Wow, a lot of time has gone by...

Please forgive me for the amount of time that has gone by since I last blogged. Our computer has a virus and hasn't allowed us to upload photos and I hate blogging without them. So that's my excuse. Since so much time has passed, I don't know where to start. I'll try to be coherent with all of the information.

Mechanic Falls, Maine
A team of seven from Mechanic Falls, Maine, is here (for a total of 10 days - they leave on Saturday) and it has been such a neat experience to work alongside strangers for a common purpose. The five men on the team have been working in Yasmin, building foundations for houses and the two women have been working in the kinder and in the community with Becca and me. We've also continued our tutoring classes and were able to go to the rehab center at CCA (Center of Christian Praise) and share crafts, gifts and just spend time with the ladies who are struggling with addictions.

This is my first team experience and I am definitely exhausted. There's not really a break until bedtime, but it's fulfilling and I have also been able to get to know the community of Anonos even more since the team has been here. Some of the children actually know my name now (usually they call me Holly). I feel so blessed to be able to participate in the work going on here and am thankful for the team and the time and resources they have spent to be here with us.

Picture on the right: Cherry, holding her brother(?), Joshua during the Christmas party last Saturday

Tutoring/Classes
Kids will sometimes stop by the casita when Becca and I are there to ask us when they can have English classes. It's awesome that the kids are spreading the word and that they know what we are offering. We might actually have to start saying no because of how many students we have...we have four consistent classes with about nine kids between all of them. We also have around three other tentative classes where kids will come once and then not show up again. Becca and I are trying to decide how to gear the learning toward children of different age levels since siblings and cousins will come to the same tutoring session. Pray that we will be able to help and not hold students back or teach above the heads of other students.

I know I probably shouldn't have favorites, but two boys who have a special place in my heart are David and Elmer, ages 9 and 7. They have about six siblings and live in the quebrada. Their mother always has a smile on her face and you would never guess that she has financial difficulties or a house-full to take care of (with a baby on the way). David is the oldest boy (I think) and usually looks like he's carrying a burden, yet is still such a sweet, intelligent boy. Elmer is younger and has a lot of energy. They are so precious and I love interacting with them. They like to give high-fives and usually request to play "Uno" in class - Becca and I have decided that Uno will have to be the ultimate prize since it's gone over so well (just in case you're wondering, Uno helps with colors, numbers and game-playing vocabulary).

What's next...
Next week I'm taking a week-long Spanish class in San Jose from 9-2 and get to ride the bus by myself (so excited!). I'm getting more confident with Spanish but have SUCH a long way to go. And then...I get to see my family and feel cold weather!

Strength in a dark place.

Cecelia welcomed us into her home last week with no outward reservations. Though her house is small and the bed is in the living room, it is immaculate and has little touches here and there that speak of a desire for people to feel at home. Rodney, Luis and I were visiting this woman for two purposes. One, to continue building a relationship with her and to offer support and two, to be able to share her story when we have team orientation.

Writing Cecelia's story based on one visit will be difficult, but I will do my best to share what I understood from this one meeting and hope that I will be able to get to know her better in the coming months.

Cecelia's life has not been easy, but to see her hope in the Lord is evidence of God's hand in her life. She described her relationship with her father growing up as one lacking in love. There basically was no interaction or support on his end. While there was no verbal or physical abuse, the neglect of her overall person is abuse enough. She said that when her father was in the hospital, about to pass away, he called her to come see him and asked for her forgiveness. She freely gave it to him. Cecelia's first marriage did include abuse - physical and verbal. He left her for another woman and ended up getting shot by the other woman's husband. Cecelia married again, this time to a man who later died in a car accident. Her second husband was also abusive.

Cecelia came to know Christ five years ago when she was brought to church by her grandson, Andrey. Andrey is 22 and lives with his grandmother, and suffers from a severe mental illness. He has been diagnosed with bi-polar but refuses to be on medication or receive other medical help. Andrey came home while we were visiting with Cecelia and interacted with us occasionally during the afternoon. He would be very lucid at times and then he would branch off into a stream of consciousness that involved snippets of information that he picked up from TV or other media. Cecelia said that he writes constantly and some of his entries say things like, "There is no future for me." Andrey has also tried to strangle Cecelia in the middle of the night. She rebuked him in the Lord's name and he immediately stopped...when she tried to question him, he had no idea what she was talking about. So there may be more to his problem than a chemical imbalance.

Before we left her home, we prayed with her. I hope that God will show us ways to support her as she continues dealing with family issues as well as life in general with her grandson.

This is one of the many stories of the people in Los Anonos. I am glad that God is with us here, equipping us to serve and being strong in our weakness.

Inspiration.

The rain has let up a little...instead of raining every day for most of the day it now rains every other day. It's getting colder, but nothing compared to the northern hemisphere which I've heard is getting quite chilly. I miss the brilliant fall leaves, but not the inevitable cold that will follow. The month of October passed by so quickly I feel as though it will be no time before I'm back home for Christmas. Rebecca and I had a great month taking care of the house, getting tutoring classes started and continuing our standard mode of trying to communicate with people. My name is pretty difficult for most of the kids to say, but I'm sure they'll get it eventually. Apparently, my name is also "demasiado comercial" according to Tito, one of our neighbors, who said it reminded him of dish detergent. He then proceeded to write the Joy logo on a whiteboard nearby...very clever.

Rodney and Cindy came back from their trip last week, and it's great to have them back. The ideas they bring with them are exciting and a source of inspiration and hope. Looking ahead, our days will be filled with tutoring, visiting people, hopefully taking Spanish classes and getting ready for the next team. I've been put in charge of creating assessments for groups that come to work, and will be helping with organization of our tutoring classes. The difference that an involved parent makes is incredible. We've had a few no- shows for sessions, but have been consistently tutoring Jorge, Andres, Natali and Alison. They are all at different levels but seem to catch on quickly and want to learn.

I was supposed to tutor Winston today at 10 a.m., and was excited about having my first one-one-one session by myself. This would have been his second session. Unfortunately he didn't show up. There are many possible reasons for this since he has a family, a full-time job and other responsibilities. He seems eager to learn, and I hope that we will be able to connect with him and encourage him to come next week...

Next week we're going on a mini-retreat in the mountains to be in the presence of each other and God, and to take time out to listen. It seems like a great idea to get away and rest, think and be inspired. Excited about what will come this month.

Preparation and beginnings.

Rain, house projects, practicing Spanish, preparing for the coming months of busyness...I find myself anxious for that next step and anxious to have a full schedule, along with clear, measurable goals. I have felt God telling me to be patient, to experience things as they come and to just rest in the moment. Enjoy the rainy afternoons when Becca and I work on our house project, which consists of applying Danish oil to all of the unfinished furniture. (I know it might sound random, but part of our job is to maintain the house that has been entrusted to Harvest Hands.) Enjoy the process of settling in, getting to know the people around us and be content to transition slowly. Starting in December we will have teams non-stop, so my goals for October and November are to support Becca with her English classes in whatever way I can, continue visiting people in the community and motivating myself to practice Spanish on my own until we have classes in November.

One thing that has really excited me is the prospect of tutoring children in our neighborhood. Eventually we hope to have more children and some structure to the program, but right now we are just starting out. Last Tuesday, we had our first tutoring session with 11-year-old Jorge. We definitely improvised a lot, as we thought he was bringing his homework and therefore did not bring any material. But it was so neat to engage with him and he was such a great sport as we did our best to figure out what level he was on, what he was studying in his English class and how to help him. It was precious - especially when he gave us looks like, "who are these girls and what are they saying?" I'm looking forward to being a part of this and hope that the kids will benefit from the sessions in some way. I know I definitely will. There's nothing more humbling than being a part of the beginnings of something where everyone proceeds by trial and error and where trusting that God's hand is in it is vital to its success.

I'm here.

I have been struggling with what to share in my first blog. It's been a week since I arrived, and so many things have happened since I landed. Maybe not tangible things, but things that I am still in the process of sorting through.

I am thankful for Rebecca's friendship, and Rodney and Cindy's help as I become a part of the "family." Biscuit did not welcome my presence, but she's getting used to me now and I LOVE having a dog in the family. She's a Rhodesian Ridgeback, and very noble. Noble and hates having her picture taken.

The tangible things that have happened since my arrival were the basic orientation of the house, chores, schedule. I've attended the church (La Vina, in Escazu) and the 20 - something's mid-week service. I've met several people in the community through "visiting," which will be a large part of the ministry here. I've gone with Becca to the kindergarten where she teaches an English class twice a week.

The intangible things that have and are still occurring are all the questions, the feelings of excitement and hope, mixed with fear. I constantly have to remind myself that God has prepared the way for me, and has gone before me. Becca reminded me of that about a week ago and that thought has been a huge source of comfort. Especially when I try to express myself in Spanish. My problem is that I don't want to try unless it's perfect, and I know it won't be. That's the lesson for myself...to be ok with less than perfect.

Rodney and I went down to the "quebrada" yesterday, which means the broken. The quebrada is a section of Los Anonos on the other side of the river where drug addicts hang out, deal drugs and do drugs. There are also families who live in the midst of it. There was a heavy feeling as we walked down the path, avoiding the mud and waste that littered the path. One person said to us, "cuidado" before we walked on our way...be careful. The quebrada evoked a feeling of hopelessness within me - wondering how people can come out of that lifestyle and how to have discipling when they do get out of it. I have to remind myself that there is something inside of everyone that yearns for the eternal, and there is a reason to hope. I pray that these people will see the reason and search for it, and allow others to help them out of it.

As I continue to become accustomed to Costa Rica and learning my role in Harvest Hands, I am certain that my times of discomfort and questioning are all part of the process. And thankfully God is helping me, daily, to have a desire to learn, serve and do my best, even when my best is not perfect.

Goodbye Raleigh.

I feel like I've been approaching October 1 at break-neck speed, but I don't know that there would have been a different way...my last day of work was last week. That was pretty exciting slash sad to say goodbye to the people I have worked with for the past year and a half. If I get calls from my co-worker I am truly happy to talk to her, even if it means I have to account for conversations I've had with people trying to book a wedding.


I haven't even begun to process being unemployed since I've been busy packing, traveling to Richmond for a wedding and saying goodbye to everyone here. But even though I've been busy, I've been able to have my share of relaxing mornings at MT. (I feel like everything is right in the world if I get at least one hour at one of my favorite coffee places once a week.)


So, unemployment hasn't really sunk in, and neither has the fact that I am moved out of my sweet, albeit hard-to-get-to apartment with really high utility bills. It is empty and clean and hopefully someone else will enjoy the beautiful windows. I left some weather stripping on top of the refrigerator for the next tenant since I never got around to putting it on the windows to increase efficiency (U3A if you want the weather stripping).




Even though this hasn't all hit me, excitment has hit me. I can't wait to be a part of the Costa Rica community and build relationships with people I come in contact with. So, even though it's tearful to saygoodbye, I must. Goodbye Raleigh, The Rockford, Morning Times, Vintage, the Y with all its fabulous classes and crazy weight-lifters, my wonderful friends and family, Stuff, Lilly's, First Friday, texting, getting burned constantly by Zach, Grey's parties with the laddies, and One Tree Hill nights with Kristen. Goodbye for now and hello Costa Rica. I can't wait...

I love lists...

I love lists in all forms. To-do lists, grocery lists, reading lists, goal lists. Sometimes I'll have a to-do list and if I performed a task that's not on it, I will write it down just so I can cross it out. I'm sure there are others out there like me. My list keeps changing these days and it seems like it's getting longer rather than shorter.

Yesterday I was about to go get my tattoo when I realized I hadn't gotten a tetanus shot in 10 years. After googling all of the potential risks with tattoos, I decided to go ahead and get my shot.


The Family Doctor walk-in clinic wasn't as scary as I thought it would be except that the doctor who gave me my shot seemed extremely unsure of herself and cleaned the spot on my arm for at least 30 seconds and kept pressing my arm trying to find the right place to insert the needle - not very comforting. Anyway, I had to read all the vaccine warnings before getting my shot and then last night all I could do was think about how thirsty I was and how I thought my jaw was locking up, since I could potentially die from having a vaccine (or that's what the booklet said). Thanks Mom, for giving me your hypochondriac gene.


So I checked off getting a tetanus shot and I'm thankful I don't need another one for 10 years. Next thing on the list is to spend two hours voluntarily having needles inserted into my shoulder blade to permanently ink a beautiful design into my skin - if I don't freak out too much from reading the possible health risks involved.

What do we need?

As I am preparing to go to Costa Rica, the multitude of tasks set before me are daunting. Packing, re-painting my apartment to the ugly color it once was, getting the right shots before I leave, training my co-worker on my different responsibilities, trying to pack in as much social time as possible...I have gotten more than a little stressed out. I have wondered if God can really use me where I'm going and if it will prove to be too difficult for me. And the answer is, yes it will be difficult. But God is teaching me to pray that He will use my strengths for His will and that He will use me in spite of my weaknesses. One thing that has really encouraged me this month is Jesus' conversation with Martha in Luke 10: 41-42. "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, 42but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." Jesus' loving reprimand is not meant to shame, but meant to show Martha that one thing is needed. That one thing is offered to all of us. And I hope that I will make an effort to do the one thing that is needed as I get ready to go.