshmallow spitting contest. The mummy wrap was fun, but, the marshmallows were a little odd. Spitting marshmallows for distance was a new one for the kids and they loved it. But, an “oh my!” moment came 
after about 20 marshmallow spits, when we realized that some kids were lining up downrange and eating the previously spit marshmallows off the dirty floor. Not a good result anywhere, but, it is especially bad when this occurs in a community where raw sewage runs down the street. Needless to say we stopped the eating part.
after about 20 marshmallow spits, when we realized that some kids were lining up downrange and eating the previously spit marshmallows off the dirty floor. Not a good result anywhere, but, it is especially bad when this occurs in a community where raw sewage runs down the street. Needless to say we stopped the eating part.The kids then heard the story of Jesus calming the sea. Then they made boats out of paper using an origami technique. Finally, we filled their boats with crackers and sent them on their way.
As Mike was getting ready to leave he was talking with Maykol, a boy from La Carpio that he has gotten to know well in the past few weeks. Maykol asked what Mike was carrying. It was an empty green Army duffle bag that was used to carry supplies into La Carpio. Mike asked Maykol if he wanted a ride. So Maykol jumped in the duffle bag and Mike carried him around on his back for a while. Everyone got a great laugh out of that one.Next week is Semana Santa (Holy Week) and Costa Rica shuts down during this time. So, we will not be going to La Carpio next week. But, as a treat for the kids, we will be taking them to the Children’s Museum on Tuesday. We look forward to that, and we’ll keep you informed.
Posted on March 13, 2008