Volcan Poas

Yesterday Matt and the kids and I took off for an adventure and a much needed family day! It was so great and we all had so much fun!

It had been a rough week and we had decided it was time for a family day, so we headed out in the morning for Poas Volcano. This was such an exciting trip for me to be able to take my family on because I had been able to visit Poas when I came to Costa Rica on my first mission trip here in June 2006. So, we were able to take many pictures in places I had been during the time that the Lord first called me here.

So, for those of you that were with me on that trip, you might remember some of these spots :)





These plants are so huge. I call them umbrella plants because they look like upside down umbrellas. They line the path that leads up to the top pf the volcano. The natives actually call them "poor man's umbrella's."


This a family shot at the top of the crater. It is the most massive thing I have ever seen (I've never seen the Grand Canyon...) and such a reminder of the massive power of our God. The main crater is about 300 meters deep and has a diameter of 1320 meters. The crater has a lagoon filled with rainwater rich in sulur and gases and is permantly active.


This is Matt and the kids at the second crater called Botus Lagoon. It is about 800 meters above the main crater and is filled with cold rainwater. It has a diameter of about 400 meters and is about 14 meters deep. This was a new area for me. We found the trail as we were walking down from the main crater and decided to try it. It was well worth the walk. It was beautiful!


The kids and I :)


Along the path we met this little friend. Many of you know how much we loved the squirrels at our old homw in Frankfort. What a great surprise to see this little guy. We hadn't seen any squirrels here yet- so this was great. He came right out from the trees and jumped up on my knee. Then he ran out and jumped on Matt's arm. The picture isn't that great, but if you look close you can see him on Matt's arm.


Then he walked around onto Matt's back. You can see the backpack and he is right next to Matt's neck. It was great! The girls loved it. On the way down, we saw him again and fed him some nuts we had in the backpack.


This was taken just before we reached the entrance to the volcano. This is the exact spot that the mission team and I pulled over at to take pictures and admire the view two years ago. I was so excited that we found the same spot! It was fabulous seeing the countryside of Costa Rica. We saw it on the way and stopped on the way back so everyone could see the view.

Now, just for fun...I found these pictures from my trip here in 2006.


Here's our friends Jim and Rose with these huge umbrella plants :)
[PS: We miss you guys :)]


Here's some of "our" kids from youth group at the crater of Poas.
[We miss you guys, too:) ]


Here is the same spot where you can see the amazing view of Aleluia and even farther in the distance is San Jose.

I was reminded yesterday, as we stood at the top of the main crater, and then again as we stood at the view point, justs how big our God is and just how big this world is he has given us to live in. As hard as it is to be away from all of you we love so much, as difficult it is to be in school again and try to learn the Spanish language, even the difficulty that comes with ministering in the areas we serve in, our God is still bigger than anything we will come up against. And yesterday was a refreshing reminder of the power that our God has. And that we, too have though him. It is such a privelege to be here serving him. He called us and there is a cost that comes with following him where he calls us. But really, there is no cost greater than the cost of not following Jesus Christ. We continue to praise the Lord for the great things he has done for us. We continue to seek for God to be glorified in all we do and say.