Adoption, Baptism, New Missionaries

Ok, I know, what a creative title. Well, it takes work for me to be creative, and I didn't feel like working on something as insignificant as a blog post title. This way you just know what I'm going to write about and you can feel better informed.

Just this afternoon I watched baby Tamara--now Sarah--leave with her new mom, dad, and older brother. They all ran into the Thomas' house because it was just pouring buckets of rain. Tamara was crying when they came in, and I went over to say hi. I wanted to just pick up the little "pulga" (Little Flea is her nickname because she's so small) and bounce her around and hold her. Then I realized I couldn't... because she was with her new Mom, and I had no place going and grabbing her child. It was bittersweet.

I went back to the table to work some more and just watched the family interact. I'm so happy she has a new family that will love her and give her the attention and care she needs.

Tamara was a micro-preemie, born at five months and weighing all of 1.3 pounds. She will turn two in July and just in the last two weeks has begun to walk on her own. She has a crossed eye and huge feeding issues. The most she can say at this point is ma-ma-ma. And if she's upset she will hit her head with her hand or whatever she has in her hand; she also bangs her head on whatever she's sitting next to: the wall, her crib, highchair, etc.

Bye Tamarita. I hope your family is good to you and will help you grow into your fullest potential.

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In the last few months I, and Rachel when she was here, had been working with three kids from the Children's Homes while they were in a pre-baptism class. They recently took the final exam and I'm happy to report that all three passed and will be getting baptized sometime in the next month. Yay! Pray that God will produce fruit in their lives in keeping with their decisions to follow Christ.

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Yesterday marked the first day of a new season: summer intern season! We received our first four interns, all girls ages 19-21, who will be staying through the month of June. Two are staying where I live, and the other two will be living next door at my host sister's house. We are already getting along well, and I am excited to get to know them. Welcome, Kate, Keren, Lauren, and Amber! Josiah will be arriving on Sunday, June 6th.

A new missionary couple also just arrived yesterday. Kerby and Jason Harpst have committed to long-term work with the Abraham Project and will eventually take over running the missions teams... as soon as they learn Spanish. haha. What a blessing it is that they have decided to give up home, family, and friends in order to follow Christ. It really is a huge deal that they have come here. Please pray that they are able to adjust quickly and easily to the culture and language, that they develop strong relationships with both Costa Ricans and other missionaries, and the they are immensely blessed. Yay! I'm so excited they're finally here!

In honor of the new arrivals, this Saturday is pizza party night! Yay, food! And friends!

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As far as what I'm doing these days...

We're working on the website and getting content together. We really want to get this website up and running by the time the Thomas family leaves for the US for a month... That only gives us until June 25th.

I'm also putting together some photo 'yearbooks' of each year at the Children's Homes. They will serve multiple purposes both as memoirs and quick reference logs of what happened that year. They will have photos of all the children that came and went during the year; major events such as new houseparents arriving, adoptions, baptisms, etc; and other fun and awesome photos. These will be printed books that can be left at the Children's Homes for general use and/or taken to the US to show to supporters and churches.

As well as being intern season it is also summer mission teams season. That means three teams this month, four weeks of teams next month, and multiple one-day teams through Joshua Expeditions. Whew! The rest of my time here is shaping up to be one busy blur. Let's hope I find plenty of time to spend with all of the amazing people I have become attached to.

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Just as a reminder to everyone, I will be returning home to Minnesota on July 22nd. Only seven more weeks. Wow!

Prayer Requests

-Please pray for baby Tamara with her new family, the new interns, Jason and Kerby Harpst as they transition to their new life, and the teams that will be coming to work with us.

-Please pray that we would be able to get the website finished in a timely and efficient manner. It would be nice if it were aesthetic and user-friendly as well. ;)

-Please pray that I would continue to be able to focus on the work at hand as well as prepare for my return to the US.

Thank you all for your support and prayers! I can't wait to visit with those of you who live in or near Minnesota!

Be blessed!

Flights, Food, and Fun

Well, first things first I guess. I finally bought my return ticket home. I will arrive in Minneapolis, MN at 10:30 on July 22nd. There's something about setting a date and buying a ticket that gives a different feel to my last two and a half months in Costa Rica. I begin to think more concretely about the things that I want to get done here and the things I need to prepare for my return to life in the US. I have already been looking for jobs, but I will begin to apply for things at a later date. And I am also starting to think about a car which I will eventually need to buy. If you know of any affordable options, let me know. :)

I am also creating a list of things that I will do during the remainder of my time. This not only includes some work projects but also some fun things. There are quite a few recipes that I would still like to get from people and things that I want to learn to make. As Rachel (one of the interns that just left a week and a half ago) put it, food has been an important theme here in Costa Rica. Not only are meals and afternoon café important times of fellowship and enjoyment, but there has just been a whole lot of good food here. Almost always, when I get together with other missionaries here--or whoever--we are eating something, whether a dessert or a meal or both. In the last month I had many opportunities to cook with other people and learn new recipes and things, and I love it! Many memories have been made in the kitchen: baking cookies with the kids from the children's homes, learning how to make Georgiana's cinnamon roll recipe that has been passed on through many generations, eating pizza and having intense discussions, etc. It's been a blast, and I can't wait to cook for my friends and family back home and share a little of the experience with them. I just plain love food! What else can I say?

I've been having a lot of fun lately. I've gotten to drive here multiple times now. While the Thomas family was in the States for a week, I drove their daughter to ballet a few times. All the places I've gone have been pretty close, but it was fun nevertheless. Being a substitute "houseparent" in the children's homes when the houseparents (otherwise known as 'Tios') have their day off is always fun. Yesterday I went to a park with one of the houses and it was a blast! The kids went sledding down some steep hills on big pieces of cardboard, and I got to climb up a tree to pick some flowers that we ate later in the afternoon. The taste reminds me of asparagus because one part is bitter. I think they're delicious! Of course, you cook them; you don't eat them raw. And they're usually made in some mix of potato, onion, egg, and tomato. It's called Flor de Itabo, also known as yucca flower in the States.

Yep, I'm going to miss the foods here. For me, lots of memories are attached to foods and smells.

Some of the things I've been helping with lately are just random projects, quite typical of my entire time here actually. One of the missionaries has started an eight week long Mommy and Me class once a week. About 8-10 mothers have been coming which means 10-12 little children as well so I've been helping with the class each week even though I am not a mother and don't have a child to bring. That makes me the perfect help! Two extra hands and feet can do a lot of child chasing, toy picking up, and coffee passing out.

There are also three kids from the Children's Homes in our church's baptism class again. Praise the Lord that He is changing little hearts! There is just one class left and the final test is a week later. If all goes well I'll have three photos of baptisms to post in a few weeks!

English classes continue on in the daycare, and I am still helping out with those on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. We have two new helpers that have joined us for the month as well. They are in Costa Rica because of a volunteer program who coordinated with the Abraham Project so that these two could come teach English. I think they are supposed to come Monday through Friday which will be awesome for the kids! The more English they're exposed to, the better. Our current English teacher will be leaving at the end of June though. She is returning to the US for family reasons, and we're not sure who will be able to take over her job. But God will provide someone so I'm not worried.

Last week, as it was their second day in the daycare, I went with the two new helpers to teach English on a Wednesday morning. It was my first time being the lead teacher, and it was a challenge. The kids were all thrown for a loop because the regular teacher, Bethea, wasn't there. But it ended up being a lot of fun. I had to think on my feet and be creative in filling a half-hour period with education learning activities, and it's a lot harder than you think when you don't have any resources and have to keep the attention of 8-20 kids from the ages of 2 to 12. It was a good experience though. But I would still never want to be a full-time teacher.

Well, praise the Lord with me for His continued faithfulness and providence. He is good all the time, amen? I continue to think of all of you, giving thanks to God for the way He is working through your willingness to support His work here at the Abraham Project. THANK YOU!

Prayer Requests

-Pray for endurance to finish strong and be able to focus on the task at hand.

-Please pray for unity in our team here. There are some personality conflicts between the house parents that are causing strife. And a new couple will be moving here on the 1st or 2nd of June, so pray for a smooth transition and incorporation into the team.

God bless!

Time Marches On... Into April (of course)

“Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.

-Mark 16:6

Holy week is a week of remembrance and celebration. In Latin America, specifically Costa Rica, it is a week of vacation, family time and even a national holiday on Thursday and Friday when most shops are closed down. It falls between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday though in Costa Rica neither of those days is particularly celebrated. Schools are closed for the week; almost everyone gets a long weekend off of work; classic movies like The Ten Commandments, Spartacus, and The Passion of the Christ play all week long on local channels; and families gather together and enjoy traditional dishes together.

The easter bunny is virtually non-existent. The same applies to dying eggs, easter egg hunts, and waving palm branches in church.

I really appreciated Holy Week. I was able to see a completely different way of celebrating this season and came away with my own perspective. I initially viewed Holy Week as just another religious observance that I had never taken part in before, but I definitely came away with a new mindset. It was refreshing to spend an entire week meditating on Christ and His sacrifice for me. But not only is His death important but also His resurrection and future return. His triumph over the enemy. His humility. His love.

Let that sink in...

Speaking of blessings, I was blessed to have my family come visit me in March! My parents, three out of four sisters, and my brother-in-law came down for a week and spent some time in the beautiful country that has been my home for the past nine months. I was so happy that they could come and we could spend that time together. We had a crazy adventure in a rented house in the jungle by the beach. We could hear howler monkeys all the time, and we battled cockroaches for sleeping space in the bed. We bodysurfed and surfed kayaks. We identified poisonous bright-green frogs and other birds and reptiles. We survived the first night then learned how to be one with the jungle, and it turns out we really had a lot of fun.
My dad stayed five days longer than everyone else, and we definitely had our own set of adventures together. I now know from personal experience what the trek up to the summit of the highest mountain in Costa Rica is like... It’s hard. But I enjoyed every minute.

What’s my favorite memory from this family vacation?

Being together.

That thought makes me happy. Another thing that makes me happy is the fact that our brochures finally arrived. !!! Yay!!! Their sweet faces on the front almost make me forget how they behave sometimes. Haha. I’m mostly just kidding. I really do love them, and that’s a good thing because I spent last Thursday, Friday, and Saturday helping watch them all day. I had a lot of fun, and it was very rewarding. The four new siblings ages 11 to 1 ½ are adorable and endearing. (But don’t tell their house parents I said that. They came with an interesting set of challenges to work through that has not made their transition the easiest.)

Memorable Moments in March:

-I ate my first whole fish--head, tail, fins, and bones intact and on my plate. It was surprisingly delicious!

-Summiting the tallest mountain in Costa Rica at 3820 meters, just over 12,500 feet.

-Saw a smoking volcano, from a distance of course. It was truly a column of smoke.

-Seeing my family when they walked out of the airport.

-Spending nine hours shopping in the biggest mall in Panama with two awesome girls.

Not-so-memorable Moments:

-Arriving at the top of Poas volcano and peering into the crater and seeing only clouds. Bummer.

-First night at Cielomar vacation home... cockroach crawling on my neck and waking me up in the middle of the night. *shudder*

-Saying good-bye to my family three separate times because some of them left on different days.

Prayer Requests:

-As my time winds down I find myself thinking more and more about where I’m going to get a job when I return back to the US. Please pray for direction and peace in this.

-Along with the previous request, please pray that I am not distracted from thinking too much about returning home. I still have a lot of time left in Costa Rica, which I want to spend wisely and productively.

-I am praying about an exact date to return home as well. I'm thinking about sometime in August.


PS. I'll post some photos this weekend. Check back later!

The Wheels on the Bus Go 'Round and 'Round...

Tomorrow I head to Panama until March 2nd.

I'm going with Rachel and Abby, the interns, to Panama City via bus. It's a 13 or 14 hour bus ride, but I don't think it will be too bad since a good portion of the trip is overnight. We'll just sleep. :)

The girls have to leave the country for at least 72 hours in order to renew their tourist visas, and they invited me along. I took them up on the offer because it's a really great opportunity to visit Panama for way cheaper than I would be able to if I flew from the States.

We're really excited! Our hotel is in a great, safe location so we can explore the downtown area on our own a little. And we also have a few connections there who have offered their help when we arrive. Georgiana Thomas is half Panamanian so she e-mailed her cousin just to ask him how far our hotel was from the bus terminal, and he offered to spend his Saturday playing tour guide for us. We'll go to see some of the major tourist attractions such as the Panama Canal and the old city ruins. It was such a nice gesture on his part.

We'll also be able to visit some missionaries that our church at the Project has sent out. They are located just a short drive outside the city, and we plan on attending their church service on Sunday and delivering a care package of some of the comfort foods they miss from home (Costa Rica). I'm really glad we have the opportunity to do this. I understand firsthand how it feels to be away from your home country and miss certain things.

Please pray for safety on the bus and that everything goes smoothly in Panama.

Thank you! Be blessed!

Happy Valentine's Day!

This past month has been busy, busy, busy! But I like ‘busy’. It gives me things to do.

In January, we had a team come down for a week, and they were a lot of fun! They were super interesting to get to know as well, and I now know people in New Jersey in case I ever want to travel there, which is very likely. That week we did a lot of construction work; however, I missed out on a couple days because I went to see a friend from college who was in the country studying for a couple weeks.

That was an awesome, refreshing, and fun trip. I spent a good amount of time on the bus as I had to take a bus downtown so I could catch a bus to northwestern Costa Rica, an area called Guanacaste. And then their group invited me to go to some hot springs with them, which I enjoyed, and that was another three hours on a bus. J But I’m so thankful for those few days I could spend with Zach. I was so excited when I found out he was coming to Costa Rica, and I’m glad we could work something out to visit each other. God really blessed our time together, and it was nice to be able to hear what God is doing back in Madison, my college town. Zach is the current President of the InterVarsity chapter at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, which is a Christian community that God is working in and through in tremendous ways.

Since the two new interns, Abby and Rachel, have been here I’ve been mostly following their schedule. That means I’ve been working in the Children’s Homes more. Two or three mornings a week we make ourselves available to one home or the other, and they usually put us to work cleaning. We’ve done anything from dusting and cleaning bathrooms to climbing up a ladder and washing the outside of second floor windows. And last week we got to do a deep cleaning of the Thomas’s tile floor. That was fun and interesting as it involved moving all the furniture out of the living/dining room and scrubbing each individual tile with pure bleach and a scrub brush. But then Emilia, their maid, brought the hose into the house and flooded the floor while we swept the water outside with brooms! Although you might think that flooding the house may be counterproductive it definitely did the trick.

Of course, we have babysat many times. One time, there were two of us girls watching eleven kids for six hours. That was challenging for sure. We ended up making dinner for them as well, and it went well and was actually pretty fun. That was a milestone as I never thought I’d be in charge of making a meal in one of the Homes because mealtimes can get pretty hectic. Thankfully one of the houseparents got back before the meal ended, and he was able to take charge of getting the kids in bed. We were also babysitting the two Thomas kids one night (all three of us interns were there so it was more like a little party), and we ended up learning the Hoedown Throwdown dance with ten year-old Bethany Thomas. In case you didn’t know, it’s a Miley Cyrus dance from a Hannah Montana movie... I do not like Hannah Montana, but we had a lot of fun!

Overall, it’s just been a blessing to have Abby and Rachel here. They’ve been great friends and spiritual companions. We’ve been able to have edifying conversations and have prayed for and with each other often. It’ll be so weird after they leave, but thankfully that won’t be for another 2 ½ months so we have lots more time to get to know each other. Yay!

In other news, Jonathan and Amy Griffith have finally had their baby. They welcomed Jonathan ‘Isaac’ Griffith into the world on February 1^st at 6:35pm. Congratulations, Griffith family!

We also had an awesome Super Bowl party with a bunch of the Gringos here. I was happy because the team that I was rooting for won. Woohoo! Go Saints! Can’t miss the Super Bowl, even if you live in Costa Rica. :D

Oh! And how could I forget to mention that we're in the process of printing brochures. We have placed the order for 5000 brochures from an online printing company in the US, which is much cheaper than printing in Costa Rica. We are just waiting for the color proof to come so we can make sure everything looks how it's supposed to. Yay! So exciting to know this project is finally almost done!

Here are some photos for more explanation of the past month's events:

Corn dogs that I made, for the first time. The first batch was for my host family to try; then I brought them to the Super Bowl party. My 9 y/o Tica 'niece' took this photo.

Gloriana, trying a corndog for the first time ever.

Us interns went hiking on one of the mountains, and this was our guide, Randy.

One of the beautiful scenes we hiked past.

The interns! Me, Rachel, Abby

After the first hour or so we were rewarded with this stunning view of part of the Valley.
The boy is Randy's son who accompanied us on the hike.

Prayer Requests

-We have 21 days straight of teams coming in March. Pray for the interns and Jonathan (team/intern coordinator) to be able to get some rest and be energized for this packed month.

-Continue to pray for deeper relationships between me and my host family and the youth from the church.

-Pray for confirmation of where God might be leading me next after returning to the US this summer.

-Pray that God would instill new desire and fresh insight as I read and study His Word in my quiet times.

Thank you for all your prayers!! It's so reassuring to know that there are people back home who support me and are thinking of me. I love you all and am praying for you!

In Christ who gives us more grace, in whom is our hope and confidence,

with love,

-Shaina

Photos from Home

As I sit and post my third blog update of the night (granted the first one was from a while ago, and this was meant to be just photos) it is loud in this house! The American missionaries are having a pizza party and having a chance for everyone to meet the new interns and a couple who is here on a scouting trip... they're planning on moving here in June or July. These people are crazy about their Lost and 24... the shows.

Anyways...

I have a lot of photos from my trip home, and also some prayer requests.

Prayer Requests

-Please keep praying for my relationship with my host family. Despite everything that's happened I still feel that this is where God has placed me and that His desire (and all of ours) is that this be a blessing for all involved. Please pray specifically for forgiveness and healing. As Proverbs 17:9 says: Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates [even] close friends. Please pray that my thoughts would reflect the way that God sees my host family.


And now, please enjoy pictures of my family and me during the holidays.

Christmas morning at my house

My mom with two of my little cousins

Audience participation in a play we went to

Playing pool

More pool

Out to eat with my Dad, sisters (minus one), and brother-in-law

One of my favorite Christmas traditions: Grandpa reading the Christmas story

My sister, Amy, and two of her gifts--Shoulder Devil and Shoulder Angel

Oldest sister, Tania, and one of her dogs

Mom and her 'grandkids'

It snowed almost every day! This is my street... It's not in the country

Playing games. My entire family loves games, Mom's side and Dad's

My sister abusing her husband... haha. just kidding! ...
or am I?

Abby and Amy. Love you!

One of my favorite cousins!

What cute sisters!

Oldest and youngest. They look so alike

Like I said, we love to play games!

Rice Krispy 'gingerbread' house decorating contest
...They won

Our house

The last is actually the first. This was my first time getting on a plane from stairs. Fun!

Funny and Thoughtful

Today was the first day of English classes in the daycare this year. There were a lot of us helping Bethea with her classes today as the two new interns, the teacher’s college-aged son, his friend, one of the other English teachers, and I were all in the classrooms together. In one of them, the kids were singing a song to learn about what each of their fingers is called.

To the tune of “Are you sleeping, Brother John” we would sing:

(with thumbs up, hands behind back)

Where is Thumbkin

Where is Thumbkin

Here he is (take out one hand)

Here he is (take out other hand)

And then the thumbs would talk to each other: “How are you?” “I’m fine.” “ blah, blah, blah” etc. And they would each in turn ‘run away’ behind your back again. Well, this would go on with the other fingers, using the correct name for the finger of course.

Well, we got past Thumbkin and Pointer easily enough, but when we got to Tall One and had to stick both our middle fingers in the air you can imagine what affect that had on all of us young American helpers. We all just looked at each other and burst out laughing and could hardly bring ourselves to use profanity in front of all these innocent children. Of course, the song and gesture were harmless enough because in Costa Rica ‘giving someone the finger’ doesn’t exist except where it’s been imported from Western culture such as in movies, but it sure cracked us up!

Working with kids provides some really funny situations sometimes, but there are also the touching moments as well. I've never thought of myself as someone who's really good with little kids, nor has it ever been my desire to work with them, but I do love kids. God is also teaching me, the more I work with the kids here in the Children's Homes and the daycare, how special little children are to him.

There's a girl here named Angelly, and she's 3 or 4 years old. She's a tiny thing with dark eyes, lots of dark curly hair, and a big smile missing her top front teeth. She came a few months ago with her older sister and brother. They are all orphans because their father, who wasn't living with their mother, came into the house one night and decapitated the mother...while the oldest daughter was sleeping in the same bed. Angelly is such a sweet thing and she just wants to be held. She's so smiley and happy all the time, and it's hard to remember that she lost her mother less than 6 months ago. Lately I've noticed that she's getting quieter when she's upset, and she doesn't want to tell me what's wrong, but I didn't really think about it.

Just the other night I was outside dancing with her and the other kids, and I put her down to dance with her sister. But a few minutes later I looked down and she's just standing there crying, and she wouldn't say why. I brought her over to another lady to see if that would make her happy, but she still just looked so sad. So I scooped her up and went somewhere where we could sit, away from the noise of the music and dancing. I realized she probably just needed someone to love her, so I just held her close and told her I loved her. Then I asked her if she missed her mommy, and she just nodded. I asked her if she needed more hugs, and she nodded, so I just hugged her and let her hold me. I asked if she needed more kisses, and she nodded, so I kissed her all over her face and each of her fingers until she laughed. Then we just sat there, she leaning her head on my shoulder, and me stroking her back and playing with her hair until I felt her relax and she fell asleep in my arms.

In that moment as I was simply holding her, not doing anything, not even saying anything, I asked God about it. He just said, "Whatever you do unto the least of these, you have done it unto me."

I often have doubts about whether what I'm doing is even making an impact, if it's a waste of time. I'm learning that it's about more than just the doing. It's about loving on these kids. They're often spoiled, inappropriate, loud, and rowdy, but they need love. The Children's Homes seem to have a perfect model, with comparatively few kids, a 'mom' and 'dad, a big beautiful house, and plenty of green yard to play in. But more and more I'm realizing it's not the same at all as having a real Mom and Dad and their own family who will love them. That's what they're missing, and sometimes they need a lot of extra love just to try to make up for it.