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Sunday, June 25, 2017

Internal Processing ... A Window to His Soul

Yup, he's mine!
A deep sigh, one arm crossed in front, the other hand goes to his chin, the intensity of his furrowed brow that supersedes the far away look in his deep set eyes is only a mask to what lies deep within.  Silence ... Internal processing, his mind is processing, filing, reorganizing the data received.  Silence ... sometimes it's easier to just be quiet, sometimes a tear falls, other times the intense stare remains.  Silence ... he's not ignoring me, just processing where to store the data and how to respond.  Strong, steady, stable ... he is exactly the kind of Mennonite boy I  did not want to marry!  His organized thoughts bring my world into order, his contemplative thinking prevents me from making irrational decisions, the depth and intensity of his soul and the mischievous laughter in his eyes are what cause me to love God more for the perfect gift he's given me in a soulmate.

A question I've been pondering ... who provides the stability when the one who stabilizes is off balance?  For someone who functions best with order, routine and stability, a move like one we're living through can be stretching to say the least!  How does one who is stable and prefers structure thrive in a lifestyle that is constantly changing and uncertain from one day to the next?  The struggle to remain hopeful is real when you can't calculate, process and predict the outcome of the task.  His call is to serve God faithfully by supporting Delynn and the work of VidaNet has not changed ... however, in all honesty, his vision is cloudy and his heart is heavy.

His commitment, unwavering ... His determination, unfaltering ... His strength, worshiping the ONE who has given the Call. 

A year ago Father gave us this passage in preparation for this move.  The faithful Father that He is, gently reminded us again this week... 2 Chronicles 20:15-17  This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.'  ... The key to this victory was Praise and Worship. vs. 22 As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated!  God, fill his heart with praise once again ...

Life on the Mountain
It's cold ... relatively speaking!  We've added another blanket to our bed, the boys actually cover up at night here and, we're only 20 minutes up the mountain! ... Daryl: work projects at the base, giving direction to the workers, doing the manly things to make our new house a home, shopping (had to highlight that one) for new pants, size 36 down to size 32 - if only I could be so lucky! ... Jen: unpacking - the students left for El Salvador so I took the week to settle in, finding a place for everything, finishing school with Jedidiah, I've had to use our dryer which I haven't used in 6 months! Boys: taking walks to the futbol field, helping dad at the base, helping mom at home, finishing up school projects ... Adam: growing into 4T clothing, spending his days outside in the grass playing with the 2 neighbor dogs, making friends with Matias, 2 year old neighbor boy and "sharing" his riding toys, speaking more Spanish each day!

Praises
-Our new house
-Jedidiah's 5th spiritual birthday, 21st
-Celebrating Adam's 4th birthday, 22nd
-Peaceful sleep, no loud trucks
-A husband who fixes things around the house
-Last week of school

Prayers
-Hope and encouragement for Daryl
-Our gaze fixed on things above, not on earthly things
-Students and staff traveling to El Salvador and Honduras
-Witness and relationship with our landlords
-Samuel, Dylan and Vidanet as we pick up the pieces since Margot's death
-Jedidiah vomiting and diarrhea - pray he doesn't share!
-Direction as we process the best school options for the boys


Our cozy yellow house!

Talent show ... Adam singing "Where ... Donde?"

Adam's constant playmates this week ...
loving the fact he can play outside!

personal touches ... it's beginning to feel like home 
Banana Split to celebrate his life in Christ!



In a family of 25+, there are a lot of hairs to cut!

Smash Burger ...
there's good reason we don't have a TV in our dining room!


"Sharing" Mati's toy while he's at school!

Mr. Fix-it ... "Mom, I fix things like dad!"
Happy 4th sweet boy

Sitting on our window seat, beautiful sun, tropical breeze ...
I may not know what the future holds,
but I know WHO holds my future! 





Sunday, June 18, 2017

Akron ... a.k.a. Los Angeles de San Rafael

As I write, I find myself once again surrounded by boxes and piles of our earthly possessions that need to find their place in our new home.  Yesterday, we moved into a cozy house that is painted with rustic Costa Rican colors.  I've often said, "If my house could be painted with cozy fall colors, I'd feel so happy." Well ... He's done it again, He's blessed us beyond measure and given us this beautiful rental property to make into our home.  So blessed by all your prayers and petitions on our behalf for this endeavor! We've moved out of the city and up the mountain to be surrounded by fruit trees, at the end of a quiet street (no loud mufflers and no Jake brakes), in a small community with a futbol field, park, bread store and small grocery store and ... our roof doesn't leak! After living in transition for the last year and 1/2, it feels so good to unpack all the boxes and suitcases and call this place, home.  In many ways, Los Angeles de San Rafael feels like Akron, PA.

Tonight, we celebrated Fathers Day and christened our home with Root beer floats, (vanilla ice cream for $8.00 1/2 gallon ... there's good reason we only buy it for special occasions), Herr's Kettle Cooked chips and pretzel rods from PA.  

My eyes are weary ... Our week starts in T minus 6 hours ... No inspirational thoughts ... A pictures worth a thousand words ... welcome to:

Life on the Mountain ... 


Animal lover ... always finds a pet

Why is there always water in this lamp? 

Supervising the work ... entertaining the workers.

Smile and act like you're working

Sanding, sanding and sanding ... 

Talent show ...
Ventriloquist telling jokes with Gary!

Don Papi, Grillin' 100 hot dogs! 

End of School celebration ...
foot long hot dogs and stacked burgers!

El Nido Cafecito ... Cooking show ...
Microwave Cake in a Mug!
Calling their imaginary friends in "Spanglish"

Libre para correr, danzar y cantar ...
te extrano mucho Mama Margot.
securing the gate ...

Cuco, with the patience of Job!

He was in Heaven ... pressure washing every inch!

Hanging curtains ... no rods, no worries ... staple them up!

Lizard hunt success!

Makes sense ...
mix the concrete right where you're going to use it!

Commemorating graduation with a dress and heals ...
so proud of you Carmelinda!

Micah, can you move the van? ...
Ok!! Teaching manual transmission ... Dad's turn!
 
Moving ... Moving ... Moving


This is how a family of 25 moves in one day!

I'll hold the mattress up for you ...

And, when there's no more room inside the van!

Rustic colors ... peace in the chaos

Mom, this floor is dirty ...

God's handiwork ... Costa Rican Caterpillar 

Fathers from the Bible ... Adan y David!

Adorable ... 

Blessing the Fathers at church ... 
Too much energy ... doing exercises before bed!

Dirty knees ... Soccer cleats ... Happy Mama!

Sunday, June 11, 2017

Tears in Heaven

Mama Margot (center)
One knows there is no sadness, sorrow or tears in Heaven.  However, the cloudy, dreary morning showers feels like Heaven is weeping with us today ... Our dear Dona Margot passed away today.

She welcomed me into her kitchen, loved me like a daughter, taught me about Tico cooking, laughed at my mistakes and shared her kitchen secrets with me ... "I put some of this and some of that and HE makes it taste good!"  She insisted we eat her leftovers, gave Adam snacks like only a Grammie does, called Daryl her "handsome gringo son", the stories of life she shared and the song that was a constant on her heart will be treasures I'll cherish in my heart for eternity.

My last encounter with her will be forever etched on my heart ... as I tenderly touched her cheek I insisted that we LOVE her leftovers but tonight we need some family time and dinner at home. "We'll see you in the morning." One last hug goodbye as I ran out in the rain ...

Please pray for:
Samuel, he took care of her, she took care of him, they loved each other like no other.
Dylan, their grandson they are raising.
Delynn, Gloria and Carmelinda, Margot and Samuel have been family to them for 10+ years.



Monday, June 5, 2017

Slave to Fashion

Thorn in my flesh, keepin' it real ... There have been some weeks that I have prided myself in the fact
A sight to behold ... 
 that I wore the same outfit ALL week ... yup, ALL week! I call it practicality, I have one paint outfit ... if my daily activities involved painting, staining and varnishing, I wore that one outfit, all week. Obviously showers were essential and  deo and body splash a necessity.  But truth be told, as morning dawned, my hair got thrown into a pony tail, a flashy pair of ear rings were added for some bling and I would don the same dark grey shorts and black t'shirt for day # ...1, 2, 3, 4, and 5!  As a missionary, it seems trivial to think about fashion when the women I work with don't even have enough money to buy rice and beans ... yet the truth remains, I am a slave to fashion.  Life in Akron provided an easy fix to my entrapment as Goodwill fed my fashion sense for a fraction of the price. CR has many "American Clothing" stores (a.k.a. Goodwill) that could satisfy my need for fashion.  However, living on a more conservative budget has cause me to think twice about fueling this desire to add to my wardrobe, just because. 
God's gift of red skinny jeans ... seriously, let me explain! I've been envying these women who are donning colored pants.  A far cry from my usual bottoms of black, grey or denim.  Not envying enough to rush out and buy my own. However, if I happened to be walking by an "American Clothing" store and saw some appealing bottoms of color, I have definitely been side tracked exploring for treasures inside, but to no avail. 

This desire for colored bottoms isn't something I've shared with anyone, especially not Father. His words keep echoing in my mind, Matthew 6:28 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow, they do not labor or spin." I knew these worldly bottoms are a want, not a need, so a dream they remained.   Last week as I was going through a bag of donations that appeared to be directly from my dear Gramie's closet.  Suddenly, my eyes beheld the most beautiful red garment tucked securely among Grandma's clothing.  As I unwrapped this "gift" I thought, "Seriously God, this has to be a joke, You couldn't have possibly hidden a pair of red skinny jeans among these 'unfashionable' garments, could You? ... Oh yes HE did! I laughed, looked around for a hidden camera, thanked Him and tenderly folded this gem as I reflected on the way He loves me.  Father delights in seeing His children laugh, He knows the thorn in my flesh for fashion and at times he even allows me to revel in the absurdity of it!
Slave to fashion ... Heart after HIS ... He's still working on me ... 


Praises
Protection for Adam - gash on his forehead earned him one stitch and a nasty bump
Healing for Micah - Upset stomach, feeling weak and dizzy.  Praising God it only lasted an hour.
Laughter for Joseph - can't describe the joy in my heart to see his spark returning!
Friends for Jedi - his need for attention and friendship is satisfied as the students returned.
Red pants
House - thank you for praying with us, we're moving in two weeks to a cozy little house in what feels like the town of Akron.  
Summer full of activity - as we used to say at work, "get your roller skates on!"
Marriage retreat focusing on communication.
All of you!

Prayers
Health
Healing for Sarai, one of our students
Communication: Daryl and I, Leadership team, boys and us 
Focus on what can be done, not overwhelmed by the big picture
Relationships with our new landlords. Our houses are separated by a front walk. We will look out our Kitchen window at their front door.  Lord, let us be an example of You!

Life at the Base ... El Nido blessings continue as I get to meet the Mama's, nuzzle the babes, laugh with the toddlers and bear witness to the positive changes they desire for their lives! ... The physical work continues, external changes visible daily ... relationships being built spending time working together ... 

Front entrance face lift ... 

Sneak peak at our new house ... 

Animal lover at heart ...
finds critters wherever he goes!

The patience of Angel as he lets Adam "work" ...
AKD Masonry in Costa Rica  

A flower for Mama ...
Shhhh, don't tell the neighbors!

One big gash ... one ouchy stitch ... one brave boy


Getting out frustrations ...
the boy loves to destroy things!
Forehead boo-boo, stitch buddies

From one drummer to another ... 
 the sound of the sticks

December 1st, taller than Gram ...
June 1st, taller than Mom!