A little Sun for my Set

AHHHH finally an afternoon where it didn't rain! Jump on it! I grabbed my camera, grabbed the keys, and drove like a true Tico down to the South Side of the beach (beautiful rocks and tranquilo water).

Ellie Smith, you came to mind a long with your favorite Psalm 19:

The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Day after day they pour forth speech;

night after night they display knowledge.

There is no speech or language

where their voice is not heard.

Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course.

It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is hidden from its heat.

The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Maria's Birthday!

I am sitting here trying to reflect over the past month... I've been a poor blogger. But hey- now the summer is almost over, the last of the mission teams have come and gone, and now it's time to do just that: reflect. May He receive all Glory!

Right after the fourth of July, we had a celebration for one of our friends Maria! She was turning the big 3-0! Sarah and Daniel have known her for most of the time they've lived in Jaco. Maria used to clean the house for the Barretts. Her and Lester (her husband) both gave their lives to the Lord here at Sarah and Daniel's kitchen table- so she has a special place in Sarah's heart.

What a beautiful lady indeed! I had the privilege to talk with her a few times since being here and have learned so much about her life. I respect her greatly. She has grown up with a lot of pain and suffering, and even though she has only being walking with the Lord for a short time, she radiates His beauty and joy- especially in such a dark city!

Sarah really wanted to do something special for her, so one day we were thinking and then it came! Light Bulb went off: Surprise Party! Booyah! So we went to work. Sarah secretly invited her closest friends and I helped with decorating :D Some of the ladies that cooked for the first mission team came over again and fixed a traditional Nicaraguan dish (Tacos, but fried-- sooo yummy! AND I got to make my first corn tortilla! woo)

It has been one of my favorite nights by far. I think Daniel and I were the only people who could not speak fluent spanish in the house the whole night. It was so great watching friends be friends. So much laughter and smiles and great food! haha! Here are some pictures:

Maria making her wishes....

That's right, the finished product: Yumm!

All the girls, plus Jacobito! hehe

The Pre-Party, getting the shhh "surprise dinner" ready!

It was a fiesta!

You know, people think that going to another country is a grand thing...especially when it is in the name of some cause. This night showed me so much more about my tiny, inferior ways of thinking. I saw that we are all people. We are all made in the image of Jesus Christ... and the longing of our hearts are still the same- regardless of our nationality. We all long to be Loved, by the One who Authored Love. We all have a need to be filled, one that only Jesus Christ Himself can do. It was such a beautiful picture of what community in God's global church looks like. Whether I'm at the beach in Jaco, Costa Rica, or the blistering hot city of Columbia, South Carolina, or the beautiful mountains of Asheville, North Carolina-- my heart and people's hearts can be connected in the same way... we can all be connected by the One who made us. Sometimes it just takes us looking for His image on those that are 'different'.

Happy Birthday Maria... thanks for showing me that Love.

Dia de Independencia

Where do all the Gringos go when you see sunsets like this:

OR on the day their country was founded?

Here's where-- Los Suenos- - a well known resort translated into "dreams" and for a good reason. The fairy tale of fairy tales. A beautiful resort with Condos that are Mansions- Castles for Houses- a Golf Course that would put Tiger Woods to shame- a Marina- and shops that play songs in English (trust me, that fact alone is enough reason to go). Americanized as Americanized can get here in the area of Puntarenas. We decided to take a little home away from home trip to get some dinner and watch fireworks to celebrate our countries Independence Day. An evening totally worth it. Not to mention, you'll never know who you'll run into. I'm pretty sure I saw Bill Gates hiding out on his billion dollar sail boat parked in the Harbor. But like.. for real.

Here's a shot from our restaurant entitled the 'Hook Up'. No puns either....

After dinner we ran over to catch the fireworks display. Three families, about 12 kids, myself and grandmother= one party!

We waltzed back for coffee and desserts loudly singing old, patriatotic songs. You know what I'm talking about. The ones you learned way back in 2nd grade. "My Country Tis of Thee", "God Bless America", "America the Beautiful", or my personal favorite, Old Faithful herself- "The Star Spangled Banner"-- I felt like a caroling crew, but in the summer!!

Man, so what more could I ask for such a dream night? Oh wait-- I know....

ICE CREAM....

Someone's happy!

And a VANILLA CAPPUCCINO!

What about Rivea and I screaming loudly over a hideous bread arrangement. (There's just nothing more fun than loudly bringing attention to yourself in a ritzy place. Especially when you're not ritzy).

and finally FAMILY PHOTOS.

Rivea, Abby, Naomi, Barbara, and sweet Makala

The Barretts

DREAM NIGHT?! CHECK.

I'm thousands of miles from what is 'home' to me, but I still find comfort in knowing that my True Home will never change and is forever with me.

SOUTH CAROLINA wins 2010 COLLEGE WORLD SERIES!

My first taste of homesickness came after watching this live down here. I was able to call my dad and glory in the moment with him!! Carolina girl, best in the world-- Enjoy the recap!!\

Customs of Costa Rica

So my time here has been a whirlwind of new places, new customs, and new friends. I want to share with you some of the customs and "Costa Rican" life I am learning. The best way I know how is through pictures! Hope you enjoy:

I'll start with the food, very important in this girl's life:

Here is my typical morning breakfast. A smoothie made with fresh fruits ( usually gathered at the Markets on Fridays) So far the best combination is mango and banana with all natural orange juice. Topped with homemade granola bought at the Mennonite stand= perfection.

My first fish tacos bought at Bubba's right on the beach. Heavenly! The corn in the corner was grilled... never had that before but it was sooo good!

My all time favorite meal here. Gallo Pinto. The best mixture of rice and beans. Of course I like to add tomatoes and avocado to top it all off! Seriously, every day. Doesn't get old.

Now here is some 'fun' local customs that I have found hilarious. I caught Senada, the house maid for Daniel and Sarah, asking for crackers the other day after she poured some coffee. "Sure", Daniel and I thought- but what we saw next was like.. woah-- I need to look at this. She proceeded to place them all in her drink and walk off sipping from the cup. We both just stared at her. Never have I ever seen that, so I went and grabbed the camera. When she was out of the room I snapped this shot. Hilarious. We had her and a few other girls over yesterday and they all wanted the same thing!!! I called them crazy then decided to try it myself. Not half bad- it's a good combination of sweet and salty. I didn't dump them in... I dipped. I can't do cracker clumps at the bottom... those don't go down so well.

And lastly, Thomas had a 'fiesta' for their last day of school ( They are on Christmas break here, it's their winter) Most normal children receive bags of candy, small prizes, cute papers at parties yeah? At least I did. Here is what he returned home with: A bag of grapes, rice pudding (rice mixed with condense milk-- really good, but super sweet), and an apple. ( He also had some candy, from the pinata-- and funny stories about the clowns)

Here are some of the animals you might see upon a visit:

Here he is. The little booger that dove right into the pool one afternoon. That was it for me. I officially don't like these little baby dinosaurs. End of story.

The Perfect Date Spot

Last week Daniel's Mom and Dad visited for a week. We had a great time showing them around Jaco. The week was full of going to the beach, collecting shells at Esterillos- a beautiful nearby beach ( I am still in the process of figuring out how to get some of the shells I found home. Bekah Worley- I found these beautiful green, red, and white pieces to put into that vase/branch/jewelry piece we want to do for our room?!), we ate lunch and watched local surfers in the nearby town of Hermosa , shopped at local shops, and hung around the house.

Daniel's Parents are sooooo great! What an awesome family!! Mr. Lloyd and Mrs. Sue are absolutely HILARIOUS. Mr. Lloyd entertained me with his many jokes and funny 'business' cards while Mrs. Sue shared stories all about their family. Praise the Lord for parents with such hearts for missions. Each year they would take family mission trips all around. Daniel attests that their servanthood and support as a family spurred the beginnings of his heart for missions-- which eventually has lead them to here. All week I enjoyed watching them interact with their grandkids and Daniel and Sarah. Thomas and Jacob now have a huge bag full of balloons, candy, a new toys to play with for the next few months.

I saw Daniel's adventurous spirit come out one night as he excitedly took his parents up to an overlook right on the way out of town. It's located up on a surrounding 'mountain' (for us montreatians, we would label that a 'hill'). The mix of poor dirt, lots of rain, and the lack of prevention for erosion, makes this treck really bumpy and unpredictable. During the rainy season it's no surprise that the road could be completely washed out.

We decided to take the treck up right before sunset one afternoon. What a beautiful sight! Half way up the mountain there is an abandoned three- level hotel covered in beautiful white tiles with overlooks and views of both the Pacific and Jaco. I was seriously in a fairy tale. You park your car on the side of the road then take a 'sidewalk' (which was all tile and white pillars) along the side of mountain back to the abandoned levels. I could just image many Spring Formals here or better yet- weddings! Someone had strung lights up all around which made it magical. Sarah and I couldn't help but comment how awesome a place for a date night. The date of all dates for sure. Adventuresome and beautiful: perfection!

I hope to venture back up there soon! The mountain also has trails winding through it... with monkey and tropical things. Yes!!

Daniel, Sarah, Jacob (orange shirt), Thomas (grey shirt), and me

Sarah being a great mom!

Jaco

Saturday Morning Kids Club

Each Saturday we head down to a local park, which was just fixed up by the Calvary Mission team, to perform a Kids Club. Kids from all around the neighborhood will come and join in for a game, bible story, craft, and refreshments.

This Saturday a mission group with YWAM (Youth With A Mission) put

on the whole program. It was such a blessing as they taught through the morning using the parable of the lost sheep. They played the game "Red light! Green light!, gave the Bible Story in Spanish, hid a stuffed animal sheep for the kids to find (hence- 'lost sheep' hehe), and finished up by letting the kids make cut out sheeps with cotton balls. Everyone had a blast!!

Each Saturday as I get to know these kids I am slowly reminded of Jesus' words when He says:

"I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 18:3

May we become more and more dependent on Christ for all our needs: physical, spiritual, and mental. He is the Good Shepherd who looks after His flock. His heart for His Children is good.

Here are some the pictures from this Saturday:

BoB

The Lord knows just how to get to my heart. Put a cat in front of me and I melt (on most days). Forget what everyone says- how they have their 'own will', how they won't come when you call them, how they always just annoy you by getting in your face- blah blah blah. None of these bother me at all. Just one look at those tiny, innocent, cuddly eyes and I'm a goner.

Such is life when I meet Bob. I have seen many cats throughout my day, but none as cute as Bob. It was during the afternoon that one of our friends called us concerning a certain cat that had ventured into the house. For Sarah, this was like a nightmare since she is allergic. For me, an inward excitement!! We pulled up to the house to find one of the cutest creatures I have ever seen. He hobbled outside and just gazed up at us with these sweet eyes. See what I mean:

How can you not love this thing?!

For the concern of Sarah (and we all knew that we couldn't keep a cat) we left it outside in hopes that it would scurry on it's way. Needless to say, he was still around the next morning, and the next, and the next. Over the past few days he has become a little like family- even Daniel is a softy for him.

Over these past few days we have bonded tremendously. The kids and I play with it often, especially Jacob. He loves him! He seems to fit right in the family here through his interest of God's Word...

Unfortunately, he will need to go. There has been a few attempts here and there, but so far none successful. Anyone interested back home... I can look into the expenses of shipping animals. It can't cost to much, they are in over supply here.

Lexington Mission Team

I had an amazing first week serving the Lexington Mission Team from Calvary Chapel, Lexington SC! It was such a blessing to see a lot of my friends from the days way back when I was still in youth group. How the Lord is faithful to raise those up for the harvest! I was reminded of how we really are family- a huge family in Christ :) You guys are amazing brothers and sisters!

All week they learned how to be flexible and

yet available when needed. It's all the Lord's timing right? Their aroma and love was left all over this town as they gave their lives away by putting on two kids clubs', completely remodeling a local park, painting the church office, and loving on the Ticos!

We have missed their presence greatly since they have been gone, but are reminded of them often by the work they left behind. Here are just a few evidences to that:

Kid's Club at the Park on Saturday!

This is Palmera who is great friends with Daniel and Sarah. He is incredibly skilled at making things out of Palm Trees (hence his nickname)- really, he can almost make anything you ask. This is how he makes most of his income.

A beautiful little girl at Kid's Club!

One of the guys serving to clean the park up--

it looked so great after they were finished!

Some of the work the guys did cleaning up the park. They cut down all these trees and repainted a lot of the benches there.

(Funny side note- this guy here on the ladder, Gorge... totally fell off the top later on during the day, with a machete in his hand... head first- praise the Lord he is still alive and ok! But.. it did give the kids a laugh)

This is the second kid's club at the North Side of Town. Here was the first time anyone had a chance to go back there and minister to this community.

The church office where they worked hard cleaning and repainting. What a blessing now, the staff team can finally move in (haha meaning Sarah and Daniel can move boxes and boxes out of there house) and begin doing ministry here!

The futbol complex where we have church on Sundays!

Just some of the animals you will see here!

The entire team for the week! We will miss you guys! Thanks for all the hard work and serving you did!! :)

"Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."

- 1 Corinthians 15:58