Class time

So, tomorrow starts my first official trimester of Spanish class here are ILE.  Thanks for the prayers, I placed into a class that I’m hoping is exactly where I need to be.  I feel like I did as well as I could have on the placement tests.  I was able to answer all the questions I should have known and I just left everything else blank :)  But I placed on the higher end of classes for the trimester, thanks to summer intensive program.  Now I need to just not get a false sense of “Spanish security” since placing well in class doesn’t necessarily mean I can communicate.  I’m reminded of that after the humbling adventure of being at a birthday party yesterday with 35 ticos.  I can understand most of what goes on, but I can’t even begin to form a sentence fast enough to jump in on the banter.  One of these days…

Una Gran Adventura

I don’t know about the correctness of my Spanish there… but its fitting for the morning.  So… I wanted to recount for all of you readers my morning adventures.

Goal for today: Make and eat guacamole

Step 1 – Go to the feria (farmer’s market).  Change of plans… go to Price Smart.
Step 2 – Buy veggies and chips.  Accept that you are not making guacamole for a small army.  Buy nothing.
Step 3 – Go to corner store for veggies and chips.  They don’t have avocado, that seems essential.  Buy nothing.
Step 4 – Walk to Jumbo for veggies and chips.  Fill up the basket and figure out how to ask the muchacho to weigh it all.  Stay confused because he bags and prices only half of what’s in the basket.  Hmm.
Step 5 – Check out and realize some of the veggies were apparently free… weird.  I mean, that’s what gratis means, right?
Step 6 – Realize blood sugar has plummeted due to eating only lucky charms for breakfast… stop for pizza.
Step 7 – Get home to the house that was supposed to be empty and find host family there.  Stop and think how to ask to use the kitchen.
Step 8 – Wash all the veggies and ask for a cutting board and knife.
Step 9 – Get questioned by host family on all of your ingredients… do you really put those in guacamole… umm… yes.
Step 10 – Host mom cuts up onion and garlic and puts it in the food process, then takes cilantro to do the same.
Step 11 – Begin to cut up tomato when host dad says he can do it better.  Hand over knife.
Step 12 – Do nothing while guacamole is prepared in front of you.
Step 13 – Get spoon back and accept instructions to stir.
Step 14 – Learn the secret that putting the pit of the avocado in with the guacamole keeps it from turning brown.
Step 15 – Eat and enjoy :)

Totally worth it.

ibook

I think we all know that I am obsessed with my itouch for all its wonderful assistance in my Spanish acquisition.  However, I am, if possible, even more excited about my itouch after finding out that I could download, for free, a new app called ibook!  Basically my itouch just turned into a kindle.  And that is awesome. 

They gave me a free book, “Winnie the Pooh”, of course, why not?!?  I would be lying to say I haven’t read chapters 1-3 already :)  And then I downloaded a Spanish beginner reader… don’t worry, I read three chapters of that too!  On chapter for every chapter of Winnie.  Seems like a fair trade.  Turns out I am 7 years old.

I’m loving it.  So… if you can, get this app… it is awesome.

Newsletter - August 2010

Newsletter August 2010

This morning

Loving this verse…

“It is the LORD who goes before you.  HE will be with you; HE will not leave or forsake you.  Do not fear or be dismayed!”
Deuteronomy 31:8

The Blue Hose

Also… this morning I was talking to a new couple here at language school who are from SC.  I told them I went to Presbyterian College and the wife responds, “me too”.  WHAT?!?

She only went for a year and I don’t know what year… but how random is that?

haircut

Haircut in Costa Rica… check.

So far so good :)  I think I like it, but we’ll see when it dries curly, its pretty short.  Anyway the woman who cut it is so sweet, speaks English, and loves the Lord.  She basically told me her whole testimony while I got my hair cut and I loved it.  When I go back, we’ll talk in Spanish!  Also, she has a son who is a year and a half and SO cute.  So he and I spoke a little Spanish together, mostly about Sponge Bob.

Back to daily life…

Tomorrow begins orientation for the trimester at ILE.  I’m not excited about getting oriented to life in Costa Rica, since I’ve been living here.  But I am excited about meeting all the new people!

And I have to take a placement test tomorrow.  Some days are “on” days for Spanish and days just aren’t.  So pray for an “on” day tomorrow so I’ll get placed in a challenging class.  But not too hard :)

Thanks!

Gravity

I hesitate a little bit to put this on here, because I don’t want to be misunderstood.  But I really love this song.  And every time I hear it, I’m reminded of my relationship with the Lord.  Granted her resolution in the chorus and bridge is that she is better off without this person and just wants to be left alone… while I end up on the total other end with the Lord, utterly thankful to be pulled back to Him.  But I can even empathize with the struggle.  I feel like the Lord catches me just when I think I’m strong and finally have life figured out… and He pulls me back to Himself and all my fragile strength is gone and He shows me my weakness and how much I need Him.  But sometimes I fight it.  I want to be strong, I want to be enough on my own… but I can’t be. I just fall over and over again.  When will I ever learn to just stay in the arms of Jesus – to rest there and let Him be my strength.

This is probably the most applicable part for me… “You loved me ‘cause I’m fragile, when I thought that I was strong.”

"Gravity" – Sara Bareilles
Something always brings me back to you.
It never takes too long.
No matter what I say or do
I'll still feel you here 'til the moment I'm gone.

You hold me without touch.
You keep me without chains.
I never wanted anything so much than to drown in your love and not feel your rain.

Set me free, leave me be.
I don't want to fall another moment into your gravity.
Here I am and I stand so tall, just the way I'm supposed to be.
But you're on to me and all over me.

You loved me 'cause I'm fragile.
When I thought that I was strong.
But you touch me for a little while and all my fragile strength is gone.

I live here on my knees as I try to make you see that you're everything I think I need here on the ground.
But you're neither friend nor foe though I can't seem to let you go.
The one thing that I still know is that you're keeping me down
You're on to me, on to me, and all over...

Something always brings me back to you.
It never takes too long.

Intense

After 2 1/2 months in Costa Rica, I did my most intimidating Spanish conversation earlier this week.  I had to translate for a family to sign their rental contract for their house.  Umm… I’ve only been speaking Spanish for 2 months, did someone miss the memo?

Thankfully it was written in English and Spanish and I just had to translate for questions and the details of it with explanation.  But even so, I repeated everything back to the poor man about 6 times just to make sure I understood.  I’m sure the conversation made him tired… it made me tired for sure!

creation

I am astounded at creation.  After a vacation full of rainforest adventures, I have been exposed to more of God’s creativity than I have ever known.  If you have kids looking for a science project… leaf cutters ants.  Amazing.  Seriously.  These little guys go to the tops of trees and cut little pieces of leaves off at a time, take them back to their nests and mix them with other stuff to grow a fungus that they eat.  But first the leaves get checked by the blind inspectors to make sure they don’t fly larvae or something harmful on them.  Then the clear out passageways one little speck of dirt at a time.  And all this is necessary b/c otherwise the top canopy layer would be too thick with leaves and the plants underneath wouldn't get enough water and sun.  What?!?  That’s awesome. 

There are so many relationships within creation that God imagined and spoke into being.  I’m amazed.  And I’m amazed at His creativity with so many animals, big ones like humpback whales, ugly ones like porcupines, and tiny ones like blue jean dart frogs.  They all have a purpose are so unique.  You could study animals for your whole life and not know them all about all of them.  And with His words God spoke them into being. 

Awesome.

Vacation part 1

Many thanks to the Hawkes family who let me be a part of their family as they took me with them on some of their wild Costa Rican adventures!  Here’s a little pictoral taste of our time together…

Carolyn and I are zip-lining over the rainforest canopy in Monteverde.  In Monteverde we also toured the cheese factory and went horseback riding.  Evelyn got really brave and rode by herself!

 

 

 

 

Then we went to Manuel Antonio to the beach and the national park.  We saw sloths, birds, monkeys, lizards, and even a porcupine.  We also went white water rafting.  And Allen made a pretty awesome natural shelter from the rain.

 

 

 

    

A couple favorite trip memories…

1. The little boy who saw a huge lizard on the beach and asked the two teenage girls sunbathing… “Is that YOUR iguana?”  Umm… no.

2. The guy in the green shirt.  I think he was following me.  Seriously.  He stood next to my seat for 5 hours to Monteverde on the public bus, almost falling into my lap.  Then he was in our zip lining group, we saw him drive past us while we were walking, and we saw him at a restaurant.  It was a little creepy.

Thanks so much Hawkes family for letting me be a part of our family and vacation!  You were such an encouragement to me.  I loved seeing you!

What Difference Do it Make?

Over my vacation I read this book, “What Difference Do it Make?”.  Its the second book that follows “Same Kind of Different as Me”, written by Ron Hall and Denver Moore.  I love these books.  They are about the unlikely story of friendship between a wealthy art dealer and a homeless man brought together by the Lord’s work through a woman who was willing to step into the trenches to love people.  Here are some of my favorite parts…

 

“And needy people don’t need no perfect people neither.  When Jesus send His disciples out, He set Peter right along, knowin Peter had a bad temper and a potty mouth and was gon’ deny Him three times.  He sent John and James even though they was full a’ pride and fightin over the best seat at the table.  He even sent Judas, knowin Judas was gon’ betray Him.  Even though Jesus knowed all their sins and weakness, He sent ‘em anyway.

Listen, if the devil ain’t messin with you, he’s already got you.  If you is waitin to clean up your own life before you get out and help somebody else, you may as well take off your shoes and crawl back in the bed ‘cause it ain’t never gon’ happen.  Jesus don’t need no help from no perfect saints.” –pg.45-46

 

“But when you reachin out to folks, ‘specially if you just reachin out when other folks expects it, you got to ask yourself-is you doing it for God, or is you doin it for you?” –pg 55

 

“Since I been visitin a lotta chuches, I hear people talkin ‘bout how, after readin our story, they felt “led” to help the homeless, to come alongside the down-and-out.  But when it comes to helpin people that ain’t got much, God didn’t leave no room for feelin led.

Jesus said God gon’ sperate us based on what we did for folks that is hungry and thirsty, fellas that is prisoners in jail and folks that ain’t got no clothes and no place to live.  What you gon’ do when you get to heaven and you ain’t done none a’that?  Stand in front of God and tell Him, “I didn’t feel led”?

You know what He gon’ say?  He gon’ say, “You didn’t need to feel led ‘cause I had done wrote it down in the Instruction book.”” –pg 154

So thankful…

I am so thankful to be going on break from school starting tomorrow!  I know, its only been two months.  But my brain is totally on overload!  And I’m not leaving Spanish, just class every day.  I really think I need the break.  But it is really amazing to look back to 8 weeks ago and see how much I’ve learned!

So… this is life for the next two weeks before school starts:
1. Tomorrow please pray for me as I say goodbye to most of my friends here from the summer program that I’ve been in
2. Tomorrow night I meet up with the Hawkes family in Monteverde… YAY!  I can’t wait :)  I’ll be vacationing with them until next Wednesday.  What a HUGE blessing!
3. Next Wednesday my mom and dad and brother fly in!  I CANNOT wait to see them and introduce them to my life here.  I really am excited to share it with them.  My host mom is excited to meet them and is cooking us special Tico food for dinner the night they arrive :)  My mom is trying to extend her stay for awhile after my dad and brother leave, but we’re having trouble with the airline.  So please pray for that.  I would really love to have her here longer!
4. I have a “little brother” family coming in on the 18th of August and another on the 23rd.  I’m helping people who won’t be here pick up their families as well.  And I’m so excited to meet our new students.  Its hard to believe that was me not that long ago and now I’m going to be the Costan Rican expert.  Awesome seeing as how I’m still asking questions all the time… :)

All that to say, I will not be blogging much.  Please pray for really good time for me in God’s Word that I will be refreshed.  Pray for lots of chances to practice Spanish.

And I also wanted to share this request from my team.  We are building a ministry center in Armenia Bonito and are asking for prayer and any financial support you feel led to offer.  Click here to read my team leader’s blog about how God is furthering our team and ministry in Honduras.

Adios everyone!  More to come in a few weeks…

Elephant Project

Finished!  YAY!

Checklist for today…
1. Present in Spanish for 5 minutes about elefantes (check)
2. Take a ridiculously hard grammer test on past tense (check)
3. Lead worship in chapel (check)
4. Crash when you get home (check)

I want you all to know that elephants exhibit emotions most similar to humans.  Pretty cool, huh?

Also I wanted to share the verses I shared in chapel this morning…
Psalm 130:5-6
I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
       and in his word I put my hope. 
My soul waits for the Lord
       more than watchmen wait for the morning,
       more than watchmen wait for the morning.

If I was a watchmen, I would be pretty anxious for that shift change to come in the morning as I was propping my eyes up trying to stay alert.  In the same way, the Psalmist longs to be with the Lord.  I want to long for the Lord that way…

Psalm 84:1-2
How lovely is your dwelling place,
       O LORD Almighty!
My soul yearns, even faints,
       for the courts of the LORD;
       my heart and my flesh cry out
       for the living God.

Spanish kindergarten

That’s what I feel like I’m doing…

Tomorrow I have to write a report on an animal of my choice that has to be 5 minutes long.  Sound like elementary school?  And last week we studied weather and parts of the body… yay! :)

Anyway, I choose elephants b/c I have fun pictures from being in Africa when I went to visit Cindy, yay Zambia!  So today I went and bought posterboard and I’m ready to get started.

Little known fact about me… I LOVE projects.  I’m trying to control myself.  1. b/c I don’t have much time 2. b/c I’m 27 years old.  But I just really love sharpie markers!

I thought I would share a fun elephant picture with you and I’ll let you know how the project goes…

Life update

So since I'm not sure that I'll get to a newsletter before I leave town this weekend, I thought I'd give a good life and heart update on my time here in Costa Rica. Its long, I'm not offended if you don't read it :)

I cannot believe that I've been here almost 8 weeks! But its true. I'm wrapping up my first intensive course here and will have two weeks off school before I start the fall trimester. The Lord has done so much in me during these eight weeks, I'll try to give you a sum up.

1. I've learned some Spanish! Always a plus. Its been great to realize recently just how much I have learned. Today my host mom told me I have learned "bastante", a lot. She doesn't give compliments often, so that was really encouraging. I'm still not able to speak well in past tense, but that's only like the last 2000 years, so its not all that important anyway. Just think of me as a progressive thinker only speaking about the present and future :) But its coming... slowly but surely. And my confidence is growing for sure, which helps.

2. I've made some great friends. The people in my class have been amazing. Melissa (a friend in the trimester program) calls us the Intensive Unit AM, IUAM. There is an IUPM as well and we've adopted some of them. I'm so thankful for these people. They have pushed me to Jesus, encouraged me to learn Spanish, been patient with me, traveled with me, helped me figure out Costa Rica, and now they are leaving.

This is a hard reality of the next two years of my life. There will be a lot of making friends and saying goodbye. I don't like it at all. I just said goodbye to people two months ago, I don't want to do it again. But life overseas is very transitive with people coming and going. And it is pointing me back to where my identity lies, not in a community of friends and family, but only in the Lord. Its a lesson that I never seem to fully grasp and yet He is patient with me drawing me back to Himself to know that He is "El Shaddai - the All-Sufficient One" for me. And thankfully, He even provided as a couple of the girls are coming back and will be here 'till the winter. We're going to try to do a Bible study together and I'm so excited about that!

3. The Lord has provided a great church and Bible study in Spanish. Still two of the highlights of my week and I understand more and more every week. What a blessing! One of these days I'm going to get brave and volunteer to lead Bible study. Thankfully they are very patient!

4. I'm getting to know my host family, slowly but surely. Speaking some Spanish definitely helps! I'm looking forward to four more months with them. I really want to keep getting to know them and having conversations with them, especially with my host mom. Today she was so patient with me over lunch as I tried to explain "swat team" in Spanish. Yeah, I don't know any of those words. But I managed to say... "The detectives figure out where the bad men are and then this group of people goes in with bullet impenetrable clothes and finds the bad people." I think she got the idea :)

5. The Lord has provided rest. I have needed it immensely. I am realizing that my last four to six months in the states were more chaotic on my heart than I knew. I was doing so much and not processing anything and it hit me like a ton of bricks when I arrived in Costa Rica. So I've spent a lot of really good time just enjoying the Lord here, enjoying His Word, His creation, His people, but mostly, His rest. And I'm so thankful for it.

Its a hard season for my heart. As always when we are spending time in the Word we find that it is transforming. The Gospel always brings about change and I am seeing this in my life. I am seeing the Lord reteach me old lessons and teach me new lessons. He is doing a huge overhaul on my heart and slowly I am opening clenched fists as He takes away sin and replaces it with love for His name and His glory and His Gospel. I am learning to trust Him and His love for me as I have to depend on Him in a whole new way in this new season of life. It is hard to be honest, but exciting as I see the Lord really doing a new thing.

Acts 43:19 "See, I am doing a new thing! Now it spring up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland!"

There is so much more that I can say about where I am and where my heart is and what I'm learning and how transforming it has been to rest in the Lord. But I'm sure you're tired of reading this. So for now, one last praise. My family is coming in 2 weeks and I could not be more excited! Its such great timing. I am ready for a glimpse of home. Seeing the Hawkes was better than I thought it would be to hug the neck of someone who has known me for so long and I know to see my family is going to be even better. I'm so thankful for the Lord's provision. It hasn't even been that long and already I'm getting tastes of home! (Oh, that and the Lucky charms that Kristi sent me in the mail... LOVE THEM! Great taste of home :))

More fun with Spanish

This morning before school I had a conversation with my mamá tica that went like this…

Me:  Umm… necisito algo para el inodoro porque el agua no sale
(rough translation, I need a plunger)
MT:  ¡Qué torta! (how embarrasing)

Thank you… as if I didn’t know I was embarrased :)

Also found out in class today the literal definition of two foods…

Pico de gallo – A rooster’s beak (you’re putting that on your burrito at Moes!)
Gallo pinto – Spotted rooster (this is the traditional rice and beans breakfast here)

So funny.

This week is crazy b/c its the last week of class and two birthdays!  We have tests and goodbye lunches and Bible study and studying and so many other things too.  I’m going to try to get a newsletter written, but no promises!  Also, I’d love to post blogs on my recent adventures, but no promises there either.  Mostly I’m just trying to keep up :)

A piece of Home…

The Hawkes are here!

I cannot even tell you how good it was to see Adrienne and Carolyn’s faces as they came down the stairs at the hotel.  It has a huge blessing to be able to have dinner with their family tonight and know that I get to spend more time with them next week!  I couldn’t be more excited.  What a blessing from the Lord!

It was neat too to be around them and realize that last time I saw them I didn’t speak any English, but tonight I could communicate with the waiter and explain things about Spanish to them.  I still don’t know as much as Allen, I’m pretty sure, but its good to be reminded that I am learning!