Feliz Cumpleanos Jose!!!

Last Tuesday was Joe's Bday and we had made a pact last year to always take off from work on each other's Bday and do something fun and adventurous. This year has just a little different setup. Every Tuesday, we do a feeding program for the people working at the dump and decided we still wanted to attend for a couple different reasons rather than take the day off to celebrate Joe's Bday. First of all, you can't say you spent your Bday at the dump every year and secondly we really have a heart for these people and didn't want to miss a week of this ministry. So we spent the morning with the people at the dump singing with them, reading them Scripture, washing their hands, praying with them, and feeding them the typical gallo pinto (a rice and beans mixture), eggs, cheese, and refrescos to drink. We have started to know more and more of the people working there and their sweet little kids and this week there was just something special about the trip. We had a smaller group from El Puente (The Bridge-which is the church the Kaye's started and where everything is based) venture with us this week and it has just a peaceful feeling while at the dump. It was a great morning. When we got home we wanted to do something fun so we decided to rent a moped and go explore some nearby villages. We were pretty bummed at first because we went to a store which our guide book recommended and since it was Tuesday??? (we learned that a lot of businesses here just close on Tuesdays for some reason) it was closed. But not to worry! Everyone here knows of someone else who has what you are looking for. These guys told us about a guy who rents mopeds out of his liquor store and after a couple of blocks of walking, there he was. It's usually $20 for the day but we negotiated with him for $10 since it was already mid-afternoon. A couple helmets swaps and a rundown of the "moto" worked and we were off for the mountains. The weather was perfect for a little cruise on a moped and the villages were adorable. We first stopped at the Katarina Mirador which overlooks a gorgeous lake in the middle of a volcanic crater. There used to be a huge volcano and then an eruption made it collapse on itself so now theres this huge lake in the crater. We swam in the lake the week before and it was crazy creepy because you could not see the bottom. Supposedly it is about 600 ft deep! Who knows what is swimming below! Then we cruised thru other little villages all on the outskirts of the lagoona and back to Granada. We tried to take it dirt biking but decided for $10 this wasn't the best option. It was wonderful getting out of the city and getting some fresh air while celebrating Joe! Here are some pics from the day...love you guys!