Walk to school…

Hey… Here is a just a little picture of my life here. 

 

 

Me in front of my house.

 

 

 

 

 

These are all pictures of my walk to school.  It’s about 5 minutes and two turns from my house.

 

 

These are pictures of school and the view of the mountains when it’s not raining… which is only in the mornings until about 1pm.

Today was a great day.  We did lots of good stuff in class and then some of us went on a walk to find a store and such.  It was good to get around and find out where things are.  Very freeing.  After awhile I went to Laura’s house (the girl on the right in the picture above) to study with her.  We didn’t study much, but we spoke a lot of Spanish.  There are two little girls at her house, 3 and 5 years old.  They are so cute and fun and her host mom invited me back anytime, which is super fun.  So… I loved it.  Then I came home for dinner and actual studying :) 

The Lord has been really faithful and reminded me today that He provides for me and that this experience really is going to be good.  I haven’t been nearly as lonely today, which is such a blessing.  I’m thankful that my Spanish is improving and little by little I’m getting more confident to try and use what I know.  I even found myself speaking  Spanish to an English speaking store owner just to practice!  So… its coming! 

My class

Just wanted to share this picture with you.  From left to right… Laura, Me, Deborah, and Abby :)

Just another afternoon rainstorm…

It is bittersweet to have morning classes.  The only really nice weather is in the mornings.  It rains about noon every day.  And we’re talking downpour!  So on the one hand, I miss the nice weather… on the other hand, I don’t have to walk in it. :)  My house is so peaceful.  I love it.  I’m trying to spend time here just studying and relaxing and getting to know my host mom.  But I am going to have some adventures with the other students this week.  We’re going to try to go to a movie Thursday afternoon… best of luck to us :)  No one knows where it is yet…

Class is great.  Challenging just the right amount.  I catch about 80% of what the teacher is saying and have a hundred plus verbs to learn.  But I am more confident to talk to my host mom after just two days.  I’m try to conjugate things and speak correctly… all in present tense, but its a start!

This rain means I may have to take a nap :)

First day of Class

Yet another thing in my life has changed… my alarm clock.  I’m so used to using my cell phone and now I am using a travel alarm clock, which I set, but forgot to turn on.  Awesome.  It is all thanks to my Tico mama that I made it to orientation this morning!  Muchas Gracias Doña Josephina!

First thing we took a placement test and I placed into the second beginner class… that is all thanks to Sarah Puffer and Spanish dinners at the Hodges.  So thanks :)  There are four students in my class and we have 2 hours of conversation class and 1 hour of grammer class.  Today it was in the afternoon, but most days we’ll have class at 7:30am!  Eek.  Should be find if I can remember to turn my alarm on.

I’ve decided nan would be an awesome language school host… too bad there isn’t a language school in Cary.  My Tico mama has been awesome… doing laundry, cooking amazing meals for me, helping me with Spanish.  Today she patiently looked at all my pictures as I used broken Spanish to tell her who everyone is.  So, now she knows lots of you… ha! :)

Erin Timmons made me promise to give a recap of 5 new friends I made today… so here goes.  It will be neat to see what the Lord does with these friendships over the next couple months.  Most people in my intensive program are just here for 2 months… thus begins the next phase of my life… constantly meeting people and saying goodbye.  It’s not my favorite, to be honest, but I’m excited to have two months with these people.

Laura – lives across the park from me and we’re going to walk to school together!  I’m so glad to have her so close by.
Katherine – the bravest 18 year old I know.  She is here by herself after just graduating from high school.  We met on the way to school this morning, so she lives nearby too.
Mary Beth – speaks WAY more Spanish than the rest of us, so we made her order at the bakery today :)  Also, I’m pretty sure I heard her make a “FRIENDS” reference today, so I think we’ll be friends.
Deborah – is going to be our class mom I think.  She bravely left her two grown children in the states to move to Roatan.  For those who don’t know, that’s only a two hour ferry ride from La Ceiba!
Abby – a teacher from Florida who is in my class.  She knows a little more Spanish than the other three of us and helps us know what the teacher is saying… I’m thankful.

Also… I’m starting my booming social life with a progressive dinner on Saturday night.  We’re going to try to go see a movie sometime this week and also study together.  But the big news is that the school has a weekend trip to Panama in 2 weekends and I’m going :)  so that’s really fun!  I don’t know much about it except we’re going on a bus to the Northern part of Panama and there are beaches and Islands and it’s pretty.  That’s all the info I need!

I am feeling more at home here today and I’m so thankful for that.  I also decided to memorize my new favorite verse in Spanish…
“Y él es antes de todas las cosas, y todas las cosas en él subsisten.” Colosenses 1:17

He who has called you is faithful!

1 Thessalonians 5:24

I started this post differently, but I had to come back and change it.  I just got back from walking around the neighborhood (my neighborhood is called San Francisco, how awesome is that?).  On my walk, I was thinking that maybe I was not the only new lonely student who would be out on Sunday afternoon trying to find my way to school for Monday morning.   So I prayed that God would let me meet another student.  About a block later I see about 20 gringos getting off a bus… so I boldly ask if they are from the language school, and they are :)  They aren’t new students, but they are so friendly and we chat for a little while.  I meet Charlie and Mark who are here with their families and just getting back from a weekend camp.  Isn’t the Lord good to answer prayer?  I couldn’t believe it and teared up a little at how much my God knows and loves me and answers my needs.

I promise once I have a life here I won’t write such long posts :)

So… day two in Costa Rica, the weather is beautiful and I’m starting to figure life out at least a little bit.  Still so thankful for Mark and Marge who took me with them to youth group last night.  They lead youth group for an international group, mostly MKs.  It was really fun to see the Lord working in this group of kids and hear Marge’s stories of how the Lord is changing their lives.  It was sad as four of them are leaving, either for the summer or for good after language school or a term of serving.  This is the life of an MK.  Lots of change and people coming and going from your life.  I don’t think change and I get along.  So… this new missionary life is going to be interesting!  :)

My host parents have been nothing but kind.  This morning we had a misunderstanding I think :)  I thought I told Don Alfredo that I was going to go for a walk to explore the neighborhood and find my way to the school, etc.  But then he told me the mom would go with me.  And then asked if I wanted to come with them.  I still thought we were walking around the neighborhood, but we got in the car and went to the market instead :)  So… I went to the market and grocery store, which was great.

Tomorrow we start class… so pray for lots of new friends :)

Costa Rica!

I have never had a harder moment in my life than getting in the line for security at the RDU airport.  I almost turned around and walked right back to my family and friends to go home with them.  But I didn’t, and now I’m here! :)  Its been am emotionally messy 48 hours… but I am doing well right now and really trusting that the Lord has good in store for me today and all of my days in Costa Rica!

I made some new friends through a mutual friend in MTW.  They are from Alabama but have lived here for 2 years.  Mark and Marge picked me up from the airport and answered my prayer for a less awkward car ride.  They speak English and understand the emotional status of my heart :)  Marge is great and willing to help me with anything.  I am actually spending the evening with them tonight.

The Lord also blessed me with two great seatmates on my plane rides… I will write my observations about them below :)

All in all… I’m feeling good about being here, but I can’t wait until I get started with class on Monday so that I have more to do to occupy my time.  There are over 20 new people coming in with my class, so I’ll get to meet lots of new people and hopefully make some good friends.  It will be nice to have people to do things with.  Amy said it well… being in a new place and not having “people” is extrovert’s hell.  That’s true.  My host family is great, but the only speak Spanish and I exhausted my communication skills really quickly!  So, I’m holed up in my room today being overwhelmed all by myself instead of trying to be overwhelmed and speak Spanish.  Tomorrow I’ll try again and also go out and explore a little bit… yay!

Thanks for all your prayers! 

Seatmate observations…
First there was Mitch, who knew that I was obviously sad… but dealt with it like a champ. He was super friendly and told me all about his wife and their life in S. Florida. He works for Seimens and was in Cary for training so we talked about places and things that were familiar. He talked to me the whole two hour flight so that I didn’t even really have time to be sad. He even stayed with me on the transport to the main terminal and made sure that I knew where I was going before he took off to baggage claim in Miami. Thanks Mitch!

So, flight from Miami to El Salvador I met Jose from Nicaragua. He started by asking me if I speak Spanish… no Jose I don’t. But I wish I did so that I could be at home for the next six months instead of on a plane to Costa Rica. Alas. Anyway… we talked for the next hour and a half. He spoke easy Spanish to me and let me practice, told me all about the cruise ship that he works on, showed me pictures, told me about his family, invited me to visit Nicaragua, and gave me his email. Honestly, I think I’ll keep in touch with him at least a couple times. He is a Christian and was sooo excited about what I was doing. He thought it was really cool that people at home would give money for me to be able to come and he was really encouraging about my learning Spanish. After talking to him, I really think I can do it. And again… no time to be sad b/c I was talking the whole time.

Leaving on a Jet Plane…

The last couple of weeks have been absolutely insane, so I’m not even going to apologize for my lack of blogging.  I currently have over 150 unread items in my google reader (for those of you who don’t use google reader, ask me about it because its awesome!).  But that means I haven’t even been keeping up with anyone else’s life or blog… much less writing about my own.  But I’m going to attempt to remedy that and get caught up right now.

Disaster Response Training:
We had a great group of people from all over come together in PA for Mission to the World’s training for disaster response.  We learned survival skills, food and water safety, how to use a compass, the theology of disaster, how to live in a refuge camp, and so much more.  Then we ran a mock clinic that staged every possible thing that could go wrong to happen within an hour and a half period of time… thanks for that DRM leadership :)  I learned a ton and I’m excited to be able to serve in this way, to go to hurting people around the world when the need arises.  For the next couple years, I will probably only respond to disasters in Latin America… hopefully having some Spanish language skills to offer at some point in the near future!

A Visit:
Last week I got to go visit my grandparents at the lake near Charlotte.  It was a welcome break from life and a very relaxing couple of days.  My roommate from college, Cassie, came and brought her hammock and love for secondhand clothes shops and we had a great time hanging out together.  Its hard to believe I’ve said goodbye now.  But… I’m so thankful for this time with them.

A plane ticket:

I changed my flight to June 11th… official departure date!  I am registered for language school which will begin on June 14th and I will be in Costa Rica until the first week of December.  I’m excited and nervous and keep envisioning an awkward car ride home from the airport with my new host family when all I can say is… “Hola” and then little things like “where is the bathroom?” and “what time is dinner?”  But don’t answer me quickly because I’ll never understand.  I think my new favorite phrase is going to be… “mas despacio por favor” (more slowly please!).

Support:

This picture is a lie because I actually have 99% of my monthly support raised!  I am so close :)  Thanks to everyone who has made that happen.  I am actually in a scramble with the home office to get exact numbers for what I have left to raise… so be praying that tomorrow when we run numbers it will show that my support is finished!  I’ll keep you updated about that.  Any donations are still welcome and needed.

Baby:
For those of you who knew that I was keeping a precious little boy for a couple of months, I’ll give you an update.  This is little Wesley who stole my heart :)  It has been a blessing to be able to see him settled in to his new adoptive family before I leave for the field.  I was uncertain if I would have to leave not knowing where he was going to end up… but I’m so thankful to get to know where he is and know that I am going to get to be a part of his life as he grows up!

A Wedding:
My dear friend and “pseudo-sister” Rebecca got married yesterday and I couldn’t be more excited for she and Andrew.  I am SO thankful that the Lord allowed me to still be there to be able to be a part of their special day and to see HIS name lifted high as they begin their life and ministry together.

A Party:
And next weekend we get to celebrate yet another special wedding for Anna and Josh and it was great to have these girls come and stay with me last night after their bachelorette party extravaganza.  The Lord has blessed me so much to have such amazing girls in my life and let me walk through life with them and watch them grow up and mature and know HIM more and get married and graduate… it’s crazy… but I’m so thankful.

And so much more:
There has been shopping and packing and moving and emails and phone calls and visits and tears and laughing.  I can’t sum up the last couple weeks without 8 more blog posts, but I’ll spare you.  The Lord has been good to remind me to trust in Him because He is always faithful.  He has answered my prayers above and beyond what I ever could have imagined in countless situations and I should never doubt His love and care for me.  Please keep praying as I transition.  I flip-flop from overwhelming excitement to nerves and fear and sadness at the drop of a hat.  But more than any of the emotions, I am confident that I am following the Lord’s leading in my life and I couldn’t be more secure in that.  It is right where I want to be.