Exhausted and a bit discouraged

Exhausted because we had 26 people here for ABWE associated game night. We LOVE doing this!!! We host it every other Sunday night. It is a great time of informal fellowship and one of our gifts is hospitality. That's why we've had over 150 people in our home since we arrived here in Costa Rica. This is a missionary tradition that we hope and pray we can carry on in Chile.

This is just one of the groups we've had. This was a singles progressive dinner. We made the main course.

OK - on to the discouragement... As I posted earlier, we were SOOOO excited that our neighbors were planning to come with us to an evangelical marriage seminar. Well, because they are Catholic and their "boss" doesn't want them seen at an evangelical event, they can't go anymore. I was SOOO looking forward to that weekend. Ok - maybe I was hoping for them to hear the gospel directly and not have to really push it home myself, but now please pray that God 1. gives me the words to say to share HIS true plan of salvation 2. God gives us the right opportunities.

On the good side, Doug is going running with the husband "R" and I have NUMEROUS chances to sit and chat with the wife "J." In fact I had my first "Cafecito" their tica home.

Thankful Idiot

So, I'm basically doing an idependent study this trimester. I'm planning to work with a language partner, a tutor, and informal time attending a ladies Bible study each week. On Mondays and Fridays, I'm planning to meet with my language partner, Blanca. She has worked with students before and as I've requested will simply shake her head "no" when I mess up. This works well for me because I'll have the chance to really think about what I said wrong. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I'll have a tutor. Graciella is actually one of the professors from the institute who tutors outside of class for additional income. Then on Wednesdays, I'll begin to learn how to decifer the "background buzz" of Spanish conversation by attending a ladies Bible study that one of the ladies from our church has.



With all of these plans and things, I have to stay on top of my learning. Well, I was at our neighbors house and her son, age 6 and in kindergarden has this book that he read to me. It's basically a beginner's reader or learn to read type book. First it works on the sounds and then reading. Boy did I feel DUMB!!!


I didn't know half the words in the book. Sure I could pronounce them, but did I understand what they meant? NO!! NO!! NO!! So they loaned it to me. After getting over 15 small pages of new vocabulary words, I feel like a FULL ON IDIOT!!! 5 and 6 year old kids know these words and I don't. Therefore, I am thankful that I have this opportunity to learn this vocab, but still I feel like an idiot!

New perspective

Through the Institute, there is a program of linking "big brothers and sisters" with new incoming students. The big brothers and sisters have the responsibilities of securing a house for the incoming family, arranging transporation from the airport to their new home, and showing them around. We were big siblings to one couple in May, Joe and Heidi Depuy, who are also with ABWE and are going to Mexico City, but we had been made aware of another family even before we had left the states in December and had committed to help them out when they arrived. They arrived last Thursday. Travis and Emily Mitten, along with their 4 daughters arrived safe and sound and have begun to adjust to life here in Costa Rica. Emily is doing EXTREMELY well, expecially since this is her first time out of the US - except for Canada I think. We've been to the local "SuperWalMart," "Sam's Club," and mall.

Through all of this, I realize just how much Spanish Doug and I have truly learned since being here. On the flip side, I also have realized just how little I truly know. Words that one uses in everyday conversation just are not there. To discuss household chores is a chore. To discuss general life details is simple, but get into anything philisophical and I'm TOAST!!! I know in time that will come, but some days I just wish God could just flip a switch and there it would all be. Too bad I don't learn from Osmosis. I'd put my Spanish dictionary under my pillow at night! Oh, the effects of the Tower of Babel!!!

Clean Bill of Health

Well, I met with the doctor today and after many blood tests and analysis, I am at the right level of medication. I simply have to change when I take one of my pills, so as to spread out the hormon level throughout the day. Praise the Lord all is well!

I also have received clearance to visit Chile in November with the purpose of meeting with doctors and seeing the hospital where I would be taken care of to ensure and reasure me that I will have the care that I might need in the event of an emergency with Addison's disease. While there I will bring some things down to Chile so we don't have to transport them all over the states before finally getting them to Chile. This thankfully includes our beloved pet rabbit, Galatea. God is GOOD!!

Opportunities

God is SO good! We now have new neighbors! They are Costa Rican and they are WONDERFUL! They are actually catholic missionaries. They help couples in crisis with counseling care and run various marriage seminars. SOOOO when the opportunity to take them to a Christian couples seminar for them to hear the gospel and to gain new ideas and resources, I shared it with them. We are hoping and praying to take them with us to this weekend retreat which will be ENTIRELY in Spanish of course. We are SO excited!

Locks of Love

That was Th'hair!

This is NOW!

For the second time, Hannah has donated her hair to locks of love. August of 2006 she donated her hair while we were in the states and again just yesterday we cut her hair so that we can send her braids back to locks of love.

Saying Goodbye

We've said goodbye to various friends this week as another trimester ends and many of our friends have completed their Spanish language training. They are moving on to their mission country and we move on to homeschooling and tutoring for me. Of course Doug will contine to take classes at ILE. Here are some pictures of the closing ceremony of Caleb and Hannah's summer camp. I have short videos too, but they seem to be too large to get up.




Me and my friend J. She has been a GREAT friend here! I will miss her dearly, but I pray for God's blessings upon them and their 4 kids and hopefully more in the future, as they go to Peru.

My language class from this trimester. Annabelle, our maestra, Amy and my friend Tasha! Amy is heading back to the states and Tasha has one more trimester before their family leaves in December for Uruguay.

Eyes Anyone

A new fruit we found here that is actually a transplant from Asia. Kind of cool huh? You peel off the outer "skin" and eat the inside, but not the seed.

I GET A DIPLOMA!!

I am SOOOO excited. Because I came in with some Spanish, and the kids really need to have the stability of home life right now, we are going to homeschool this "fall/spring" (depending on the part of the world that you are in). I was a bit nervous because I was required to take the formal end of schooling tests, even though I will have a tutor and continue to progress this next trimester. But for the school administration, I was leaving, so they needed to evaluate me. Well, if you get in the advanced category of speaking and you pass their COMPREHENSIVE grammar exam, you recieve a diploma. I am officially an Advanced Low AND to my surprise I passed the grammar exam with an 81%. You have to have at least a 70% to pass AND I haven't even finished but 66% of what they tested us on. A MIRACLE FOR SURE from God!!! This will help with my graduate degree as well as I can transfer credit from here, to cover 2 of the "teachable" subjects courses that I need. YEAH! Also now that I will have an official diploma combined with my teaching degree that I already have, I can teach Spanish anywhere in the world! How cool is that!!!

You're Costa Rican right?

With Addison's Disease I have to take trips to the doctor and labratory rather frenquently until they have the correct balance of cortisol in my body. Well, because I had to get to the hospital and back twice yesterday, I had the opportunity to speak with 4 different taxi drivers. The first one really encouraged me, as he too is a Christian. We spoke of God's love and his need to be a missionary here to his in-laws and others that he comes into contact with.

The last taxi driver was very talkative as well. I got into the car and proceeded to strike up a conversation. I felt weird though. He kept looking back at me. Most taxi drivers here will talk to you "through" the mirror, but this guy kept looking directly back at me. Well, about 1/3 of the way home, he looks at me and asked if I was "Tica" or Costa Rican. I responded "No, I'm from the states." (So that's why he kept looking at me. He was trying to figure our my nationality.) At this response he was genuinely surprised and said, "but you speak SOO well! You've been here a long time then?" That's when I explained why we are here and that we've only been here for 7 months. What a complement to be mistaken for a national!!!

It's always a wonderful opportunity to share why we are here and that we are missionaries. Doug and I both have had the opportunity to share about Christ in our lives simply by taking a taxi and being open to where God leads the conversation.