Hello Everyone!

Well, not a whole lot has happened since my last post. I’ve been working on designing a brochure for the Children’s Homes, which is much harder than you would think it is. And I got to babysit an almost two y/o little girl twice last week. She is such a doll! I’ll have to get a picture to show you.

This past Saturday was Mother’s Day in Costa Rica, so my entire host family with all the kids and grandkids came over for a big lunch. It was fun and delicious but also an interesting experience. I don’t know about you, but when my entire family in the States gets together for a holiday we’re usually talking or playing games for a couple hours after we eat, and we take our time eating. Well, I’m sure that my host family stayed at the house for an hour and a half, tops. It took me by surprise. But I think it’s just because they see each other literally every day.
And I finally got some pictures of them all! So now, I introduce to you my Tico (Costa Rican) family:

clockwise from lower left (forgive my spelling): Marcelle (tica sister-oldest), Isabelle (Marcelle's daughter), Doña Olga (mama Tica), Jennifer (tica sister-23 y/o), Don Carlos (papi Tico), Michelle (tica sister-2nd oldest), Charlie (tico brother-18 y/0), Glorianna (tica sister-16 y/o), and me.
Macelle's husband, David, was taking the picture.

That little guy in the corner is Felipe (Michelle's son). He's at the house every day while his parents are at school and work. Jeffrey, Michelle's husband, was visiting his parents that day.

Don Carlos spent days marinating this huge hunk of pork for the lunch.

I think this is one of the most entertaining things for my family, Isabelle's handheld PS2. :) Everybody plays it (except my tico parents).

In other news, what has God been teaching me lately? I think that one of the most significant things was when I realized that I was a terrible missionary. A good missionary should assimilate to the culture, build good relationships, and know how to do their job. Right? Well, God could have sent tons more people more qualified than I am. Really! I’m not the perfect person for the job. So I was wondering, “Father, why me?”

Then He brought to mind the verse that He had given me at the beginning, when I was writing my first letter about my trip. It’s 2 Corinthians 12:9—“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” … God’s plan may not make sense to me because I can only see as far as right now, but He sees all the way to the end of my life. He even knows how His plan for me affects His plans for other people. Nothing is a surprise to Him. When He became Lord of my life, He knew that I would not be perfect. Yet He desires perfection in His children; He said, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:48)” And I am constantly in the process of being made perfect.

He desires my obedience. “This is love for God: to obey his commands.” (1 John 5:3) So I continue in obedience, trying to always keep my eyes on Jesus who is “the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2)”. I know beyond a shadow of doubt that I am here for a reason, and God has a plan for me here whether I know what it is or not. Have you heard this saying: ‘God doesn’t call the equipped; He equips the called’?

So I am anxious to know what God’s plan is. He always surprises me with more than I expected.

Prayer Requests:

-continue to pray for relationships to be developed

-pray that I would live daily in the ‘joy of the Lord’

-pray for patience and peace

Thank you all for your prayers and the notes that you send me. I love hearing from you as it always brightens my day! I am praying for you, too, as God puts you on my heart, and I would love to know how I can pray more specifically.

Be blessed!

Happy August to you all! It’s so strange to think that it’s already August… Summer is winding down and people are getting ready to go back to school. As for me, I can’t really tell the difference. The weather is quite mild here all year round. Although it is the rainy season (winter), I am told that it is the driest it has been in many years. Everyone keeps saying it’s like summer because that is dry season here—warm, sunny, and windy...

I have had quite a few interesting cultural experiences in the past few weeks. I went with our last team to Orosi Valley and visited the oldest church in Costa Rica that is still in operation. Our bus driver said it was built around 1750, and all the original artwork is still there! There are no guards, gates, or bars, yet it is all in excellent condition.

And today, I experienced a taste of the judicial system. I had to go to the main police station to get fingerprinted because I am applying for temporary residency here. Well, I waited there for 2 ½ hours, but I am now officially in the system… that’s a scary thought. I should be able to submit my paperwork on Monday or Tuesday!

Those kinds of waits are the norm in Costa Rica, especially at more official places like banks and government buildings. Everyone takes it in stride and with a good attitude though because there is nothing you can do about it. It’s just part of life.
On the way there, I also got to see the first ever mall in Costa Rica! How exciting! ;D

In other happenings around the Project, we got a new intern on August 1st, and he’s a surfer! I think he really liked our excursion to Playa Hermosa this past Thursday and Friday. A world surfing competition took place there, and I, along with four other Americans and four Costa Ricans, got to be right there in the action! We not only got to spend time by the pool, in the ocean, and watching the competition, but we also helped the Christian Surfer's Association with security detail. I had a great view of the competition surrounded by teams from all over the world! But praise God because we arrived at the beach only minutes after the storm that we drove into caused a tree to fall on a transformer just a few hundred feet behind us. I watched the transformer explode and live wires fall onto the highway! As far as I know, no one was hurt though.

I am very excited about the next four months because I was asked to help out with a couple kids who recently accepted Christ and are going through a course about basic Christianity in preparation for baptism. One is a 9 y/o girl from one of the Children’s Homes at the Project, and the other is the son of the couple who runs one of the homes. I will be attending the class with them on Sundays and helping them with their weekly homework. I can’t wait to be a part of their walk with God as they learn who Jesus is and who they are in Him.

Prayer Requests:

-Continue to pray for humility as I continue to learn about the culture, form relationships, and integrate myself as a part of my host family.

-As I start my job as a publicist for the Children’s Homes, please pray for a clear and organized mind. This is new ground for me, and I know that anything good that is achieved is a result of God’s grace. The first step is seeing what needs to be done and coming up with a timeline of goals to achieve it.

-Please pray that our pastoral group would be able to form into more of a cohesive community of believers despite the constant work that needs to be accomplished. The people in this group are: Steve & Georgiana (admin. of Children’s Homes), Brauny & Ingrid (House parents of 1st house), Isella & Gerardo (House parents of 2nd house), Candace (intern coordinator), Johanna & Tim (fill-in house parents and ‘grandparents’ to the children), Jonathan & Amy (short-term missions team coordinators), and me (publicist).

An evangelistic activity at a local elementary school where professional martial artists integrated karate with sharing the gospel and their testimonies

The July interns (L to R): Me, Clay, Donnie, Jennifer, Nick.

Clay and Jennifer left at the end of July, and Nick leaves on the 20th.