el puro fin

Well, I'm back. In fact, I'm sitting in my very own bed! Now let me fill you in on the last two weeks....

After leaving Lily and Melvin's house Tuesday, July 28, I went and stayed with Anita and Benito for two days in their house about thirty minutes outside of Tirrases. Anita is a Peruvian missionary who has been working on the re-structuring and development of Capilla for five years. A little less than a year ago, she married Benito, who grew up in Tirrases and Capilla, but has worked his way out of poverty and is now an engineer working for the government. My stay at their house was honestly a bit awkward, but it gave me a really nice time to relax, get some good sleep, and talk to them about missions. I even got to watch CNN in English (cable TV) and go out to dinner!

Finally, on Thursday I moved in with my last family: Victor Hugo, Kattia, Keren (9), and Yurvik (6). I already knew this family pretty well, and they have hosted a number of people from our church before, so it was very easy and comfortable from the beginning. Although they are basically on the same level financially with the majority of Tirrases (currently, due to a real estate deal gone wrong), it was infinitely easier for me to relate to them than any of the other families I have been with. Kattia had four years of university education and was a teacher before the children were born, and Hugo went to accounting school, is the sales manager of a trucking parts company, and travels in the U.S. and Central America often, which shows me even more clearly that the majority of the differences I have seen between the people and churches of Tirrases and those of middle-class America are not cultural but due to socio-economic level and education. The ease with which I was able to relate to Kattia and Victor, and their ability to see Tirrases from an outside perspective was extremely valuable for my last two weeks, but also made me realize how hard it has actually been for me to relate to the very poor people of Tirrases and Concepcion. It makes me sad to understand that, although I can share in their lives, I cannot enter into their struggle - I have never been poor. I have never felt the desperation or hopelessness that plagues so many of my friends in these communities, and due to the safety net enjoyed by the wealthy, I most likely never will. Sometimes this leaves me feeling guilty and helpless, but it also leaves me feeling hopeful knowing that I can nevertheless pray for them in the knowledge that Jesus can and has entered into their struggles.

Saturday I was able to spend a night and day with the family I stayed with when I came to Tirrases as a senior in high school (Marlene, Michelle - 13, Edier - 10). I was happy to be able to spend some time with them because I haven't seen them much over the past months, but left sad because all three seemed to be depressed and still struggling very much with the absence of their father/husband who left them almost four years ago. I also went with them and the youth group of another church on an afternoon trip to Palmares, which is a nice little town out in the country. I met and visited with quite possibly the nicest woman I have ever met - I still don't even know her name or why I was at her house (I normally just nod and go where everyone else does...), but after talking to her for about twenty minutes over a cup of coffee, I would absolutely come back to Costa Rica just to spend a week in her house (sadly, I don't think this would be possible because I still don't know who she was...).

Sunday (Aug 1) was the clean-up/work day in Concepcion, and one of my favorite experiences of the entire summer. The objective of the morning was to clean the trash and sewage out of the gutters and sidewalks of the main street in Concepcion as well as to plant some trees along the side of the street. he most exciting part of the day was seeing so many neighbors finally emerge from the oppressive darkness, dampness, and lonliness of their houses to help clean not only the areas in front of their own houses, but all along the main street where we were working as well as the areas of town that we had not even planned to work in. I also loved being able to plant the trees. The metaphor behind planting the small little trees in the midst of rocks, trash, and sewage, putting stakes up around them to support them, and watering them to help them grow could not be missed. So similarly is God using this tiny church to plant His seeds in the hardened hearts of the people of Concepcion, placing loving brothers and sisters in their lives to support and defend them, and watering them with his Word. One of my favorite images of the day was seeing kids run into their houses to get cups of water and follow behind us watering the little trees we had just planted in front of their houses. It showed their excitement to have something living and growing in their neighborhood, as well as their acceptance of the church and what it was doing.

That Wednesday night when we were leaving Carmen, Mauro's 1985 no-brand station wagon finally bit the dust. We pushed it up and down the hills of Carmen until about 11 pm when it miraculously revived. I was shocked, assuming that after 34 years of faithful service, Pichidilo (the mission wagon's name) had finally gone to be with the Lord, but I was the only one. Everyone else had been fully confident that our prayers to revive Pichidilo would be answered with a resounding "YES!", and the were right! On our way back to Tirrases, exhausted and still unsure that if we let up the gas Pichidilo would keep running, we passed another group of people pushing their car. Not thinking about whether or not stopping would keep us from making it back to Tirrases, Mauro stopped, turned around, and pushed their car to where they could coast home. I have not seen a more clear example of a Good Samaritan story in a long time. Nine-year-old Keren had decided to come with us to Concepcion and Carmen that day - she was a trooper through it all and by the end, everyone was sure she would soon be a missionary. In fact, through watching the way she un-reservedly loved the dirty kids she had never met, I was convinced that kids make the best missionaries, and reminded that we must become like them. On Friday Mauro, Keren and I went out into the street in Concepcion with some jump ropes and chalk, and before we knew it we had twenty kids playing with us. Almost all of those kids showed up to church on Sunday. I wish that I had had the freedom to do more of that throughout the summer.

Sunday was my last service both in Concepcion and at Capilla, and the beginning of a very long goodbye process. I brought fruit and ice cream to serve after the service in Concepcion as a way of celebrating all that they are doing, and was excited to share it with a much larger crowd than normal! Monday and Tuesday I went to visit several families to say goodbye (and was fed at each one.... most certainly adding to the extra pounds with which I've returned.), and early Wednesday morning Kattia, Victor, Keren, Yurvik, and Raquel drove me to the airport and sent me on my way!

I had almost all day in various airports Wednesday to re-adjust to speaking English, warm water in the bathrooms, and the ever-available supply of food. I have to admit that I like sleeping in houses with walls that reach the ceiling, my mother's cooking, and being able to walk down the street without being automatically noticed as someone who does not belong. But as I sat in the Atlanta airport, at last surrounded by people who look and talk like me, I had the weird realization that I do not feel completely at home here in the United States anymore. I am thankful for that - I am thankful that I learned enough from the poor this summer to not feel completely at home with the rich. Moreover, I know that I will never feel completely at home in this world, because it is not my home, and I am thankful for that.

I cannot thank each one of you enough for your prayers and support for me this summer. I know this is an experience that I have not even completely understood myself yet, and it is something that I will continue to learn from for many, many years to come. I hope that as I begin to be able to put into words some of the things I have learned and am learning, I will continue to be able to share that with you, so keep your eyes peeled in the next few days and weeks for more updates here. Thanks again... lots of great, big American love!

hold your horses.

Sorry it´s been a while since the last update... things have been busy around here lately and I haven´t been able to get to the internet long enough to update the blog. Know that things have been great over the last two weeks, and I´m looking forward to a great last few days. I promise I´ll give a full review of the last few weeks and a look back on my time here in general soon after I get home on Wednesday!

starting to see the end....

Well, my time left here has become short enough that there isn´t enough of it to do all the things I want to do and see all the people I want to see. Realizing that it was not long ago that my time here seemed to stretch out before me like an eternal rainy Saturday, I know that God has been good. Tomorrow I leave Lili and Melvin´s house to spend 2 days with Anita and Adrian (Anita is a Peruvian missionary who works at Capilla, and they live about 30 minutes away.), and Thursday I will move in with Katia and Victor Hugo, my last family. I will miss Lili, Melvin, and Yaritza. I will not miss my mousy friends.

The three days I spent at the beach were great - I came back relaxed and with new perspective on the things I have been seeing and experiencing in my houses, in church, in the streets, etc. I went with a good friend from abroad who is here working with Young Life, as well as the two other Americans she works with. They have shared some similar experiences, so it was great to be able to talk about those and process a bit of what we´re learning.

Funniest part of the week: talent show at the church. So. Hilarious. Just try to imagine a wonderful, 5-hour mixture of interpretive dance, miming, flag twirling, and prophetic singing.

Sad to report that I did not go to Harry Potter. I found out that it was in English, which of course made me want to go more, but realized I would have to sneak out of Tirrases at night by myself (not the wisest of night activities) in order to see it, because a lot of people here are not bug HP fans, to say the least. New viewing date: earliest showing August 13th (that is an open invitation.)

Please pray...
-for Joana and José and their children Francela, Emerson, and Josua, one of the families that is new to the church in Concepcion. They are out of work and don´t have much food, which has driven Joana and the kids to God, but José away from Him. Due to the stress, the parents are on the brink of separating, and the kids are suffering a lot as a result.
-that the service day that we are having in Concepsion this Sunday (cleaning up trash, planting trees) will be received well by the community.
-that I will begin to be able to process what I am learning while still being present and available here.

Hope all is well with everyone... much love from down south!

Vamos a la Playa!

I´m going to the beach tomorrow for three whole days of hot water in a real shower, speaking English with good friends, and no mice in my room, ants in my food, or cockroaches in the bathroom. It sounds a lot like Heaven....

This week has been full of exciting events, some of which have already been reported. I´ve still been in Concepsión a lot, and am getting to know the people there almost better than the people at Capilla. I went to a youth vigil at Capilla Saturday night and gave a talk at about 2 am. If you are thinking that something seems not wrong about that statement, you are absolutely right. 1. I don´t NOT sleep. Ever. 2. I don´t speak Spanish early in the morning or late at night. Personal rule. When I´m tired, my Spanish skills are the first to go. BUT, by the grace of God, I hopefully gave my first and last 2 am Spanish devotional. Also, yesterday I went to a 5-hour baby shower for the grandson of Doña Julia. That was definitely one of those surreal, ¨wait, is this really my life?¨ moments, but I really enjoyed it.

My new family is so great. In the house are Lili and Melvin and their 7-year-old daughter Yaritza as well as Lili´s dad Guillermo, who is recovering from a stroke. (sidenote: conversations with an old, only-half-there, Costa Rican man about ¨Groomer Has It¨, hit new Animal Planet series about psycho dog groomers, is something I wish all of yall could have the opportunity to experience. Not many things could be funnier.) They treat me like an actual queen, which sometimes makes me feel guilty, but I´ve decided to live it up.

Hope no one has melted from the heat up there... I am enjoying eternal spring here with sunny days in the mid-seventies!

Prayer Requests:
-For safety on the beach trip.
-Denis, my friend who´s wife left him a little over a week ago. He has basically dropped off the face of the Earth after his wife left, and no one knows what´s going on or where he is.
-The land where they hold services on Sundays in Concepcion is also where they want to build a church. The owner has refused to sell it once in the past, but Mauro is going back to talk to her again this week to see if she will sell. Pray that that meeting will go well and that they will be able to purchase the land, the first step in building a church.

mid-week happenings

1. Today I went to the beach with Flori and family. They brought the rice and beans, just in case you were worried that I would go a meal without them. And we saw a very large iguana, but don´t worry it was dead.

2. I moved houses Tuesday and my new housemates are hilarious. What is not so hilarious is the amount of mice in the house. Good news: I´ve only seen one in my bedroom.

halfway there (oo-ooh)

Can´t belive I only have four weeks left! Can´t believe I have four weeks left.

God has blessed me this past week in so many ways. I have been able to really get involved in the church in Concepsion. Although I am still just observing and not doing anything exactly, I have built some strong relationships there and have been blessed by what I have seen there. I also had the opportunity to spend some time with some American friends who are here working with Young Life. It was so good to speak English, share stories, compare experiences, etc. Lastly, I spent some time talking with a (sort of) missionary couple from Capilla. Carlos has grown up in Tirrases and Capilla, but his wife Anita is a Peruvian missionary who has been working here at Capilla for the past five years. It was really encouraging to talk to someone with a half-in/half-out perspective on life in Tirrases as well as what it means to be a missionary.

As I´ve built stronger relationships and gotten more deeply involved in the church, I have seen more needs that I can´t meet. It is hard to be here and not really be able to do anything for all of my friends who are struggling to put food on the table. God has opened up a few small opportunities for me to help by simply providing a meal here and there, but the need still seems overwhelming and pushes me to trust in God´s provision not only for me but also for my friends here.

In light of that, I am asking for prayers for all of the members of the church without work. At the Thursday night service, all the men without work were called up and prayed over, and it pains me to see the fathers of so many of the kids who have befriended me without means of putting food on the table. Specifically, pray for Cynthia and Pedro, the first family I stayed with, who have been without work for about 4 months now. Also pray for Daniel, a teenager involved in the church in Concepsion, who had to drop out of school last week to look for work, and who now feels on the verge of insanity due to the pressure to provide for his family. Finally, pray for Denis, a man who, along with his family, took me in from the beginning and really made me feel welcome. Less than a week after losing his car (as a taxi driver, this means he also lost his job), his wife kicked him out of the house.

I am moving houses tomorrow morning, and I have every reason to assume it´s back to cold water and no cable TV, but I am really excited to get to know another family and neighborhood. I am also not going to miss Doña Julia´s insistance that I iron my t-shirt before I leave the house.

Hope all is well... miss you all!

P.S. I am debating whether I should risk ruining Harry Potter 6 by going to see it in spanish or hold out for when I get back (this would be the first time I have ever NOT seen the newest Harry Potter movie on its opening day.) Opinions appreciated.

In the thick of things.

I cant believe it´s already been a week since my last blog update... time is certainly beginning to fly! After returning from my 24-hour respite in San José, I moved houses. I am now living with Doña Julia, an older woman who lives in an apartment below her daughter´s house. She is very lonely, and absolutely loves having me in her house. She also clearly misses having her children around, as she is always insisting that I eat all that´s on my plate, take a nap, iron my shirt before leaving the house, not sit too closely to the TV, etc. By Tirrases standards, her apartment is extremely nice. It is in a quiet part of town, has all tile floors, warm-ish water, and cable TV in my room! It is a huge leap from the last house I stayed in, and is quite certainly spoiling me for the rest of my time here... but right now, I´m not complaining. I´ve gotten into a nice routine - my days have begun to look something like this:
-After waking up with the roosters about 5 and spending an hour or two trying to convince myself I can sleep through the noise, I begrudgingly get up and get ready for the day. I usually spend a lot of the morning reading or going to the internet cafe in Curridabat, a larger town nearby.
-Lunches and afternoons are usually spent with other families who have invited me to spend some time with them. There is one woman named Flori who (along with her family) has taken a liking to me and call me everyday to see if I am free to come over. I have been teaching her a little bit of English in exchange for the coffee and bread she gives me every day!
-Almost every night, I have some sort of activity at the church. For example, this past week I went to an intercessory prayer meeting/Bible Study, a children´s dance practice, a worship service, a women´s meeting/prayer service, a youth service, and church in Concepsion.

After talking to Mauro, the pastor of the church plant in Concepsion, I am going to be going with him out there about 4 times a week. I want to describe a little bit of what this town is like: Unlike Tirrases, the streets in Conce are quiet and people are really only out and about on this one corner that is quite obviously where the drugs are bought and sold. You can feel the hopelessness the minute you step outside. Although the town is obviously poorer that Tirrases, the more noticeable difference is that everyone is just so very hopeless. Mauro has told me that two different churches have tried to set up shop their in the past 10 years or so, but that both felt it was a lost cause and left the people high-and-dry. Every week, Iglesia Biblica Monte de Dios meets under a tent set up in an empty lot on the side of a mountain overlooking all of San José with about 20-30 attendees. With microphones and loud speakers, Mauro quite literally shouts the hope of the gospel from the mountain-top. He is clearly in it for the long haul, and his vision for this place is amazing: he wants to buy this lot where they hold services and build a real, live church complete with a cafeteria to serve children breakfast and lunch. He also wants to build a soccer field and basketball court to give the people an escape from the world of drugs. Other people have also expressed their hope to see a home for the elderly and a drug rehab facility. I am praying that I will be able to be of real use to him there.

This week, please pray for the following:
-For the church and people in Conce, and for the time I will spend there.
-For Doña Julia, the woman with whom I am staying right now. She is very lonely, and clearly plagued by depression. However, she has begun to make some connections with women at the church since I´ve been in her house, and I pray that these relationships will build and give her some respite from her loneliness.
-That I will allow God to steer me towards His purpose for my time here.

Back-tracking

Whew... I just sent the Advent group on their way back to Alabama and am spending the day and night in a hotel in San Jose to catch my breath. Best part: not the comfortable bed, TV, room service, Americans, or even hot water, but the FREE INTERNET! So, now that I can catch you all up for real, might as well start from the beginning.

I finally arrived here in Tirrases on Saturday, June 13th. The family that I was staying with is really amazing - the parents are Pedro and Cynthia, and they have three daughters, Paola (12), Joselin(9), and Jenanni(1.5). Their house is small but clean, and close to the church, which was very good. The girls were so excited for me to be there, so they kept me entertained for the first few days. But, to be honest, those first few days were difficult. There were times when I was so happy to be there, but there were times when I didn't know how I was going to handle cold showers and living in a house the size of my room for the summer. The hardest thing was that I didn't know anyone, and couldn't go anywhere alone, so I was basically under house arrest. There were times when I found myself wondering what in the world I was doing there. But I started to get more involved with some activities at the church, especially with the kids, and towards the end of the week I started doing a lot with Pastor John and Raquel to get ready for the Advent group, so I stayed pretty busy. Things definitely got better every day, but I was still really looking forward to seeing people I knew!

So, the group got here on Monday, June 22nd. In the mornings, we worked on building a new playground and did some other random work around the church. Wednesday afternoon, we went to visit Concepsion, which is the town in which Capilla has planted a small house church. Being there sort of restored my purpose and reminded me why I had come in the first place. This town is so very depressed by poverty and so many drugs, and very few people have heard the good news of the Gospel. The kids were amazing to watch as they went door to door talking to people about Jesus. I got to know Mauro, the pastor who lives in Tirrases but works in Concepsion, and a few teenagers who are part of the church there. I hope to continue to work with them throughout the summer. That night, Cameron and I went with Mauro to another town close to Concepsion called Carmen. There, the small church of Cocepsion has planted an even smaller church. There is one family of believers who have donated the use of their house, and there are a few people who come to the meetings who are either interested in Christianity or are new believers. While we were there, one man became a Christian, he being the fourth to accept Christ during one of those meetings.

Thursday afternoon, Don John and I led the group around San Jose for a nice little break in the middle of the week, and that night we went to the service at Capilla. Friday, we played a huge game of soccer with tons of people from the church, and later played with the kids for a while. Saturday was spent relaxing on a beautiful beach on the Pacific coast (photos to come...) and de-briefing a little. Sunday morning we were back in Concepsion for the outdoor service they hold in an empty lot. Cameron preached and I translated... something I was convinced I could not do. I'll let you know soon how many people now believe God hates them as a result of my translation skills. Yesterday afternoon and this morning were filled with tearful goodbyes on all parts, but it is so clear that these students were such a blessing to the community, even more than the community was to them.

Tomorrow I'll be back to "normal life" in Tirrases. I'm moving into a new house tomorrow when I get back - I believe it is with an older woman who is maybe living alone (clearly I'm not exactly sure). I am really excited to get to know another family and neighborhood. I'm also excited about getting to know better the people I have met - both in Tirrases and Concepsion.

Some prayer requests:
-My first family, Cynthia and Pedro: they are both without work, save the income Cynthia makes from painting a few people's nails a week, and over the past week they seemed to be becoming a little desperate. Pray that Pedro will find work, and that they Lord will provide for them.
-That the works started during the Advent group's work both in Tirrases and Concepsion will be carried forth into fruition.
-That I will continue to be safe during my time here, and that I will even be protected from having to worry about my safety.
-That I will continue to seek God's purpose for me here.

I miss you all and send so much love from down south!!

Costa Rica Update 6.20.09

Hello dear friends! Sorry for the lack of real updates, but I´ve been having a bit of trouble getting to internet cafes. Things are going well - the first few days have been a little bit up and down, but getting better every day. I am so excited to have the EYC group here on Monday, and will certainly give a long and full update after they leave the following Monday. For now, here are some prayer requests:

-for the EYC trip: for safety, and that each student is pushed into a new understanding of God´s love and grace.
-That I continue to make connections with people here in Tirrases and that God continues to reveal his purpose for me here.
-That God will continue to develop my language skills so that I will be better equipped to do His work.