April 27: Great day at Seeds of Hope

If you saw Thursday's post and said a prayer for today.....THANK YOU!!

It was a wonderful afternoon and evening and I really don't think it could have gone any better.  It was awesome to have 11 people come to the TPRS training session that I did from 1:30-3:00.  It is so exciting to know that there's a group of people who are passionate about continuing to teach English this way after we leave (and now there's even a couple of men who want to start teaching a class for boys/men!).
The group was very eager to learn and many feel ready and excited to start trying it themselves.  God is building up a great team of Seeds of Hope English teachers!

I was nervous about how the class would go with the girls from 3:00-4:00 since there would be so many people observing, but they really got into the story and everyone seemed to enjoy it.

George and the kids took the 4:00 bus out so they were able to join us for the 5:30 dinner at the Seeds of Hope shelter with close to 20 others who all volunteer at SOH in some way (administration, jewelry making, Bible study, photography/marketing and teaching).

After dinner, staff member Holly shared some very disturbing news that she found out this week while at a meeting with police, the Municipality, Child Protective Services and the Health Department.  This group meets twice a month to discuss specific cases of violence against children and they have recently invited Seeds of Hope staff to be a part of these meetings.  

The police shared at the meeting that they found a book two weeks ago of local children available to purchase/rent for sex.  The book shows pictures and descriptions of the children (boys and girls ages 10-17).  It is like a magazine/catalog made specifically for tourists who come to Costa Rica on sex vacations.

The police are looking for the children but sadly, if they do rescue the children they have no where to put them.  There is currently no other shelter like Seeds of Hope in the country.  SOH recently received all the permits they need to open the shelter that would house 10 girls and they have the dream and desire to duplicate the shelter in other areas of the country in the future.  They are waiting on funds.  They have $2,000 a month pledged but they estimate it will cost $5,000 a month to cover the shelter's expenses.  We invite you to prayerfully consider partnering with Seeds of Hope as they seek to provide a Christ-centered safe home for rescued girls to find healing and love.  For more info on how you can support Seeds of Hope, please click HERE.

April 25: The Question - Part II

If you read my last blog post you know my answer to the question, "Don't you just love it here?" is a guilt-ridden 'no'.  In trying to work through why that is and if it's OK to have that answer, I decided to write a friend of ours who's a long term missionary in Morocco.  I know her family has faced both struggles and victories, hardships and joys as they seek to be God's servants in a place that is often a difficult and challenging place to live.  I was curious how she would answer the question:

"I HATE THAT QUESTION! I have come to say "you know, I don't know if that is the right question. I think the right question is if I am where God wants me to be.   And the answer to that is YES!   And where God wants me to be is the best place for me. If that is in my home country, GREAT!   But for now it is here. And really, I'm just a traveler on this earth. Just passing through. My true country is in heaven and that is the country I most long for."

I always appreciate her servant heart, wisdom and perspective on things.  Isn't this a much better question to ask ourselves?

    Am I where God wants me to be?

Yes!  My honest answer is YES!  Even though it has been hard in many ways,  I really do feel that Quepos, Costa Rica is where God led our family this year.  So, even though I can't honestly say that it's been easy or that I love living here, I do feel God brought us here for a purpose.

My friend's wise counsel continued:

... So try to focus on the things that you DO LOVE and focus on those things, talk about those things. You are going to really miss way more things than you realize. 

Hmmm....sounds to me like there's choice and attitude involved in this, doesn't it?  And isn't that true no matter where we are?  Whether I'm in Zeeland or Quepos I have to choose daily whether or not to complain, grumble and sulk about things that are hard or annoying or celebrate and rejoice about things that I love about where God has me.

I recently saw this posted on a friend's Facebook post:

We've had our fair share of storms this year, and not just those that come with living through rainy season here.  But if I follow my friend's advice then I can make the choice to learn to dance in the rain.  I'll share three examples from this week.

#1:  Very small kitchen

It's so easy for me to grumble about its limited space.  It's a hot place to work and even hotter when the oven is on.  It takes longer to make meals here because there's not room for much multitasking (which I tried doing last night and this is what it looked like) so I could grumble about that and remind myself there's only eight more weeks OR....I could rejoice in the fact that this area is where I get to make the meals that we ALL eat together almost every single day, three times a day for a whole year.  How many families can say that?  It is really quite incredible to think about the fact that we have eaten almost every breakfast, lunch (at school) and dinner together with the five of us all these months.  I love my family!  I love that this year has allowed us to spend so much time eating meals together!

#2:  Pace of Life
It is    s....l....o....w.  The reasons for it being slow can feel like a storm that drives me crazy.  Everything seems to take longer here so there's not many tasks that get done quickly.  Getting groceries takes longer.   Laundry takes longer.  No dishwasher means longer cleanup after meals.  Not having a vehicle makes getting around more difficult.  I missed the bus by a few minutes coming back from Seeds of Hope on Tuesday so I had to wait 40 minutes for the next one so I could ride 50 minutes in what would take less than 30 minutes if I had a car.  Plenty of 'inefficiencies' to grumble about....OR I can celebrate the fact that a long and dusty bus ride gives me time to read my devotional which has reminded me over and over this year to enjoy Jesus' presence which is perhaps easier done in a slower paced life.  Here's an excerpt from Tuesday's delay:

Keep your eyes on me, not only for direction but also for empowerment. 

 I never lead you to do something without equipping you for the task

...in order to know My will, you must spend time with Me--enjoying My presence

....I will show you the path of Life; in My presence is fullness of Joy; 

at My right hand there are pleasures forevermore.

#3:  El Puente
Although we've weathered some storms over the months as we adjusted to life at El Puente Christian School, we still have the choice to grumble about the things that frustrate or annoy us or celebrate what we love.  I love the students at El Puente!  It melts my heart when I hear a comment like Alisson's today saying she loved Art Club yesterday.  I can dance in jubilation over something I had no idea I'd be doing before I got here:  teaching art class and doing an after school Art Club for the kids.  It has been so rewarding to hear their excitement over projects and seeing them at times wanting to give up because they thought it was too hard and then smile when they see their completed project.

 Today students finished their hardest project so far (a one point perspective project).  I was so proud of their efforts and the wonderful results....even for the second graders like Ariana!

We looked at some pictures of Venice, Italy before we began the project so some students like Valerie chose to paint boats and water instead of a street.  

What about you?  Are you where God wants you to be?  If it's hard, I encourage you to follow our friend's advice.  Focus on things you love about where you're at and talk about those things.  Who knows?   It might even change the tone of your answer to the question, 'don't you just love it here?'

Prayer request:
I would appreciate prayers for me on Saturday.  I have been invited by the Seeds of Hope staff to do a training on TPRS (the way I teach English there to the girls) to their staff members and a few others from the community who are interested in learning how to teach in this way so they can continue the classes after I leave in June.  I am very excited about this opportunity but a little nervous too because I've never done this before.  I will be giving the training to the adults from 1:30-3:00 and then teaching a TPRS class to the girls of SOH from 3:00-4:00 so the trainees can observe a class.  At 5:30 George and the kids hope to come out and join us for dinner with the staff and the girls.

April 22: The Question - Part I

Don't you just LOVE it here?

This question has been on my mind a lot the last few weeks because I have been asked it (or something very similar) four different times.  Each person who asked me made it very clear by their enthusiasm in asking the question that they appear to love Quepos and expect that I do too.

Hearing the question the first time sort of put me in shock because it was a bit unsettling knowing that the expected response did not flow freely from my lips.  I sort of laughed nervously and let out a guilty 'yeah' figuring it was the easiest answer to give.  Conversation complete, I began to process that brief exchange and the magnitude of the simple question.

A week later and then a week after that, I got asked the same question.  The second time, I again responded with some forced enthusiasm,  a quick head shake and a 'yeah' and left it at that.  It was another short conversation with someone I was just briefly meeting.  However, my answer didn't sit well with me.  It didn't feel right to answer untruthfully even though it was easier and seemed less 'messy'.

The third time I decided to try the honest response, "Well, actually, it's been really hard in many ways..." but it was not the expected response and the person quickly got distracted and showed no interest in really hearing my answer.  So, after already struggling with why I couldn't give the enthusiastic I SURE DO!! response, I started thinking even more about my honest answer and that it must not be a legitimate answer if it doesn't even get listened to by the person who seemed so excited about the question.

So, I continued to think through the question some more and my answer to it.  I can't honestly say that after nearly 10 months of living in Quepos that I  l o v e  living here.  At least certainly not with the same enthusiasm of those that asked the question.  So, why is that?  Is it because:

• I'm a wimp and haven't fully embraced the challenges of a hot and humid climate, a small living space and the high cost of living?
• I have a bad attitude and need to 'suck it up' when it comes to dealing with annoyances that come from cultural differences, school experience or family dynamics?
• I can't let go of the disappointment of not feeling more connected to people here?  (10 months in and we still have not received an invitation to enter a Costa Rican home)
• The emotional and physical burnout of our first 6 months adjusting to school and life here is still lingering?
• I'm not trusting God enough in this journey and fully trying to see it with His eyes?
• The combination of all/some of the above?

Does this mean I regret coming to Quepos this year?  Nope.  Does it mean I want to leave early?  Nope.  But being asked this question repeatedly within a few weeks has really made me think about and reflect on why I don't have a jubilant 'YES!' answer to the question.  In some ways it has made me try to justify and rationalize my answer as I realize I may have a different perspective than the individuals who asked the question.  I'm not in the casino business here like the first person who probably has a very different income and living situation than we do.  I'm not here just for 10 days or a month like the second and third folks.  No doubt, a quick visit to this area is enough to make you fall in love with the beautiful creation and jungle setting that we find ourselves in here.  I too celebrate the gift of natural beauty that surrounds us and have an even greater appreciation for our Creator God because of our time here.

However, our time in Quepos has not been limited to tropical adventures and excursions.  God has allowed us to experience and see in our own lives and in the lives of others both struggle and celebration, brokenness and exuberance. He's heard our tears and moans of frustration and He's felt our heart beat faster with a humbled joyfulness when we hear a student thank God for us and the class we just taught.  He has allowed us to hear horrific stories of how girls have been abused and mistreated and  He's also allowed us to walk along side men and cheer them on as they journey through a 9 month rehab program.

Are you wondering about the fourth conversation?  The question was asked with just as much enthusiasm and expectation as the first three times but I decided to be honest and try again, so I started with, 'well, it's actually been really hard in many ways...' and then the person listened!  To.  My. Whole. Response.  It felt good to be honest.  It felt good to have someone actually listen to the response.  I admit there was still some guilt involved because I didn't have what seemed to be the expected answer but it was the honest answer, and it felt good to be able to share it.

What about you?  Do you LOVE where you are?  If so, is it because you feel called there?  Or because it's an easy place/atmosphere to love?  Or because you've been there long enough that you've grown to love it? If you don't love where you are, why is that?

Although it's been a tough question for me, I think it's been a good one for me to ponder.

To be continued...

April 21: A Wow Weekend

I think tonight we all pretty much felt like saying, 'Wow, what a weekend!'  We came home from Casa de Amor, the men's rehab center where we go every two weeks, and once again thankful for a wonderful afternoon and evening of games, worship and fellowship with the nine men that are currently at the home.

Our time at Casa de Amor was like an exclamation mark on an already glorious weekend.  We thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to finish out the last 2 nights of our friends' condo rental for the week.  Thank you, Ha and David, for an absolutely delightful weekend getaway!  The condo they had rented for this week is just 15 minutes from our house in Quepos so we headed out there as soon as we could after school was out on Friday afternoon and returned to our house after the 10am checkout this morning.  All of us were happy because we each got to do what we wanted:  lounge around, swim in the pool, nap, play Euchre and play Settlers of Catan.   And of course we all felt like royalty as we enjoyed AC, 2 bathrooms!!!, hot water and flat screen TV's.

View from our balcony

Still haven't fallen in love with the hot and humid climate here but it definitely provides beautiful tropical vegetation.

April 18: Birthday week Staycation

We have had so much fun with our friends David and Ha this week.  It has really been a huge blessing to have them here.  Just being able to have others to hang out with, share meals and play cards with has been a huge encouragement and something we've really really missed this year as we don't feel a sense of community here.

Although it's been a typical week at El Puente (until today) and Seeds of Hope, it's actually felt like a 'staycation' since we've had so much fun with David and Ha every afternoon and evening.  They came to school on Tuesday morning and helped George with gym classes and then in the afternoon Ha came along to Seeds of Hope with me.

Heavy hitter David takes his turn at bat during Beachball Baseball

Ha helps out the defense during Kickball

I got an unexpected day off for my birthday today!  Some students at El Puente have lice so classes were canceled today for that reason (since we missed out on all the snow days this year back home, we'll take it!)

Ha and David offered to take the kids so George and I could go out for lunch together to celebrate my birthday.  We enjoyed a delightful Thai meal overlooking the beach.  Then tonight we headed out to the condo again for our last night of food, fun and fellowship with Ha and David.

Ha and David helped the kids pick out a delicious chocolate cake for me (and ice-cream too!) 

All smiles for a chance to play some Euchre

Thank you, God, for a wonderful day of celebration with family and friends!

And the staycation continues....David and Ha's condo reservation is good through Sunday but they fly out tomorrow.  They have graciously offered the last two nights to us so we look forward to heading out there after school tomorrow and will stay there Friday and Saturday nights (we will not have internet there so there won't be updates until Sunday or Monday).

Prayer update:
If you have been praying for Nathan, thank you!!  He stayed home from school yesterday and George took him to a clinic and then was sent to a lab for blood work.  He's been diagnosed with a bacterial infection and started on antibiotics yesterday.  He is feeling much better already today which we are very thankful for because he has been fighting something for a month.

April 15: Blessed by friends

We are so grateful to have visitors with us this week!  We met David and Ha years ago at our church, Maple Avenue Ministries, and are thrilled they made a last minute decision to come for a week.  Since they arrived Friday night we have been enjoying meals together, playing LOTS of cards and enjoying the chance to get out of our house.  The condo they are staying at has AC, two bathrooms, kitchen counter space and hot tap water - all luxuries to us this year - so it's a special blessing to hang out at their place (which is about a 15 minute drive away with their rental car)

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April 12: Pics of the Week

Two highlights from this week at El Puente were Art Club on Wednesday afternoon and the patriotic program that the teachers and students put together for parents and grandparents today in connection to yesterday's holiday.  Click HERE for the pics.

Praises:
1.  Although the girls and I really missed being at my niece's wedding shower tonight, we were able to Skype with everyone there.  We got to see mom/grandma for the first time in almost 10 months!  It was wonderful to see so many familiar faces for a few minutes!

2.  Our friends, David and Ha, arrived tonight and will be spending a week in Quepos with us.  They blessed us ABUNDANTLY with some wonderful goodies (along with some stuff from our church family at MAM).  So grateful for all these treats!!

Requests:
1.  Restored health:  Nathan has been fighting a nasty cough for close to a month and today Sophia came home after school with a fever and has been in bed all afternoon and evening.

2.  El Puente building project:  Please pray that the final permit is granted so that construction can begin this month

April 11: Day off

Today was a national holiday in celebration of Juan Santamaría, a national hero who fought against the American invader William Walker in 1856.  

Since there was no school, we decided to rent a car so we could travel south about 30-45 minutes in order to visit Parque Reptilandia (Reptile Land Park) and Hacienda Barú (a wildlife refuge and lodge).  We headed first to the reptile park which the kids loved (I admit I liked the flowers and beautiful grounds more than the reptiles).  After that, we went hiking on the jungle trails at Hacienda Barú. 

If you watch today's slideshow (Click HERE), you'll notice there isn't any music with this one.  I couldn't find any that matched the experience very well since there wasn't any that sounded like children whining and complaining:  
-Why do we have to hike through another jungle?  We've seen plenty of them already.
-I have a headache.  Do I have to go?
-This isn't going to take long, is it?
-Can't we just DRIVE to the beach?
-This is so boring.  Why do you and dad like doing this anyway?

Oh, the joys :)

April 6: Produce, Picnic, Patinar and President

Today's outline includes lots of P's:

Produce:
The start to our Saturday morning was typical:  after breakfast, we walked to the weekly farmer's market down by the ocean front to purchase our produce for the week.  As they do every week, the kids chose to hang out at the Paws (animal shelter) booth and walk the dogs that are there while George and I got all our food.

Picnic:
After our market run, we went to Quepos' Tennis Club which is located a little farther out of town in the same development as where El Puente Christian School's new building will be built.  Richard, who has donated the land for the school, invited all the students and families to come for a picnic lunch, play tennis, and see the grounds that are ready for construction (hopefully to start this month!!)

Angelina and Hannah enjoying the cook-out.

Our tennis skills were pretty rusty (a sport we played pretty regularly before kids), but it was really fun to have the chance to play again,  especially with the students and their families because they had never played before.  Tennis is pretty much reserved for the wealthy of Costa Rica and isn't a sport most people have experience with.

The new school will be in a beautiful location just to the right of this picture.

The area of Phase #1 is ready for construction:  3 classroom buildings at first but it will eventually be the preschool building.

Patinar:   

This verb means 'to skate' in Spanish which is what the girls were invited to do with four other girls from El Puente this afternoon (although Sophia just watched because she still needs to be careful with her wrist).  There is a covered, outdoor skating rink in a nearby neighborhood that we just found out about so the girls were excited to be able to go try it out.  They loved it and are already asking if they can go again next week.

President:   

El Puente's director, Anna, and her husband Andrés, are in town this weekend from San José so we invited them over for dinner and to play the card game, President, which is currently the kids' favorite. It was a great day to end a busy but fun day.

April 5: Fun Friday

Two big highlights today:
1.  We had more visitors today at El Puente!  My colleague from Holland Christian, Ben (math teacher and swim coach) came by with his family.  It was so wonderful to see a familiar face AND they brought us 3 big boxes of LIFE cereal.  We are thrilled!!  It's one of those things that we all miss pretty badly.  A few weeks ago we managed to get a small box and we were all so crazy over it, I literally took a 1 cup measuring cup, 5 zip-loc bags with initials on them and measured out exact amounts for each bag so there would be no fighting over who got more cereal.  Now I'm wondering if I should still measure out the bigger quantities!?  ¡¡¡Muchas gracias, Ben!!!

2.  Tonight we invited our missionary friend, Laura, over for cards with her son, daughter and daughter's 'amigo'.  I made chocolate chip bars (Joan, did you bring us some??  Been saving them in the freezer!) and Laura prepared us delicious kid-friendly margaritas that were very refreshing.  A great way to end the week!

April 4: Visits to Hospital and Vacation Home

Today was quite an interesting day.  It started out with a normal morning at El Puente and then when I was doing lunch dishes, Sophia came running in from recess and collapsed at my feet crying.  Turns out she was playing soccer (which she almost never does) and had accidentally gotten tripped by one of the 'big kids'.  She landed hard on her wrist and didn't/couldn't move her arm at all.  She appeared to be in quite a lot of pain so I decided to take her to the hospital to get it checked out.  We spent a couple of hours there in all but it really went very smoothly.  The end result is that she has some strained tendons and she has to refrain from 'activity' for a few days but X-rays showed nothing was broken or sprained. Praise the Lord!  And another huge blessing...they didn't charge us anything!!?  Not sure why not but I clearly asked at the end what we owed and the guy just motioned us out the door.  In that case, we had money to buy an ice-cream treat from the vendor outside the emergency exit :)

From there it was on to Dominical, a beach/surf town about half an hour south of Quepos.  The DeMeester family who came to help at El Puente yesterday graciously invited us to join them for some time at the vacation home they're staying at. Scott had returned to El Puente this afternoon to help George make more cubbies/library shelves.

 After school was done at 2:00, Scott took George, Nathan and Angelina to the hospital to pick Sophia and me up.  Rainy season has just started in the last few days so it was wet and cloudy but impossible not to enjoy the absolutely beautiful infinity pool and the wonderful meal they shared with us.

The home overlooks the ocean and this beautiful garden area.  As we walked around in the light drizzle we  could see (and hear!) howler monkeys and toucans in the nearby trees.

 God continues to surprise us with wonderful treats like the DeMeester family's generosity and hospitality this evening.  It was nice to enjoy hot water out of the tap and delicious meat and fruit off the grill - something we don't have and have really missed this year.

April 3: On your mark, get set.....CREATE!

There was a lot of creativity and construction happening at El Puente Christian School today.  We were blessed to have the DeMeester family visiting on spring break from Holland, Michigan.  They brought along two crafts for the students to do and Scott and son Trenton helped George, Nathan and Nathan build some cubby holes for preschoolers and shelves for the library which are desperately needed.  Then, after school I started up Art Club again which I plan to do every Wednesday after school in April and May.

Click HERE for today's pics.