Vacation!!!!

The school schedule (along with the seasons) here in Costa Rica runs opposite to the United States. We just finished our two week winter vacation. In the Tutoring Center we decided to take advantage of this homework-free time to do extra-curricular activities in the afternoons. The kids had tons of fun and it was a great way for the short-term teams to integrate in with the kids at the center.

We did cooking classes, thanks to a our new stove! It was the first time any of the kids had baked cookies. They loved it and did a great job with both the sugar cookies and oatmeal choco-chips.

Roger helping me put the cookies in the oven.


Everyone waiting for the cookies to come out.


The remnants



One day we painted animal puzzles Jeremy Janzen made for us in the wood shop, one of SI’s other sites in Los Guido. Puzzles are one of the favorite break activities in the Tutoring Center, so the kids were super excited to make their own puzzle to take home with them.


On the last day of vacations we had a play day in the Community Center next door to the Tutoring Center. Luis Diego and Cindy, our newest staff members helped lead a bunch of games with the kids, which was a blast. We also did Readers’ Theater with the book, Where the Wild Things Are, a favorite read in the Center. The kids thoroughly enjoyed making masks and playing the part of the monsters in the story. It was a great way to end the fun-filled two weeks.

Costa Rican version of "Snake in the Grass"


The team acted out the story the first, and the kids thought it was hilarious. They couldn't wait to do it on their own.


Catalina was in charge of giving the crown to Max during the storytime


Cynthia, Sharon, and Ana playing "Simon Says". Sharon didn't follow along all that well, but still had fun.

A Day in the Park

Last week for Girls Group, we decided to do things a little differently. Even though the girls only live about 5 kilometers and a 50 cent bus ride from downtown San Jose, they rarely get the opportunity to leave Los Guido and explore all the the city has to offer. Los Guido has no public green space and the one play area since its recent installation last summer, has been stripped bare of all usable equipment. As a result, the community lacks safe and welcoming places for kids to play and hangout outside of their own homes. In downtown San Jose there are lots of beautiful parks and public space, but when I asked the girls if they had ever been to any of these parks, they had no idea what I was talking about.

So in an attempt to share some of the natural beauty of the city, we boarded a public bus and headed to downtown for a picnic and play day in the National Park. As we walked the six to eight blocks from the bus stop to the park, we tried to point out places of interest the girls hadn't seen before: The National Museum that used to be a fort and still has all of the artillery marks in the watch towers; the wall normally covered in crimson clematis flowers; and the old president's house where they have all kinds of fancy parties. The girls loved getting to see first hand things they had heard mentioned in school or read about in textbooks.

Once we arrived at the park, we spent to morning running relay races, playing Dias de la Semana (like hopscotch), and eating PB& J and chocolate chip cookies. It was a simple outing, that hardly cost anything, but I know it made a big impact on the girls. Who knows if they ever would have had the opportunity to do something like this outside of the being part of the Tutoring Center. Most of their parents do not have the luxury of free time to be able to play with their kids, let alone take them downtown to the park. Once again, I am reminded, that the most valuable thing I have to offer to these girls is my time. It's not any fancy training or programing I can bring; it's just me being available and part of the loving community we all need in order to grow into the individuals God created us to be.




We all had an amazing time together laughing and sharing life. We wished we could have stayed longer, but the girls had to get back for school in the afternoon. We will definitely be doing more outings like this in the future.

Cedula!!!

Over a year and half after turning in all of my immigration paperwork, I finally have my Costan Rican ID card (cedula)!!!! It has been a long process, but I think worth it. I'm told when it comes time to renew my residency in two years, the process should be much easier. Let's hope so!

The California Express

A few weekends ago I was blessed with the opportunity, thanks to some very generous friends, to fly to California in order to celebrate the marriage of a good friend from college. It was speedy trip; in less than four days, I visted seven to nine cities, depending on how you're counting. Regarldess of the rapid pace, it was a wonderful time with friends, filled with laughter, eating, dancing, and late nights. Thanks to flexible friends, I was even able to squeeze in a few hours with family. Bryton wanted to know if I was staying until our family vacation to Tahoe in June. Sadly, no, but at least I got to eat dinner with them and put the girls to bed.

Reading Groups

Shortly after opening the Tutoring Center, we realized many of our students greatly struggled in the area of reading, which was impeding all other areas of learning. When there are a lot of kids at the center, it's difficult to take the time to sit and teach the basic concepts of reading to a student who needs one-on-one attention. The most obvious solution to us, was to start reading groups based on students' level of abilities. This in turn, would allow us to provide more focused, customized attention to each student in order to help expedite their learning. We thought it was a great idea. Parents seemed excited. Wonderful!

No one came.

Almost a year later, after having a consistent group of struggling readers come every Tuesday and Thursday morning, we decided to try again. We made invitations, talked with moms, recruited extra help, and everyone was excited. We decided to keep it during normal tutoring time on Tuesday mornings since the students were already faithfully coming then.

First Tuesday, not a single student, not even for regular tutoring. But they all showed up the next afternoon, with no clear explanation for why they hadn't come the day before.

Second Tuesday, the majority of students showed up, though many were late. The kids seemed to really enjoy the reading activities and individualized attention.

Third Tuesday, two students came, but only because they had test to study for. The rest came in the afternoon or the next day. Again, with no reason or apparent concern regarding their absence.

It's hard not to be frustrated at this point. We have put a lot of effort into planning and preparing these lessons and activities in order to help our students develop the skills they need to succeed in school. Many of these kids are several grade levels behind. On the surface, parents and students seem very excited about what we are doing, but for some reason they don't take full advantage of it. I know there could be a million reasons culturally, economically, even spiritually, why the kids aren't coming; but it's hard to know how to proceed. Do we keep planning and waiting to see who shows up? Do we try to develop something different? Are students not coming because of something we are (or are not) doing? Is there something we are not seeing? These are all questions I have. This is where development work gets more complicated than just helping kids. I know I value reading, and I know the community values it as well. But the way those values are pursued and to what extent they are held, varies greatly. I don't want to just force my community to learn to read my way. I want them to be able to discover a love for reading that reflects their own pursuits and values. Knowing how to provide the opportunity to do that is challenging. Learning how to see past my own biasis and way of thinking is difficult. But in doing so, I know that I can learn from community as well. They have many valuable things to teach me. It may not be the specific skills of reading, but it could be just as vital. God has made each one of us with something of value to share, regardless of where we live, how much money or education we have, what language we speak, or what we look like. I pray that through this humbling (and at times frustrating) experience I can be open to receive, as well as, to give to my community.

Girl Time!

Ever since our trip to Leaves and Lizards last year I've been toying around with the idea of starting a girls' group- a special time for the older girls in the tutoring center. I wanted to create a time where the girls could be kids instead of mini-moms, a time where we could talk about the decisions and pressures they're facing, a time where I could pour into them letting them know how truly special they are. In Costa Rica 7th-12th grade are all part of high school. As most individuals take longer than 6 years to complete those grades, it is quite common to have 12 year olds and 21 year olds on the same campus. As you can imagine this can lead to all kinds of problems, especially with young girls being swept up by much older guys. Sadly this is not at all uncommon.

As I look at my older girls at the Tutoring Center, I want them to be able to go into high school with not only the educational tools they need to succeed, but also to be grounded in who they are in Christ. I want them to realize they have a community of people here to support them and go to when they need help.

This last week was our first club. I brought in fresh flowers and special coffee mugs from my house to make the Tutoring Center feel more homey. Erin made delicious chocolate, chocolate cookies. The girls were super excited! A couple girls couldn't come this week because of things going on at school, but we decided to start anyway. I often let myself get so caught up in creating the perfect situation where everyone can attended, that we never end up having the said event. I didn't want that to happen with the girls' group. I'm still don't know how everything is going to unfold, but that's okay. On Friday I realized the most important things about this group is just spending time with the girls and listening to them. After our club time officially ended, I was waiting for Jeff Dixon and visitors to come by and ended up spending nearly another 2 hours just hanging out with the girls, talking about what life was like in their neighborhood. In some ways this time may have been even more impactful than our morning of playing games, eating cookies, and decorating journals. I pray that God will use all our time together to build into these girls in order that they will know just how special they really are.



The invitation for the girls.


Coffee and Cookie Time! Erin Janzen is helping with the Girl Group, which is a huge blessing.


Decorating journals. (L to R) Erin, Alicia, Hazel, and Catalina

Los Mendoza Sotos

If you've been following this blog for awhile, you've probably notice there are two girls who are frequently in pictures and posts regarding the Tutoring Center: Alicia and Catalina. These two have been the most faithful attendants of the Tutoring Center since the beginning.




Alicia and Catalina come from a big family who's parents immigrated from Nicaragua, which is typical for Los Guido. But there are many things that set them a part from the average family here in Los Guido. All six of the kids share the same father and mother, who are still together. Both parents have steady jobs in construction and cleaning. This is good for the family income, but leaves the kids at home alone from 5am till 6 or 7pm. Another thing that makes this family different is a strong value of education. Despite the fact several of the kids have learning disabilities and Mom has no free time, she continues to push her kids to do well in school, never allowing dropping out to be an option.


This family is very dear to me, and I have been praying for them a lot. Even though there are many things that set them apart from the average family in Los Guido, they face many of the same daily obstacles of poverty: the struggle to financially support a big family, safe play areas for the kids, support in school, positive role models, and most importantly emotional and spiritual support for each member of their family.


Alica, Catalina and Belkys on our trip to Leaves and Lizard

Shortly after Alicia and Catalina started coming to the Tutoring Center, they also started coming to Sunday school at the church. Then they brought their younger siblings, Roger and Marjorie; and then their older sisters, Hazel and Belkys.


Catalina and Marjorie decorating cookies for Thanksgiving


Roger working on his key holder during our vacation workshops

At the beginning of this year Giannina, the pastora, and I were able to visit Darling (Mom) on one of her few days off. During our visit she expressed a strong desire to be part of a fellowship of believers, but she doesn't have much time and didn't think her husband would support it. Giannina encouraged her to come just once a month to the women's meeting so she could be supported by other moms in the community. Today Giannina told me that Darling has been coming to every women's meeting for the last month. Also, over Semana Santa, she came with all of her kids to every activity the church had. Darling and her family no longer are isolated. They can be encouraged and supported in all aspects of life by this family of believers.


My prayer is that as we continue to support kids educationally and reach out to their whole family, we will see God transform their lives and break the bonds of poverty and isolation in all aspects of their (and our) lives.