Transitions

Mom with Olivia, the day she came home from the hospital

Transitioning through stages in life is often a hectic time - but they create vivid memories as you leave one stage and move on to the next. We are facing several transitions at once, and I am not sure if that makes it easier or harder. Having just lost my Mother a few weeks ago, I think it makes things a bit easier for me in that the change in routine will lessen my loneliness without her. However, I wonder if I will ever lose the urge to call her and update her on all the things that life as a missionary brings our way.

We are also transitioning in our ministry as we prepare to return to the States for furlough. We are saying our goodbyes to both the people and the country after 5 years. Not only will we be spending our time visiting churches and raising support, but also evaluating what our next step will be in our future. This transition brings both excitement and anxiety for the unknown future. When my position sways from the positive to the negative, I try to remember the scriptures that talk about worry and anxiety..."Do not worry about tomorrow, for today has enough cares of it's own." and, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." As we face these changes in life, isn't it good to know we have a God who cares for us, listens to us, and gives us a way out from the weight stress places on us?

Birthday Bashes and Baby Showers

Well, dial up internet has made it more than frustrating to update my blog, but my how time flies. We had several parties this month with some fun traditions, so here are a few photos to share. Above, is our 5 year old daughter, Olivia, with her rainbow cake made with much love (and frustration!) by Mom!




The cake recipe called for replacing the egg, oil, and water of a box mix with clear "gaseosa," or what we like to call soda. It smelled so sweet that I thought to put it in the fridge before any of our local infestations got ahold of it! Not to mention, it seemed to be getting stickier everyday due to the humid climate. When it came time to frost it, the top layer broke apart in my hands...sigh. After piecing it together and frosting it, it did look pretty cool, especially when we cut it.





It was a hit at the party, but I would definitely recommend this recipe for dry or temperate climates only!




Orang Fanta, a favorite among kids here - what party wouldn't be complete with little five year olds donning orange bigotes! (mustaches)




A few of Olivia's Tico friends, enjoying some salchichas, also known as hot dogs to us gringos!




In tipical latino fashion, no party is complete without a piñata! Once the kids start chanting it's name, there is no waiting til later. The biggest challenge, as seen in most AFV shows, is making sure no one gets hit with the stick. I always hate it when one piece of candy falls. Kids scatter for it, ignoring the person with the palo, or stick, meanwhile the person continues swinging. It is enough to give any Mom a heart attack!




So here is my sweet friend, Zaidy, at her baby shower. We had two showers to go to this month and neither went according to plan. Zaidy's water broke the day before her shower, however the public hospital sent her back home (lovely socialized medicine at it's best!) and she was able to attend her shower. Shirley had her baby the day before her shower, so it was postponed a week later. A costa Rican baby shower is actually called a tea. Most serve a plate of postres, dry filo dough with some little bit of filling in them, arroz con pollo (rice with chicken), and coffee. Zaidy displayed all her clothes on her belly - not sure if that is a traditional thing here, but it was very cute, as well as was her helper!

Costa Ricans have very small houses and with the high humidity and mold, they do not save anything from previous pregnancies to reuse if the have more children. Everything is borrowed or given away, including cribs, bedding, and clothes. The nice thing about this is that a Mom gets a shower with every baby! For the giver, it is nice because little thought is given to nursery designs, color schemes, etc. They are always grateful for whatever they receive - being that they often have so little to begin with.

Roca Viva Baptisms and Family Day

Baptisms are always an exciting part of the ministry, especially when you have had the joy of leading them to Christ. Cristian, pictured above, his wife received Christ as savior this past summer. Since then, Dave has been working with Cristian in the Jui Jitsu ministry and I have discipled Zaidy. Dave performed their wedding in August and it has been so great to see their spiritual growth as a couple and their willing hearts to serve in the church.


Alison, Cam, Zaidy, Cristian, Jackie, Dave, Henry, Josue, and Leo

Our baptismal service took place Feb. 13th at the Jardin Sagrado camp, where we not only celebrated our newest members in the family of God, but where we also celebrated the love of God through our families.



One of the ladies in our church recently took a face painting class and used her talents for the Lord. Olivia opted for the tatoo after her last face decorating disaster resulting in glidder in her eyes!



During these last 6 months, we have been training 4 couples as leaders in the church and have assigned them each a group of people to care for (deacon care groups known as our "Hecho 2" groups). At the camp, each of the families came in a specific color that represented their group and competed against the other groups in family oriented games.



Freddy and China, center, are one of the couples currently being trained as leaders in Roca Viva.



Getting ready for the sack race!



We enjoyed a wonderful day of food and fellowship. Here, my sweet friend Ana and I pose for a quick pic on our way to the games.

It has been a priviledge to disciple these two wonderful ladies, Zaidy and Jackie, since August. Discipleship was such an important step in my own spiritual growth as a new believer and now I have had the joy to be on the other end. It is so encouraging to see how eager they are to grow, how committed they are to the Word, and how much they endure each day with their daily circumstances. Please pray for Zaidy as she is expecting a baby boy in May, possibly with heart defects and for Jackie, who recently started night school to find a better job to support her two children. Both of these ladies had a child who was also baptized the same day as well!

Leadership Retreat at Volcan Turrialba

Turrialba Volcano - Nov. 2008


Turrialba Volcano - Nov. 2010

So do you notice any difference? Well, we had the priviledge of returning to the Turrialba Lodge this past weekend to host our first Roca Viva Church leadership retreat. Due to the recent landslides, the road to the camp we were going to use was closed, so we made some last minute changes. The view was breathtaking and right away we noticed how much more smoke and gases were coming from the the volcano since we had been there in 2008! It has been active again since April of 2008 and had a mini eruption of gases and ash over Christmas last year. Despite the possible threat of an ever smoking volcano and ash covered trees, the Lodge made a beautiful and rustic backdrop for our retreat!




We spent time together in the word and in fellowship with our teammates, the Woolfords and five Tico couples. Cam spoke on how despite all the riches and resources that we have, God chooses to use people to share the news about Christ. We also watched a movie on forgiveness, called Amish Grace.



The ladies took turns cooking the meals; here I am preparing eggs and gallo pinto for 14 people at 7 a.m. in the morning. I think my expression reveals that this may not have been the best time for my picture! Thanks honey!


The following day we broke into groups of men and women to discuss a study we were currently doing with the ladies about the power of our speech. Dave also led the group in some initiatives to help them understand some concepts about leadership, such as communication and decision making, in a fun way.




Here, their task was to make a specific shape out of the rope with their eyes closed!



Here Dave is explaining the rules of the initiatives and the goal they need to accomplish.

For those of you who only know Costa Rica by it's travel brochures and sunny beaches, here is an interesting group shot. With no heat, 50 degrees can feel pretty cold, especially when you add in some rain!