Building a Pole Barn for a Saw Mill and Mariposa.

Perhaps it is sad to say that I have never worked as hard in my entire life as I worked today. Nor have I ever sweat as much as I did today. My group went to the site of the pole barn. It's located in a clearing in the jungle. Yesterday it was nothing but a pile of rocks and sand on a piece of ground.

Today when we left after working for 6 hours, it was an almost level pile of rocks and gravel with 8 casons and a rocky driveway. Tomorrow we will do more leveling, and possibly start hand-mixing concrete for the floor.

There is very little shade, lots and lots of bugs and back beyond where the latrine is being dug, shovel by shovel, there is a place just inside the trees where a little waterfall tumbles down the rocks! A place where showering in your clothes seems like a good idea, feels absolutely lovely, but in reality it really made the tired body more tired from carrying the extra weight of the water around!

It's entirely possible that we are completely spoiled. Did you ever think of how buildings get built? Did you ever think how buildings get built when there is no heavy, earth-moving equipment around? Did you ever wonder how cement gets mixed when there are no cement trucks around? I tell you, I never have. It's nothing short of hard labor, and a slow process!


But even in that there is the joy of the Lord that carries us through. Being able to enjoy a friendly butterfly, a cool breeze, a tumbling waterfall, a cloud, and a nap on a bumpy bus ride after a LOOOOOONG day's work.

Escuela Cerros Arriba

Our first day in Quepos.

Our surroundings are stunningly beautiful. Our day started early, a head-spinning 5:30 am. for this night owl! But, I was surprisingly awake and alert, chipper even. It didn’t hurt that Mike threatened latrine digging duty for anyone less than happy to greet the morning. Trust me, I’d rather be happy at 6 am. than to dig a latrine!

After breakfast we split into our groups, loaded into busses and headed to our work sites. One group staying behind for K.P., another 3 groups going to the saw mill, and 2 groups going to the school.

My group went to the school.

The current school is little more than some posts in the ground with a corrugated tin roof and chain link fence walls. There are ten students, 3 of which have special needs. Because of the size of the school they do not qualify for government assistance. Once the new school is finished it will draw more students and those special needs students will be able to get the extra help that they need!

I’m not sure how much we actually worked today. And, I know that the teacher didn’t get much teaching done. But, we had some very good times climbing over language barriers to touch the lives of some very cute kids, to play, and have fun. I can’t wait to return later in the week to do it again.

This evening two men from the rehab program came to share their testimonies. Alejandro and Jason shared how drugs and alcohol nearly destroyed their lives and they shared how God had found them and is making them brand new! Alejandro has completed the one year program and is now working in the house as a director to give back to the program that changed his life. Jason has been in the program for 5 months. These men gave me such hope! I never get tired of hearing how God works in the lives of people all over the world. What a blessing!

The scripture we read today was John 5:1-15. It was no coincidence that it went right along with the stories of these men’s lives who were changed.

Prayer request: Please pray for our fearless leader, Mike. He was taken to the hospital tonight in San Jose for a probable apendectomy. Pray for our group to continue on smoothly without him.

Pura Vida! Gracias a Dios con mucho gusto!

"We're Not in Kansas Anymore, Todo!"

Costa Rica. Is on one hand very familiar in its sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and feel. And yet, altogether different. I have very keen memories of Manila from having lived there for 8 months. Also memories of Costa Rica's neighboring country, Nicaragua. But though they look, feel, and smell similar, there are no familiar places, no church down the street, no friends around the corner. Entirely unique.

After safely landing, successfully navigating immigration, our travel group (about 1/5 of the whole group) headed to the mall for some much needed lunch. The first thing I noticed was the smell of the mall as we walked off the bus. Letha noticed too and commented, "It smells familiar!" It smells just like Mega Mall in Manila. Yep. But it doesn't really look like Mega Mall. It bragged the same kind of food court we were familiar with in Manila, but the KFC doesn't have spicy chicken. Ahhh, and it's humid! That feels all too familiar in a melting, wet kind of way.

In other ways, as we got into Quepos, the smaller towns had more of a look about them that Todd and I experience in Nicaragua a few years ago. A little ice cream shop. Clothing stores. Drug stores. Market. I'm incredibly excited to see more than can be seen through a bus window in the rain!



We arrived at our hotel in the rain, frogs chirping. It's clear that the hotel is beautiful, though hard to see in the dark. We had a nice dinner and one of the missionaries that we will be working with talked to us. She laid down some ground-rules for the the week. Don'ts and Do's!


Don't go off alone. Even if you think you know the culture here, you don't.

Don't touch the wild-life. Snakes, frogs, caterpillars can be poisonous and scorpion stings can hurt, though there are no poisonous scorpions here. (Eeeeek!)

Don't flirt with the locals. (duh!)

DO appreciate the wonder of God's creation.

DO appreciate the culture of these lovely people.

DO speak their language.

DO share the love of Christ with them.

A long night and full day of travel. If this post makes no sense or rambles, chalk it up to lack of sleep! We are here. We are safe. And I am ready to face a week of putting myself aside to honor, glorify, serve and love my Jesus by being here.

Ok, I'm freaked out by the whole bugs, creepy-crawlies, snakes and scorpions thing! Really! I think spiders might be the least of my worries here, and that says a lot!

Good-bye Crackberry.

Trying a quick post from my phone in the Atlanta airport.

Packing went quite smoothly and surprisingly I finished well before time to leave so I was able to enjoy time playing with my kids. it was awesome! Iz and I played slap Jack. And it was nice not to be in a rush when Todd got home from work and informed me that he had lost his job.

It wasn't completely unexpected, nor is it an unwelcome change. He has had so much stress the last year that it's a relief to be done with it. And both of us have complete peace that God is in control and will care for us whatever the future holds. He has always been faithful and He always will be. Because, well, he's God. It's his character. We, as a family, just started to memorize Psalm 71. Read it and you will see where our heart is!

So, on the same day that my daughter and I left on this glorious adventure to spread theCrAzY LoVe of Jesus, my husband lost the job he's been blessed to have for the last 11 years. And you know what? The same God who loves the Costa Ricans loves my little family.

I do hope you'll add praying for God's wiLl for a new job to your prayers.

Blessings,

Packing Up and Heading Down...

...to Costa Rica, that is!

Our youth group is going on a mission trip to Costa Rica. There we will be working at 2 work sites. One job is building a pole barn for a saw mill that helps to rehabilitate addicts, and get them back on their feet while sharing the Good News of Jesus with them. The other job site will be building an elementary school. In the evenings we will be teaching Vacation Bible School for the local children and hosting Sports Camp for the youth in 2 local churches.

I am unbelievably excited!

I would love to know that my Christian internet friends are praying for our group. Here are some specific things that you can pray for:

*Pastor Mike (our youth leader), who is struggling with health issues, kidney stones.
*Unity for our group.
*Safe travel for the 70 people going.
*Our attitudes and actions would glorify and please God at all times.
*Letha would not be bitten by ants or mosquitoes (she's allergic).

If you will commit to praying for us this week, from now until we return on Tuesday, July 27, please leave a comment here. I am hoping that the internet service will be sufficient for me to post pictures and updates. I will however be "fasting" from Facebook, though any of my tweets from twitter will update my status there, I won't be checking Facebook until I return home.

Blessings to you!

Wordless Wednesday - She Rocks in the Treetops All Night Long

Parenting an Adolescent.

I recently found my daughter reading Dr. Dobson's "Strong Willed Child". She was reading the parenting your adolescent chapter. Her only comments to me have been, "It's SO true." And, when I asked her if I am doing it right, she shook her her, sadly, no.

I'm not quite sure how to take that. I think I might be failing.

While I have a copy of the book, that doesn't mean that I have read it. I honestly don't remember, so I can't even say whether or not I agree with the information in the book. I do tend to agree with Dr. Dobson, but who knows.

Now I have the overwhelming urge to read that chapter and figure out why I'm not doing it right.