Some of our students before the game
Josh, Aiyla, and me
Our students after the game. Despite the final score, they had a great time!
The Pharisee and the Tax Collector
10 years ago
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Costa Rica 3--USA 1
On Wednesday night we surprised the team and took them to the World Cup qualifier game between Costa Rica and the US. They were ecstatic!!! We sat way up in the nosebleed section, but you still had a great view of the field since the stadiums are built straight up. We couldn’t see the rows below us, just the field. And if you ever tried to stand still, you could feel the stadium, swaying beneath your feet. I decided it was better to just jump with the crowd.
Some of our students before the game
Josh, Aiyla, and me
Our students after the game. Despite the final score, they had a great time!
Some of our students before the game
Josh, Aiyla, and me
Our students after the game. Despite the final score, they had a great time!
First in the City
After many hugs and a few tears our first group of students here in the city flew home yesterday. They were a great group to initiate the student part of SI Costa Rica. Everyone was flexible and excited to be working and praying alongside us as we are developing ministry sites. To give you an idea of what the week looked like here is schedule for a typical day. The team was staying at a hostel about 15 minutes away.
8:30 Meet the team at the Park in order to catch the bus up to Los Guido
9-12:30 Hangout with the kids at the Guardaria: One day we made cookies, a brand-new experience for all of the kids. It was hilarious!
12:30-1:30 Eat lunch in a Soda run out of the front of a lady’s house in Los Guido
1:30 Take the bus back to the Dixon’s/SI office
2:45-4 ish Work on sorting books and getting things ready for the tutoring center
4:30 Get students back up to the Hostel
6pm dinner and/or nighttime activities with the team
After 9 head home, exhausted.
Needless to say, it was a busy week. Normal life kind of got put on hold. Hopefully in the future I will figure out a better way to balance everything and still get enough sleep ☺
Even though the week was jam-packed, I was greatly encouraged though having the students here. I loved watching them fall in love with the kids and in turn Costa Rica. It was great to be able to dialogue about the poverty and devastation they witnessed, and what our response should be. It’s easy for me to become discouraged by the oppressive poverty I witness everyday, but talking with the students reminded me that God is about transformation. This week I continually came back to Isaiah 61:1-4
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor.
They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.
There is a lot of devastation and despair in Los Guido and in many of our own lives. I know that God began to transform students’ lives this week, and I pray that He is doing the same in Los Guido as we continue to serve and love the community there.
Our next team comes in tomorrow, but they head out to the Jungle with Cailah and Jeremy for the first 5 days before coming back into the city. Please be praying for them and our staff, that God would be preparing all of our hearts. As a staff, we covet your prayers. We know that it is nothing we say or do on our own that is going to change the students or the community; true transformation only comes through Christ. Pray that we would allow God to work and speak through us, and that He would sustain us through this busy time.
Pictures!!!
Making Cookies at the Guardaria
An intense game of Uno. I think there were two different sets of rules :-)
Alex and some of her new friends at the Guardaria.
All the boys loved hanging out with Adam. It was great for them to have a positive male role model, even if it was only for a week.
Reading books with the kids at Club de Niños. This was probably my favorite even of the week. It was such a blessing to be able to watch all these kids having some sit and read with them. I daily experience I took for granted growing in my house.
8:30 Meet the team at the Park in order to catch the bus up to Los Guido
9-12:30 Hangout with the kids at the Guardaria: One day we made cookies, a brand-new experience for all of the kids. It was hilarious!
12:30-1:30 Eat lunch in a Soda run out of the front of a lady’s house in Los Guido
1:30 Take the bus back to the Dixon’s/SI office
2:45-4 ish Work on sorting books and getting things ready for the tutoring center
4:30 Get students back up to the Hostel
6pm dinner and/or nighttime activities with the team
After 9 head home, exhausted.
Needless to say, it was a busy week. Normal life kind of got put on hold. Hopefully in the future I will figure out a better way to balance everything and still get enough sleep ☺
Even though the week was jam-packed, I was greatly encouraged though having the students here. I loved watching them fall in love with the kids and in turn Costa Rica. It was great to be able to dialogue about the poverty and devastation they witnessed, and what our response should be. It’s easy for me to become discouraged by the oppressive poverty I witness everyday, but talking with the students reminded me that God is about transformation. This week I continually came back to Isaiah 61:1-4
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor.
They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.
There is a lot of devastation and despair in Los Guido and in many of our own lives. I know that God began to transform students’ lives this week, and I pray that He is doing the same in Los Guido as we continue to serve and love the community there.
Our next team comes in tomorrow, but they head out to the Jungle with Cailah and Jeremy for the first 5 days before coming back into the city. Please be praying for them and our staff, that God would be preparing all of our hearts. As a staff, we covet your prayers. We know that it is nothing we say or do on our own that is going to change the students or the community; true transformation only comes through Christ. Pray that we would allow God to work and speak through us, and that He would sustain us through this busy time.
Pictures!!!
Making Cookies at the Guardaria
An intense game of Uno. I think there were two different sets of rules :-)
Alex and some of her new friends at the Guardaria.
All the boys loved hanging out with Adam. It was great for them to have a positive male role model, even if it was only for a week.
Reading books with the kids at Club de Niños. This was probably my favorite even of the week. It was such a blessing to be able to watch all these kids having some sit and read with them. I daily experience I took for granted growing in my house.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Last Minute Trip Home
My grandma’s memorial service was planned for Memorial Day Weekend in Central California. Originally, I thought there was no way I could go (timing, funding, transportation, ect). Then things got moved around and suddenly I was free to go. I found a great deal on a last minute ticket and decided to fly back to California 3 days later. It was a whirlwind of a trip, but I am so thankful I was able to come back. It was wonderful to be able to share the weekend with family who I haven’t seen in years. We celebrated my grandma’s life through retelling countless memories we had shared with her and the influence she has been in our lives. It was a very special time, one I will always cherish. It was also great to see my siblings; I can’t believe how much they’ve changed in only 4 months! One of the hardest things about living in Costa Rica is knowing I’m missing out on so much of them growing up.
Even though I was in California for less than 4 days, I was still able to see a few friends. Thanks to some amazingly flexible and serving friends, I was able to spend some short bouts of quality time with several dear friends. (Thank you Roberts for hanging out at LAX for SO long, and Jon for driving me down in the middle of the night.) Even a few hours with good friends is so refreshing and encouraging to me. As time and distance makes it more challenging to maintain friendships, these are people who I really treasure in my life. I am thankful for their continuing presence in my life, even across the distance. I wish I could have seen everyone, but it was a VERY quick trip. I look forward to having more time at home at the end of the year.
Even though I was in California for less than 4 days, I was still able to see a few friends. Thanks to some amazingly flexible and serving friends, I was able to spend some short bouts of quality time with several dear friends. (Thank you Roberts for hanging out at LAX for SO long, and Jon for driving me down in the middle of the night.) Even a few hours with good friends is so refreshing and encouraging to me. As time and distance makes it more challenging to maintain friendships, these are people who I really treasure in my life. I am thankful for their continuing presence in my life, even across the distance. I wish I could have seen everyone, but it was a VERY quick trip. I look forward to having more time at home at the end of the year.
Lady Lilac
When I saw this car, I knew it was meant to be. How often does one get to drive a car in her favorite color, especially when her favorite color is purple? We bought the car last week from a super nice Costa Rican couple. Both of their kids are on staff with YWAM, so they were happy to see the car go to another home in ministry. Cailah did a great job learning to drive stick, and was ready to drive us home after only 15 minutes of practice. I was thoroughly impressed! Having a car will minimize the stress of many aspects of daily here in Costa Rica. For example, we no longer have to make the 20 minute walk to the grocery store in the rain, and we can easily get home from night events with the teams. We are very thankful for the blessing of having a car.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Two different 27's
We've now had two Club de Niños and they seem to be going really well. We have a space to hold Club for the afternoon group on the patio of one of the kid's house. It's definitely not as orderly, but we still have a good time. A lot of the kids we've been doing home visits and tutoring with come to the Club, so it's great to be able to continue to build relationships with them. To give you an idea the social structure of the community in Los Guido, I have a story to share from this Friday. (I promise to share pictures, soon)
Tracey and I are cutting papers and stickers getting ready for the afternoon group. A bunch of kids are hanging out with us and we are making casual conversation about school and family with the kids.
Carmen who is 16 years old, asks Tracey, "How old are you?
"I'm almost 30", Tracey replies.
"Oh, my mom is only 32 years old," states Carmen.
Mafe, who is the fourth of six kids, the oldest being in high school, turns to me,"How old are you?"
"Twenty-seven", I reply
"Oh, my mom is twenty-seven, too".
No response from me. How do you process that. My life, a single, 27 year old, with no kids, is completely foreign to them. Most of the kids can easily understand that I'm not married, since their mom's normally aren't either. And if there is an adult male living in the house, he's probably not their dad. But the kids really cannot grasp the fact that I don't have any children. My prayer for the girls we are building relationships with, is that they will have another option, that they will be able to break the destructive cycle. That they will have the option to be married to a faithful man and have children within that marriage, if they choose to.
Tracey and I are cutting papers and stickers getting ready for the afternoon group. A bunch of kids are hanging out with us and we are making casual conversation about school and family with the kids.
Carmen who is 16 years old, asks Tracey, "How old are you?
"I'm almost 30", Tracey replies.
"Oh, my mom is only 32 years old," states Carmen.
Mafe, who is the fourth of six kids, the oldest being in high school, turns to me,"How old are you?"
"Twenty-seven", I reply
"Oh, my mom is twenty-seven, too".
No response from me. How do you process that. My life, a single, 27 year old, with no kids, is completely foreign to them. Most of the kids can easily understand that I'm not married, since their mom's normally aren't either. And if there is an adult male living in the house, he's probably not their dad. But the kids really cannot grasp the fact that I don't have any children. My prayer for the girls we are building relationships with, is that they will have another option, that they will be able to break the destructive cycle. That they will have the option to be married to a faithful man and have children within that marriage, if they choose to.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Club de Niños
Tomorrow (Friday) is our first Club de Niños up in Los Guido. As part of our partnership with Food for the Hungry, Tracey and I are continuing the kids' club they have once a week before the church serves lunch for the kids in the community. Yesterday we went up and met a lot of the kids and invited them to the club. They all seemed pretty excited. Unfortunately because of the rotating school schedule, a lot of kids we talked to have class in the morning. We are trying to figure out a way to hold another session of the club after lunch for the kids who go to school in the morning. (Something you could be praying for) Over the past few weeks we've been working on curriculum and activities to share with the kids. I am really excited about our theme for the first 2 months-- Psalm 139, looking at all the aspects of how special God made each one of us. Many of these kids come from home situations where they don't get to hear how precious and special they really are. As a result, it affects almost every aspect of their lives: school, friends, life dreams, the way the treat others and themselves. I pray that through our time together, they can start to see themselves the way God created them.
How many resources does it take to plan a Bible lesson in your second language?
1. Children's Bible, English
2. NIV Bible, Spanish
3. Spanish/English Dictionary
4. 501 Spanish Verb, to look up all the subjunctive conjugations
5. Spanish textbook, to remember when to use subjunctive
6. Calendar
7. Notebook with ideas and notes
8. At least 4 different tabs open in Safari on my computer
9. Word document with actual curriculum
10. Lots of coffee!
How many resources does it take to plan a Bible lesson in your second language?
1. Children's Bible, English
2. NIV Bible, Spanish
3. Spanish/English Dictionary
4. 501 Spanish Verb, to look up all the subjunctive conjugations
5. Spanish textbook, to remember when to use subjunctive
6. Calendar
7. Notebook with ideas and notes
8. At least 4 different tabs open in Safari on my computer
9. Word document with actual curriculum
10. Lots of coffee!
Staff Planning Retreat
This past weekend all 11 of us crammed into 2 cars and took off for Tamarindo on the northern coast. Rainy season has begun, and thus we were able to score a great deal on the modern version of the Swiss Family Robinson Tree House. We saw monkeys and giant iguanas from the patio every morning. We had a great weekend planning, playing, cooking, and hanging out together. All the kids did great together, Cailah and Aiyla tried their feet at surfing, and we were able to brainstorm some great ideas for the summer teams that begin coming at the end of this month.
Everyone has their floaties
Unfortunately, on the way home we had a little car trouble.... The Dixon's car started making a high pitched noise and loosing speed. We pulled over on the side of the road, but couldn't figure out what the problem was. Luckily, Costa Rica has a great national car insurance company. They'll pay to tow your car to your mechanic no matter where you are, and they'll cover your taxi as well. Wonderful news, since we were still over 3 hours away from home! Luck for us, even though we were in the middle of nowhere, there was a little pulperia, run out of the front of someone's house. We bought water, and broke out our snacks and waited out the rain. Our taxi and tow truck arrived an hour or so later, but not before the lady next door kindly let us her bathroom. As we were leaving she told us be to be sure to stop by next time we head North. I love how open and hospitable people can be here!
The Car....
Waiting out the Storm
Everyone has their floaties
Unfortunately, on the way home we had a little car trouble.... The Dixon's car started making a high pitched noise and loosing speed. We pulled over on the side of the road, but couldn't figure out what the problem was. Luckily, Costa Rica has a great national car insurance company. They'll pay to tow your car to your mechanic no matter where you are, and they'll cover your taxi as well. Wonderful news, since we were still over 3 hours away from home! Luck for us, even though we were in the middle of nowhere, there was a little pulperia, run out of the front of someone's house. We bought water, and broke out our snacks and waited out the rain. Our taxi and tow truck arrived an hour or so later, but not before the lady next door kindly let us her bathroom. As we were leaving she told us be to be sure to stop by next time we head North. I love how open and hospitable people can be here!
The Car....
Waiting out the Storm
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