Handcuffed man and sloth

locals come out to see what the fishermen brought in today.

This morning Barrett and I prepared the for tonight's teaching and discussion at youth group. Because it's in Spanish, it takes both of us a while longer to prepare, but it's actually a great exercise for us as it helps us improve our language skills. Afterwards I went and ran copies for the handouts.

In the afternoon I went snorkeling just off the beach in Puerto Viejo and enjoyed the beauty of the live coral reef and some of its colorful inhabitants. Where I swam out was near to the police station, and I had noticed a guy who was handcuffed to a pole on the outside of the police station, in the hot sun. On my home later in the afternoon, I noticed that he was still handcuffed to the pole, and I thought to myself "he must be thirsty and could probably use a bottle of cold water". But I kept riding and got home and showered. However, the thought wouldn't go away, and I was beginning to feel like giving the guy a cold bottle of water is the sort of thing Jesus might have done.

So I pedaled to the store, then back to the police station. I asked the man what his name was, then offered him the water. He accepted it with thanks, and started to drink (as best he could with the handcuffs). Before I could say anything he said to me "God bless you". It was like he knew it was from the Lord before I said anything, and it felt so good to see him smile in appreciation.

To change the subject completely, for the past three nights there has been a wild sloth sleeping at the hostel where I've been staying. The spaces inside are a semi-open for air flow, so it's not hard for animals to get in. What was funny was that the sloth made himself so at home (and no one has fed it). I have enjoyed coming home to this fascinating animal curled up in the rafters each night!