Christmas in Guanacaste

First let me apologize for missing last month's entry - it slipped my mind until we were already in December. I was able to participate in a Christmas outreach activity last weekend and wanted to give you a picture of Las Delicias, Guanacaste, a more rural area of Costa Rica. Here we still see caballeros or cowboys riding along side of their cattle in the dirt roads. The land is more open and arid than San Jose, with beautiful mountain scapes in the background (sorry my battery died before I could take any scenery shots!) This church plant started with the conversion of family members of a couple that attend our church, Impacto Vida Nueva. It is really more of a Bible study since our coworkers, the Colliers, can only travel the 5 hours each way once a month and there is no regular pastor in this remote area. The family was precious and impressed me with their hospitality despite their meager house and simple lifestyle. They were proof that we need not wait until we reach a certain income level to give; they gave sacrificially.



Here in the photos you get a glimpse of their home; the wood walls, basic amenities, farm animals roaming freely outside. The children and adults came from even farther away for this annual celebration hosted here. A Tico couple wanted to provide a small health fair for those who needed help as well as for the Mother's of children in attendance. Here Esteban checks the blood pressure of one of the grandmothers.

Despite the terrible dust (we are now in the dry season) the kids enjoyed the games and treats we brought. There were close to 200 in attendance and 19 people made a decision to accept Christ as their Lord and Savior. With a strong catholic influence in Costa Rica, it will take time and people to follow up on these decisions, which is a challenge since the location is so far away.

Here, my friend Andrea holds one of the little boys. Next to her is a photo of the porch of the house where many gathered to sing songs while we awaited the arrival of all the kids. Again you can see how dusty everything was from the dirt roads and winds. It was an added blessing to talk to a group of university students who came to practice their English conversation skills. I also tasted my first tamale, a mixture of corn meal, vegetables and pork wrapped and steamed in banana leaves. The family, with the help of an aunt, prepared over 250 of these traditional Christmas tamales to share with all who attended - what a treat! Perhaps when you think of what you have and receive this Christmas, keep in mind that all we really need to celebrate this holiday is an open and generous heart.

Our Trip to the Wood Factory

We were privileged to take a field trip to the Sr. y Sra. Ese wood factory during our last week at school. The store is a third generation family owned business that has manufactured woods for over 45 years. They supply wood products to gift shops and venders not only in Costa Rica but in other countries as well. This past week as we returned from a conference in Mexico, I found the same wood jewelry in the Mexico City International Airport, with it's made in Costa Rica label. The field trip allowed us an inside look at all the steps required for manufacturing the beautiful products we see in the local gift shops.

Due to the high levels of dust, we were required to wear masks as we started the tour. I didn't mind so much as it provided me a bit of anonymity as I walked as far away from these characters as I could! The pictures below show the different types of wood and their beautiful grains. The logs are dried outside for about 4 years before being cut and stacked for another drying time. After, the logs are planed and cut for specific uses and then sanded for a smooth finish.

Here you can see the variety of beautiful woods as well as the different sizes of pieces. Nothing goes to waste as plastic buckets of tiny pieces and beads are used as embellishments or for jewelry. The pieces themselves are put into a tumbler where the natural oils in the woods surface to give a beautiful shine without the use of any chemicals or finishes.

The pieces are categorized according to the products being made and each worker makes the individual product of his or her choosing - whether it be a purse, decoration, or jewelry. The more complex the item, the more time required to assemble it. Therefore, the worker is paid not only by quantity, but on a set quota determined by the complexity of the item. The woman below making these pens topped with small butterflies assembled one per minute. The woman assembling the wooden bowl below created one every 4 minutes! In addition to manufacturing wood products, Costa Rica protects it's national forests (there are 13 forest reserves) and practices conservation to protect against deforestation - a problem we witnessed while in West Africa where wood exports are a source of income as well.

School Begins & Ends for the Graefs

Well, since Dave and I just graduated in August, I got a bit behind in my posts. So I thought I'd tell you a little about our last month of classes, as well as a little about the education system of Costa Rica. Above is a photo of Aidan and Abby on their first day of school last week. They attend a private school on an American schedule, so classes start in the end of August. The typical Costa Rican school calendar starts in February since their summer (dry season) is from December until April.

Below is a photo of Aidan's schoolmates and teachers from last year. Sojourn Academy is a private school that educates the children of missionaries passing through the language school on the same campus. However, it is also an accredited Costa Rican school. Sojourn is a bilingual school where classes are taught in English and non-spanish speaking students are taught SSL (Spanish as a Second Language). The teachers are either nationals or teachers from the states who commit two years to teaching in a foreign field. So, if anyone knows a teacher that is considering missions or is willing to serve, please send them our way!

Costa Rica requires that every school have uniforms for it's students. The public schools of Costa Rica have taught English as a required class since 1994. However, due to the lack of qualified teachers, these classes are not available in every school. In addition to English classes, the President at that time started a computer literacy program. Although many of the schools do not have sufficient computers or technology for the demands of the program, Intel has agreed to donate 1000 computers to the public school system of Costa Rica. Intel is one of several industries here which has built up the economy by the manufacturing of exports in Costa Rica. Lastly, classes in the public schools have tests every month to review what students have learned. They have a final set of tests that students must pass in colegio (high school) in order to graduate.

As for Dave and I, our official Spanish education has come to an end. However, we are still students of the language since mastery doesn't come in one year! In August, we went through a series of three tests to evaluate our language efficiency. We had an ECO, which is an oral exam lasting about 30 minutes with one of the language professors at the institute. We also had an ECO with an external professor required by our mission and a 3 hour grammar test. Dave and I both passed the grammar test and received an advanced level for our ECO's. It is hard to believe sometimes since I seem to get tongue-tied when I speak Spanish! There will always be times where we make errors or forget vocabulary, but it is nice to be finished with the formal training! We will continue with a tutor and conversation partners, and of course, the daily practice that life in Costa Rica offers.

It was a blessing for us to have the Roughts attend our graduation ceremony. Dave spoke at the ceremony (in Spanish) in front of all our professors and did a great job. The Roughts were visiting their son and daughter-in-law who are our teammates but also come from one of our supporting churches, First Baptist Church of Hart, MI. Although we couldn't have family at our ceremony, it was a blessing to have them there as surrogate parents, wishing us the best. Thanks for coming!

Unwelcome Guests

This week we found our largest tarantula yet in our house! We have found smaller versions of the Aphonopelma moderatum in our house over the last 6 months but this guy spanned a few inches when his legs were fully extended. Here, he has pulled his legs over his torso in a defensive position but you can still get an idea of his size. The photo below was downloaded from a spider species website to show what he really looks like!

Costa Rica has over 500,000 thousand species of animals and insects within its borders, making it one of 20 countries with the highest biodiveristy in the world. This small country (about the size of West Virginia) contains 4% of the world's species due to its neotropical climate and geographical position. Of the 500,000 species, over 300,000 are insects.

Costa Rica is well known for its varieties of butterflies and moths as well. There are 1,250 varieties of mariposas (butterflies) and 8,000 varieties of moths. This 'little' guy was found in our room on vacation but we have also seen them in our garage as well! As you can see by the size of Dave's hand, we started referring to him as our 'pet'.





The variety of animals is incredible here, although I prefer seeing them in the zoo rather than in our home. Two weeks ago I had insomnia and went downstairs at 4 a.m. to watch a little TV. After I saw the small snake scurry under our TV cabinet, I woke Dave up to help me get it out. Regrettably, we discovered it was a harmless type after we killed it. However, with the three most deadly snakes living in Costa Rica, as well as a young baby who crawls on the floor, I decided not to take any chances. Needless to say, I never went back to sleep that night!

Giant cockroaches, snakes, an endless variety of ants - they've frustrated us at times but made life entertaining here as well. If you're a bug lover, please come see us and we'll be happy to show you around our lab, I mean our house!

The Last of the Birthdays - Abby turns 5!

We had the last of the kids birthdays for this year this week as Abby turned five. She celebrated her birthday in her class as well as with her friends from our team. In Tica fashion, we clebrated her birthday in her class with cupcakes, fruit, a pinata, and regalos (presents) from some of her classmates. Below is a picture of her class at the party and her teacher, Sra. Monica, who has been a wonderful help with Abby's adjustment to Costa Rica. She always welcomes Abby with a hug! Abby's class is taught completely in Spanish which has helped her to get a grasp on the language quickly.

We also had a party at our monthly team meeting since Abby's friends couldn't attend her class party. Here, the girls get their own table to eat at. Miranda and Alexa are 2 of Abby's friends that come to play quite often. Olivia enjoyed getting in on the action of the big girls and sits by herself now at the little table. Aidan helped Abby at the party by reading the cards for her, now that he is such a great reader!

Here is Abby showing us her pinata at her school, modeling a dress and jewelry sent by Grandma Rose, and catching a shot with Mom on her birthday. The parties were a success and despite the cake tipping over after we finished singing, it still tasted delicious!

Olivia Turns One!

Olivia turned one in the end of April and we were privileged to have Grandma Irene and Grandad with us to celebrate! Over her birthday we travelled to Manuel Antonio to enjoy the beach - our first vacation since we came 9 months ago! We enjoyed three days at a small condo, despite the loss of electricity daily due to a power shortage. We rescheduled Olivia's birthday party for the following Tuesday, which turned out to be a holiday (feriado) in Costa Rica and therefore had electricity the entire day! In this photo you can see one of our favorite spots, the hammock on the back porch of our room.

Here you can see that Olivia did not forget her grandparents even though she was only 2 months old when we came to Costa Rica. Although she was all smiles for the photos, she did not like the sand or the ocean!

After the beach, we celebrated Olivia's birthday party with our ABWE team. Since all of our Aunts and Uncles live in America, we invited all of Livy's missionary Aunts and Uncles to the party - 30 + people! I didn't realize how many were there until everyone gathered in one place to sing! In typical Latin fashion, we had a pinata for all the kids, Mommy made a cake which Olivia wasn't too sure about (but in the end found it to be very tasty), and had a big BBQ before the rain came.

Olivia enjoys her new presents and cake!

ABWE Missionary Kids - Costa Rica

Our Trip to Michigan - by Olivia

Here is my friend Maya! We had lots of fun playing together while I visited the States this month. She shared all her toys, high chair, and even her porta crib - and she didn't even know me yet! I especially liked pushing her around in her high chair because it had wheels and really went fast on the hard wood floors!

While I was in Michigan, I got to visit a lot of people. In fact, every waking hour (well at least for Mom since I still take naps) it seemed we were out seeing someone Mommy knew. Here I am with some friends of Aidan and Abby. Julie kept me happy while Mommy ate lunch with all her girlfriends at one of her favorite restaurants, Panera Bread (yum!). Jordan let me lay on him and fed me cookies - I really enjoyed meeting him. Hopefully he'll remember me when I'm older (I like cookies!).

Here I am visiting Aunt Ivy and Uncle Eric. Again, Aunt Ivy was bribing me with cookies and crackers before dinner (hmmm, maybe I should visit the States more often since it is an American custom to give babies cookies!). Here I am with my cousin Evan - He sure has grown since we last saw him!



One of the highlights of our trip (besides the cookies) was seeing BOTH of my Grandmas! Here I am with Grandma Rose - I got to visit her twice when she took me over to Aunt Margaret's house. By the way, did you know I am a piano prodigy? And after only one lesson with Debbie Pyne at the Pyne's house, hard to believe I know. Don't I have great posture and hand positioning?




Here I am with another Aunt (Jamie) and her son Nathan. She gave me a cute stuffed bunny for Easter and a pretty new outfit for my upcoming birthday (which I have already worn since it is summer here in CR. She had very soft carpet in her home which is much easier to crawl on than the tile here!



And here I am with my other Grandma and Grandad. They came all the way from Indiana to see me even though the are coming to CR tomorrow! Maybe they'll bring more of those cookies! I had such a nice trip even though we got a little sick. I guess that's what happens when you go from humid and 85 to sleet and 35 degree weather, eh? Thank you to everyone who made our trip so nice!