El Dia de la Independencia

I finally downloaded the picture from September. These pictures are from the 14th and 15th of September. September 15th is Independence Day in Costa Rica. On Friday night at exactly 6:00 p.m., all of Costa Rica stops and sings the national anthem together. If they are in their homes or in the cars, they stop and sing. Then, all of the children gather and parade through the streets with "faroles." The picture on the left is of Chaz and his friend, Gabriel. They both have a "farole." The only word I can think of that can be used to translate "farole," is lantern. The story behind the farole is that on their day of independence, there wasn't any light. So, all of the children lit candles in a farole, or lantern, in order to read the letter of independence from Spain.

The other picture is of Gabriel in the parade on Independence Day. He was playing drums in the parade. Pretty much all of the children are in the parade. If you didn't know before, Costa Rica is one of two countries in the entire world that does not have an army. Our friend, Jose Antonio Perez, told me that this is their army. When I asked him what he meant, he said that our children make up the army of Costa Rica. Our army is education, the schools. The children even greet foreign dignitaries like armies do in other countries. When a foreign dignitary visits Costa Rica, the streets are lined with children welcoming them.

The national pride shown during this time was amazing. It was awesome to see children singing, dancing, and marching through the streets. Chaz was able to take part in this with his friend. He had fun, and he also was able to learn a lot about Costa Rica.

Do not forget where God has placed you. If you live in the United States, give God praise for allowing you to live in a free country like Costa Rica. Democracy and independence are great, but they will not last unless we stand up for them. The best way to stand up for democracy and freedom is on your knees. In Costa Rica, there is an important agreement up for vote this weekend. It is a trade agreement with the United States. In the United States, next year is an important presidential election. Both of these votes could change the future of both of these countries. We all need to get on our knees and ask God for His guidance.

May God bless you! May He keep you safe! May His face shine upon you, and may He give you peace!

Charley