joyncostarica

April 2008

2009-04-04T00:05:00.000-07:00

G is for gente. Gente means people. We have been counting all the people in the precario. We recently renumbered all the houses in the precario and made a new map with the new numbers. That was lots of work but well worth it when it came time to use the map for the census. We are completing this census first of all to get an accurate count of how many people are there but then also we will place this information in a data base that will allow us to make reports, pull data that will allow us to help the people there much more effectively. We had a large group of volunteers last Sunday and we were able to get to 119 houses out of 486. We have a long way to go but it has been fascinating to hear everyone’s stories. The people have been very excited to have us doing this census. If we miss their house they send their kids running after us to make sure we know they are there and they want to be counted. Isn’t that how we all feel? We want people to know we are here and we matter.

H is for hay. Hay means there is or there are. Well there is a new tutoring center. The Lincoln students have opened their second tutoring center this week! We are so excited. We are using a building near the school to tutor the kids in the neighborhood. We had nine kids our first week. That’s pretty cool. They are working hard to start tutoring centers all over Costa Rica. They are meeting with other schools to partner with them to start tutoring centers in their own neighborhoods. They are awesome!

I is for interceptar . Interceptar means to intercept. That is exactly what I did at the last camp we had for the 10^th grade Lincoln students. In the process I broke a finger. As soon as it happened I said I thought I broke it but when it came to going to the hospital I decided that it was most likely just jammed. Hey, we were in the mountains and it’s quite a drive to a hospital, plus who wants to sit and wait and have them tell you it’s just jammed and you are a baby?! Well it hasn’t gotten much better so I went to hospital and it is broken and of course not healing as it should. They said at first they wanted to re-break it, but when I saw the orthopedist he said they couldn’t control the break enough to guarantee that it would make it better. So I will keep my finger just as it is. I think that I’m retired from my football career though. Sad day…

Please make donations to Stevens Creek Community Church with Costa Rica in the memo.

www.boywithaball.com

Email: joyncostarica@yahoo.com

Phone: (706) 522-4386

The Gift of Love

2008-12-10T19:50:00.000-08:00

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

2008-10-21T17:43:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-24T18:49:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-17T07:54:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-03T08:37:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-28T15:50:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-05T20:45:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-28T12:25:00.000-07:00

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

2008-03-15T06:44:00.000-07:00

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

2008-03-09T20:17:00.001-07:00

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

2008-03-02T06:11:00.001-08:00

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

2008-02-18T05:17:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-17T05:00:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-06T19:16:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-26T13:57:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-12T16:00:00.000-08:00

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.

A day at the Precario

2007-12-08T19:50:00.001-08:00

I spent the day at the precario today. We went early this morning for our walk through. That consists of handing out suckers to the kids and talking to the people. We delivered two more baby baskets this morning and I had already delivered two the day before. While we were walking around I found three more for next Friday! We also ran into a family whose 15 year old daughter just left home and got married! I just can't imagine that. They don't even know where she is. Crazy! We went and had lunch and came back to open up the rancho so some of the ladies could use it. They have been getting together to work on crafts that they can sell. They are really pretty cool. We're hoping that this can be a weekly event for them to learn new things and then to finish the work at their own homes. Maybe they'll even be able to make a little money too. That would be awesome.

Downtown San Jose

2007-11-30T22:38:00.000-08:00

I just got back from downtown San Jose. I have been going down there on Friday nights with another group to give out coffee and cookies to the kids that live on the streets and the prostitutes. We met a young woman tonight that seemed a little out of place. At first glance you could see that there was still a brightness in her eyes. After a while of working on the streets you lose that light. She has only been out working for about 2 months. She is 23 years old and has 3 children. We also met a group of boys. I think one was probably living on the street and the others were just downtown for the evening. The neighborhood that they live in is a much more dangerous place to be on a Friday night. I also almost got a dog while I was downtown. If we had a yard at this new place it would have been coming home with me. I gave it a cookie and it gently took it from me and then lay down beside me to eat it. It put the cookies between it's paws and ate it very slowly. He followed us around the rest of the night. It broke my heart to leave him there on the street. It breaks my heart to leave the kids and the women we meet out on the street too. I guess I need to open a shelter for people and animals.

Getting Ready for Christmas

2007-11-27T14:16:00.000-08:00

I started the process of sorting the presents that we will be giving away in the precario. I had three giant bags of gifts but that isn't even a tenth of what we will be giving away. It was so exciting to wonder what the gift was inside and to think about each child as I read the names on the tags. I can't wait to see their faces when we give them their gift. It is so amazing the excess we have in the states. Many of you will be buying multiple gifts for your families but these kids are getting the one and only present they will get. They are so grateful and excited! It is awesome to be part of that.

The Sunset

2007-11-17T15:17:00.000-08:00

Have you ever been to a structure fire? Watched the fire mix with the clouds of smoke? I never really had the chance to just watch a fire, too busy trying to put it out I guess. Tonight I watched the sun set and the colors were just so amazing. I couldn't figure out how to explain the colors but a fire is exactly how they looked. There are dark, gray clouds but they glow with this red fire. It's like they are burning and the clouds are just the smoke. It only lasted a few minutes but it was breathtaking. Sorry I don't have my camera handy. I hope you can picture it in your mind.

A New Roof

2007-11-03T19:21:00.001-07:00

I got a call Monday morning to come to the precario so Edwin could start work on the new roof for the rancho. I was under the impression that he would need to look and see what he needed to do the job, so I went expecting to be there for about an hour or two. NO! He started right away. He completely took the old roof off! I was there for about 10 hours and it finally got too dark to work and it was raining. I had to leave the rancho with no roof. Needless to say I had to say a prayer over everything. I decided that it was just stuff and it did really belong to the Lord so if he wanted us to still have it he would protect it. As I was leaving I almost drowned! Literally. The roof in the front has lots of holes and to lock up you have to look up. While I was doing that water just poured into my face! Where was America's Funniest Home Videos?! Tuesday was more of the same. I was a little more prepared. I did bring a snack but I still had no where to use the bathroom. I think I was there for 11 hours on Tuesday. Wednesday was a little less time because I had to leave for the beca students. I just got there at 6 in the morning instead of 7. The roof was pretty much on by this time. My plan was to leave there, go take care of the my friend's cats and take a shower. I didn't get to do that. One of the guys that was helping with the roof was on his bike and it was pouring rain. I gave him a ride to his house, so that put me closer to my house in Santo Domingo. Change of plans, I ordered a pizza from a place right around the corner. Ran and bought some drinks went back to get the pizza and got on the road. I was really wet but happy that I was still on time. I figured that I got my shower from all of the rain. While I was driving I noticed that I didn't have plates, cups, or napkins. Of course not!!! There is a small store on the way to the beca. I stopped there to pick up what I needed. While I was getting those things I noticed that they had baby baskets. I have been looking for more baskets for a couple of weeks. Well, I grabbed one and I couldn't find the price so I grabbed the second one down from the top shelf and tipped it over to look inside. It was FULL of water!!! I was not just wet I was soaked! I finally made it to the beca. While we were eating out pizza the light started to go on and off. First of all this makes in difficult for the kids to study, but the school that we use has put in an electric gate. Which means if there is no power I'm trapped! I told the girls to get in the van. I took them home. That was a crazy day to say the least. Thursday was another long day at the precario. I was able to get some help from our friends from Boy with a Ball. They came and helped me clean up the rancho so it would be ready for ladies' bible study. The new roof looks great and I also had them fix the front part too so no more drowning when I'm trying to lock up. I've spent the last 6 days in the precario. It really hasn't been that bad. I've really enjoyed being able to visit with everyone that would stop by. It's definitely helped my Spanish!

A Truly blessed day

2007-10-20T16:03:00.000-07:00

Two great things happened today. First of all, I am happy to report that we had SUNSHINE this morning!!! Of course it is raining right now but it did shine for a little while. Second thing was a healing in the precario. One of our ladies recently had a baby and has been experiencing black outs that just are vision related, not passing out, just losing vision. So I called our doctor and he suggested that she have her blood pressure taken right away because he was worried it was related to the birth of the baby. It was fine so his next suggestion was a visit to an opthamologist. As we left last week we of course prayed for her. When we were getting ready to leave today she came out and told us that her vision is completely back to normal! Her eyes are burning a little but nothing major. Yeah God!

Sunless

2007-10-17T18:23:00.000-07:00

Where is the sun?! I haven't seen it in over a week! Yes. I know it's rainy season here in Costa Rica, but come on already!!! The usual is beautiful sunny weather in the morning until at least 1 or 2 in the afternoon. We haven't gotten that in a long time. I'm ready for some sunny weather. It doesn't help either that it's dark by 5:30 every night. It's only 7 and I feel like I should be getting ready to go to sleep. The one good thing is everything sure is green!

Babies

2007-10-12T18:06:00.000-07:00

One thing never changes. There will always be babies. I recently went to the states. I was gone for a little over two weeks. In that time we had 5 new babies born in the precario! Those are just the ones I know about. There could possible be more. I love delivering baskets to the new moms, or the moms that this is the 5th addition to their family. Babies always remind you of hope. We all need a little hope in our lives. They have it right there in their little faces as they look at you. They don't know that they've been born into a family that is struggling to have food each day, they just know that they are loved and cherished. As poor as most of our families are, giving a baby away is not an option. They will do everything in their power to make sure they have enough to eat, and clothes to wear. They may do without for themselves, but they try their best to have what their children need. No X-boxes or Gameboys here, just flat soccer balls and lots of love.

Just ask

2007-09-05T18:27:00.000-07:00

I learned a very valuable lesson today. You have to ask....

We have been having lots and lots of rain the past few days. Keep in mind that it is the rainy season but this is extra rain from the hurricane that hit Nicaragua. So that means A LOT more rain than usual. With this extra rain people have become even more insane on the road! I know that doesn't seem possible but it is. Because of this I have had to try to find new ways to get around. There is a second way out of Santo Domingo but for some reason every time I have tried it in the past I get lost. Not lost like I have no idea where I am but lost in that I come out in a place that I didn't mean to and it's usually out of the way. The whole point is this. Today traffic was again crazy so I took the second way. There was still lots of traffic so it was a little crazy. While I was driving I asked God to help me find my turn so that I would come out exactly where I needed to. Of course you know what happened right?! He did!!! Now I know the way exactly. I know it's a little thing but He's interested in every part of our lives he just is waiting to be asked.

Christmas in August

2007-09-01T12:23:00.000-07:00

We are preparing for our annual Christmas gift giveaway. We are preparing a census to have a list of all the children 10 and below that live in the precario. We are also revising our map. All of the houses have new numbers. It's been a lot of work, but I hope that it will mean less work when Christmas comes and it's time to give out the gifts. We gave away about 750 gifts last year. I'm sure we will exceed the 1000 mark this year. Part of why it's taking so long is each house has 5 or 6 kids. That's a lot of writing. Juliana has been helping me each Saturday. I don't even think I'm 1/2 way through and we already have over 400 names. There are lots and lots of kids, and those are only the ones that are 10 and under. I'm very tired today but I know this will make a difference when December comes.

Guatemala

2007-08-20T09:51:00.000-07:00

The first part of August I was able to take a trip to Guatemala. It was beautiful! The people were very friendly and most spoke English which was very good for me. (My Spanish still stinks!) I went there to meet up with a group from True North Church. They are partnering with a church in Guatemala. So that's where we spent most of our time. The church has started a new church out in a much poorer community and they also provide a health clinic there as well. That was one of the purposes for this trip. The team came to assist with a health clinic. The clinic was for 3 days. Two of them were at the church in the small town, but one day we went on the road to a refugee village and saw patients there as well. That was pretty cool. It reminded me some of the precario but the houses were definitely in better shape and not so many people crowded into one small area. I have a few pictures, not many because I am terrible at taking pictures. I'm usually busy doing other things. So anyway here are a few and some of them are of here too. I will have more of just Guatemala later. The team is compiling a CD with everyone's photos so as soon as I get that I will post it.
http://joyncostarica.shutterfly.com/action/?a=8AYtnLly1buGIn

Ladies Bible Study

2007-08-11T07:02:00.000-07:00

First I want to update everyone on Arlene. She had another God moment when she went to get the medication she needed. First of all the medication is very expensive. She knew that, so she borrowed money to get it. (I'm sure with a ridiculous amount of interest) She found out that 80% of the money was for the clinic and %20 was for the actual medication. When she got there the people at the clinic told her that she didn't owe them anything just to pay for the pills. She had that much money of her own so she was able to take the borrowed money back right away and avoid the interest. God is amazing! Oh yeah and the medication is already working. She is feeling much better. The depression is gone and she has had much more energy.

The second thing is our ladies surprise me every week. This past week they made me stand in awe of how far they have come. When they came to bible study the each had a bag of something. One person had a bag of rice, one beans, one sugar, and the list goes on. That in itself was not so unusual, but then they put all their things together. That was something new. I finally had to ask, my curiosity got the better of me. They told me that there was a lady in the precario who has been very sick and is very poor and hasn't had any food, so they decided to take some to her and to pray for her. OK, maybe it doesn't sound like a big deal to you but to me it was HUGE! Here's why. At some point in timewe have had to deliver food to every one of the ladies because they haven't had any food. So I am very surprised that they didn't just tell us so we could take food to her. They didn't even ask us for anything, no money, no food, nothing. We were invited to go and deliver the food and to pray for her. They said they all had been blessed and they just wanted to pass it on. They had to have lots of faith to give away food. They had to know that they would be provided for when the time came that it was them without anything. They have all been there too. They all were so excited that they decided to do it again the next week. This time I was invited to participate. I was not able to because of my trip to Guatemala. They told me not to worry about it, that I could do it with them the next time. They have grown so much. I am so proud of them!

The Diagnosis

2007-07-27T12:35:00.000-07:00

Remember the lady that we took to have a test run? Her name is Arlene. She was not feeling well and had been to her doctor who referred her to a specialist who had done an xray. This is were they found a growth in her brain. She needed another test that was very costly. Because God is so good he provided that money for her and we were able to be part of that. We took her for the test and she was very nervous. She was very excited though to be able to share her testimony about God providing the money she needed for this test. The test did not take long and we were back on our way to the precario. She picked her results up and made her appointment with her doctor. I am so happy to report that it was NOT cancer! It's a cyst that is in the middle of her brain and it is treatable with medication. She has already started the treatments and is beginning to feel much better. The feelings of severe depression are lifting and she has more energy. Needless to say she is praising God! I am just so thankful that I got to be part of this whole thing. Pretty cool!

A trip to the dentist

2007-07-26T16:29:00.000-07:00

I went to the dentist today. I know that sounds a little scary considering I'm in Costa Rica. The dentists here only go to school for 4 years. Actually it was a very good trip. My dentist speaks English which is very helpful when someone is working on your mouth and you can't think of the Spanish word for-- ow that hurts! Just kidding! There was no pain involved, either during the process or when I was paying. I had my teeth cleaned, a tooth repaired and a cavity filled. All of this only took 30 minutes! That in itself was pretty amazing. Also I didn't get a shot of any kind. No need for one. She uses a water drill that doesn't hurt one bit. When it was time to go and pay it only cost me $50 for everything! Isn't that the craziest thing you've ever heard of?! Even with dental insurance in the states I had to pay at least $100 just to have my teeth cleaned not to mention the other procedures I had done. So if you need any dental work done you would save money even with the plane ticket to have it done down here in beautiful Costa Rica. Just thought you might like to know.

God's Gift

2007-07-17T12:04:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share a God story with you. On Thursday I received my support check from the church. It was for a lot more than I was expecting. So much so that I was able to pay off all of my credit card debt! I felt sick to my stomach though. I couldn't decide if it was because I thought it was a mistake or I felt unworthy or what it was. I couldn't sleep so I decided to read my bible. I opened to the verse that says: "It is better to give than to receive". So now the good part....
There is a woman in our ladies bible study at the precario who has been having some health issues. The doctors have recently found a tumor in her brain. She needed another test. The amount of money needed for that test is the exact amount of my tithe for my church check and my last check from work! I was able to tell her at bible study on Friday to make the appointment for the test. I made sure that she knew that the money was a gift from God and not from me. She made the appointment and called last night to tell us. I couldn't sleep at all last night. I was worried about her and about what we would do next once the results came in. I finally fell asleep and when I woke up I heard from the Lord not to worry about it; I wouldn't do anything, HE would do it all! We went to the hospital today for the test. The results should be in and she should be able to meet with her doctor in the next day or two. Another awesome part of this story is that she has been able to share her faith. When they told her how much the test would cost they figured they would never see her again. She told them she would be back. She said the Lord had told her everything was going to be fine. She had faith that God would provide a way. When she went to make her appointment yesterday they were VERY surprised to see her. She was able to tell them about her gift from GOD!

The Door of Hope

2007-07-15T07:40:00.000-07:00

I wrote briefly about our new ministry in my last newsletter but I wanted to add to that. It is called the Door of Hope because that is what we want to provide for these girls, hope. Our first girl in this program is Juliana. Phil Jones, one of the founders of Blood N Fire Costa Rica, has known Juliana for 10 years. When he met her she was living in a precario. She is now 17 and lives in a better situation. They were able to buy a VERY small house that has running water. She lives with her Mom, three of her sisters and one brother. It is only a 2 bedroom house. She has other sisters that don't even live with them. They live in extreme poverty and she has seen many men come and go out of her house. Most of her siblings all have different fathers.

She recently has become involved with a married man that is 40. He was taking her out to dinner buying her alcohol and paying attention to her. Of course he said he cared about her, then he said he didn't want anything to do with her. Which is just a head game these men play so they can get the girls to do whatever he wants to get him back. He has been back in contact with her but she hasn't really had the time to spend with him since she has been coming to stay with us on the week ends. That was part of our plan all along. We are also hoping to teach her that she is better than that.

We read the bible with her daily while she is here and encourage her to read at home as well. We talk to her as best as our Spanish will allow. We want to show her God's love is enough. HE is all she needs.

She really looks forward to coming. She is teaching us new games. She cooked dinner for us last night. It was very good. She also has started acting like a teenage girl again. She really enjoyed our trip to the precario. She talked to the kids and handed out suckers. It was really a nice day.

The picture at the top is Juliana with LCI team member Caroline before she came to stay with us.

Feria

2007-07-14T15:33:00.000-07:00

Jennifer, Juliana, and I went to the feria today. The feria is an open air market. It's very Costa Rican. People go every Saturday morning to buy all of their fruits and vegetables for the week. I drank from a coconut while I was there. I wouldn't say it's my favorite but it was ok and it was definitely an experience to watch them chop the top off with a machete! I also ate a fruit I've never seen before. Juli said it was a manzana agua. Water apple is how it translates. It was very good. It was sour which is something I like. We also bought a few other things I have never tried before and Juliana is preparing dinner with them. I'll have to let you know how that goes. So far it smells wonderful!

Pictures

2007-07-08T18:08:00.000-07:00

While the team from Life Connections International were here there were lots of pictures taken. I have put a few in an album and would like to share them.
http://joyncostarica.shutterfly.com/action/?a=8AYtnLly1buGIn

LCI Team

2007-07-02T18:13:00.001-07:00

The team from LA came to visit. They were with Life Connections International. We have a very excited time with them. They were here for a little over a week. They helped us of course with our "Beca" program. We worked in the precario, had a cook out and all that fun stuff. They also helped us move our things from our storage into our new place. While we were there the van got filled with bees! It was a little crazy. We drove with the back door open for a little ways but they refused to leave. Phil had to get out and use a branch to swat them away. Then on Friday that week we had a flood in the house! We had gone to ladies bible study in the precario and when we got home there was at least 3 inches of water everywhere! Shoes were floating, everything was wet and had to be washed. Luckily we have ceramic floors throughout the house so everything got really clean by the time we were done. To finish up the time the team had here we went to the beach. It was beautiful of course. I actually got to see monkeys in the wild. It was pretty amazing.

2007-06-18T16:31:00.001-07:00

So the ministry is already beginning to change. One of our beca students is at a huge crossroads at her life and needs a place to stay. We are praying about this situation right now. Our heart is that we have her move in here with us. It will be a big change for her as well as us. We are looking forward to the learning process that we will go through with this new program.

Our first team arrived this afternoon. We are on our way to the beca program. I can't wait to see the kids! I have missed them terribly. We got a report that they are doing very well. For the most part everyone's grades are up. That is great!

Back in Costa Rica

2007-06-16T07:35:00.001-07:00

I made it! I am traveling with another girl from Stevens Creek. We had our flight to Miami cancelled before we go to the airport in Atlanta. We found out we would be routed through Dallas which meant there was a possiblity of meeting up with Phil who is the founder of our ministry. Anyway that did happen and we were going to be on his flight. While we were waiting they asked for volunteers to take a later flight. They gave us $500 flight vouchers, hotel accommodations, and food vouchers. Isn't God great! Now I will have enough to make another flight back and forth to the states. Yeah!!! But it gets better. They also bumped us up to business class. I've never flown this before. The seats are much larger, they serve you a drink as soon as you sit down. Dinner was a three course meal with real glass ware and real linens. Unbelievable! I felt a little bad for the people in the back. So we got in late Thursday instead of Wednesday which means we lost a work day.

We made up for that yesterday though. We have lots of work to get ready for our first team that's coming from LA. They get here Monday. I was able to get to the precario yesterday. The ladies were having bible study. They were all very excited to see me and even more so when I told them I was here to stay not just for a visit this time. The babies are not babies anymore. Well speaking of lots of work, I need to get started on some.

In the states

2006-07-22T09:35:00.000-07:00

Well I'm back in the states. I had a great year in Costa Rica. I learned so much. It's a little hard to be back though. I start back to work on August 8th. I'm sure that will help. I'm trying to get moved into my new place. I miss everyone in CR very much. I'm planning a trip in December. We have two of our beca girls that will graduate this year so I definitely have to be there for that. I would also love to be there to help with Christmas again too. Thanks to everyone who helped make it possible to be in Costa Rica.

Pictures

2006-07-03T16:31:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos from my trip to the states.

Miraculous Healing

2006-06-23T06:20:00.000-07:00

I should have posted this a month ago but of course I'm always behind. While a team from Atlanta was here we had the opportunity to witness a healing in the precario. In our ladies bible study is a lady who has a 8 year old daughter named Cindy. Cindy's grandmother also comes to our bible study as is very much part of Cindy's life. Cindy had been bitten by a mosquito, which had somehow placed a worm of some kind in her arm. The worm was some kind of flesh eating parasite. Another lady at the bible study told us about it to see if we could help. We took her to our doctor that helps us in the precario. He said that he thought that was probably what it was too but to be sure she would need a culture. The treatment would be injections directly into the site of the wound for 14 days. The medication was very expensive and there were only two packets of it in the WHOLE country! We were to take her to the clinic on Monday for a culture. In the meantime we had a team come in from Atlanta. While we were walking through the precario with this team we saw Cindy sitting and crying. Her arm looked TERRIBLE! There was a large hole that was full of infection and bleeding. We stopped to pray for her and her mother. Our plan was still to take her to the clinic on Monday and this was Saturday. We were back in the precario the next day and Lucia, Cindy's grandmother told us about the miracle. Right after we left she and Cindy were listening to the radio. There was a preacher on speaking about faith and healing. Lucia asked Cindy if she believed that the LORD could heal her. Cindy said yes. Lucia told her to touch the radio and they prayed together. Immediately the wound stopped bleeding! We were in awe! God is so great! We had Cindy come by on Monday to see her and the wound was already starting to heal. Two months later it's completely gone. There's a scar but I think that's to help her share her testimony.

Back in Costa Rica

2006-03-24T18:50:00.000-08:00

Sorry it's been so long since I've updated this. We were very busy moving and then I went to the states for Phil and Jill's wedding. I spent lots of time in the car. We made it back to Costa Rica on Tuesday afternoon. We had Beca on Wednesday. The kids were glad we were back. Thursday we went book shopping for the kids, grocery shopping because of course there was no food in this house and I would like to add not one clean towel. What's up with that?! We had ladies bible study today. It looks like most of our thieves are back in Nicaragua. We don't know exactly what happened, but the ladies said it's been pretty quiet. We are busy preparing for our next team. They will be here on Friday evening. We also have 5 baby baskets to deliver while we are getting ready for the team. It's good to be back.

Beca

2006-02-04T07:52:00.000-08:00

We took three days to get the kids their uniforms. They used to take all of them at once. I don't think so! So we took 3 small groups. It was definitely easier. The girls of course took the longest to pick their things. It really wasn't that bad though. Jen and I have been packing up their supplies in their backpacks. The first night for them to be with us is the 13th. We will get a book list then. The kids here have to buy their books for school. That's part of why it's so expensive for them to go. There are lots and lots of kids that can't afford to go that's why this program is so good.

We've also been busy trying to move. The rent for the ministry house was going to be raised so we are moving into a new place. We still have lots to do. The sorting and purging has to be done by Phil. No one else can do it. We just have to convince him of that. The new house is a little smaller but it will work out really well for the Beca. Here's some new pictures.
http://joyncostarica.shutterfly.com/action/?a=8AYtnLly1buGHo

New School Year

2006-01-16T07:40:00.000-08:00

Well we have been preparing for the new school year. We have been trying to decide which kids should be included in the Beca program. That is always a hard thing. You want them all to be in it but there just isn't enough room or money for that. We have our first meeting on Saturday. We meet with the kids and their parents to go over the program, answer questions, take pictures, schedule shopping trips. We take the kids to buy their uniforms and shoes. That should be lots of fun. After the kids get their list of books, we get to go shopping for them. Of course none of the books from last year will work so we will be buying new ones. It's crazy!

Happy New Year

2006-01-02T11:46:00.000-08:00

Here's some pictures for December.
http://joyncostarica.shutterfly.com/action/?a=8AYtnLly1buGHb

Gifts

2005-12-18T19:31:00.000-08:00

The gifts have started to come in. It's really funny actually. Jennifer and I were talking and we were just saying that it didn't really seem like Christmas, then Phil and Russ pulled up with a van full of presents! It turned things around pretty quickly. It's definitely starting to feel like Christmas. We have lots of work though. We have to sort, label, and bag almost 500 gifts! We will have help with the sorting. It may just be the three of us on delivery day though. It will be lots of work but lots of fun too. I'm so glad I got to be here last year for this. It was awesome! I'll be sure to get lots of pictures

On my own

2005-12-09T16:59:00.000-08:00

Well I feel like I don't have much to write about. I guess I should have been writing about my experiences while I was here alone. Phil, Josh, Russ, and Jen all went to the states and left me here. It really wasn't that bad. I went a few places by myself and bought some stuff I needed. I just looked up what I needed to say on the internet ahead of time. I understand most of what's being said to me it's just being able to talk back that's trouble for me. My Thanksgiving was spent at the beach. Which is great for me, I love the beach! The ladies at bible study were very sweet to me while Jen was gone. They made sure they were there on time and wouldn't leave until they were sure I had a ride to get home. They didn't want to leave me alone. I continued with Beca as well. It went well. A couple of the girls speak English pretty well so they were a big help. I was definitely glad for Russ and Jen to be back though. Things are winding down here for the year. I'll try to be better about keeping you posted. I do have some new pictures. Here they are....http://joyncostarica.shutterfly.com/action/?a=8AYtnLly1buGHK

Protection

2005-11-13T19:57:00.000-08:00

Well Russ and Jen are in the States. Becky and I have decided to continue ladies bible study on Friday by ourselves. It went pretty well. I think the dictionary will be my best friend now that Jen isn't around. I tried to speak to the ladies and the kids as much as I could. They told my I had 3 weeks to learn. I think it will take more than that. After the study a couple of that ladies wouldn't leave until Andrew got there to pick us up. I think they were worried about us. It's funny they walk all over all alone but they didn't want to leave the two of us by ourselves. It was really sweet.

Pictures

2005-10-31T12:26:00.000-08:00

Here's some new picture's from the last month or so. Enjoy!
http://joyncostarica.shutterfly.com/action/?a=8AYtnLly1buGG9

Children's Home

2005-10-29T09:05:00.000-07:00

We were able to visit a children's home this week. It was pretty amazing. It's in the mountains with an incredible view. They have 75 children right now. They take children that are being abused or maybe their family just can't care for them right now. The maximum amount of time that they spend there is usually 2 years. They then are returned home if the situation has improved there. They take kids from age 2 to 12. There is a school on the grounds. They also take children from a nearby town. They have one class that is devoted to children with special needs. There are 8 houses with house parents, each house with approximately 10 kids, not including any of their own that they may have. We were able to visit a class and have lunch with the kids as well.

The Boda

2005-10-25T16:07:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to go to a Costa Rican wedding. It was not typical tico. The bride is Costa Rican but the groom was American. I've been told that most weddings take up to 3 hours. There is a complete church service that includes praise and worship. This one was only about 30 minutes but it was beautiful! It was to be held in a garden but we have been having so much rain that it had to be moved indoors. It was still very nice. Phil and his band performed at the reception. I have several pictures from the reception. I will get them downloaded soon.

Electricity

2005-10-03T05:53:00.000-07:00

Things have been a little different around here. The man that collects for the electric bill in the precario ran off with all the money. (about $4000) So now one section doesn't have power. It's our section of course! We haven't had power for about two weeks. We are hoping that it will be turned back on today. Because there hasn't been lights we haven't been able to have English or computer classes. Everyone is asking when they will start again. Computer classes will have to wait but Jennifer has decided that if it's not back on soon we'll just move the classes close to the front of the rancho and make them earlier in the day so we can use as much natural light as we can. We have also been contemplating buying a generator, but they are very expensive. So who knows what will happen. We are going to do a clothes outreach this week. I'll let you know how that goes.

Driving

2005-09-06T16:07:00.000-07:00

Well my latest adventure has been driving here in Costa Rica. I had the opportunity to drive the 15 passenger van to pick up the team from SCCC. Keep in mind that Jennifer has been here 5 years and still will not drive the van! Anyway, back to the story. All went smoothly until we picked the guys up. No accidents but I'm sure everyone was out to get me! A GIGANTIC bus decided that it wanted in my lane while there was a van in the next lane leaving me no where to go. We made it and the truck stayed where it was. Then on the way to the precario a rather large truck tried the same move. But I held my ground and we made it through. My next experience was driving alone. Phil had to take Josh to the doctor and I had to get the van back to the Precario to pick everyone up. Yeah right! No I did make it. I think I made an illegal turn along the way. Who knows. Besides the rules of the road are just suggestions here. (Gene, just to let you know. Jen didn't yell at me once!) I've since been taking Phil to the precario in the evenings so he can spend the night in the rancho. I even pull in the yard with very little difficulty. Now Jen says I get to teach her how to drive the van. I'll let you know how that goes.

Here are some new photos. Keep in touch!
http://joyncostarica.shutterfly.com/action/?a=8AYtnLly1buGGs

Classes

2005-08-25T05:45:00.000-07:00

Phil came back from the States ready to start construction. We will be adding a second story to the rancho. Stevens Creek is sending a team on September 1st. Hopefully we can get a lot accomplished when the guys are here.

We have implemented a new plan with the BECA kids. Just a side note. Beca in Spanish means scholarship. Anyway back to the plan. Some of the kids were having attitude problems. Can you believe that? Teenagers with attitude problems? So we decided to implement a point system. The earn points each night and can cash them in on things like a Coke for dinner, a cook gel pen, notebooks, and then the prizes go up to the big one which is a shopping trip, a CD player, a trip to the movies, or dinner. They all wanted to go shopping but they are starting to cash in their points. We'll see who holds out the longest. It really seems to work. If they think they didn't get the right amount of points for the night they make sure to ask Jen about it.

There are still lots of babies. We have two baskets to deliver this week. I'm sure by the time we get these out there will be at least two more.

English classes are going well. The kids are learning vegetables in one class and the other class is learning clothing. The adult classes are learning adjectives, and verb tenses. I feel sorry for that class. My Spanish tutoring is going ok. I have a long way to go. I still don't feel like I can respond when someone asks me a question. Jen says it will come. I just have to make myself start talking to people. She said I will say it wrong but they will understand or they will just laugh at me. Great!

Russ started computer class. He has two classes on Sunday. Both classes filled up pretty quick.
It's neat to see how eager people are to learn.

My sister is coming to visit me. She gets in today. I'm sure I'll have lots of pictures from out time together. I'll get them loaded as soon as I can.

Routines

2005-08-15T16:51:00.000-07:00

We are pretty much into our routines here. Sunday: Church and then 2 computer classes and 3 English classes. Monday: errands and Beca in the evening. Tuesday: our day off. Wednesday: errands and Beca in the evening. Thursday: Family day. Friday: Women's Bible Study. Saturday: every other is a food outreach. Of course there are always baby baskets to be delivered and work to be done at the rancho or ministry house. Those things get done when there's nothing else to do. HA! HA!

We had quite a rainstorm Sunday afternoon. It took us 40 minutes to get home from the precario. It's usually a 10-15 minute drive. The water was really deep and the car kept stalling. I offered to push.

Today is Mother's Day. It's a National holiday here. No school and lots of places are closed today. Learning about the culture is really cool. Some things are the same but there are always some differences.

I got my driver's license! That's scary isn't it? You have to wait in lines for a couple of hours just like in the states! I could have driven with my license from the states but it's only good for 90 days. I figured I was going to be here longer than that so I'd better go ahead and get one.

I started Spanish lessons. Jennifer gives an outrageous amount of homework! Even the Beca kids felt sorry for me. I can translate what I read pretty well and I understand some of what is said but I definitely can't say anything back yet. That will take a long time. I'm not complaining though. After sitting through the advanced English class and them having to learn all the exceptions to every rule they learn Spanish isn't so bad. It sounds just like it's spelled unlike English. For some reason I keep having trouble with the "A" sound. It's funny but that's the sound that the English student's have trouble with too.

Sorry about the mix up with the pictures. You'll have to go to the website directly. For some reason I can't put in a link. Also the new pictures are at the bottom of the page so just keep scrolling down. www.joyncostarica.shutterfly.com/action/
Hey it looks like it might be linking for me. I guess just try it. Keep writing!

July

2005-08-02T15:32:00.000-07:00

We had about a week break between teams. We got a team from LA/New York. The pastor is from LA. He travels around the country telling people about mission opportunities and brings teams down. The team was from New York. With that team we cleaned the rancho. Phil had to do some repairs as well. The rancho had been broken into. They were able to get a small radio, a fan, and extension cords. He replaced fencing with rebar. That should keep people out. The other project we worked on was concrete for the faucet. We mixed the concrete right in the street. We also showed the kids the movie Toy Story. Now they want to see part 2. We'll have to do that the next time.

The team went to the beach. It was beautiful! Black sand beaches, cabanas, all the food/drink you want; what more could you need?! It was great. I hope we get to go back there at some time.

The rancho had some damage to the roof. I thought I was going to have to get on the roof to help Russ fix it. Lucky for me Julio was home. He jumped right up there and got it done in less than an hour. Julio lives in the precario. He has helped Russ and Phil do lots of construction around the rancho.

The next project we have is to replace the bathroom sink. I somehow managed to break it. There is a candle on a shelf. Well........ The candle has a glass lid that fell on the sink. It broke the corner into about three pieces. OOPS! I'm hoping it won't cost too much to replace it. Russ said that the toilet they put in the rancho cost about $40. I'm hoping a sink won't be too much more than that.

English classes start back this week. Russ will be starting computer classes this week or next. I am supposed to be starting Spanish tutoring with Jennifer this month.

Hope you enjoy the pictures. For some reason this won't link so go to this site to look at the pictures.
http://joyncostarica.shutterfly.com/action

Keep in touch. Email me.
joyncostarica@yahoo.com

Pictures

2005-07-17T16:31:00.000-07:00

Finally! Sorry it's taken me so long to get these pictures downloaded. I will get better. This was my first time doing it by myself. They aren't in any particular order. I promise to get better at editing. Keep writing. Thanks for the support!

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/share/view?i=EeAMWzly5at3DiA&open=1&x=1&sm=1&sl=0

Team Time

2005-07-11T16:29:00.000-07:00

Well I did take my camera to Price Mart. I promise to get the pictures downloaded so you can see. We have 4 carts full of food and cleaning supplies! The team flew in on Friday. Because of the rain we weren't able to get into the precario that day. We went to a 4th of July party on Saturday. We had lots of fun. I did at least. We played volleyball most of the time. I was a muddy filthy mess! I just can't help that competitive spirit. That afternoon was a clothes outreach. We were able to give away 650 pieces of clothing! Jen is hoping we can do another one soon. Later that evening the team went to church. Gene preached and Pedro translated. It was very good. We were able to participate in their very first bilingual communion. Pretty neat! VBS was on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. It went very well. Just typical of how God works; We had just enough crafts to finish the last group. We were cleaning up the tables and the glue sticks were completely empty but every child was able to leave with their project finished. Great isn't it?!

We are preparing for another team to come next week. Just 10 loads of laundry his time. Cleaning the house and food shopping are next on the list. I promise to get pictures in soon. Keep in touch. It's always great to hear from you!

Busy

2005-06-29T05:44:00.000-07:00

Well we have been staying very busy here. There is always something that has to be done. The English classes are over until August. Beca is out of school for two weeks. Thankfully this will give us time to prepare for the teams that will be arriving soon. I did 10 loads of laundry on Monday. That is no exaggeration either. I'm sure the team will appreciate clean sheets and blankets though.

I have learned a couple of things so far. I can get breakfast right across the street for less than $2.00. It's huge too I couldn't even eat it all and it was very good. The next thing I learned is that when Russ yells for me to come and help; I need to put on tennis shoes instead of flip flops. I've pushed their car from the grocery store. Then helped push the van out of a hole yesterday. I'm a little sore today. For some reason the van was much harder to push than their little car.

Well we will be going to Price Mart today to buy food, and supplies for the team. Jennifer said that it would be quite an experience. I'll have to let you know. I wonder if they would let me take my camera in. HMMM........

Made it!

2005-06-18T16:37:00.000-07:00

I had a great send off from Augusta. Thanks everyone! The flight was good. I got out of the airport about 2:30 and Russ and Jennifer took me to lunch. I have unpacked and we've talked about the next couple of weeks. It looks like there's lots of work to do. I can't wait to get started. Jennifer said there are 7 baby baskets to be delivered. That will be lots of fun.

June 2, 2005 Welcome

2005-06-02T15:35:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to get this thing set up before I go. My email address is joyncostarica@yahoo.com.
Please email me and let me know what's new with you.

I have set up an album with photos from my trip this Christmas. You'll find them at http://share.shutterfly.com/action/share/view?i=EeAMWzly5at3DgI&open=1&x=1&sm=1&sl=1

Thanks to everyone for their help. If you would like to support me on this mission, please make your check payable to Stevens Creek Community Church. The address is 600 Stevens Creek Rd. Augusta, Ga. 30907. Make sure to put my name in the memo.

I'll write more later.

Joy