Dear friends and family,
Yesterday, Sunday, the 16 th of June, was one of the best days of the trip so far. We started off the day by waking up at 6:30, which was a real treat to get to sleep in that late. Then we dressed up to go to
Sunday mass at the San Isidro Cathedral. The cathedral was quite beautiful. It is one of the tallest and
largest buildings in the area which was decorated in paintings, stained glass, and a giant carving of a
representation of the Trinity hanging above the altar. The mass itself was also beautiful because of the
warm welcome from the people of Costa Rica and also the great music that was played. Father Philip,
Deacon Charlie, Deacon Oscar, and Deacon Jim were also invited to participate in the mass. The mass ended with a Father’s Day blessing (Hey Dad!) and then we continued with our day. We ate the tamales we made yesterday for breakfast while sitting in the plaza in front of the cathedral. After breakfast we made our trip to the National Reserve of Costa Rica. At the National Reserve, we went on a great, challenging hike up a mountain. The hike included beautiful views of the Costa Rican landscape, steep climbs and a river crossing in which I dropped my shoe into the rushing waters. After about a 45-minute ascent up the mountain, we reached the peak. The view over the city of San Isidro and the rest of Costa Rica was breathtaking. It was then that we were tasked to plant some trees on the mountain in order to defuse some of the erosion that was occurring. “Mr. Brightside,” the name of the tree Regina and I co-parented will one day grow into a strong, massive tree. Then we climbed down the mountain (I didn’t drop my shoe crossing the river this time) and ate lunch at the park. There were also some tents and shops that some locals had set up that we toured and shopped at. After coming back to the retreat center and enjoying an ice-cold shower, we were given a great, inspiring talk from Brother Francis from Cistercian. Afterwards, we read wonderful letters from friends and family at home who were thinking about us on this trip (Thanks Mom, Dad, and Alex). We finished the day by eating a delicious dinner, journaling and some free time, then it was lights out at 11:00 (a few of us passed out before that). I know that today will be another great day in Costa Rica, filled with hard work, sweat, and many memories.
Mike Rutherford
