The Gift of Love

Tonight was home group in the precario. This is just a time to get together read the bible and share what the Lord is doing in our lives. We started the group within the last 2 months. We had been meeting in the office but the more time we spent in the precario the more people asked us for a meeting in the evening. We decided that we should have our home group in the precario every other week. It has been really great watching everyone grow closer to the Lord and closer to each other. Most of the time when we have any sort of meetings the women always come. It is very difficult to get the men involved. Things are slowing changing. One of the women that has been part of our ladies group from the very beginning has been praying continually for her husband to come to know the Lord. He has now attended a men's group meeting, a leaders meeting, and now home group. Yay!!! We had 4 men at the meeting tonight. The gift part was that each one of them spoke about how friendship has brought them around. They said if it hadn't been the friendship that we showed to them they wouldn't be there and they wouldn't be where they are in their lives either. That was such a precious thing to hear especially this time of year. Love it's as easy as that and it changes lives.

A gentle reminder

I was able to take some time in the states recently. It was a great trip. I got to visit with family and lots of friends as well as attend a really good conference. I got back last week. It is great to be back! I flew in on Thursday night and Friday jumped right back in to everything here. Friday night is our time to go downtown with coffee and cookies for the homeless and the prostitutes. I had really missed that while I was in the states. I was really looking forward to going. I left at the usual time about 9pm. I decided that I should try to get a taxi. I did wait and wait, so I decided to just walk to the office. While I was walking I felt like I heard "you are not this naive". Hmmm... Well I guess so I'm out here walking by myself after dark. Anyway I was fine no one robbed me or anything like that. We went downtown as usual. I did get a ride back to my house so no walking alone after midnight. After I unlocked the door and stepped inside I noticed that I was standing in broken glass! That was a strange feeling. I didn't even see the hole in the window when I walked up. Then once I was inside I couldn't decide if I should stay inside or go outside. I called Mark (the owner) and he talked to me while I waited for the police to come. It all worked out fine. Nothing was stolen. We think it was some kid or a drunk that threw a rock through the window. I'm just glad I wasn't here when it happened. From now on I'll get a taxi and try to take a little more notice of things as I let myself in at night.

Joselyn

For the past few weeks we have been having conversations with a teen prostitute. A couple of the girls on the team have tried to deepen these conversations by meeting her during the day. They had set up meeting after meeting after meeting and she would never show up. We were praying about how best to get through to her. We came up with sitting down with her on Friday night while she was working and talking while having a burger. She agreed to this and there was a small window of opportunity. She allowed some of the team members to take her home in a taxi. While having time to talk we found out that she turned 16 on Friday night and that she is 2 months pregnant. Because the door was opened a couple of the girls were able to meet with her again yesterday for lunch. It is a slow process but there is progress being made. We just want to have a relationship and help her in any way that we can. She made the comment that she is ready to leave the streets. We will try to help with that. I will keep you posted on our progress.

Recovery

Tuesday was our regular ladies bible study day in the precario. We had bible study and had a great time with the ladies. Of course there are always twice as many kids as their are ladies so that's always fun. After bible study as we were walking out we were able to visit with Tito. He is home after his brain surgery. It really is nothing short of a miracle. He looks terrible of course but he's alive! His scar starts at the top of his head and goes around the side all the way to the top of his neck. He is REALLY swollen and black and blue but he was able to talk and visit with us for a few moments. His speech is improving as well as his motor skills. The doctors are very hopeful about his recovery. They were able to get all of the tumor out. We of course prayed with him for healing but also to thank God for the miracle of being able to have the surgery.

Tito

There is a young man in the precario with a brain tumor. He is only 22 years old but seems much older since some of the effects of the tumor are stroke like. He has lots of trouble speaking and walking really doing much of anything. While going through all this we have been able to get to know him and share the Lord with him. He is illegal so the hope of him being treated is very slim. When the doctor started the clinic we introduced him to her and asked if there was anything she could do for him. She said she would try but she didn't have much hope for what could be done. It has been a very long process. He had his surgery Monday. It was 8 hours long! We don't know what the surgeon's prognosis is but his mother said he woke up and was able to ask and answer lots of questions. I'd say that was a good sign. I'll be sure to keep you updated on his condition. It's been months since this all started but it happened and now with the Lord's help he will live a normal life. So pray for him and his family and thank God for everything he has done so far. Because of the tumor he has been open to hear and accept Jesus.

Tutoring Center

I think I have already mentioned the tutoring center. We are going into the precario on Wednesday and Saturday mornings to provide tutoring. Saturdays have really taken off. We have around 30 kids each Saturday. We were a little concerned this morning because we didn't have as many tutors as we have had in the past. We set up and got ready anyway. Things really started picking up. We had 6 children that needed help in French. French?! Are you kidding me? They weren't high school students by the way they were in 2nd and 3rd grade. Well the Lord always provides. We were visited by some people from YWAM. (Youth With A Mission) Jokingly we asked if anyone spoke French. Of course one of the guys did. It was great! I think he had a good time and the kids loved having a man teach them. Pretty cool stuff.

Tutoring

We have begun a new program. We are tutoring in the precario two times a week. It's been really good for me. I didn't realize how much I have missed teaching. I am really trying to hold back as much as possible and just be a resource for the girl that's in charge. She is in college and majoring in pre school education. She is doing a great job organizing everything. I am just around when there are too many kids or one of them is having a problem. She is also trying to learn what kinds of materials are good to have. It's been lots of fun. We worked with a little girl Wednesday who is 6 years old and isn't in school yet. Her mother took her to register for school and they told her there wasn't any more room and to try again next year. That happens a lot to the kids in the precario. No one wants them because they are illegal. Her name is Guadalupe and we are trying to make sure that if there is room for her next year she is not far behind her peers.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to me! Yesterday was my birthday and though it had a rough start it ended up being a great day. I started my day by having to get up at 5:30AM. That was definitely the rough part. After I finally got myself together I remembered that my sister had sent a present with me so I would have something to open. I did just that. It is the most amazing purse ever!!! So I had to call her right away and tell her how much I loved it. I finally got out of the house after three attempts. All of which were because I kept forgetting things! I picked up James and we were off to the precario. We actually made good time and were early but our help was already there waiting for us. Our task for the day was to lay ceramic tile in the rancho. The doctor that is running the clinic in our rancho got tile donated and so we started the process of laying it. Some of the ladies came by to sing happy birthday to me. That really meant a lot. I also got time to visit with some of the kids in the precario too. We got to the precario at about 6:30am and got out by about 3pm not too bad. It does look pretty good though. Needless to say I was filthy and needed some water to drink and some for a shower as well. I did just that and then had a great meal with friends. They brought me flowers, sang and had a brownie pie with ice cream. A pretty good day I must say cuts and all.

Excitement Downtown

You could definitely tell that it's almost Semana Santa here in Costa Rica. There were lots of people downtown last night. We started our night a little later than usual. We always start in one of the main parks downtown. As we walked through the park there was a couple having a screaming match. Well honestly she was screaming and he was just listening. We didn't interfere and kept walking. We noticed right away that there were more girls working outside rather than in the hotel. I think part of that is because it's warmer now. Anyway the point in there were two "ladies" on one of the corners. It's a pretty dangerous intersection so we decided it would be best to cross over farther down the street and walk back up. We saw a couple of our regular homeless people and were able to talk to them for a few minutes. We did get to the girls and talked to one of them for a pretty long while. Her name is Angie. She of course has children and needs to make money to feed them. It was the beginning. Now as we return each week we will make a point of speaking to her and see where she is and if she's ready to reach out for some help. Help might include night classes, training for another job, moral support, prayer, there are lots of options and we just want them to know that. The other girl didn't have much to say but that is typical of the transvestites. After we left them I noticed that the girl from the couple earlier was on the ground and the guy was yelling back. I mentioned it to Jamie and told him what I saw and I felt like we should at least cross over to see if she was ok. In the meantime I saw him pull a gun. Jamie was already on his way across so I was able to let him know. Before he got over the guy had put the gun back in his pants, and Jamie and the others just stood back and offered coffee. He was very agitated but just with the girl and told her if she wanted to go with us that she should just go. Of course as in most cases she ran after him and said no she wanted to be with him. They did get out of the park and started walking toward a more populated area. I just pray that girl is ok. We saw a few more people sleeping on the street than we have in the past weeks too. Another sad sight right as we were getting ready to leave was two boys sleeping under some card board. The oldest may have been 14 but I think probably more like 12 and he had his little brother with him. I just wanted to take them home with me. I said that to Anna and she said to remember that hopefully in the next year there would be a home/shelter that we will be able to take them to. I can't wait.

Volcan Poas

I made my 5th or 6th trip to the volcano today. It was different than usual though. I went on the bus with some friends. I think the bus trip was definitely more entertaining than the volcano. For me anyway. It is really cool and all that, the lake is also beautiful and of course since it's summer here the weather is amazing! Typical of buses in Latin America, they let as many people on the bus as can cram in. The way up the mountain we were lucky enough to have seats together. We were of course separated by the people standing in the aisle over the top of us. We did the tour of the volcano, the lake, the gift shop, and had lunch. We knew we needed to be back at the bus by2 because it was leaving at 2:30. Yeah, so at 1:45 we headed to the bus and there was a long, and I mean long line already there. I thought we were crammed in on the way up. That was nothing compared to how many people were in there on the way down. It was almost as much fun as a ride at the amusement park though. You figure we're standing in the aisle, the trip is about 2 hours, it's down a mountain, the roads here leave a lot to be desired. Get the picture?!

Photos from Nicaragua

Here's a lake in Nicaragua that contains fresh water sharks! I don't think I'll be doing any swimming there.

These are volcanoes on an Island in the lake. I think this island may be where I take my next trip to.








You can definitely see that it's poor here too. Even the horses were starving! It was sad to see. I asked the ladies about that and they said that when they left it was because they were afraid of the army. Now after the war there is no work which means no food.

The architecture was amazing! Of course there were Catholic churches in every square just like in Costa Rica. We were able to be out after dark in the towns with no fear at all. The school kids were still out so we figured it had to be safe.






The houses in town were beautiful! They looked very modest from the outside but they all opened into a courtyard and the rooms were all off to the sides. They were amazing! We stayed at a hostel that was really more like a bed and breakfast. I don't even have the words to explain it and unfortunately I didn't take good pictures of it either! Sorry. I will try to do better next time.

Nicaragua

My trip to Nicaragua was great. I learned a lot and am ready to learn more. I can now see why a lot of the people have moved from Nicaragua to Costa Rica. It is a very poor country. Even the horses were starving. The homes were beautiful. All the homes were well built and fairly big even the ones in the poorer areas. I felt very safe while I was there. We spent most of our time in the town of Leon. It was very nice. We stayed in what they called a hostel but it was more of a bed and breakfast. It was amazing! You can't really tell much about the houses from the outside but if there is a door open you can see a sitting room and through the sitting room is a courtyard that is just awesome. We were able to go to the beach one day and it's definitely a surfer's beach. The tide was really rough but lots of good waves. We were able to walk around the town at night which is unusual. When we saw the school kids were still hanging out in the park you knew it had to be pretty safe. The guys did what was the equivalent of snow boarding down the side of a volcano. That was pretty cool. The whole trip was good and I can't wait to go back. The ladies in the precario were so excited that I had been there and they had lots of questions and things to share. I'm sure it helps them see that I truly am interested in them and where they came from.

Bus trip to Nicaragua

I took a trip to Nicaragua this week. The bus fare was only $7.00 one way. Now I know why! First we already had our tickets ahead of time but we still had to be at the bus station at 4:15 and the bus didn't leave until 5:00. By the way that's a.m.! We stand in line in a VERY scary neighborhood and wait and wait. We finally are able to get on the bus and we find out seats. The seats are so small that my knees are touching the back of the chair in front of me. They aren't just grazing the back of the chair, they are pushed into the back of the chair. The bus has no air conditioning, or bathroom. It's a 5 hour trip during the dry season in Latin America. What were we thinking?! The bus makes a lot of stops on the way. It not only lets people off at different places it picks people up! I had a strange man standing in the aisle next to my seat hanging over me for over an hour. The bus did make a pit stop, but the driver didn't tell anyone how long the stop would be so we just had to stay close to the bus and watch for him to get back on. We made it though I think it took a more than 5 hours but we made it.

The buses in Nicaragua are worse than that though. I didn't have the pleasure of riding one just watching them. The first bus we saw there was a guy hanging on the back of the bus standing on the ladder. What was that all about? Maybe he just didn't want to pay. Later we saw other buses that looked like those clown cars. You couldn't squeeze another person in there if you had to. When the bus stopped people jumped out the back door, the side door, I'm surprised I didn't see people climb through the windows!

When we got to the border to come back I made the comment that we should try to bring the Tica bus back. We were fortunate enough to be able to get on it there. We had to get on last because everyone else had gotten on in a city in Nicaragua. We weren't able to sit together but that was ok. The seats were much bigger. No knees in the back! The bus had air conditioning and a bathroom. It also had a movie. Things were going along smoothly for about two hours. People got off and we were able to move around a little bit. We were into our second movie when we in the mountain part of the trip and we felt the bus jerk and stop. We pulled over as far as we could considering we were on a mountain road in Latin America. The bus would roll back and then jerk as we tried to go forward. This happened several times. The driver got off the bus and got under it to look around. I'm not exactly sure what ended up being wrong but I did hear that we had lost some bolts and we were going to have to wait for them. We were stuck on the side of the road with big trucks squeezing past us. Scary! The wait turned out to be only about an hour. We drove up the road and changed buses. This but did make a few stops to let people off but none to get on. I take that back we did have one person get on. The police got on and checked everyone's passport. We left Nicaragua at 3:30p.m. and got to Costa Rica at 10:00p.m. The bus station was a little crazy too. There were lots of people crammed in this little building and there was a tiny counter where you had to pick up your bag and everyone thought they had to be right in front of it. So when your number was called you couldn't even get up to the counter to get your bag. I made it though. I'll write more about the trip later. It really was a good trip just not a good bus ride.

Survivor

Russ and Jen McElveen came to visit me this past week. We had a great time! Jen and I had an especially memorable day. In the past we have always had several sets of house keys and for some reason this house we don't. Well the whole point to that is Jen and I went to the grocery store, Russ told us he would be at the house so we didn't take any keys to get in. We got back and used the garage door opener to get in the gate. He was no where to be found. I also forgot to mention that Jen is pregnant so keep that in mind. So we can't get in the house, Jen is pregnant so what does that mean?! We all know the answer to that....she has to use the bathroom. Now!!! We tried to use a credit card to break in, we looked in all the windows, all of which have bars on them. I was able to see a set of keys on the coffee table. Jen was able to pry open a small window, so we figured we could use a broom to try and pick them up. Yeah not long enough. I did find a curtain rod though and it was long enough. Then I said to Jen, "too bad we don't have any duct tape to put on the end to make it sticky and you could just pick it up that way." I did find some electrical tape though. By this time she REALLY had to go so she's telling me to pretend that we're on Survivor and we only have a minute to get in the house. We made it!

New Year

Well I'm getting back into the swing of things here. I arrived back in the country on the 18th. Ladies bible study was yesterday and it seemed as though the ladies were excited to be back together. I always enjoy that time so much. They did make me realize that I must not say much at all because I had a very small comment to add to the discussion and they all quieted down to hear what I had to say like it was such a big deal for me to even speak. I guess that means that I definitely have to start saying more in our time together. We went downtown last night and it was a little cooler so there weren't too many people out. We had a couple of nice conversations with a couple of guys that work downtown. They are people we see every week but because there are so many people out usually they are pretty busy and don't have much time to talk, so that was nice to get to know them a little better. We delivered a baby basket today and found 2 more babies to deliver to next week and lots more ladies to add to the list that are pregnant. We also took food to two different families. We walked, talked, and passed out suckers along the way too. It was great to be back in the precario. Monday I am going to Immigration with a woman from the precario. She is in the process of getting her papers for residency in Costa Rica. Once she gets these papers she can get a job and help her family to get out debt which will mean that they can start saving some money and one day move out of the precario. We are all so excited for her.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to all. We recently had our gift give away. We were blessed to be able to privide gifts to over 1000 children this year! The biggest part of this give away was at our precario. We gave around 750 presents there. It only took 5 hours to complete this task!!! Yeah! I am so excited because last year it took 3 days! We had a group from True North Church in North Augusta, South Carolina come and help us this year. Thank you to all of them.

Here are a few photos. Enjoy.