please pray

We normally put our prayer requests in our newsletters or on facebook, but today, we are asking for prayer here on the blog for a difficult situation we are in with our house.  We love our house, feel completely at home in it, and have been greatly blessed by it during our almost three and a half years of living in it.  We have a wonderful landlady who wants us to stay in the house for all of our time in Costa Rica as much as we do. 

But,

... new neighbors moved in while we were in the States for the winter, and it's made our living situation difficult, for a variety of reasons, but, mainly, because they smoke... a lot.  The houses here are very close together and everyone always has their windows open to get some relief from the tropical heat.  We've gotten used to hearing every thing going on in our neighbor's houses -- their movies, music, conversations, burps (not kidding).  We've also become used to smelling everything coming from our neighbor's house -- delicious tico cuisine, their baby's dirty diaper (again, not kidding), their trash, etc. 

While the close proximity took awhile to get used to, we really have gotten to be ok with it... until now.  The cigarette smoke coming from our new neighbor's house aggravates our allergies and asthma and permeates our whole house unless we close all the windows and deal with the heat.  Even then, some still gets in our home because we have a couple of windows that only have screens (no glass).  We have our Bible Center classes, church meetings, and ladies' Bible studies all on our front porch, where is no way to escape from the smoke. 

We've talked to our neighbors and they have tried to smoke in their yard less, but even when they are in their house, it fills our house, too.  We are praying for a solution.  Please join us in praying?  We feel like this is the house God has given us to carry out our ministry.  It is within easy walking distance to the center of town, so it is easy for people to walk here (which is important since very few people from our church have cars).  This house has a huge front porch which is perfect for our ministry events, and it also has a small extra space that we have made into an office for Dan.  We searched, prayed for, and waited for a house for over a year, and then God provided this one when it seemed impossible.  The house was never even officially up for rent, but the landlady called us and offered it to us for the price we could pay (which was significantly less than she could rent it for).  It seems unlikely (but obviously possible with God) that we could find a house that suits our family's and ministry's needs as well as this one does. 

So, we're asking for prayer for a solution to the problem we are facing.  We're asking that we could stay in this house, but without smelling cigarette smoke every day.  And, if God has in His plans for us to move, we'll be praying for a house that is just as perfect for us and our ministry as this one.  Thank you, friends!

sounds of home

rain on our metal roof
children's giggles echoing off our concrete walls
roosters crowing as the day dawns
cows mooing as they walk past our backyard
"upe!" at our gate as a friend stops by to visit
pitter pattering of little feet on our tile floors
whirring of our pump bringing water into our house from the reserve tanks
tropical birds' songs from the orange tree in our garden
a 6 year old's voice reciting the Spanish syllables he's learning to read in school
a 3 year's old's voice singing a Spanish worship song
scrapping of an iguana's claws making its way across our roof
thump-thumping of the iguana who's found its way into our attic
motorbikes without mufflers speeding past our house
tea kettle whistling in the kitchen
a gecko chirping from its perch on the wall above our bed
metal gates clanging as neighbors come and go
taxis honking in the street
a friend's machete hacking at dead branches in our yard
announcements from the loudspeakers driving by selling everything imaginable
the gentle, flowing sound of Spanish on our porch during Bible studies and classes

These once unfamiliar noises have become the (mostly) sweet sounds of home.

It's good to be home.

first day of school: lessons learned

 

After homeschooling for the first trimester of the school year (which goes from mid-February to mid-December here), the kids started going to school when we returned to Costa Rica last month.  They now both go to a private bilingual school that Timmy started going to a couple of years ago.  This year, Timmy started prepatoria (Costa Rican kindergarten) and Tabitha started pre-kinder (preschool) for the first time.  The only one who cried on the first day of school was Mommy! 
And, it turns out, Mommy had the biggest lesson to learn that day.

Such a big boy now!

My baby is going to school!?

Ready to do this new adventure... together!

When we were walking up to Timmy's classroom, his classmates saw him and started cheering and clapping, calling out, "Timo! Timo! Timo!"  It did my heart good to see how loved he is by the kids in his class.  Tabitha's class meets every day, but we made the decision to only send her three days a week this year, and we're both enjoying having special Mommy-daughter time on the mornings that Timmy goes to school without her.

I have to admit -- I did more than just a little crying after dropping the kids off.  I did a.lot.of.crying.  Like go home and completely lose it and sob and sob and sob.  Looking back, I'm embarrassed (sorry, Dan!), but I also understand that the emotions had as much to do with all of the emotions of returning to life in Costa Rica as it did with the kids going to school.  Sending them to school was just a reminder of how our decision to live and minister in Costa Rica changes so many of our life's decisions.  I really loved homeschooling Timmy for the first part of kindergarten, and I think it's likely we would homeschool if we lived in the States.  Here, though, we feel strongly that our kids need to gain fluency in Spanish to be able to be fully part of our community and that the best way to do that, for now and for our family, is for them to attend a local school.  We have seen Timmy's Spanish progress so well from going to school and we are excited to see that continue and for Tabitha to follow.  Homeschooling may still be in our future, but, for now, (which is really all I need to know right now!), they are attending school to learn Spanish.  We are grateful to have such a great school to send them to here.  But, still, it was hard for me as I wrestled with how our decision to live here affects our decision on how to educate our kids.  And, as I got more and more emotional (i.e. not thinking rationally), I even got to the point of crying because maybe if we lived in the States, we could more easily have another baby.  Like I said, it was definitely a low point...

walking into school: when I started tearing up

As I calmed down on that first day of school, I was reminded of something I've had to learn over and over again as a missionary wife and mom... I cannot compare my life here to what I think my life would be if we lived in the States.  That's not our life.  This - living and working in Costa Rica - is our life, for now and for as long as God wants us here.  So, we make the decisions that work best for our family and for the life and ministry God has placed us in.  Comparing and contrasting with what life in States looks like (or, really, what I think it might look like!) does nothing but make me lose the joy that I can have in this amazing life God has given us in Costa Rica.  And, I love this life!  How cool is it that our kids get to grow up learning a second language and being part of this beautiful culture? 

The kids may have learned some new Spanish words and some new letters on the first day of school, but it was Mommy who learned the most important lesson of the day.

Easter flowers

 

We moved into our current house in January 2011.  We love the front garden and throughout our first year here, we were surprised by different flowers that bloomed at different times.  Our favorites have always been what the kids call the "Easter flowers."  They bloom every year around Easter time, so it's become a tradition to take photos of the kids in their Easter outfits with these flowers every year.  This Easter, we were in the States and I was sad thinking about our special flowers blooming without us.  But, when we returned to Costa Rica, they hadn't bloomed yet!  They waited for us!

So, while it's not in their Easter outfits, we still have 2014 photos of the kids with our favorite flowers!  I was so grateful for this special little blessing.  And, even though their bloom is gone for this year, sweet Tabitha is still thanking God for the Easter flowers every night during our family devotion time.

a new day dawning

We've been silent here on the blog as our lives have quickly, unexpectedly, and crazily changed over the course of the last year.  To start back up, I'm posting a journal entry I wrote last month as we ended our four months of training and transition in the States.

Journal entry from April 16, 2014:

I am the LORD, your Holy One, Israel's Creator, Your King.

This is what the LORD says - He who made a way through the sea,

a path through the mighty waters...

 

Forget the former things;

do not dwell on the past.

See, I am doing a new thing!

Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

 

I am making a way in the desert,

and streams in the wasteland.

 

Isaiah 43: 15-16, 18-19

 

We have gone through an unexpected winter - both physically and emotionally.  We had not planned to spend December through April in the States this year.  We have experienced winter unlike anything we have experienced in the past six years.  Freezing temperatures, ice storms, snow, bundling up, staying inside because of the cold - we experienced none of this in Costa Rica!

 

 

In the same way, we had not expected the huge changes that have come about in our lives this past year.  The EMI office closing here, all of our teammates leaving Costa Rica, joining a new missions organization, coming to the States for months of training and transition - all of these are things we had not anticipated or planned for. 

 

 

This unexpected winter has been hard in some ways and wonderful in others.  It is so hard to find yourself being redirected, but it is absolutely amazing to see God directing you to His best for you.  In spite of this being a time of a lot of travel and busyness, it has also been a time of quiet and calm for me as we made the transition from EMI to Global Outreach.  This winter provided the time I needed to transition emotionally, to learn that it is time to move on to the new thing that God has for us.  God has been working in my heart to teach me about surrender and about forgiveness.  We have been able to process through everything that happened, as well as allow ourselves to get really excited about the future as we share our vision with others.

 

 

And, as actual winter ends and we see trees budding and blossoming, grass becoming green again, and flowers sprouting from fertile soil, I feel a new spring dawning in my heart.  God is directing me, "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past."  He is doing a new thing!!  A new chapter of life is beginning; new life is springing forth.  Like the beautiful new blossoms on the trees, new growth is happening and it is... lovely, beautiful, from God. 

 

 

I love being here in the States to experience spring again, for the first time in years.  But, I have peace in my heart; it is time to go back to Costa Rica.  It is time to start this new thing, to see what God has planned and prepared for us.  God has brought us through this winter.  Now it is time to see what fruit God will have us bear as this new thing dawns in our hearts. 

 

 

Thank You, LORD, for both the winter and the spring.  Thank You for both the sorrows and the joys of the past year.  We praise You for leading us to this next chapter of life; please help us live out all You have prepared for us fully and abundantly!

 



To Mexico's "Forgotten People"

We just said good-bye to Dan as he left to head out on a project trip deep into Mexico's Copper Canyon.  It will take him four days of travel to reach the remote people group he will be working with to design a health clinic and women's shelter.  The following article and photo are taken directly from EMI's website:

 

"Approximately 60,000 Tarahumara people live in the Copper Canyon area of northern Mexico. Many years ago, there were over a million. They have become a forgotten people, ignored by the government to the point of becoming extinct. One news report team recently called the Tarahumara "the poorest people in the world," many of them still living in caves and stone huts.

Seventeen years ago, Pastor Tomás and his assistant Brenda (Tarahumara Ministries) were led to reach out to this people group. Travelling for hours and days on donkeys and walking through the canyons, they searched out the people. As Tomás would say, "These people have been waiting over 2000 years to hear about the life-saving love of Jesus." However, the Tarahumara do not have a word for "love," and thus it has been difficult to share this concept with words. But through 17 years of loving dedication, Tomás has built up trust amongst the peoples' guarded hearts, and the fruit of his labor has become evident as several people have now responded with a genuine faith in Christ.

Sadly, women are treated poorly in the culture, and all types of abuse run rampant – even to the point of death. Girls are usually "married" by 12 years old, often with child. In general, men dominate the culture and women are not allowed to express themselves. However, women recently have begun to realize that they can hope for a better life. They desire to seek sanctuary to avoid abuse, and they desire to learn life-skills training to help provide adequately for their families.

The project will include a building with two main functions: A health clinic, and a women's shelter. Currently, the community is plagued with high infant mortality rates, death in pregnant women, malnutrition, and cases of tuberculosis. In fact, health care is so poor that less than half of children currently live to age 10. By providing a clinic with rotating doctors, the healthcare for the 300 families in the area will significantly increase. The women's shelter will provide a safe haven for abused women while helping them develop basic life skills, like health and sanitation, agriculture, and proper child care.

The CMA church in Canada is currently raising money for this project, with plans to begin construction near the middle of 2014.  EMI plans to initially provide a preliminary design with 3-D renderings for the dual-focused building in order to support fundraising efforts. Later this year, once the ministry has confirmed the preliminary design, EMI will finalize the architectural drawings and provide structural drawings for construction."

This week, Dan will be with the Tarahumura people to help meet these physical needs in rural Mexico so that the Gospel can be preached among this lesser reached people group.  Please pray for safety as he travels through a dangerous part of Mexico.  Pray for wisdom and discernment for him as he makes decisions and plans regarding this project.  The Tarahumura have been called the "forgotten people" of Mexico.  I'm praying that Dan's time with them would remind them that they are far from forgotten, but that they are indeed beloved by the Almighty God.