Sanitary?

Playing in the gutter: Sanitary?

That's questionable.

Playing in the gutter: Worth it?

Totally!

You can imagine that in a country where going shoe-less is believed to cause sickness, our kids caused quite a stir this afternoon!


The grass and concrete, above, are a dam the kids constructed (with neighbor kids as fellow technicians) to stop a water leak that has been in existence for at least 3 weeks. And yes, it's a clean water leak ! :)



And a random San Jose, Costa Rica fact:
In the above photo, between Garrett and Ashlyn, see that gaping hole without a grate? Those are drains to the sewer, which are lovingly dubbed "Gringo traps". Let's just say that these "traps" tend to catch Gringos (us) unaware from time to time. We've heard of people in falling chest deep!

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A Bigger World

The Boy and The Starfish

One day, an old man was walking along the beach in the early morning and noticed the tide had washed thousands of starfish up on the shore. Up ahead in the distance he spotted a boy who appeared to be gathering up the starfish, and one by one tossing them back into the ocean.
He approached the boy and asked him why he spent so much energy doing what seemed to be a waste of time.

The boy replied, "If these starfish are left out here like this they will bake in the sun, and by this afternoon they will all be dead."

The old man gazed out as far as he could see and responded, "But, there must be hundreds of miles of beach and thousands of starfish. You can't possibly rescue all of them. What difference is throwing a few back going to make anyway?"

The boy then held up the starfish he had in his hand and replied, "It's sure going to make a lot of difference to this one!"
- Author unknown



Behind the beauty and allure that is such a vibrant and wonderful part of Costa Rica lies something sinister that's worth thinking on:

Did you know that the sex trade is rampant here in Costa Rica, specifically in San Jose? Not only is it rampant, it's also legal. Take a drive to the Children's Museum here in the capital city of Costa Rica, and you find yourself in the direct vicinity of the red light district, complete with brothels advertising their trade (trust me, trying to explain to your kids why they have to close their eyes as they near the CHILDREN'S museum is not easy task, but I diverge).

Even more disturbing? Costa Rica is known as a tourist hot spot for sex with underage girls as well. Sick, right? Have I gotten your attention?

Those facts, in and among themselves, are enough to call me to action even thought they are just a scratching-of-the-surface regarding this issue.But then...then there was a book. Little did I know that being loaned to me, by a fellow missionary/language school student, was a stack of bound pages that would impact me in such a profound manner. To say that I will never be the same is an understatement!




(Image courtesy of Amazon.com)

While not a book written from a Christian perspective, this is a well-researched, personal account from a married, journalist couple who have travelled the world researching the various forms of oppression women suffer across the globe.

Now, before you think I've gone all "Women's Lib" on you, let me say this is nothing of the sort. The atrocities against women, many in developing countries, outlined in this book are staggering, compelling, and the sort of thing that has not only opened my eyes, but has also grabbed me by the shirt-collar and given me a firm shake.

I challenge you to join me in reading this book (I'm half-way though it currently). Be forewarned, this is not an easy read. You. will. be. horrified! And not only do I ask you to join me in reading it but, please, join me in asking God what he would have me (us) do, if anything.

Zack, the kids, and I are privileged to be here to serve the Lord with eMi, and we'll do so with our best, as unto Him. That said, I'm facing the possibility of having some time on my hands while the kids are in school and Zack is serving in the eMi office. Maybe the Lord has something in store for me in terms of this very subject? I know that there's more than chance involved with the timing of this book in my life.
Stay tuned!

I thought it'd be fun to share a blog post from a fellow friend, language school student and missionary from Montana. I thing this fairly sums up how many "simple things" can be not-so-simple here. Enjoy, and it may be a good idea to take note of his advice toward the end, you decide.

Scott take it away:

"I spent over an hour at the post office in Zapote, Costa Rica simply trying to get two care packages that were mailed. Here is a fine example of how things are done in Costa Rica. It went like this:

1. Walk to the post office with my friend Joe who is fluent in Spanish.
2. Show passport to the guard who stamped my papers that said I had a package waiting.
3. Wait in line #3 until it was my turn. Give the slip to the guy; show passport again; sit down and wait for line #1
4. Wait for 20 minutes for my name to be called, talked with a German who spoke broken English.
5. Name is called, go to line #1, sign two papers and write down my passport number.
6. The boxes were then opened and looked through. Food was found and a glorious bag of Starbucks French roast coffee (2.5 lbs)
7. This was not acceptable because of the new rule that food is not allowed in the country without special paperwork. They have been nabbing people for smuggling chocolate into the country lately, you know, because it is so dangerous.
8. Man tells us that we are to go to downtown San Jose and explain our situation and get a permission slip.
9. This isn't going to happen with us so Joe elegantly talks with the guys and tells them our story, not quite sobbing but it got the point across.
10. Guy at line #1 calls his boss over. Joe gives the same story. They fell bad and decide that the rules can slide this time. After all, we are not smuggling bombs into the country, only candy and coffee.
11. Our boxes are taken away and we fill out more paper work.
12. Go to the bank in the post office with a slip of paper we were given and by 7 cents for something.
13. Bring it back to line #1. Guy gives us more paper work for line #2.
14. Go to line #2 and pay 3 dollars.
15. Wait for my name to be called again for line #1.
16. Name is called. Go to line #1 and fill out more paper work and show passport.
17. Finally given our 2 boxes after 1 1/2 hours.

Now that is efficiency. So for all our friends in the States, think about this the next time you complain about waiting in line at the post office.

I have no idea why these packages got stopped and others did not but for future care packages, we were told that when filling out the customs slip, don't put specific foods. Just put something more vague. This whole process, however, was so worth the great care packages. Thank you so much."



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Location:At a Glance

In Which I Write About 'Being a Missionary'

I've got a hunch.



I may, just may, be one of the strangest missionaries out there.

We're a strange group anyway, us missionaries, right? I suppose you've gotta be some sort of crazy to up and move your family into the great unknown.

But crazy's good. Just ask Francis Chan, he says so. His book "Crazy Love" reads on pages 114 and 115, "Having faith often means doing what others see as crazy."

Crazy? I've got that one nailed!

Who else, as a MISSIONARY, pronounces just the right words in just the wrong way so as to unfailingly sound utterly profane? And this hasn't happened just once, my friends, but over and over and over again in the first trimester of language school. Who else, as a MISSIONARY cannot contain her giggles when she tries to pronounce lago Titicaca in fonetica class? And who else in that very same day, in the very next class, being a MISSIONARY and all, resorts to answering her teacher with el trabajador de caca upon not recalling the Spanish name for a sanitation worker? In my defense who would ever recall the title 'el empleado de servicious de la higiene publica'?

So my hunch? It's fair to say I may be right on the mark. I can do crazy. And I can do strange.

I only pray that God's cracking up right alongside my classmates and teachers because, really, this craziness is all for Him and His glory!




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A Good Ol' Dose of Keepin' it Real

A pre-field photo, for old-times' sake

Let me begin by asking you to bear with me. Please hear my heart behind the words that are to follow, and know that this post is simply intended to be a means for you to get a glimpse into the current reality of my life here in Costa Rica.

The literal meaning behind the two words Costa Rica (Rich Coast) conjours images of tropical lushness, extensive beaches, and luxurious foods that tantalize the palate. Lest I negate the truth, Costa Rica does offer those very facets. And while we have taken the occasional weekend (for R&R) that allows us to indulge in those facets, our daily life is not centered around them.

Being called to something beyond what I ever expected is, in and of itself, an incredible blessing. I can certainly relate to King David when he said in 1 Chronicles 29:14: "But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you?" Paradoxically, I find myself in the middle of what I'll call hard. Now, I know that hard does not equal wrong. I also know that hard does not equal bad. Hard does, however tempt me to throw in the towel and head "home". And I do know, as well, that hard is real; hard is not easy; and hard does bring stress.

In pre-field training we were given a stress inventory entitled "The Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale". On that scale, there are a number of events listed that have been identified as stressors. For each stressor the test-taker can list the number of times each event has been experienced in the past 12 months and multiply that number by the stress value assigned to the stressor. Once totaled, the sum of those stressors provides a number that assesses your current stress level. In training we were told that the average missionary falls between 600-900 points. Having just completed the assessment, I have found my stress level to be at 937. Severe stress is identified as having a point value of 300 or more. Hard, indeed!

I am not asking you to feel sorry for me. I am not asking you to understand. I am simply sharing the current reality of the life to which we've been called. Being in the middle of hard, is...well...hard. This endeavor is no vacation BUT it is good!

Ants in the Sugar Bowl
by Elizabeth Givens

"So send I you
To ants in the sugar bowl,
To things that fly, creep and crawl into the house,
To uncertain water, sporadic electricity.
To long hours, sweltering heat, exhausting days,
To uncomfortable vehicles, crowded jeeps, smelly buses.
To noisy, early mornings,
To rice, rice and more rice.
To poverty you didn't believe existed,
To masses of people like you have never seen,
To know and work with people who have never known comfort,
So send I you, and I expect you to adjust.

So send I you
To people who will give to you from their poverty,
To friends who will embarrass you with their generosity,
To pastors who will entertain you from their lack, with beauty,
To hungry, receptive, questioning people who want to know God,
To study, to teach, to learn from your study and teaching,
To prove your own motives, values and beliefs,
To learn about yourself and the culture that has reared you,
To know God and to understand more deeply dependence upon Him,
So send I you.

Are you going? I'll go with you all the way."

Yes, I find myself in the middle of hard. And hard is just where I'm supposed to be!

When It Rains, It Pours

When the day looks like this:



And this:



Then you can nearly bank on the fact that this is coming (Turn up your speaker volume so you can hear the rumbling thunder!):

An when that occurs and it's rainy season in Costa Rica, landslides abound!






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The View From Here

Serious multitasking is going on in this casa! Ever tried studying for a big Spanish grammar test while baking and frosting cupcakes?



Let's pray there's scientific evidence out there that proves that baking increases retention of Spanish. Sounds good in theory, right. *ahem*



For those inquiring minds, these cupcakes sound dynamite! Chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes (yes, there's homemade cookie hidden dough hidden inside each cupcake), topped with cream cheese frosting. And they are awaiting the addition of a small chocolate chip cookie as a topper.

I used the following recipe and will let you know what popular opinion says after our "Sweet Meet and Greet" for our language schools' current students and teachers:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chocolate-chip-cookie-dough--cupcake--the-best-cupcake-ever/detail.aspx

Oh and I guess I'd better plan on letting you know of test results as well. A woman's got to have priorities! Pray for me.

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