...Myself buying clothes...for my dog....Myself NOT owning a dishwasher.
...The point in wearing LLBean jeans with polar fleece lining let alone spending the money to buy them! They are FABULOUS!!
...My own breath while sitting in church.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Amazing what I miss
Today I was reflecting on what I miss from COSTA RICA. Strange huh? You'd think I would miss the US, but instead, I miss Central America. WOW!
I miss reading. While in Costa Rica because my main job was language learning and more often than not, I needed a break, I think I read over 25 books last year alone.
I miss Miss Carla. She was such a blessing to our lives, and I miss her!
I miss having so many fellow missionaries with young kids in the same phase of life.
I miss CHEAP taxis!
I miss MUCH CHEAPER FOOD! Here it's almost $5 for 4 chicken breasts at the local grocery store. YIKES!
I miss the warmth, although I can't complain, I do LOVE the 4 seasons!
I miss some of our fellow ABWE missionaries like Paul & Patty Collier
I miss our tico neighbors and the sound of our kids playing together in the garage.
I miss the teachers and close friends that I met there that live there.
I miss my doctor for my Addison's Disease. The doctor here is harder to understand and isn't as confident in the diagnosis, so he ran a BUNCH of tests to be sure. Thankfully I have no cysts in my brain interupting the function of my hypothalmus or pituitary gland!
I miss having Doug home more often than not. He's been working LONG hours getting aquainted with the finance job down here, so he's not home much and when he is, he is working on a masters class over the internet.
What I don't miss about Costa Rica is the RAINY SEASON! Maybe it would be better with a car, but I just can't stand the rain for days and days on end. Here we've had some rain, but we have a car and we get breaks of days with sun to warm back up again.
I miss reading. While in Costa Rica because my main job was language learning and more often than not, I needed a break, I think I read over 25 books last year alone.
I miss Miss Carla. She was such a blessing to our lives, and I miss her!
I miss having so many fellow missionaries with young kids in the same phase of life.
I miss CHEAP taxis!
I miss MUCH CHEAPER FOOD! Here it's almost $5 for 4 chicken breasts at the local grocery store. YIKES!
I miss the warmth, although I can't complain, I do LOVE the 4 seasons!
I miss some of our fellow ABWE missionaries like Paul & Patty Collier
I miss our tico neighbors and the sound of our kids playing together in the garage.
I miss the teachers and close friends that I met there that live there.
I miss my doctor for my Addison's Disease. The doctor here is harder to understand and isn't as confident in the diagnosis, so he ran a BUNCH of tests to be sure. Thankfully I have no cysts in my brain interupting the function of my hypothalmus or pituitary gland!
I miss having Doug home more often than not. He's been working LONG hours getting aquainted with the finance job down here, so he's not home much and when he is, he is working on a masters class over the internet.
What I don't miss about Costa Rica is the RAINY SEASON! Maybe it would be better with a car, but I just can't stand the rain for days and days on end. Here we've had some rain, but we have a car and we get breaks of days with sun to warm back up again.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
At a Camera's Glance
I haven't had time to write here recently. I'm sorry!
Doug has been getting used to the finance office as he has finally taken over that duty. I've begun heading up the Ladies' ministry at our church, discipling 2 ladies, teaching Thursday night kids' class (English class with a Bible lesson), and temporarily teaching the kids' Sunday School class as the teacher is preparing for a missions trip. I'm still teaching at the ABWE high school until the 1st of July and then I'm taking a while off to focus on our family and the church.
Since we've been so busy, I thought that I'd give you a glimpse into our lives through the pictures we've taken recently.
Our most recent family picture for our church's directory
The children presenting to the adults what they learned in Sunday School class.
Pastor Christian, with his wife Sandra, and their 4 kidsAlejandro, Melissa, Christian, and Jeremias
Our church during a church service.
Because of having Addison's Disease, I have to sometimes wear a mask to avoid catching even the common cold.
Me with my little friend, Antonia. I've been teaching Sunday School class for all of the kids.
Doug talking to our deacon, Italo and another pastor during our married couples meeting
Married Couples meeting. The first one held with the new church.
The view from outside our house looking at the mountains covered in snow.
Our church during a church service.
Because of having Addison's Disease, I have to sometimes wear a mask to avoid catching even the common cold.
Me with my little friend, Antonia. I've been teaching Sunday School class for all of the kids.
Doug talking to our deacon, Italo and another pastor during our married couples meeting
Married Couples meeting. The first one held with the new church.
The view from outside our house looking at the mountains covered in snow.Friday, June 5, 2009
Praising God for Steve's safety
Yesterday while trying to deliver newspapers for a Christian classified paper from West Virginia, Doug's brother had a roll over. We praise God that he walked away after flipping the car and landing upside down in a raveen. Here's a picture of our old car that many of you saw us use while on pre-field. It certainly went down in a blaze of glory with over 203,000 miles on it.
Steve we are SO glad that you're ok!
Steve we are SO glad that you're ok!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
My first CRAMPED trip
When riding the metro, there are good times to go and bad times. There are good directions to go and bad directions. I'm referring to traffic. No, not vehicle trafic, but people traffic. Having never lived in a BIG city like Santiago (almost 7 million people), I've never had to experience the physical "fight" to place ones body where you need it. Normally we, as North Americans have a bubble of comfort space around us. NOT HERE IN LATIN AMERICA!!! And especially not in a big city like this one.
I had gone downtown to go to a Christian bookstore we have come to love. Doug dropped me off at a metro station, where very few people were waiting to take the metro INTO town. As I walked down the stairs onto the platform to wait for my North bound train, I saw the South bound train approaching with NUMEROUS passengers. They were coming home from work and had crammed into the train to save just a few more minutes without having to wait for the next train going South. I knew that's what I'd have to experience coming back, but I thought, "I have to get to the bookstore TODAY!" So when the next North bound train came, I got on.
There were plenty of orange plastic seats on this train, and I took full use of one, for I knew that I probably wouldn't get one coming all the way home. Since in reality we have 5 metro lines (I think), I had to make a change of metro lines when I reached the end of my line. It's kind of like changing major highways in a car. You have to fight traffic. However, there wasn't too much traffic at this hour, so I boarded my next train. After 5 or 6 stops I got off.
I had gotten off at a major stop so there happen to be 4 different exits. I walked up to the street using the exit I thought led to my bookstore destination. I was wrong. When I reached the surface of the street, I realized my desination was across an 8 lane highway. Thankfully there was a cross walk! When the cross walk light told me I could walk, walk I did. I crossed the west bound traffic with no problem. I crossed the center bike/walk path median with no problem. Then I began to cross the East bound traffic. Just then, keep in mind I still had a green cross walk light, a car decided to take a left hand turn onto the East bound street that I was crossing. The driver, narrowly missed hitting me by honking his horn and my RUNNING to get out of the way. Whew! Glad that's over!
I proceeded to the bookstore, purchased what I needed and headed back to the metro. This time, I entered on the side closest to the bookstore and did not have to cross any major streets! LESSON LEARNED! If one comes up from the metro on the wrong side of the street, go back down into the metro and cross underneath the street rather than risk your life by crossing above!
I purchased something to eat and even had the little store heat up my sandwhich, because by this time it was 6:30 and I was getting hungry. I looked at the line to enter the metro and it really wasn't that bad. OK, this is good, I should be able to eat my dinner on the way home, that is IF I can get a seat on the train! The train pulled up going my direction and all the seats were taken. There was standing room only and at that we were packed in, or at least I thought we were.
After my 5 or 6 stops I got off to change trains to get back on my line going South. WOW! What a rush of people. Hundreds of people trying to get from point A to point B in a small amount of time. SLOWLY we edged our way down the stairs the crowd almost moving as one as we ebbed and flowed down the stairs to the line where we would all wait to get on the next train. The first train came and went. I edged forward closer to the line. The second train came and went, I got to the front on the line. I watched as last minute people litterally crammed into this train. They'd stand on the edge of the door and as the door would shut, they would shove themselves in the rest of the way. And I thought I was packed in the last train! That was NOTHING!!!
As that train pulled away and I waited on that line, I looked up to the entryway stairs that I had come down just a few short minutes earlier. Hundreds of people, all orderly ebbing closer. I turned my head towards the track and looked down. "Lord, PLEASE don't let them become disorderly and cause us to be pushed off onto the track in front of an oncoming train!" Praise God, Chile is a civilized country and the people love the metro train system.
The next train approached and thankfully I was one of the first on, so I got a little, plastic, orange seat to sit in. I was finally able to eat my lunch and I didn't have to stand so close to people. Many times while standing up you are back to back with a person, or even front to back with a person and you couldn't even slip a piece of paper between you. It can be THAT crowded and THAT indecent sometimes.
Lessons learned!
Cross the road underneath the road!
Don't go the wrong direction at the right time.
Go the right direction at the wrong time.
I had gone downtown to go to a Christian bookstore we have come to love. Doug dropped me off at a metro station, where very few people were waiting to take the metro INTO town. As I walked down the stairs onto the platform to wait for my North bound train, I saw the South bound train approaching with NUMEROUS passengers. They were coming home from work and had crammed into the train to save just a few more minutes without having to wait for the next train going South. I knew that's what I'd have to experience coming back, but I thought, "I have to get to the bookstore TODAY!" So when the next North bound train came, I got on.
There were plenty of orange plastic seats on this train, and I took full use of one, for I knew that I probably wouldn't get one coming all the way home. Since in reality we have 5 metro lines (I think), I had to make a change of metro lines when I reached the end of my line. It's kind of like changing major highways in a car. You have to fight traffic. However, there wasn't too much traffic at this hour, so I boarded my next train. After 5 or 6 stops I got off.
I had gotten off at a major stop so there happen to be 4 different exits. I walked up to the street using the exit I thought led to my bookstore destination. I was wrong. When I reached the surface of the street, I realized my desination was across an 8 lane highway. Thankfully there was a cross walk! When the cross walk light told me I could walk, walk I did. I crossed the west bound traffic with no problem. I crossed the center bike/walk path median with no problem. Then I began to cross the East bound traffic. Just then, keep in mind I still had a green cross walk light, a car decided to take a left hand turn onto the East bound street that I was crossing. The driver, narrowly missed hitting me by honking his horn and my RUNNING to get out of the way. Whew! Glad that's over!
I proceeded to the bookstore, purchased what I needed and headed back to the metro. This time, I entered on the side closest to the bookstore and did not have to cross any major streets! LESSON LEARNED! If one comes up from the metro on the wrong side of the street, go back down into the metro and cross underneath the street rather than risk your life by crossing above!
I purchased something to eat and even had the little store heat up my sandwhich, because by this time it was 6:30 and I was getting hungry. I looked at the line to enter the metro and it really wasn't that bad. OK, this is good, I should be able to eat my dinner on the way home, that is IF I can get a seat on the train! The train pulled up going my direction and all the seats were taken. There was standing room only and at that we were packed in, or at least I thought we were.
After my 5 or 6 stops I got off to change trains to get back on my line going South. WOW! What a rush of people. Hundreds of people trying to get from point A to point B in a small amount of time. SLOWLY we edged our way down the stairs the crowd almost moving as one as we ebbed and flowed down the stairs to the line where we would all wait to get on the next train. The first train came and went. I edged forward closer to the line. The second train came and went, I got to the front on the line. I watched as last minute people litterally crammed into this train. They'd stand on the edge of the door and as the door would shut, they would shove themselves in the rest of the way. And I thought I was packed in the last train! That was NOTHING!!!
As that train pulled away and I waited on that line, I looked up to the entryway stairs that I had come down just a few short minutes earlier. Hundreds of people, all orderly ebbing closer. I turned my head towards the track and looked down. "Lord, PLEASE don't let them become disorderly and cause us to be pushed off onto the track in front of an oncoming train!" Praise God, Chile is a civilized country and the people love the metro train system.
The next train approached and thankfully I was one of the first on, so I got a little, plastic, orange seat to sit in. I was finally able to eat my lunch and I didn't have to stand so close to people. Many times while standing up you are back to back with a person, or even front to back with a person and you couldn't even slip a piece of paper between you. It can be THAT crowded and THAT indecent sometimes.
Lessons learned!
Cross the road underneath the road!
Don't go the wrong direction at the right time.
Go the right direction at the wrong time.
Caleb's Spanglish Thoughts
In Costa Rica during the 3rd trimester, I finally realized why I was always being corrected by native speakers when I would say, any number and a half years, or months, or minutes. For example in English we say, my son is 7 1/2 years old. Or there are 1 and a 1/2 hours left in the program. Well, in Spanish they would say, my son is 7 years and a 1/2 or there are 7 hours and a half left in the program.
What took me YEARS to learn and begin to use, has taken Caleb only months. Yesterday before they went out to play in the street with some other kids, (Please keep in mind we live on a closed dead end street.) Caleb told Doug and I that they'd like to play for at least one hour and a half. What a blessing that he's even thinking in Spanish before he speaks in English!
What took me YEARS to learn and begin to use, has taken Caleb only months. Yesterday before they went out to play in the street with some other kids, (Please keep in mind we live on a closed dead end street.) Caleb told Doug and I that they'd like to play for at least one hour and a half. What a blessing that he's even thinking in Spanish before he speaks in English!
Monday, June 1, 2009
Yesterday
Yesterday was TIRING! But WONDERFUL!! We were in church from 10:30 until 2:15. We dropped off a friend that had needed a ride to church, and made it home to eat real fast. Less than 1 1/2 hours after getting home, off I went again. I picked up 2 other ladies and we went back to the church for ladies' meeting. Normally we don't have ladies' meeting on Sundays, but the other Saturdays of the month just hadn't worked for May.
It was my first time sharing a devotional, but I know God was in control because He did everything. The ladies were gracious with my Spanish and I was able to communicate what God had laid on my heart. I'll be continuing to do the devotions each time starting with my testimony this next time and then we'll be doing a book study. I'm excited to watch God be glorified in our ladies!
Please pray for me this week as I also will begin a Thursday evening lesson for the kids. We have adult prayer meeting and until now there has been nothing for kids during this time. I'm excited to start this Thursday with 3 kids for sure - Caleb, Hannah and the pastor's 9 year old son. I mentioned to pastor doing the lesson bilingually and he liked that idea. This may be a draw to other kids in the neighborhood too and may bring unsaved people in the doors of the church. I'm excited!!!
Thanks for sticking with us and reading my blogs. I really appreciate it!
Heather
It was my first time sharing a devotional, but I know God was in control because He did everything. The ladies were gracious with my Spanish and I was able to communicate what God had laid on my heart. I'll be continuing to do the devotions each time starting with my testimony this next time and then we'll be doing a book study. I'm excited to watch God be glorified in our ladies!
Please pray for me this week as I also will begin a Thursday evening lesson for the kids. We have adult prayer meeting and until now there has been nothing for kids during this time. I'm excited to start this Thursday with 3 kids for sure - Caleb, Hannah and the pastor's 9 year old son. I mentioned to pastor doing the lesson bilingually and he liked that idea. This may be a draw to other kids in the neighborhood too and may bring unsaved people in the doors of the church. I'm excited!!!
Thanks for sticking with us and reading my blogs. I really appreciate it!
Heather
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