My Nana

God's plans are so much bigger than anything we could ever imagine. When I went to my appointment at the Costa Rican consulate, the lady literally checked off all my paperwork and then put it in a fedex envelope to send to Costa Rica. There was no logical reason for me to have turned it in here in the US instead of in Costa Rica. But God wanted me home, and I am so glad he brought me home at this time.

My grandparents had been visiting my family from Arizona, and they decided to stay a few extra days so they could see me. On Friday night, we all had a wonderful dinner together, and I was able to share with them everything going on in Costa Rica. Later that night, my grandma suffered a very severe stroke. The ambulance came and rushed her to the neurotrama unit in Roseville, where they operated and drained the blood from inside her head. There was severe brain damage and she had fallen into a coma. During the next few days we visited her everyday at the hospital, but there was no response and the doctors were not very hopeful. On Monday, a miracle happened and my grandma was able to respond to question by wiggling her thumb to answer yes. We got to spend several hours with her, sharing good memories and telling her how much we loved her and how much she impacted us. When we'd ask her if she was ready to go see Jesus, she would wiggle her thumb like crazy. Then when we asked her if she wanted to stay with us, she wouldn't move at all. My grandma had always made it very clear she did not want live in a nursing home, but this was the confirmation we needed in order to be able to take her of the respirator. On Monday night we sang all my grandma's favorite hymns to her and gave her a special charge to watch over us from up there. We took her off the respirator and after everyone had said their goodbyes, she went to be with Jesus.

My heart cannot yet grasp the fact that my Nana is gone for good, but I know that God has had his hand over all of this. In the last 6 months my grandparents traveled all over the country visiting all of their friends and family. They spent a month at my parents' house and got to see all of the kids' different Christmas programs. Then they would have been by themselves in Arizona when my grandma had the stroke, except, I had to come home to the States at the last minute for my residency. God definitely has a plan and I know that we can trust Him, especially in the midst of such hard circumstances.

I covet you prayers for me and my family, especially for my grandpa. He and my grandma were married for over 50 years. Papa knows that God will be his strength in these hards times, but it still is so trying.

I am so thankful to be home with my family right now, and I really appreciate all of your prayers and support.

Festival de la luz

This past weekend we had an amazing cultural experience of going to the annual light parade held in downtown San Jose. It's said that over a quarter of the country's population attendeds the parade each year! So while many people encouraged us to arrive before noon in order to ensure a spot among the million people, our group decided we did not want to wait in the rain with children for that long and figured 5 o'clock was plenty early, which it was.

One great advantage of being taller than the majority of the country's population, both male and female, is that you don't need the best spot at the parade. The were many strange pre-parade activities that included lots of mimes, clowns, and other odd mystical beings.

The actual parade did not reach us until after 8pm. It was pretty cool, but next year I think I will be content to watch it on tv.

I'll be home for Christmas!

As many of you know, dealing with government applications and processes can often be rather frustrating, but this one has turned out to be a blessing in disguises. Before I left the US, I was told (multiple times) by the Costa Rica consulate that I needed to turn in my application for residency in Costa Rica. Now it appears that some laws and procedures have changed and I can no longer turn in my application here. I must return to my home country and turn in the application at the Costa Rican consulate there. And it needs to be done as soon as possible before the laws change and my paperwork expires. Of course!

While initially this was extremely frustrating- I wasn't planning on going home till next summer, I didn't budget for it... what if the laws change again??? But despite all of these unknowns, I now see the forced trip home as a huge blessing! I get to be home with family for Christmas; which is the best possible present ever.

Without residency I would be forced to leave the country every 90 days which would get expensive and take up a lot of time. Also, I would be unable to get a cell phone, and other aspects of daily life here would be complicated. There are several laws currently in the Senate here in Costa Rica, that could severely affect my application for residency. Please pray that they won't be passed in time to hinder my applications and that everything will go smoothly during my appointment on the 19th.

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas

Call me old fashion, but there is no substitute for a living Christmas. Sure they make a lot of nice plastic ones these days and you can burn candles that smell like Christmas trees, but it's not the same. I was so excited to find out Costa Rica has their own beautiful pine that they grow especially for Christmas time. While we didn't make it to a cut your own tree farm, we did find a very obliging taxi driver to help us get it home from Hypermas (read: Walmart) It is now beautifully decorated with all of our Pequeno Mundo (read: Dollar Store) lights and ornaments. I love sitting on our couch with my cup of coffee and good book, with our special Christmas tree in front me. Now if only we had a Advent calendar.

Food for the Hungry

Yesterday we had a meeting with Jaun Carlos and Christina from an organization called Food for the Hunger. www.fhicr.com They have been working in Los Guidos, an area of 200,000 people within the city of Desamparados. During our meeting they shared with us their heart to see the churches united in Los Guidos, as well as, see people's lives transformed in body, mind, and soul. They shared with us many of the projects they already have established--feeding kitchens, sports clinics, parenting classes-- as well as those things they recognize a need for but don't currently have the staff to support. They are very open to working with Students International. We share a similar heart and vision for the people, and many of the projects they would like to start in Los Guidos are the same ideas we had from the needs we had observed through conversations with other peoples. While we are not certain that we will partner with FHI, the meeting was confirmation for our team that this is where God wants us, and the things He has been laying on our hearts coincide with the needs of this community. We really do not want to just barge into a neighborhood with all of our American ideas and try to "fix" the people. We want to come alongside what God is already doing in the area.

Please be praying for us as we try to discern exactly where God wants us to invest our time, talent, and treasures. Most of FHI's projects are winding down for the Christmas season, but after the first of the year, we all plan on spending sometime working as volunteers at different sites to see how we might fit into their ministry.

Dìa de Acciòn de Gracias

Well, Costa Ricans don't exactly celebrate Thanksgiving, but that didn't stop Cailah and I from taking a day off of school in order to spend the morning cooking many of our families' traditional dishes. In the afternoon we had a big Thanksgiving feast with all of our teammates. While most of the dished came out wonderful, we did have a few bumps do to unavailability of certain ingredients. I really wanted to make my aunt's pistachio salad, which calls for cool whip. I gathered together all the other hard to find ingredients, but couldn't find cool whip. No problem, I could make my own. After spending almost 2 hours desperately trying to create my own version of cool whip based on peace corps and other missionaries recipes, I gave up and substituted chantilly cream (which several sites said you CANNOT do). Ultimately it turned out okay, but it wasn't quite the same as home.

This would be how I'd describe the whole Thanksgiving day. It was wonderful to have several families to share the day and family recipes with, but it wasn't the same as spending it with my family. This was particularly hard, knowing that Benje was home from New York and Blake had come home from Cal Poly, so I was really the only person missing from our family. Plus, Gerry and Gerrina, two of my youngest siblings, adoption was finalized on Tuesday, and I was the only one missing for that too. I guess I'm just beginning to realize more of the family sacrifices of moving so far away. I am so thankful for all of the modern technology that allows me to stay in contact so well with everyone. And I am extremely grateful for my amazing teammates and their very loving kids. There's never a shortage of hugs.

I hope that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your loved ones. Know that I am missing you all and am so thankful for each one of you.

Cailah and I excited about missing school and cooking!


Jeff and Jeremy carving chickens. Turkey was over $6 a pound!


All the wonderful food. There were plenty of leftovers.


The kids' table.

The Costa Rican, Russian Ballet

When I moved to Costa Rica, figured one of the things I would have to give up would be the many art and culture events I enjoy frequenting in the States, be it small art galleries, museums, or the theater. Costa Rica is know for it's beautiful environment, but not it's contributions to the man-made artistic world. But there is a National Theater downtown... Cailah and I decided to check out the schedule and were shocked to find "Pro-Ballet Clasico Ruso". I love ballet, and Cailah lived in Russia for a semester. We bought tickets immediately! Since the arts aren't as popular here in Costa Rica, the tickets are fairly inexpensive in order to remain open to general public.

On Saturday night, we got ourselves all dressed up and headed downtown on the bus. The theater is intimate with very ornate architecture. I'm not sure which country descriptor should be first, but regardless it was a wonderful performance of mostly Costa Rican dancers who have been trained by a Russian ballet master. Afterwards we walked across the plaza and enjoyed a cup of cafe con leche at the famous Gran Hotel, where we've always stayed on previous SI trips. It was a very special evening out!

Friends and Entertainment

Many of you have asked if I've made lots of new friends or met many locals. I wish I could say I have, but outside of our language school, we don't have a place to interact with locals on a more personal level. This will definitely change in the next few months, once we start spending time in Desamperados. I am exceedingly thankful for our wonderful team and the good friends they continue to be; taking me to get fingerprinted for immigration (a several hour process), sharing many cups of coffee, and sharing their loving and entertaining children with me.

Yesterday we hung out with Tracy Dixon and her kids, Sawyer and Olivia. Sawyer did not want to eat any lunch, but he was very eager to use his booster seat.

Strapping himself in...





Ready to take off...






Stopping for a short rest.....




And climbing up onto the doll house... Mom intervened here.

Blessed.

Today I have been overwhelmed with how much I can see God's hand guiding my life and how much He has blessed me. If you've seen the video of our apartment, you know it's a far cry from the hut I was ready to live in the jungle. Yet, it was by far the cheapest we found here in the city, and just happened to be one of the nicest and closest to our school. Then I think about our language school. There are hundreds here in San Jose, but I happened to find this one on the internet, and it has been perfect! Not only are the teachers highly qualified, they purposely keep it small so that it retains it's family atmosphere. All of our teachers have given us their phone numbers and told us to call them if we need anything. One teacher even invited us to her church. If that weren't enough, Cailah and I are getting private classes at the group class rate because it's the off season. As I reflect on my first two weeks here, I amazed at how smoothly this first transition has been. I know there will be bumps ahead, but I am so thankful for God's hand that has been over me, making the path smooth, thus far. Thank you for all of your love and prayers; I can feel them all the way down here in Costa Rica.



This is us enjoying the only sunset I've seen since being here. It's normally to cloudy/rainy to notice the sun went down. It was beautiful!

Our House

Here's a link to Cailah's video tour of our apartment. (Sorry, I can't figure out how to make it a live link, so you'll have to copy and paste it into your address bar)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJDtQykhzsg

We are thoroughly enjoying making it home.

La Primera Semana

I've only been here for just under a week, but so much has happened. Cailah and I found an amazing furnished apartment to rent that is only a 5 minute walk from our school. We got all of our stuff moved over from the Dixons and Janzens' yesterday, and have spent the last two afternoons trying to figure out how to set up our house. It's so wonderful to have a place that is our own. It helps make the move seem more long term, and not just a 2 week mission trip. Which in turn, I think will help me adjust better. Thank you so much for all your prayers about housing. I'll post pictures in the next few days, once it's not such a mess :-)

We also have been attending language school in the morning all this week. Since it's the "off-season", Cailah and I are the only people in our level. It's great to direct our learning and really focus in on the areas we need to work on. That being said, I often get frustrated in class, because I see how much I have to learn. Please pray that I would have patience with myself and that I would really be able to take in all that we are learning.

I was greatly encouraged tonight when Cailah and decided to have a fun and relaxing evening going to see High School Musical 3. (I'm a huge fan!) We specifically checked to make sure it was in English with Spanish subtitles. Imagine our surprise when Zac Efron started speaking in Spanish!!! All of the dialogue had been dubbed over in Spanish, but the songs were still in English. Cailah and I were both pleasantly surprised that we were able to understand almost everything in the movie and enjoy it along with all the 12 year old Costa Rican girls in the theater!

Costa Rica!

I have arrived! It seemed like this day would never come, but now that I'm here it is completely sureal. My mind truly cannot process it just yet. I am thankful to be here and even more grateful to have the amazing support network of my teammates, The Dixon and Janzen Families and Cailah Pritchard. This morning when I woke up, Tracy Dixon was making pancakes, and I felt like I was at home for our traditional Saturday morning breakfast. It's so wonderful to be around people I know and love as I begin this new stage.

Tomorrow Cailah and I start language school and then in the afternoon we are looking at an apartment we really hope we can get. It's less than a 10 minute walk from our language school, in a safe neighborhood, sounds really nice, and is within our budget. Please be praying that it works out.

I promise to write more, when I have more to share. Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers and your encouraging emails; they mean a lot to me. Lots of love to you all.

New York

For some crazy reason, when purchasing tickets for Costa Rica, it was $300 cheeper to fly through New York instead of straight from California, and I am so glad. I had an amazing 5 days in New York hanging out with my brother, Benje. My dear friend Josh was also came down to visit from Boston, and then my cousin, Jeremiah, came up from Washington DC. I had a great time hangout, enjoying some amazing restaurants, wandering through the MET, going to see a great new musical, and just generally being spoiled. It was a great last few days in the State's and a really special time with my brother before I moved. Here are a few pictures from my time there. Notice the heavy layers of clothes; Costa Rica is quite a climate change!

Single mom of 5 (+2)

I have always had a lot of respect for mothers, but this week that respect grew ten-fold, especially for single moms. While we had an amazing week and a half together, I felt like I was constantly playing catch up and I never managed to get anyone to soccer practice quite on time. But I also realized, those are the details of life, that aren't always that important. Nobody's life is permanently altered because they were five minutes late for the warm-up or because the laundry didn't all get put away before going to bed. Instead, the important things are the memory making time like homemade pizza night or playing dress-up's together. This last week and half was full of crazy moments trying to rush everyone out the door with shoes, backpacks, lunches, and homework; but it was also brimming with lots of special moments playing together and sharing life. I am so thankful for the time we got to have together, though I still can't wait for my parents to get home this afternoon!


Baking with cousins Zach and Josh,, who stayed with us for a week while their parents went on a much deserved vacation.






Homemade personal pizza night. The kids wondered what happened to their older sister: they got to have pizza for dinner, didn't have to eat salad, and had ice cream sundaes for dessert!













Karlee came up on Sunday and helped organize a yard clean up. It looks great!

MTI

I don't know how to even begin sharing with you all of the amazing things God did during my 3 weeks in Colorado at MTI. God is faithful! I arrived at the retreat center feeling very emotionally and physically tired from a busy week of traveling all over the state saying goodbyes. I wasn't looking forward to building new relationships when I knew I would just have to say goodbye again. But God softened my heart and put me in the center of an amazing community of people who are all getting ready to embark on a similar journey. During our 3 weeks there, the staff taught us to share our lives through our raw and honest discussions in class, which facilitated so many areas of growth in my life. In the evenings, we had plenty of time to just be silly together playing games (Body, Body, anyone?), eating ice cream, and exploring the beautiful nature surrounding us.

I am so thankful for this community of dear friends. Through my time with them I was able to share many of my excitements and fears of moving to a new place with many both foreseen and unknown challenges that await me. I also learned how to say healthy goodbyes that help us cherish the impact our friends have made on us and grieve the loss of the physical proximity. This process leaves us ready to say full hello's to new people as they enter our lives. I know this is going to be crucial for me as we will have many short-term teams coming down to Costa Rica, and I want to be able to fully invest in each team that comes down.



I am so overwhelming grateful for the time I had at MTI. Everyone there, staff and participants, were such a blessing! I am so glad Students International said I needed to go this training, even though i was a little hesitant at first.

Weekend at the Dorens'

I was delightfully stolen away form MTI this past weekend by my Aunt Tracy. I spent the weekend exploring the small mountain town of Salida, riding bikes, visiting the farmers' market across the street, and cooking lots and lots. And of course, great family time!

Riding to the health food store with Sara and Aunt Tracy. Sara was so kind to share her pink cruiser with me all weekend!





Merry-go-rounds do still exist!!! Shortly after cousin Casey and all his friends proved why they are now outlawed in many parts of the country.





I love swings!!!

Summer/Fall Update

Sorry to those of you who tried to send this to through email, but it didn't work. I'm still trying to figure out the new program and haven't quite figured out all the kinks. But now I know how to put the newsletters up here in the blog, so you can always find them here or on the sidebar.

You can click on the link below to download my latest newsletter.

http://krystaleanne9.googlepages.com/SummerLetter.pdf

We're off.... Kind of

These last few weeks have really affirmed how truly blessed I am. I was privileged to spend the last few weeks traveling to visit various friends and family across the country, as well as spend time with my family and friends in Visalia. Each visit was filled with lots of laughter, catching up, and planning for when people come to visit in Costa Rica. Thank you to all of you who opened your home and made your schedule flexible so we could hangout.

Today Cailah and fly out to Colorado Spring for 3 weeks of training at MTI (Missionary Training Institute). We will both arrive absolutely exhausted, but thoroughly filled up with love from all time with our friends and family these last few weeks. We are both really looking forward to our three weeks of rest and preparation in Colorado. We have heard wonderful things about MTI and can't wait to experience it ourselves.

Thank you for all your prayers, especially for the process of saying goodbye. The time that I've been able to spend with loved ones has been truly joyous. I know that I will see many of you in the not too distance future, as you already have plans to come and visit. It's much easier to say, "See you later" than "Goodbye".



Please continue to keep me in your prayers. 1) That we would be open to all God wants to do in us during our time in our Colorado. 2) For the continued process of saying goodbye.

Goodbye Dinner in Visalia

This is my last week in the Central Valley. On Sunday I will bid goodbye to my wonderful "hometown" for the last two years. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here, and will not soon forget the joys the Central Valley has to offer. But before I leave we must have one last family dinner. If you are anywhere near the central valley this Wednesday (Sep 10th), please stop by for a great evening of food and fellowship.

On our way...

I'm down to two suitcases of belongs to carry me through my last two months in the United Sates. On Thursday we load our shipping bin with all the rest of our earthly belongs and a whole bunch of books and supplies for our future school. It was amazing! We only had 2 hours to load the bin and we were worried about everything fitting. We got all the boxes and bins loaded in less than an hour, despite the sweltering 105 F. And to our amazement we had tons of extra space. I had enough time to run back to my house and pick up a giant bookshelf to take down. We were so blessed to be able to take down everything we wanted to. I know when I'm really missing home I will appreciate having those familiar pieces with me.

If you want to check out pictures from our packing extravaganza paste this link into your address bar... http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2051889&l=3f089&id=68603376

I also bought my plane ticket for Costa Rica. I leave October 20th and fly to New York where I get to hangout with my brother, Benje, for a few days before flying down to Costa Rica. I really wanted to see Benje's new place and spend time with him in New York before I moved, but I didn't know how I could afford two tickets. But God completely provided. I don't know why, but it was over $300 cheaper to fly through New York, than straight from Sacramento. Not only does this work out perfect, but it also saves a ton of money!

Big Time in Texas!

Last week my cousin Andrew Rigsby married his beautiful bride, Lauren. My parents and I flew back to Texas and met up with Benje for the wedding. It was so wonderful to spend good time with my Uncle Ricky, Aunt Janet and cousins. I was afraid I wasn't going to see them before I left the country. But we were blessed with four full days of hanging out, telling stories of when we were little, and eating tons of food!!! While I've always loved my family in Texas, I can't say it's ever been my favorite state, but this trip it really proved itself to have a lot to offer. Though I don't know when I'll be back in Texas, I'm glad to know I'll get to see some of my Texas family again before I leave when they come out to California in October.

As a bit of a side note: One of the my individual highlights of the trips was the new experience of flying first class! My mom had a reward ticket for me on the way out there and then Uncle Ricky used his miles to upgrade my flight on the way out home. It was a blast; I felt like a movie star. Hot towels to wash my hands, glass tableware, and decadent carmel ice cream over hot brownies. Oh wow! Thank you Mom and Uncle Ricky!

Lake Isabella

If you actually know where Lake Isabella is, you must be wondering why on earth would anyone choose to vacation in place like that! I must confess it is my most treasured vacation spot in the world, not for it's scenery, but for the amazing company. Every year since my parents were newly married, they and two other couples have been hanging out at this desert lake outside of Bakersfield. Each year we expectantly look forward to the first week in August when we get to hangout with the Wilsons and Cooks at Lake Isabella. The time I've spent growing up with these two families has had a profound impact in shaping me into the person I am today. It was so wonderful to be able to spend this past week with them. It was a week of encouragement and confirmation of my call to Costa Rica. Plus, lots and lots of laughter! In the next few years, I'm really going to miss our week at the lake. I'm trying to convince them to relocate our annual get together to Costa Rica. At the very least, I hope Uncle Will brings a group down from his church in Chico!

The Crew: We were much smaller this year since many of us older kids now have grown-up responsibilities and jobs (Kevin, Benje, Lauren, Karlee, and Blake) or are newly married (Noelle)


The muscle men. Notice the beautiful, tree-less backdrop and pea soup water. The algae was in full boom!



It was a long day of wake- boarding and reading in the sun!

Family and Friends

Summer is halfway over and I have been so blessed by the time I've got to spend with family and friends. I started off the summer with the wedding of a dear friend, Noelle Wilson. I had the honor of doing all the flowers for the wedding, a favorite pastime of mine. After that, our family headed up to Tahoe for a week. It was amazing to have all of our family together, including Benje who came out from New York. We swam, rode bikes, caught crawdads, watched fireworks, ate lots of food-- pretty much just enjoyed hanging out together for a week. The last few weeks have been spent traveling to different parts of California visiting friends, but thankfully not having to say goodbye, yet. Being with family and good friends is such a blessing. I'm trying to take full advantage of all the time I have here, because I know October is going to come sooner than I think.

Schools Out!

It  was  very bittersweet ending my second school year at Lindsay High School.   God truly  worked a miracle there.    My tenure started with tears of inadequacy and being overwhelmed, but it ended with tears of joy and long hugs goodbye. 

    The weekend before school got out my family came down to host a BBQ for all my students and their families.  It was a wonderful evening for my family  to meet my students and their extended families, as well as for me to honor my students and all of their hard work.    I am amazed by how much they have grown as individualizes, each one so unique and with special gifts.  I feel so honored to have been a part of their lives.   I know that the Lord planted many seeds during my last 2 years there at Lindsay.  I can't wait to see how they grow.

Family Dinners

As many of you know, back in San Luis Obispo we had this wonderful tradition of Family Dinners at our house every Thursday.   They were open to anyone and everyone and created a great sense of community for us their in San Luis.   When I moved to Visalia, I wanted to start family dinners, but didn't think anyone would come.  For a whole year, I dragged my feet, but finally I couldn't ignore God's little pushes to start up Family Dinners here in the Valley.    Now they've been going for almost 6 months, and it has been a blast!  God completely overcame my fears that no one would show up.  Every week, new people come and friendships are built.  It's wonderful to see a new community being formed;  God is so faithful even when we are doubtful!

Spring Break!

One of the wonderful things about being a teacher is the built-in vacation times, like Spring Break.   I had the great joy of spending Easter with an extensive  amount of family up in Northern California, many of whom I haven't seen in several years.  It was a wonderful few days of laughter, stories, encouragement, and lots of food!!!   It is such a blessing to have a family who is so supportive and affirming as I take this bold step of faith in moving to Costa Rica. 

After several days at home, I flew back to Boston to visit two dear friends from college.  Again, I was so encouraged by their fellowship and support.  Also, oddly enough, being in Boston made me even more jazzed about the work God is already started in Costa Rica.  In the last year and a half I've become very focused on the work God is doing in the California Central Valley.  This isn't a bad thing, but I hadn't been paying too much attention to what He was doing in other pockets all over the country.  Being in Boston and seeing the work God was doing there (and the continued need), reignited the intensity of my desire to see God's work all over,  especially in Costa Rica.  While I'm joyful to be finishing the work God has for me here in the Central Valley, I cannot wait to see what He has in store in Costa Rica!!!

Spring Time!!!

  

I don't know what it is about blossoming orchard, but their beauty overwhelms me.  Each tree speaks of God's amazing creativity, grandure, and gentle love for us.   It's such a joy driving to school every morning through various orchards.  I feel like my heavenly father is there waiting for me and saying, "Good morning.  Look what I have created.  I can't wait to show you what I'm going to do in the rest of the day."  

The trees are a beautiful reminder of his continuous presence and attention to detail in the world he created.

Jumping!

Recently I began reading the book Velvet Elvis, by Rob Bell.  The title for this blog comes from the book.  Bell uses the metaphor of a trampoline to describe the Christian faith, and it is an image that really resonates with me. In talking about sharing your faith he says, "you rarely defend a trampoline.  You invite people to jump on it with you.... You rarely defend the things you love.  You enjoy them and tell others about them and invite others to enjoy them with you."  This is what I am striving to do with my life.  I hope that you will join me in my journey as I continue to follow Jesus as He leads me towards Costa Rica. Come jump with me!