It's the simple things

A refreshing Saturday morning.

Sunshine.
A cup of coffee.
A book of poetry.
Laundry on the line.

"Prayer is waking up to the presence of God no matter where I am or what I am doing.

When I am fully alert to whatever or whoever is right in front of me; when I am electrically aware of the tremendous gift of being alive; when I am able to give myself whooly to the moment I am in, then I am in prayer."

~ Barbara Brown, An Altar in the World

Chapati and Hip-Hop

With the start of summer teams, we've had a great influx of wonderful people willing to share their gifts and talents with us at the Tutoring Center. Both groups, so far, have been a great help in the day-to-day activities of the Center-- tutoring kids, directing craft time, and playing incessant games of tag during "recess".

They have also been extremely generous in sharing their special talents with us during Girls' Group. Last week, Praise, who's family is originally from the southern part of India, taught us to make chapati while sharing about the culture and custom of her home country. The girls had lots of great questions about the country they initially had difficulty locating on a map. Through listening to Praise share, the girls learned that something are the same no matter where in the world you live. And they loved making and eating the chapati. It was a great learning and growing experience for all of us.

This week we in Girls' Group we're having a hip-hop class lead by Amy, our great intern. I can't wait!!!



Naomi, Atalia, Amy, and Praise cooking up the chapati.



Deborah, carefully rolling out her bread. I think she spent 15 minutes just trying to get the perfect shape.


Ready to enjoy the finished product!

Goodbye, Blake

Earlier this month, the inevitable came to pass- Blake had to return to California to finish university. While I knew it was coming, it was still incredibly sad to have to say goodbye to him. Being able to share life in Costa Rica over this past year, has been such an amazing blessing. He is the bridge that connects my two worlds, that some often seem not to touch--the States and Costa Rica. Blake is someone who continues to inspire me in the way he lives his life--serving and loving others, laughing and appreciating the small gifts in life, questioning the status-quo, and not settling for mediocre. Thank you, Blake for sharing your life with us. Costa Rica will never be the same for it.

Carrying on our family tradition of Saturday morning pancakes


Celebrating Maria's birthday at one of our favorite restaurants


Shenanigans in the kitchen with Cailah


The kids at the Center loved having Blake around. In addition to being a great teacher, he really brought out the kids' personality.


Blake and I had a long list of thing we wanted to explore while he was here. We finally made it to my favorite coffee shop, during his last week here.

A Special Visit!

This last week was Holy Week, which meant most things were closed for a week of rest, reflection, and time with friends and family. We followed suit at the Tutoring Center, except for one special event on Wednesday--Cafecito with Leah!
Leah, my dear friend and our assistant teacher from last year, came to pay us a visit during her Spring Break. The kids were so excited to see her. They haven't stopped asking about her since she left last December, wondering when she's going to come back to visit. During her time living here Leah made a big impact in our kids' lives through consistently loving them in a myriad of ways--intently listening to their silly stories, patiently working on reading syllable for the 20th time, and developing creative art projects each week. It feels like she is still here with us. On Tuesday when we started back to the normal classes at the Center, several of the kids couldn't understand why Leah wasn't there, why she had to go back to her job in the States. One child said, "But she belongs here." I agree. Thank you Leah for a wonderful week.


Leah and a few of the kids


Leah and I went to the beach for a few days. It was great time of relaxing and catching up on each other's lives. It was a really refreshing week!

Tropical Weather and Scarves

Even though Costa Rica is far from being a cool climate area, scarfs are big deal. When the weather drops below 60 F, everyone breaks out their winter wear. The girls in Tutoring Center have been asking me to teach them how to crochet so they could make their own scarves. Unfortunately, back in college when everyone was learning how to crochet scarves and beanies, I was too busy studying in the library or cooking Family Dinner. So week after week, I have to keep telling the girls, "Sorry, I know you think I know how to do everything, but I don't know how to crochet." But then I had a great idea.

In Girls' Group we've been talking about how we can share the talents and interest God has given us in order to better our community. To help get us started, I invited my friend and fellow staff member, Maria, to share with us her talent of crocheting. The girls were so excited! The plan was for Maria to come once and teach us the basic stitch. But the girls are so in to it, we're doing a whole series. Right now crochet-floral hair clips are all the rage. Maria is teaching them how to make this cute barrettes for themselves or to give as gifts to their friends. Some girls even talk about selling them once they get really good. The materials needed are cheap and easy to get, so it's a great pastime for the girls. By the time the temperature starts dropping again, the girls will be able to make beautiful scarves in all their favorite colors.




(L to R) Maria, Lisbeth, Yendry, Stefania, and Cindy


Shawdin, Yurly, Cata, and Deborah all deeply concentrated on practicing their first stitches. It was great to see the girls helping teach or re-explain it, as some learned faster than others.


Alicia, trying to figure out which side of the yarn the needle is supposed to go.

Thank you Maria for sharing your gifts with us and having patience as we learn!

Birthday!

My birthday was a couple weeks ago, and it was a memorable day full of special times with many of the people I really love.

The day started off early with breakfast with the Viejitas. Blake managed the morning session all by himself, so I could spend most of the morning with the girls. Thank you Blake!



For lunch, Blake and I headed to the park in the community next to Los Guido in order to enjoy some of the beautiful sunshine. It always feels like such a treat to "go out" for lunch.


Later that night we all dressed up and headed to dinner at an old Spanish mansion that has been converted into a delicious Moroccan Restaurant. One of my friends gave me the great idea of starting a list of things I want to do before my next birthday. One of the items on my list is try 5 new restaurants in San Jose. This was a definite winner!





Thank you to everyone who made my day special from both near and far!!!

Las Viejitas

In attempt to continue the special relationship with the girls who have been part of Girls Group for the last year, I've started a special morning tradition with them. One day week, we all come early and make breakfast together. It's less formal than the normal Girls Group that is open to all the girls of the Tutoring Center, but allows me space to continue to carefully pour into their lives and listen to their stories. I have seen so much growth in these girls' lives over the past year. It is so encouraging to see them grow confident in the young women God has made them to be and to realize how special they are to their Creator. It makes all the difference in every other aspect of their lives. These girls have become the leaders of the Center. It blesses me so much to watch them reach out to the new girls and set an example for everyone else in the Center. In order to not confuse ourselves too much, we decided this special group of girls needed their own title. I call them The Viejitas, the Old Ladies, which makes the girls laugh almost every time, given that the oldest one is only 14. But it is a reminder that the are setting an example for the younger/new members of the Tutoring Center. The Viejitas have a special wisdom and experience to share with the rest, and they are doing a great job of rising to the position.

Lala writing out the recipe for Coffee Cake. Every week we learn a new recipe. The girls have even tried out a few of the recipes with their families.



There is always plenty of laughter while cooking together.




The girls typically hangout in the kitchen for the rest of the morning while I go and help Blake run the morning session of tutoring. They love having a safe space to just hangout with their friends.




And they always leave the kitchen spotless. It's amazing!