The Govea Gazette

Easter was perfect!

2016-04-02T22:46:00.000-04:00

Holiday get togethers are memorable. A big part of these special days include being with family, celebrating customs and eating traditional foods. My mom always did things up big with decorations, delicious food, and gifts. My parents' house was the place to go for Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, the Fourth of July, and birthdays.

When my mom passed away eight years ago, holidays changed. As time passed, we stopped meeting at my parents' house and would rotate holidays at my brother's house or ours, but we moved further away, then to another country, then back again, yada yada yada. Don't get me wrong - we've had some good family get togethers like Thanksgiving at my brother's in 2015; my sister-in-law really outdid herself with the meal and our son loved watching "grey" movies* with the family! It's just that I miss some of the family traditions that we always did.

This year around Easter, I was feeling melancholy and nostalgic and told my husband about some of the things that I missed about Easter with my family growing up. He gave me a big hug and suggested that I try to do those things again...so I did.

My mom always bought the four of us new clothes to look our best at church on Easter Sunday. I don't go shopping very often, but decided to do it. I bought new outfits for the three of us and my dad.

Every year, we'd take a family picture in our driveway with our new clothes on so I did that, too.

We used to have ham, macaroni and cheese, rolls, and lots more for lunch after church. I didn't get around to cooking, but a good friend invited me to her relative's house and we had a delicious lunch there that tasted as good as I remember having at my parents' house growing up. While we were there, we got to dye Easter eggs and have an Easter egg hunt with my friend's sons.

Of course Easter was a great day because we get to celebrate Jesus' resurrection, but it was also a great day because God blessed me with recreating special moments that I used to have with my family.

* That Thanksgiving was David's first time watching a black and white movie which he called "grey". It was "Miracle on 34th Street".

Words are so powerful.

2013-07-19T02:01:00.000-04:00

My brother and I are members of a Facebook group entitled “You’re probably from Douglasville if” – along with 4,000 other people. Someone from the group recognized Andrew’s last name and decided to write him a private Facebook message:

Saw your name on the "you must have lived in Douglasville" page and just have to ask ... Is your mom Sally Whatley? She was my 3rd grade teacher. If you aren't, it sure is a coincidence because you sure look like her and I remember that her son’s name was Andrew. If not, sorry I bothered you. If so, just know that she was my FAVORITE teacher and I became a teacher because of her!! : )

After that, Andrew explained to this lady that my mom passed away five years ago to which she replied:

Oh, I am so sorry. I can honestly say that 2008 was the year that I thought of her all the time. I know this because it was the year that we returned to Georgia from North Dakota and I was applying for teaching jobs here in Paulding & Douglas. It brought her to my mind often when I was asked why I became a teacher. I also found out today that you know my brother, Randy. I saw your name on his friend list and asked him about you. I guess it really is a small world. Thank you for your reply. Again, I am sorry that you no longer have your mom here. My prayer is that you WILL see her again because I feel quite certain that she was a Godly woman just based on the memories of a little third grade girl who thought the world of her. God bless you and your family.

Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body. Proverbs 16:24

All good things must come to an end

2013-05-26T23:32:00.000-04:00

It is hard to believe that Enrique, David, and I have lived in Costa Rica for almost two years! My, how time flies. Our service will be up in August and it will be time to go back to the States.

We have formed lots of friendships down here and enjoyed the “pura vida” lifestyle. Our work here is not done so we are diligently looking for replacements and training them. I know that other people are passionate about helping children to learn that God made them, God loves them, and Jesus wants to be their friend forever; God will put the right person in place as the preschool director for our church. We also know that other people are passionate about small groups and the spiritual growth that takes place inside of a group. God already knows who will replace Enrique in that role.

Our family and friends in Georgia are very excited for us to go back “home”. We are too, but there is so much to do in order to get settled! Before we moved down here, we got rid of all of our furniture, and other things as well. We will need jobs, a place to live, furniture, and transportation. Enrique's sister and husband have graciously offered us their car and furniture since they are moving to...China!

----------------------------------

Being a part of Openhouse in Costa Rica was a wonderful adventure for us and we felt right in the middle of God’s will. We feel the same about moving back to the States. There are lots of unknowns, but we trust that God has it all planned out and whatever He plans is the best plan!

We appreciate all of the support that we have received while we have been here – encouraging letters and e-mails, prayer support, and financial support. Please continue to support us with your prayers:

For us to continue to be an encouragement to our friends and coworkers in Costa Rica while we are still down here.
For us to honor God’s great name in all things – in all situations, no matter where we are.
For us to trust God with big decisions that need to be made and to be peaceful and content with whatever happens.

Tribute to Gran

2013-05-05T11:31:00.000-04:00

I was very close to Gran and spent several weeks at a time with her over summer vacations when I was growing up. Back then, she was known as Gran Pete, since she lived in St. Petersburg.

A fond memory that I have of Gran is when I was about 8 years old or so, we bought ice cream cones somewhere and once we left the store, my scoop fell off the cone and onto the sidewalk. I was so distraught, but without a second thought, Gran leaned down, picked it up, ate the dirty part, and put it right back on my cone, good as new!

Another strong memory that I have of her is when my mother, Gran, and I were in the ocean together and I was afraid of the waves. They wanted me to swim from one person to the other, but I was scared. Gran said, “Jennifer, just remember 'What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee' Psalm 56:3”.

Whenever I was worried about something or needed to make a decision, Gran said that she would pray about it. She would remind me that “the prayer of a righteous man availeth much”.

Gran and me in the 80s. She made me this dress.

Gran was a true Southern Belle whose home was always tidy and spotless, ready for guests at all times. And when those guests came, she waited on them hand and foot.

Gran was a master seamstress who made many of my dresses up until I was in college. The last thing that she made for me was five years ago. It was a blue cover to put over the shopping cart before placing my son to sit inside. She had never made anything like that and said that it was quite a difficult pattern!

Gran was also a wonderful cook who made the best Southern food from biscuits to squash casserole to roast. She was always cutting out recipes, but knew how to make practically everything without one.

Gran was a great dresser, constantly on the lookout for her next pair of shoes. She always dressed very well with coordinating accessories. Her purse was by the door always ready to jump in the car and go out.

Gran and me at the Coca-Cola Museum circa 1992.

I am very ecological (notice my T-shirt in the picture reads "Save the Planet") and would sometimes get on to Gran for not recycling. She would collect the daily papers throughout the week and then carry them to the trash can! She’d also throw away aluminum cans and plastic bottles. I couldn’t stand to watch. When I would say something to her about not recycling, she would reply that she lived through the Great Depression and had her own way of reusing things. When I thought about it, I knew that she was right, for she would save butter containers and store food in them, reuse gift bags, and wash the aluminum foil for future use.

Gran was always great at remembering all of her grandchildren’s and great-grandchildren’s birthdays and would send us a little money. A couple of years ago, she said that she had too many to keep it up – 18 to be exact – and that it would send her to the poor house! She said that she was going to stop sending cards because it was hard for her to write, but I still got them in the mail. She even sent money for David’s last birthday and told me to go out and get him a hamburger with it.

Mom, Jennifer, and Gran
circa 2005

About a week and a half ago, as I lay down to go to bed, I began to cry, but wasn’t sure why. My husband asked me what was wrong and I said that I think that I miss my mom (for she had passed away five years earlier). I stayed up for a while crying and talking to God. In hindsight, I think that it was God telling me that it was almost time for Gran to go home to Heaven.

I got to Tampa on Friday and was able to spend an hour and a half at Gran’s side, stroking her shoulder and telling her how much I love her. I’m going to miss talking to her on the phone and laughing at her funny, country sayings that were often politically incorrect.

She was a special lady, strong in her faith, who left a legacy of a wonderful family who love and serve God. I miss her already, but I know that she is happy in Heaven and that I will see her again one day. I love you, Gran!

Pura Vida

2013-04-29T15:37:00.000-04:00

A guest entry from my brother:

I went to visit my sister in Costa Rica from April 5 to April 12. I really enjoyed the trip. Prior to leaving I printed out a map of where they lived in case I needed to find it on my own. I also had the printed address. Upon arrival, there was no one to greet us so we borrowed a phone from the over-enthusiastic cabbies and called Enrique. It turns out that I had the right address, but the wrong map. I am soooo glad I did not have to resort to using it.

I was intrigued to learn that one of our dollars equalled about 500 of the local currency, the colón. Jennifer taught me a trick that when you see a price, you can double it, drop the zeros and then you will have the price in dollars. For example, something that costs 15,000 colones is the equivalent of $30. This was a neat and helpful trick.

Our first day there, Jennifer took us to a volcano and then to a fish-for-your-lunch trout farm. Both were exciting.

Even more exciting was me driving in Costa Rica. I tried to blend in with the anything-goes driving mentality, but I think I scared everyone in the car. A couple of times, my Dad had to cover his eyes.

My thimble’s worth of Spanish was enough to get by, but I would not want to live there without having someone like Jennifer to bail me out if I got into trouble. My son, William, and I made a good team. I asked the question to someone in Spanish and he would translate the answer.

We had a chance to stay in a vacation home of someone Jennifer knows. It was very nice. It also served as a reminder of the differences between poverty and wealth both of which appeared to be in abundance.

My son enjoying the pool at the vacation home.

Another thing that stuck was the fact that there were bars, gates, and walls EVERYWHERE. I don’t think any place was without them.

I enjoyed the local food, but my favorite dish was actually a Mexican treat my sister makes that is essentially a fried potato quesadilla (or taco).

Speaking of food, I found McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and Subway (all of which I was able to order from by myself...thank you very much). It was comforting to see the uniformity of these brands. The one brand missing was Chick-Fil-A. I was so glad when I got home to have a Chick-Fil-A sandwich, waffle fries, and sweet tea.

I was touched one day when I took Jennifer and David to the top of a mountain I had climbed that afforded a great view of the city. Jennifer pointed and said to David “Do you see all those houses down there? That is the reason we are here...to tell them all about Jesus."

By: Andrew Whatley

The Promise of His Presence

2013-02-18T22:50:00.000-05:00

There are very few things that would bring me back to the States unexpectantly, but one of those is the birth of my friend's twin babies. Unfortunately, I flew back not to congratulate her, but to console her because at 22 weeks of pregnancy, she had to deliver her darling little babies who did not survive. My dad was so kind to buy a ticket for me to come back. Just to have time with Kristen and to be with her.

I finally got to see and speak to her yesterday for the first time since her miscarriage earlier this month (She had gone out of town with her husband for a few days to get away). Until yesterday, we had only been e-mailing and texting a little bit and I was getting my information from a friend. Kristen wanted to share her story so I just listened. She showed me a picture of her little babies who lived for an hour or two. When she finished the account, she asked me for some words of wisdom. I was speechless. I told her that I had thought of many things to say to comfort her, but that I had forgotten them all because I was just blessed by her composure. She's the one who ministered to me! The way that she and her husband are handling this is amazing and the only answer is God. And she knows that.

Kristen didn't really cry yesterday because she was all out of tears. She only cried a little when she saw me crying for her. I saw her on auto-pilot yesterday, tired from sleepless nights of pain and heartache, and not believing that this is real. I also saw a great strength in her that is only revealed in us when difficult times like this arise. In our weakness is when God shows up and takes over and we can see Him handling everything. I could easily understand how a person could lose her faith over this or how a couple could drift apart or even get a divorce over this, but not Chris and Kristen. They display God's peace that passes understanding that He promised us. They have grown stronger as a couple because of this. They could have chosen to distance themselves from God and from each other because they don't understand why this happened, but they are trusting in God and have faith in Him. They choose to believe that He loves them so much and is saddened by this tragedy too. They know that His plan is greater and that He is in control.

Yesterday's sermon at church was excellent and God spoke to my heart about my friend's situation (and all of us when we go through hard times).
Here are the highlights:

We move into the direction of the promises we choose to believe.

God cannot love us more or less because God loves regardless. (He is the definition of love.)

Peace comes not by resolving the problems of the present, but by trusting in the promise of His presence.

With the last bullet point, we can choose to focus on the problems of the present or experience the promise of His presence. Jesus assured us that we will have problems - not maybe, nor possibly, nor perhaps, but we will - because we live in an imperfect world with sin. But that's not where the story ends. We will have problems, but Jesus has overcome the world and we can rest in the promise of His presence.

They are optimistic and want to try again this summer; I was gladdened by this news. Please pray for Chris and Kristen who feel God's peace, but need healing for their broken hearts. They say that "time heals all wounds", but it doesn't. God heals all wounds and He will heal theirs.

If our stories were included in the Bible...

2012-12-30T08:18:00.001-05:00

The Bible is a compilation of stories written by over 40 authors of how God moved in their lives and the lives of others. Even though the Bible is complete, that doesn’t mean that God stopped working. He continues to write His story of provision, protection, blessing, healing, forgiveness, mercy, and redemption in our lives today.

After reading a portion of Genesis yesterday, I decided to begin writing a little of my story to add to the mix. Unlike the stories in the Bible, all of our shortcomings are not included here, but like the Bible, the focus is on how great the LORD is with us, though we are underserving.

(The words in parentheses remind me of stuff that happened in the Bible.)

Winter 2008 – Jennifer’s mother had fallen ill and her body had succumbed to a consuming cancer. But the LORD was with Jennifer and she became pregnant. Her mother was able to enter into Heaven knowing that her only daughter was with child.

Jennifer’s mother passed away on April 10, 2008. It was a sad day for all, but the LORD was with Jennifer and gave her His peace that passes understanding. She mourned the loss of her mother with whom she had a very close friendship, but she is completely at peace with the situation. Jennifer feels like her mother was here as an angel to instruct her and now that she is grown, it was time for her mother to return back to Heaven. (Philippians 4:7)

Fall 2011 – Enrique and Jennifer decided to take their toddler son and move to an unknown land where the LORD had told them to go. The language, food, and customs were different and the cost of living was high, but the LORD provided for every need and continues to do so. (Abraham)

Spring 2012 – Ashley needed a nursery director so she looked upon Jennifer for help. Although Jennifer did not feel capable of such a position, she acquiesced provided that the LORD would guide her steps, which He did. (Moses and Isaiah)

Kelsey needed a place to live on the other side of the city in order to be closer to her work with Openhouse. Edgar and Raquel could plainly see that the LORD was with Enrique and Jennifer so they granted Kelsey access to their home without even having met her. She resided there for five months. (Abimelech, Genesis 26:28)

Summer 2012 – Enrique led his small group through a curriculum entitled “Text”. Although Jennifer was present at the “live” sermon when Andy Stanley preached it at North Point a couple of years ago, it wasn’t until now that Jennifer decided to commit to the discipline of reading God’s word on a consistent basis.

Jennifer began to journal her understandings, questions, and revelations and the Bible became fresh and exciting. Reading it turned into a pleasurable moment that she looked forward to rather than an arduous task. She continues this activity to today. (Rachel’s grave, Genesis 35:20)

November 2012 – Julio and Enrique flew to Atlanta for a conference at North Point. This time with other pastors and small group leaders who have a similar calling and method was refreshing and rejuvenating for both men who went back to Costa Rica with a renewed sense of purpose.

Julio visited six small groups – both women’s and couples’ – and was excited to see how much of an impact these groups had on the participants. His enthusiasm to get people into groups increased.

December 2012 – Enrique and Jennifer went on a coffee tour with their small group and were reminded of why they moved to Costa Rica. To “do life” with four couples and walk with them on their spiritual journey is worth the daily irritations of living in a foreign land.

Our small group and their families (one couple is missing).

Jennifer had a final dinner with her women’s small group which was the perfect way to end the group. She and her friends were able to celebrate their time together in the new home of Rocío, a seeker of the LORD. Rocío recognizes that all blessings come from the LORD.

My women's small group.

Fall/Winter 2012 – Enrique obeyed the LORD by giving a consistent percentage of all funds received – be it salary, translation projects, or rent money - back to God.

The LORD honored Enrique and Jennifer’s obedience by giving them money that they were not expecting through new translation projects, extra donations, and a year-end bonus.

Jennifer praised the LORD calling Him Jehovah Jireh – The LORD will provide.

2012 – The LORD’s favor rested upon Enrique and Jennifer and allowed them to form relationships with the local people. Enrique and Jennifer were able to invest in the lives of neighbors (Christian and Annia), David’s friends’ families (Omar, Tiffany, Rosa, Henry, and Elena), their new church family, and even strangers (Marisol).

This story is just a minute sampling of God's hand in our lives and our story continues to be written.

Young Life Christmas Party - Part II

2012-12-13T07:00:00.000-05:00

This is how it really went...

A couple of weeks ago, my husband was in a planning meeting for the Young Lives Christmas party and called me to ask if I could put together a two-hour program for 60 kids ages five and under. I immediately said no which caused him a lot of angst (since he already told the other people in the meeting that I would be more than happy to do it). Once I realized that I didn’t have to write a play or put on a puppet show – that I could just “recycle” a Waumba Land lesson or two – I was on board.

As the days went by, a two-hour program turned into three hours. I wasn’t going to know who my volunteers were until a few minutes before we received the children (since the volunteers could decide if they wanted to help out with children, set up tents, or serve food). That meant that I only had 30 minutes to get the music started; explain how to man the registration table; divide the tasks of and explain all of the activities, Bible stories, and crafts that I wanted to do; and decide how we were dividing up the children. The space that I had to receive the children was very bland and I needed to “jazz it up a bit” (as my grandmother says).

Me going over the day's strategy with some eager-to-serve volunteers.

Once the doors opened, it was a bit chaotic. These children are not used to leaving their mothers AT ALL nor socializing with other kids, and some of the moms were skeptical of leaving their children with us strangers. Sufficed to say that there was a lot of crying going on in a room with an echo. My strict schedule that I created to keep me and the volunteers organized flew out the window! It turned more into crowd control rather than a structured time of teaching children about Jesus being born and the Wise Men going to visit him.

My wonderful volunteers, Laura and Vanessa,
who told the Bible story to these two sisters.

I had to continually remind myself of something that I said to motivate my volunteers, “The most important components of today’s event is not the lesson, but being the hands and feet of Christ by showing His love to these young mothers and their children by smiling, greeting them warmly, and providing a caring, safe environment for the kids.”

After the moms picked up their little ones, lots of people asked me how it went. I was worn out from receiving kids, finding juice boxes, making crafts, and answering lots of volunteers’ questions. I didn’t think that my part of the event went well because it didn’t go according to my plan. But I must remember that my plan doesn’t matter. It’s God’s plan that matters.

We showed up to serve, the kids eventually calmed down, and some of the older ones actually learned the Bible verse! The moms had lots of fun acting silly and feeling carefree for a few hours. They felt something that a lot of them don’t get at home – love. So how did it go? Perfect!

Young Life Christmas Party - Part I

2012-12-12T07:00:00.000-05:00

One out of every five babies in Costa Rica is born to a teenage mother. The majority of these young moms live below the poverty line and have suffered emotional and physical abuse. Eighty percent of the girls in the Young Lives program have suffered from sexual abuse - many times from family members.

While these staggering statistics seems like things are hopeless, they are not! Young Life is a ministry that has chosen to step into the gap and reach out to these teenagers. If they do not feel like going to church, then the church will go to them! They are given a woman mentor who meets with them on a regular basis to encourage, exhort, and pray for them. The culmination of this year's journey was a two-day camp last weekend. To celebrate their progress and end the year on a high note, our church helped to host their annual Christmas party. Openhouse helping out Young Lives was part of our Be Rich campaign.

People from our church signed up to help out in different ways: set up the carnival-like event, take care of the babies, organize the games, serve lunch, make cupcakes (to celebrate Jesus' birthday), and clean up afterward.

Craft time (making picture frames)

Before the actual party, several of our small groups chose a night to go out and buy beauty products to make gift baskets for the girls. Basic personal care items were bought and some of the girls had to be taught how to use shower gel or body lotion, for example.

Volunteers with some of the gift baskets.

The girls were so excited to ride on a chartered bus to the Christmas party.

Volunteers welcoming the moms and their kids to the party.

We took care of their little ones while they had fun jumping in the bouncy houses, getting temporary tattoes, eating cotton candy, playing games, and winning prizes.

Bouncy houses in the background and moms
standing in line to play one of the many games.

They were also served the traditional Christmas food of tamales, received their beauty gift baskets, and heard an inspirational message. I like something that Enrique said: they were able to forget about their family and financial problems and just be teenagers for a few hours.

Enrique encouraging the volunteers at the end of the event.

One girl said that the Christmas party was the best one that she had ever attended. Another one said that she hadn't had that much fun in years.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Bible says that it is more blessed to give than to receive. I always thought that that verse meant that it is nicer to give than to receive. Through projects like this one, it is easy to understand the meaning - when you give of your time and resources, you turn out being the one blessed. Even though our church members went to give, they walked away feeling grateful and blessed for the opportunity to serve.

Openhouse volunteers

I pray that this project will be the beginning of an ongoing partnership with Young Lives for our church members and that these girls and their children will grow up learning about God and His desire for them to trust and obey.

November Newsletter

2012-11-22T23:44:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving! While you spend time with your family and friends being grateful for all that you have today, we too will sit around the table with our close friends to give thanks and enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving spread.

Be Rich

November 4th marked our first of two Sundays promoting our “Be Rich” campaign. We want for the people that go to our church to know that wealth is relative and – if you have more than two pairs of shoes in your closet – you are rich!

We are encouraging our churchgoers to donate their time and resources by focusing on three ministries: Young Life (hosting a Christmas party for teenage moms and their children; giving beauty baskets to each young mom), Futival (playing soccer with kids while teaching them spiritual principles and values), and a soup kitchen for children. For each of these charities, we have work days set up to go and serve together, in addition to giving financially.

While our financial goal is a touch less than

that of North Point Community Church (they gave $1.5 million in one Sunday!), we are excited to report that after our second service on Sunday, we surpassed our halfway goal of $20,000!

New Ballrooms

UpStreet

Since our church attendance is growing, we decided to move around our children’s ministries to accommodate more and more kids. It is difficult to teach four-year-olds about Daniel and the Lions’ Den with crying babies in the background. A big improvement that was made last Sunday was to have babies to two-year-olds in one ballroom and three to five-year-olds in another. What a difference it made!

As for the elementary school kids, an average of 48 kids at noon were cramped in an 1,100 square foot space, but now they have triple the amount of room to sing, dance, play, and learn!

My women's small group.

Small Groups

Our first generation of small groups that began in February are now winding down to an end this month, but the "problem" is no one wants to separate. They want to stay together forever! No worries, we are going to form new groups after the Christmas and “summer vacation” (which is in January).

It has been fun reading people’s Facebook posts of what they’re thankful for everyday this month. We are definitely thankful for you, our partner in ministry! Your commitment to support us down here has enriched us and many families at our church whose lives are being transformed with the saving message of Jesus. We thank God for you!

Surviving the roads of San José

2012-10-31T02:20:00.000-04:00

It is so encouraging when someone tells me that (s)he is praying for me. (S)he usually does not specify what (s)he actually prays for – our ministry, my family in Georgia, my health, David, my marriage, our safety, etc. I will take all the prayers that I can get for all areas of my life, but a prayer that I feel is being said for me is for safety.

Whenever I sit around with a group of friends down here, they can all go around the table and share tales of when they have been held up, carjacked, or have had their house broken into – multiple times! The thought of any of those scenarios scares me quite a bit. I have never had anything like that happen to me down here, in Mexico, or in Georgia, and the possibility of someone breaking my car window to steal my purse while stopped at a traffic light is frightening.

I definitely feel God’s protection when we are driving down here. The highway is alright, but the side streets are atrocious. The potholes, unpainted speed bumps, faded paint lines separating traffic lanes, sewer drains without covers, lack of traffic lights, motorcyclists weaving between lanes, poorly lit roads, driving down dark roads where pedestrians, people on bicycles, and dogs dart across the middle of the street, and driving in the daily rain is enough to drive me crazy. I am amazed that in the 14 months that we have lived here, we have only suffered a fender bender while in a taxi and two flat tires.

I shouldn't leave out the earthquakes, a natural disaster that - while there have been a handful of tremors during our time here - I have only felt two and not suffered any damage.

Thank you for praying for our safety and please continue to do so!

Earthquake!

2012-09-09T16:21:00.000-04:00

In the summer of 1999, I was in Mexico City leaning against a handrail outside of a Sanborn’s restaurant (waiting for my boyfriend, Enrique, to pick me up). The handrail rocked a little which I thought happened due to me leaning upon it, but then I saw the power lines sway and realized that something bigger was happening. The tremor was so slight that it may not have even made it in the news that day, but it was a big deal to me!

Even bigger was what happened last Wednesday down here in Costa Rica. It was 8:45am and Enrique, David, and I were getting ready to leave the house. The earth started to shake and Enrique gathered us under a door frame. The quake lasted a little over a minute which is an eternity when you do not know what is going to happen next. It was VERY scary for me.

I am so thankful that the three of us were together because I do not know how I would have reacted without Enrique by my side. He is always good at being level headed. I feel like I would have panicked and cried which would not have been good for David to see since he feeds off of our behavior. Enrique kept us calm and played it off to David like something really cool was happening – no big deal. At our place, only a picture fell off the wall. To see more “shaky, shaky”, click here.

But it was a big deal; it was a magnitude 7.6 earthquake! Since Wednesday, I have read online that many tremors have happened since then. There was even a magnitude 5.6 quake yesterday at 2:30pm! Thankfully, I did not feel a thing.

It is very nerve wracking to be in a state of uncertainty where you do not have control over the situation. I am scared that another earthquake may happen, but I cannot live in fear. I cannot play the “what if” game all the time. I just have to learn how to be safe and then leave the rest in God’s hands. We are not in control of our destiny and we must be ready at any time to leave this world.

Celebrate Good Times, Come On!

2012-08-27T18:00:00.001-04:00

August 12 was a very significant day for us. It marked one whole year since the day we boarded a plane to move to Costa Rica, and a year that our church has held bimonthly Sunday services. It also was the first Sunday in our church’s new home – in hotel ballrooms. The service was held in the main ballroom and the children’s programs each had a ballroom.

At the registration table.

Every week, people from church ask why I didn’t go to church the last Sunday. I remind them that I am always there, but I am down the street helping out with the children. I only get to see the parents of the children that we teach. But now, all of our family environments are in one place! I love being able to see everyone on Sundays and I am sure that parents are glad that they don’t have to drive several blocks to drop off and pick up their kids.

UpStreet (5-10 years old) to the left, Transit (11-17 years old) to the right
and Waumba Land (newborn to 5 years old) to the far left.
The "sanctuary" (main ballroom) is at the end of this hallway.

To commemorate such a meaningful day, Seth Condrey (North Point Community Church worship leader and Dove award-winner) flew down to lead worship for us. He helped to kick off a celebration of a year of people’s lives being transformed through the power of a relationship with Jesus.

Seth Condrey singing with our Shirley Polini.

All of us volunteers were so excited and nervous about how it would turn out. Since we meet in a hotel, that means that everything has to be portable from the stage to the lighting to the signs to the Waumba Land tents. We weren’t sure what time to arrive on Sunday to set everything up so…we got there at 5:30am!

Julio (our pastor) looking at all of the stuff that needs to be loaded
onto the truck to take to set up at the hotel.

A before picture of Waumba Land and UpStreet.

For Waumba Land, it was fun pulling everything out of boxes and bags for the first time and setting it up to look like the Land of our Creator. There were stuffed lions and monkeys and giraffes everywhere…even a snake! Everyone who walked by our room peaked his head in to take a look.

The after picture!

We had a great Sunday looking back on all that has happened and looking ahead to what God has in store for us. It was our biggest attendance yet with 23 babies and preschoolers, 66 elementary schoolers, 52 elementary and high schoolers, and 451 adults at our service for a total of 592 people growing closer to the Lord. We look forward to continuing to serve Him at Openhouse!

My mom's friends

2012-07-31T19:55:00.000-04:00

My small group’s current Bible study is to read the very short book of Ruth. For the first week, we are to read the first two chapters and then answer the study guide. The first question is: When you think of loyalty, what comes to mind? My answer is that loyalty means that someone is always with you supporting you all the way. The second question is: When have you had someone support you during a difficult time? What did that mean to you?

My family has always been there for me every step of the way from saying goodbye as I went away to college in another state to sending me off to be a missionary in Mexico to letting me go live on the border town of Juarez when I was engaged to welcoming a foreigner as my husband to moving to Costa Rica. They may not have always agreed with or understood my decisions, but they have always been supportive.

Another set of people that have been so supportive – loyal if you will – are my mom’s friends. As I type this, it brings me to tears when I think of their kindness and generosity toward me. These ladies have done so much for me that I could never repay them. Before my mom’s cancer diagnosis, during her illness, and after her death, they have helped me in countless ways. I don’t have room to mention them all in this blog, but here are just a few:

Sitting with my mom at the hospital and hospice, planting flowers in her yard, providing a place for my grandmother to stay, planning the reception at my mom’s funeral, preparing meals, providing restaurant gift cards for my family, taking me out to eat, going through and distributing her things, keeping in touch with and visiting my grandmother in Florida, throwing me a baby shower, giving David presents, and sending me birthday and Christmas cards, amongst many other good deeds.

I don’t deserve their kindness. They don’t really even have to keep in touch with me anymore now that my mom is no longer here. I know that they do these things out of their friendship with my mom and that I’m just the benefactor of the loyalty that they had for her. Even though it’s been four years, what they’ve done for me has not and will not be forgotten.

I wish that everyone had such good friends. My mom’s friends were her friends and whenever I reference them to others, I always say “my mom’s friends”, but I truly feel that it’s appropriate for me to say that they’re my friends too.

It's not your ability, it's your availability.

2012-07-16T12:45:00.000-04:00

As we planned on moving down to Costa Rica last year, I was asked to be in charge of the administrative side of things once we arrived. When we got here, someone more capable than myself had filled that role so I was left without a specific assignment. This is not the first time that this has happened to me.

When I went to Mexico as a missionary in 1999, I was going as a logistics coordinator to organize mission trips coming from a church in Del City, Oklahoma. Upon my arrival, I learned that this partnership had fallen through and I didn’t have an assignment. So I filled in at the IMB’s main office for Mexico and I helped out on a church planting team. Though I had not anticipated these changes, it all worked out for that is how I met my wonderful husband.

In hindsight, I am glad that I did not have an assigned role when we moved here. While I had many days when I was bored, I am now thankful for the six months that I had to get adjusted to our new way of life which is very different from living in Alpharetta, GA. I can see that God was giving me time to get used to things before He rocked my world in February of this year by making me the small groups assimilator. I was originally just helping my husband in his role as the small groups director, but as the church grew and we kicked off enrollment for small groups, I had my hands full with making sure everyone interested got plugged into a small group according to their age, location, marital status, etc. – no small feat!

At the end of April, I was given an additional role as Waumba Land (nursery) director. Our wonderful WL director (and pastor’s wife), Ashley, moved up to lead family ministries (newborn to 14 years old) and put me in charge of children newborn to five years old. While I have no formal training in children’s ministry nor do I feel called to lead this area, I willingly accepted the position. When I was in college, I went to a special BSU meeting at UGA where I heard Tony Campolo say, "It's not your ability, it's your availability". I don't feel that small groups assimilator and children's ministry are my calling, but if that is what is needed, I am available! Not that I know what I’m doing, but under Ashley’s tutelage, I’m getting the hang of things. I had no idea all of the behind-the-scenes work that is involved on a daily and weekly basis to make sure that the two Sundays a month that we meet run smoothly!

Waumba Land (ages 0-4) and UpStreet (ages 5-10) volunteers
at the hotel where we'll start meeting in August.

My main responsibilities include:

Coordinate the volunteers for two services twice a month. (This is harder than one may think.)
Recognize volunteer’s and children’s birthdays.
Send new children’s parents a welcome e-mail.
Update enrollment and attendance records.
Submit attendance records and expense reports.
Print out updated sign-in sheets, new volunteer nametags, worksheets, etc.
Buy the supplies needed for activities, crafts, and snacks.
Get the lessons translated into Spanish.

The last two responsibilities are becoming easier. Volunteers are stepping up to the plate to help find certain materials needed (I have no idea of where to get them because there’s not really an arts and crafts place like Michael’s or Hobby Lobby). The lessons that we currently use are from the Orange curriculum which is amazing. Everything is spelled out beautifully for the teachers to lead efficiently.

As I wrap up this post, I would like to ask you to pray for four things:

We need more volunteers for the nursery and for the elementary-aged kids.
The volunteers need to come prepared on Sunday, meaning that they have read the lesson ahead of time. They frequently arrive without having studied the lesson.
We are moving to a new location on August 12. It is a hotel ball room that we will rent bimonthly and have to set up and break down everything each time. Ashley and others are brainstorming about how to create an attractive (portable) environment from scratch.
Enrique and I fill basic church planting roles while here during our term. Since we don’t plan on living here forever, we would like to eventually replace ourselves by finding local folks to coordinate small groups and Waumba Land.

Raising Children

2012-07-11T14:05:00.000-04:00

Play dates are not in their vocabulary so it’s been difficult to find friends for David to play with outside of school. Just last week, one of David's schoolmates' moms finally acquiesced to me picking up her son for the afternoon to play with David. I literally had to beg her!

I’m used to my Atlanta mommy friends and I having play dates and exchanging babysitting favors, but that is not done here. Most folks still live close to family so they ask their kin to watch the kids. Since we don’t have family here, we’ve tried to get friends and neighbors to watch David, but they act like that’s a weird request. Fortunately, we’ve found a local family in the same boat as us (no family nearby) so we take turns on a weekly basis with babysitting.

David with his best friend, Matti.

Our neighbors have also come around and we’ve watched their baby girl a few times and David’s gone across the street to play with her while we have small group.

Since it’s not the cultural norm to leave your child with someone who is not family, newcomers tend to be leary of leaving their children with us in the nursery at church. They’ll ask their nanny to stay with them the whole hour! That may happen just the first Sunday or for a couple of Sundays until the parents see that we are providing a safe environment for babies and kids to have fun and learn about God.

Birthday parties are a big deal. As stated in one of my earliest blog entries, Wendy’s has a party room and an employee hired specifically for party planning! One of David’s classmates just turned three so David and all his friends were invited to Lauty’s party. The package included games, face painting (David wanted to be Batman), cake, a piñata, a kid’s meal for each boy and girl, and a cup of coffee and an apple pie for all of the parents!

On the children’s cable networks, commercial after commercial promotes healthy toddlers by giving them formula…until they are three years old! These preschoolers are already eating regular food, but their diet is supplemented with formula. I transitioned David from formula to cow’s milk at 12 months so this cultural difference shocks me.

As mentioned before, I deeply miss the plethora of children’s activities (many free) that are easily accessible online in the States. Part of it is that I am not aware of all of the events offered in the area, but the majority of the problem is that there is not a central location where all local activities are registered. Even if there was, there is not much going on for preschoolers. David is on vacation for two weeks, but we don’t have much to do. The good thing is that he’s fine watching “Toy Story 2” every single day (some days more than once). Monday, he goes back to school. Yea!

Rejoicing in Heaven

2012-06-21T19:10:00.002-04:00

A lady in her 20s called me on Monday asking me for more information about our church. I had to confirm that she did, in fact, want information about Openhouse, because at least once a day, someone calls us asking about baptisms, ashes, and weddings. You see, the last four digits of the local Catholic church’s phone number are 9593, but people get mixed up and call us instead (ours are 9395).

Enrique and I invited her over for coffee today (even though we all just drank Coke) to explain what our church has to offer. After talking for a few minutes, she told us that she doesn’t go to church, but was interested in growing closer to God, so she looked up crecimiento espiritual, “spiritual growth”, on the Internet and our church’s website popped up. Me and Enrique’s numbers are on the site so she gave us a call.

We explained that we just had a church service on the 17^th and that we’ll meet again on July 1^st. We told her that a group called Starting Point begins toward the end of August and she can sign up then. We gave her the corresponding participant guide so that she could get a head start on the 10-week study. We wrapped up our little meeting time with a prayer and were good to go. Almost…

After Enrique said “Amen”, he told the woman that he sensed that she wanted to say something to God. After an awkward moment of silence, the lady burst into tears and said that she prays everyday asking God to take away the bitterness from her heart and to help her with the sadness and loneliness that she feels. Enrique told her that instead of just asking God to take away those depressing feelings, she could give her life to Christ and let Him take over the reigns. Not just be a copilot and help out, but give her whole being to God and allow Him to be in control of her life. She said that she was ready to do that. So we prayed again.

This time, the woman prayed too and asked God to come into her life and take over. It was beautiful. I told the lady that when we ask for things like a better car or to not be sick anymore or for a scholarship, we don’t know if God is going to say yes or no. We don’t know His will in those regards. But one thing that God will definitely act on and grant is when we surrender to Him and ask for Him to come into our lives and help us, He will! He wants to give us rest. I shared Matthew 11:28-29 with her.

Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke and put it on you, and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in spirit; and you will find rest.

Just yesterday, I was telling a friend that I’m a firm believer in missions and evangelism, but I haven’t had an active role in leading someone to Christ in ages. And what I learned was that you have to read the person a series of Bible verses about salvation and then ask if (s)he’d like to ask God to come into his/her life. We didn’t read any verses to her beforehand. She was just ready!

Lord, thank you for a husband with the gift of discernment who listened to your Spirit tell him to gently lead this woman to you. Thank you, God, for giving me the gift of being a witness to someone giving her life to you. Use us in this way many more times in our lives. Amen.

Food

2012-05-27T17:20:00.003-04:00

When you think of Latin food, "spicy" might come to mind, but not in Costa Rica. The food here is just the way I like it - mild. Overall, I like the comida típica, or homemade Costa Rican food. We like to eat at sodas which are little mom and pop restaurants with affordable prices. A staple item on the menu is black beans and rice, or gallo pinto. This item is consumed at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. While available at all sodas, you can also find it on the breakfast menu at Wendy’s, Subway, and McDonald’s!

Plantain, gallo pinto, and scrambled eggs.

One day, I ordered a casado (meat, two sides, gallo pinto, and salad) at a soda. While I was waiting on my food, I was brought some tortilla chips to munch on. At Mexican restaurants, you’re used to chips and salsa, right? Well, when he brought me the chips, they already had some “sauce” drizzled on them…mayonnaise and ketchup!

Another day, Kelsey and I went to a different soda and as we ate, we noticed an unrecognizable food under the heating lamps. The owner informed us that it was a plantain split down the middle with melted cheese. No thanks!

In March, we went to an awesome arts and crafts festival where lots of food stands offered a variety of fare. I ordered the patacones with shredded beef and guacamole. Patacones are fried, flattened slices of unripe banana used as a base to be topped with the aforementioned beef and guacamole and/or beans and cheese. Mmmm!

I've also enjoyed eating my own trout that I caught and Enrique liked drinking a pipa fría (fifth video from the top).

While almost everything that you want to buy is accessible here, American brands are expensive! When I first moved here, I bought what I was used to - Campbell's, Planter's, Smucker's, etc, but now I try to buy local brands to cut back on the prices. Other products that are expensive are American apple sauce, peanut butter, and (Canadian) maple syrup. There is only brand of maple syrup and it costs $31 for a pint! That's liquid gold, my friend.

God’s Been Good to Me

2012-05-18T20:21:00.000-04:00

I can’t go a day longer without letting you know how good God is to little ole me. This song by Crystal Lewis explains exactly how I feel.

More specifically, I really enjoyed my whirlwind visit of 10 days in Atlanta visiting 20 families. I drove from Lithia Springs, to Lawrenceville, to Cumming, to Villa Rica, to Norcross to everywhere in between. I have such a great family and caring friends. God used them to care for me in very specific ways.

Ever since we moved here nine months ago, it seems like I’ve been making a shopping list for whenever I would be able to go back to the States. My list was much longer than my budget! And unanticipated travelling costs really ate into my pocketbook before I ever set foot into the first store. But God knew all of that and provided everything that I needed – even down to olive oil and hair clips.

We ran out of olive oil the day before I went to Atlanta, but I didn’t buy more assuming that Enrique wouldn’t need it in my absence. When I got to my Dad’s, I found a bottle of unopened olive oil that I had stored in the closet.

I am growing out my hair so hair accessories were on my list. When we moved here, my hair was too short for clips and such so I left them all at my dad’s. I had forgotten about them and was pleased to find them!

There are a few Christian book stores here, but nothing as awesome as LifeWay! I went a little crazy buying $7.99 movies, $5 cds, and $1 packs of note cards. I gladly paid the $80, but started to feel buyer’s remorse as I drove on to my next store. That night, I began looking through some of the stuff that we didn’t bring last August and found all of the note cards and cds that I need so I returned practically everything two days later.

The credit back to my check card took longer than usual which prevented me from shopping for five days. I was frustrated with this restriction, but then saw that it was God’s way to protect me from buying more stuff either that I didn’t need or that He was going to provide.

Unfortunately, I tend not to listen to God and do things my own way. Since I didn’t see the money in my account and really wanted to go shopping at the thrift store, I moved some money around and drove to half-off day. Even though the pajamas for David on my list were only $1.50 (for the top and bottom), the very next day a friend gave David some brand new pjs as a gift.

God also used family and friends to bless me with three new tops; three home cooked meals; eight times to go out to eat; toys for David; gas for the car; an awesome tour of Chick-fil-A headquarters; and money to buy a much wanted purse and shoes, and pay to check my two suitcases at the airport.

While at the airport today, I must share a few more examples of God spoiling me.

I weighed my suitcases at home and each piece weighed between 40 and 42 pounds (40 lbs. is the max; if you go over, there is a $25 charge. I know this because that’s one of the travelling fees I experienced on my way to the States). When I got to the airport, they were both a few pounds below the limit which allowed to me put some of the stuff I was carrying in my hand into the suitcase.
You know how for international flights, you’re supposed to get to the airport three hours ahead of time? I got there just in time, three minutes before they started boarding.
We travelled on Spirit which is a no-thrills airline. The seats recline ½ inch and are very small. If you want to choose your seats or enjoy one of the limited larger seats, it costs about $30 for each “luxury”. Even though I didn’t request the roomier seats or pay to pick where we sit, David and I got to sit on the third row in the big seats (two seats per row versus three)!
On the way to the States, David’s ears and my head hurt upon descent even though neither of us was sick. I was dreading that to happen again –especially since we were both a little sick with runny noses and congestion – but there was no pain whatsoever. As a bonus, David slept the majority of the six-hour trip.

Sleeping in the roomy seat with Buddy, the dog.

Please take five minutes to listen to the lyrics of the song that I mentioned at the beginning of this blog entry. I am humbled by God taking care of every detail of my life and loving me unconditionally.

Gone fishin'

2012-05-02T00:19:00.001-04:00

On Saturday, Enrique, David, and I drove to Cartago to pick up Kelsey and bring her back to civilization. She had talked with us about where her missionary friends lived, but I didn’t realize the tranquil beauty until I laid eyes upon it myself. We live in the metro area of San Jose so I’m used to smelling exhaust as my neighbors drive by to go to work in the morning, and walking to the corner to get to the butcher, locksmith, or David’s school. The closest neighbors to the Folks are the cows in the pasture and the trout in the pond.
The Folk family live on the side of the Irazú Volcano on a family’s property that rent a house to them. This family has a restaurant that is only open on Saturdays and Sundays for lunch. Since we were there last weekend, we had the joy of eating at this delicious little mom and pop operation. Before having lunch, we had to catch it! I don’t ever recall going fishing, and if I did, I never caught anything, and if I did, I certainly never ate it!

While we waited for the couple to prepare our lunch, Enrique and I talked with Jacob and Courtenay to get to know them better and find out about their ministry in Costa Rica. They and their three kids are from South Carolina and arrived in Cartago in 2008. They conduct Bible studies on week nights and also serve at a local orphanage.

When our meal came, I was delighted to see perfectly seasoned potatoes, fried plantains, salad with a delicious herb dressing, and of course my fried trout. It was superb!

After lunch, we walked up a hill to see their home. Jacob had built swing for his children so David and I gave it a try.

Their log cabin is very open, and large enough to house small missions teams who come to help out. Jacob built their bed which is unusually high. When I asked why, Courtenay told me that it’s so that none of her sheets touch the floor. Why? So that tarantulas don’t climb up. That’s right, tarantulas!!! While the climate difference that they experience frees them of the pesky ants that we battle on a daily basis, they deal with the occasional tarantula. Ugh!

After we visited for awhile, we walked back down to our car to go back to the city. On the way, Jacob dug up a calalilly for me so that I can plant it at our place in memory of my mom.

We will definitely be returning to the Folks’ home to enjoy the good company, fresh air, and peaceful serenity of nature.

Our new friend, Kelsey

2012-05-01T19:43:00.001-04:00

At the end of January, an American girl went to our church and needed a ride back to her house. She had taken a bus two hours to get to church so Enrique had sympathy on her and drove her all the way home. He couldn’t believe how far away she lived!

We asked Kelsey what she was doing in Costa Rica and she replied that she was here to serve the Lord. Kelsey is a 22-year old who recently graduated from Anderson University. She studied Spanish there and has been to Costa Rica several times since 2007 visiting some missionary friends from her town in South Carolina. They’re the Folk family who live on the side of the Irazú Volcano in Cartago. The Folks conduct Bible studies in homes during the week and help serve at a local orphanage. Through a roundabout way, Kelsey had heard about our church, Openhouse, and wanted to help. She wasn’t sure how she would help, but she was open to whatever God had in store for her.

We needed help as the administrative and technical side of things were piling up and I was busy helping Enrique with small groups and Ashley with Waumba Land (the nursery). Kelsey was willing to move to our side of town, but needed a place to stay. We checked into one place for her, but it didn’t work out. Oh, what to do!

One of David’s little friends was about to move to California for six months so I asked the family who was going to watch their home. They said that a family member was going to drive by it every so often. I asked them if they’d be willing to let Kelsey housesit for them and they agreed. They hadn’t even met her yet and were ready to give her the keys to their home!

On the night before their departure, we had them and Kelsey over for dinner to talk about the arrangements and then to go to their house to explain when to take the trash out, water the grass, which key goes where, etc. Instead of at least two hours away by bus (3 buses, actually, and a taxi), or one hour by car, she now lives the next street over!

Kelsey is a welcome addition to our church and readily and willingly helps in many ways. She puts the ProPresenter slides together for Sundays; sends out the weekly e-mail to our members here, a monthly e-mail to our partners in the States; runs the slides on Sundays; shows one of Andy Stanley’s sermons in English on Monday nights; proofreads various publications; updates our church’s website; helps to co-lead a women’s Bible study, and other tasks, I’m sure.

We are glad to have her near and it’s always nice to have another American close by who can relate to how you feel about the hundreds of ants in the kitchen (and the few that are crawling on my arms as I type); the freezing, unheated pools that Costa Ricans say feel lovely; and the sensor tags on certain blocks of cheese..

The Golden Question

2012-04-27T15:09:00.001-04:00

David has a little friend at school named Santi, short for Santiago (James). His father’s employer, Intel, sent him, several coworkers and their families to California for six months for training. They left in February for their new, temporary home – a furnished apartment in the city of Folsom. Our friends came back for a week and a half, but leave again next week for the rest of their training.
It was Raquel’s first time going to the States and she was so impressed! She spent four hours one day talking to me about how much she loved the States. Of course, I was a welcome audience because I was pleased to hear someone talking about how great my country is and agreed with all of her praises. She said, “When someone thinks of the United States, they think of how they’re always getting involved in other countries’ wars and meddling in other countries’ affairs. But people don’t realize how wonderful it is over there! The average person’s quality of life is a higher standard. They expect more.”
Raquel noticed things that you might take for granted so I wanted to take a moment to highlight her first impressions:

They went to Lowe’s and were mesmerized by the amount of lawn mowers available. Raquel thought that surely they were just for rich people living in mansions, but then was surprised to go to an average American family’s home and see one there. The American told her that everyone has one and that it’s no big deal. That was an eye opener for Raquel because down here most people’s yards are so small that a weed eater or machete is all you need.
Raquel was baffled by the fact that all of the homes don’t have gates and bars and security cameras guarding their homes like here. You can leave your car parked in a driveway or on the street without having it locked up tight in your garage. You can even leave your belongings in your car while you’re at the store! In California, she felt safe taking a walk after dawn too. She was perplexed at how safe it is, without the aid of policemen and security guards watching your every move. It was liberating for her to be able to drive through different suburbs without having to be asked for identification to enter the street (The upper-class communities here are gated with security guards holding guns at the entrance monitoring everything.).
Raquel works for the government here as a topographer. Before having her second child this year, she travelled the country in her SUV along bumpy roads dodging potholes mapping out where people live along the “streets with no name” (To get an idea, click here and read the section titled "By car"). So of course one of the things that she is fascinated with is the streets. She loves that all of the streets have names that are clearly marked and people drive in an orderly fashion. The roads are so well maintained and the double decker bridge astounds her.
With a 2 ½ year old and a newborn, Raquel noticed that Americans have large families. I was about to disprove her generalization, but then I thought about just my friends with large families - Shelly and Tami each with five kids; Sarah and Leslie each with four kids; Carie, Jessica, and Margie with three kids, to name a few.
Maybe that's why there is a plethora of activities available for children. Raquel takes her son to a children’s gym which she says aren’t as accessible to the middle class of Costa Rica. She loves the well maintained parks and green areas for kids, which I must say, far exceed what I have found here. I recently pointed a website out to her with a calendar of events just for families with small children in Folsom and she was beside herself with joy.
I explained that in Atlanta, everyday was an adventure for David and me as I would check the web and whisk him away for a day of fun at a children’s museum, a new park, a movie under the stars, a classical concert on the green, a local farmer’s market, or a picnic in the N. Georgia mountains. It’s so easy to find a variety of events online, but not so here. We both agree that there are different fairs that come into town down here, but they’re always the same vendors with the same cheap merchandise and food with run-down dinky fair rides.
Raquel was confused to see clothing, food, and electronics at a fraction of the cost for what she would normally pay in Costa Rica. Why does her government increase the price up to five times what Americans pay for in the States? Good question, I tell her! The used Old Navy shirt for sale at the “American clothes” store cost $7 when I could get it for $0.75 at the Last Chance Thrift Store on Thornton Road in Lithia Springs. I, too, am frustrated with paying $5 for a block of cheese when I could get it free with my extreme couponing skills in the States.
She saw an extreme coupon show one day called Cupónmania and couldn’t believe the deals! While I never got $1,500 worth of groceries for $4, I would like to teach her how to cut her grocery bill in half. But I digress…

After having her eyes opened to all of the glorious things that the Land of Opportunity has to offer the average Joe, she asked me a question that is a wonderful opportunity for me to share with her. She sent me a Facebook message that reads, “Why did you leave your country full of well planned streets, pedestrian areas, and order for my underdeveloped country?”
While I haven’t answered her yet, my reply is simple. We came here because our desire to obey God by telling others about His love for them far exceeds our desire to be comfortable. I do miss my family and the comforts of home, but nothing is more important than sharing with everyone that:

God created us,
he loved us so much that he sent his son, Jesus Christ, into an evil world to redeem it through the sacrifice of shedding his blood on the cross so that we can have an abundant life and live with peace in our hearts in the here and now;
and be assured that Jesus rose from the dead and ascended up into Heaven to prepare a place for those who have chosen to believe in and follow him.

I pray that as I unveil this answer to her little by little, her heart will be receptive to receive God's free gift of salvation with open arms.

Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.

2012-04-18T18:42:00.001-04:00

In the Old Testament, over 600 laws were created to protect and instruct men and women in areas such as: family life, business practices, property, clothing, and agriculture. A lot of the rules prohibited people from participating in certain activities or working on certain days. It was impossible to keep all of those rules!

In the New Testament, the Pharisees (religious leaders of that time) added rules and regulations that did not exist, raising their traditions and customs to the level of doctrine. Fortunately for us, Jesus came and set us free from all of the rule keeping and showed us that the way to grow closer to God is not through actions nor deeds, but through a relationship with Him.

Instead of just a lot of “don’t do this” and “don’t do that” rules, we received commandments to do good such as:

Clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
Make allowance for each other’s faults and
Forgive the person who offends you.
Always be joyful.
Keep on praying.
No matter what happens, always be thankful.
Take tender care of those who are weak.
Be patient with everyone.

The list goes on and on – all good things, but so many that I don’t know how I can remember them all! I want to do good, but what if I forget something that’s on the list?

That’s when I remember about God’s grace and about His Holy Spirit. I recall that I don’t have to remember a list of do’s and don’ts because as a believer, the Holy Spirit resides within me and He will guide me.

Sometimes when I read about the fruit of the Spirit, I can clearly see it in my husband, but not so much in me and I get frustrated and jealous. How is Enrique always so loving and kind and good? His patience is off the charts and I want that too! So I strive to show love or be gentle or have faith, but I can’t do it on my own. I just can’t. It doesn’t work that way.

In order for me to have the fruit of the Spirit, I need to walk closely with the Lord. I need to be in communion with Him constantly. What does that mean? It means reading His Word (the Bible), and talking and listening to Him (praying). When I do those two things, everything else will fall into place. The fruit of the Spirit is a byproduct of that relationship. So I don’t have to try to be nice or help others or be joyful or smile superficially. My close connection with God will automatically cause me to display those characteristics plus motivate me to encourage those who are down, help my fellow man, and share my faith in God with others.

Thank you, God, for liberating me!

Easter in Costa Rica

2012-04-09T02:48:00.002-04:00

Remember the days when Spring Break was the week always leading up to Easter? Now it varies, but in Costa Rica, Spring Break is always the week of Easter. It is known as Semana Santa, or Holy Week. All of the kids are out of school and many people have the week off. If not the entire week, then at least Wednesday through Sunday.

On Thursday, practically everything but the grocery stores, McDonald’s, and Walmart shut down. My high school Spanish teacher – who is from here – told me that “When I was little, people would not dare drive a car. People thought you were a heretic and threw stones at your cars. All bars are sealed (people drink liquor in their homes) and take off to the beaches.” Interesting!

On Friday morning, Kelsey and I heard some drums. We went outside to take a look and saw that there was a procession at the local Catholic church (I live just 100 meters away). We went to check it out and it was a reenactment of Jesus and the two criminals being beaten and escorted to Golgotha. The soldiers cast lots for Jesus’ clothes and then they placed Him on a cross. Here is a video of what transpired:

This procession was just one of several. I heard that on Friday night at the church, they burned a doll that represented Judas. We weren't able to make it to that one or the other two or three ceremonies to mark the Easter season. Even so, it was emotional walking with everyone on Friday morning and witnessing what I recorded above because it made me feel like I was a part of the crowd that crucified Jesus. It made it real to me.

Saturday, we went to a friend’s house for pizza. According to Costa Ricans, our friends live “really far away” (Considering the small size of this country, “really far” means more than 20 minutes!), but there wasn’t any traffic so we got there in about 35 minutes. After lunch, we watched our home church’s Easter service since they offered several services this weekend and broadcast them online.

This morning was great! Contrary to what happens in the States with churches being packed on Christmas and Easter, we actually didn’t expect a lot of people today. We assumed that they’d still be out of town. We were all pleasantly surprised to have a full house – about 50 kids and over 200 adults. The Lord's Supper was observed for the first time at our church. It was a great day to celebrate Jesus dying for our sins and rising from the dead. He lives!

This video is of our worship time with little ones. David's friend, Luciano, is really getting down to "Father Abraham".

On the way home, David asked Enrique what he learned at church. Enrique told him that he learned that Jesus died for us, but on the third day He rose again and He lives! David said that he learned the same thing. As a mom – and his teacher – I was proud of him for remembering.

Family getting together for Easter and sharing a meal is not customary here, but I decided to prepare a traditional Easter dinner and invited Julio, Ashley, and Kelsey. We had ham (Well, I thought that I bought a ham, but it turned out to be some other type of pork.), pineapple and cheese casserole, broccoli and rice casserole, carrots, zucchini, apple crisp and ice cream, and sweet tea! We also dyed some eggs and had an Easter egg hunt (in the dark as the sun sets around 6p here).

All in all, it has been a great last few days. Happy Easter!

Operation Christmas Child

2012-04-04T01:36:00.005-04:00

Note to subscribers who receive this as an e-mail: Please go to my blog so that you can see the videos too (because they show as pictures in the e-mail, but as videos at my blog).

Last week, I had the great privilege of witnessing a school receive Operation Christmas Child boxes from churches in Canada. Having seen my mother joyfully put together boxes every year for different children and then doing it myself once, it was touching to be on the other end and actually see the children receiving and opening up their shoe boxes.

Viviana García goes to our church and invited me
to volunteer with the distribution of shoe boxes.

Children used to just receive the shoe box, but now many of them are receiving a 12-week discipleship program called The Greatest Journey and then a Bible at their graduation.

Here is the auditorium before the children came in.

Volunteers receiving last-minute instructions.

Here they are entering the auditorium.

They don't know yet what this special assembly is about!

Anxiously awaiting to open their boxes.

This boy cracked me up. Listen to what he told me.

Here they are holding up their boxes (anxious to rip into them).

What's in the boxes???

This boy loves his Franklin Covey PDA cover. He says that
it's for kings and it's worth a million. So sweet!

What a joy to see all of these kids faces and the excitement in their eyes as they receive God's love in the form of a box that a family or church put together without knowing where it would end up.