Instead of updating you again about more of what's been happening, I thought I would just give you a few bullets on what I have learned here:
--God is Love. The Bible says it, the preacher recites it, but it took me completely depending on it to learn the unimaginable peace, comfort, and love you receive when the only thing you are looking at is the Lord. He does what He promises, and His promises are written in red (and black) for you to soak in and memorize and recite back to Him.
--God is the reason I am in Costa Rica. Not only are there so many amazing stories of how He got me here, but actually being in Costa Rica is something I could not have done without His strength and comfort and omnipresence.
--I want to be a teacher. I don't know if i necessarily want to teach English to Spanish-speaking children, but I do know that I want to teach English. The literature kind. The grammar kind. And I want to pour my life into students and help them to recognize their potential. And I can be a teacher anywhere.
--I am not a world traveler. I am so glad to have had this experience, to have been thrown into a world so unlike my own, and to learn what culture shock means, is, and does. I am okay with this fact, because this leads me to my next bullet.
--I am a family person. It took me being completely stripped of them to realize it, but I love family. I love my family, I love being a part of a family, and I can't wait to have my own family.
--When God allures you to the wilderness, it really is the wilderness. For some reason, I thought that I wasn't quite in the wilderness beacuse I had cable TV. But even that wasn't always at my disposal, and even that couldn't satisfy my every day. He has brought me to a place where, even if i try to cling to the pleasures of America, I am not satisfied by them. He wanted my love again, and He reminded me of what it meant and felt like, and now I remember again and I yearn every day for time with the Lord.
Those are the serious, life changing thoughts of mine. Now here's some humor:
--When in costa rica, watch out for iguanas - they can climb stairs.
--Mosquitos live everywhere and love everyone, especially pale, white people.
--When the power goes out in Costa Rica, I am the flashlight. (my family here laughed at me a lot because they could still see me).
--When you say 'now' it really means ten more minutes. At least.
--Be sure to tuck your sheet tightly around you, and don't let an arm hang out. Mosquito bites will mark you like the chicken --Lemon and lime mean the same thing: lime.
--Rice and beans really are at every meal.
--My sister here says that Costa Ricans say that if you feed your dog sweets, it will be less angry.
--There are no sharks in Costa Rica. (yeah right).
Thank you all so much for your prayers and support and love. I look forward to hearing about everything that God has been doing in your life! I love you and thank God for your support every day!
--Amanda
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Twelve Days
Hello again! Less than two more weeks and I will be leaving Costa Rica and planting my feet firmly on US soil, God willing. I can’t tell you how much of a relief it is to know how close I am to the end. It is hard, though, because with the knowledge of leaving soon comes impatience and me not enjoying myself in the little time that I have left. So I would like to ask if you wouldn’t mind praying for patient endurance for me, so that I would be able to live through these last two weeks undistracted by ideas of home. I’m going to try a smaller recap because I am getting the feeling it’s too tedious to read my lengthy life stories.
Last weekend our group (minus Brian and Ada) went to the Rincon de la Vieja Volcano and stayed a hotel with an incredible view. It was pretty humbling, because we were under the impression that there was A/C and TV there, but much to our dismay it turned out to be open air. We were also told our food would be covered, but when we got there, only breakfast would be paid for... and the meals cost $12. That was a let down, but we were all glad to be in each other’s presence and we made the most of the trip. That night at dinner we met an American family from Arizona who had their two sons with them who had just graduated high school. The mom was a very excited, friendly woman, and Stephen, Krista, and I ended up sitting with the mom and dad after dinner discussing our lives here, their travel plans, and what they had done at the volcano. Krista and I weren’t going to go on the planned hike… mostly because it was a hike and we don’t do exercise. But Julie talked us into going with a great description of what they had seen the day before on the hike around the volcano. It was amazing, though, because this woman describing to me this hike and why I simply must do it and not sit around reminded me so much of Miss Jenni, it was astounding. So Saturday we went on the hike and saw boiling hot springs and bubbling mud pits and leaf carrying ants. Afterwards, we stopped at a tourist trap and bought candy to hold us over until dinner because we didn’t want to pay for lunch . I ended up paying two dollars for a snickers bar… how depressing. But it was a goooooood snickers bar! That night around dinner time, we all got hit with a mysterious gassy feeling in our stomachs, and one by one we all entered the bathroom, not to return for awhile. Out of the seven of us, five of us determined that we were the ones to have had milk at breakfast (I know, I hate milk, how ironic... but I had it in ceraeal). So diarrhea plagued us basically all night and even some of us in the morning the next day. That put kind of a damper on the night, but I learned some amazing things through that experience. I am terrified of toilets and of being sick and of course that combined in a foreign country really could have sent me over the edge. But instead, I found myself on the toilet praying for God to be glorified in this experience… which seems so funny to me now, praying that he would receive glory from my diarrhea. But I knew that it was his perfect timning, because I was with friends and I was in a hotel with multiple bathrooms…. And it could have been much worse.
I’ve been a bit discouraged lately wondering if I am wasting my time here thinking about home or wishing I was home, etc. but I have learned so much from this experience, that I know that it is just a lie to keep me distrated from the rest of the days I have here. I have learned that I am family oriented person, and also that if this is my only chance to teach English in a Spanish speaking country, that I have done it. I am living that dream.
Wednesday I went to my kindergarten teacher’s house after school to spend time with her family and spend the night. She invited me over after we had had an amazing conversation about Christianity and how she wished her kids had more faith like I had. That was humbling because I knew I was way far from perfect, but she wanted me to come and basically be an example to her family, as well as set me up with her 19 year old son, I determined later. Seeing as setting people up always goes well with me, I ignored that part and instead focused on the chances I got to speak with the family. Her husband and I had an interesting conversation and it ended up he asked me when I was saved. I told him last summer and gave him a testimony of sorts. Then their 12 year old daughter saw me reading my Bible later and started to read over my shoulder, translating the English into Spanish! It was definitely amazing to experience that, and that night there was a tremendous thunder storm that only solidified my awe in the almighty God as he showed just how amazing and in control He was.
This week I gave a speaking exam to my kids, which is another story unto itself, but one worth telling at some point, don’t worry. In person. This weekend has been super relaxing as well... we are at the beach house and we have enjoyed wonderful meals, rode horses on the beach, and spent time at the pool. I have been a little sick to my stomach, which I have determined is a combo of lack of sleep, not being able to go to the bathroom regularly, and my nerves about going home. It has been interesting to learn about how to trust God again this week about my stomach ache… how amazing is it that when I’m not focused on home, I don’t feel so sick. I miss you guys so much and I am so thankful for this experience… I pray that God can receive glory from both of those feelings! Twelve days, my friends.
--Amanda
Last weekend our group (minus Brian and Ada) went to the Rincon de la Vieja Volcano and stayed a hotel with an incredible view. It was pretty humbling, because we were under the impression that there was A/C and TV there, but much to our dismay it turned out to be open air. We were also told our food would be covered, but when we got there, only breakfast would be paid for... and the meals cost $12. That was a let down, but we were all glad to be in each other’s presence and we made the most of the trip. That night at dinner we met an American family from Arizona who had their two sons with them who had just graduated high school. The mom was a very excited, friendly woman, and Stephen, Krista, and I ended up sitting with the mom and dad after dinner discussing our lives here, their travel plans, and what they had done at the volcano. Krista and I weren’t going to go on the planned hike… mostly because it was a hike and we don’t do exercise. But Julie talked us into going with a great description of what they had seen the day before on the hike around the volcano. It was amazing, though, because this woman describing to me this hike and why I simply must do it and not sit around reminded me so much of Miss Jenni, it was astounding. So Saturday we went on the hike and saw boiling hot springs and bubbling mud pits and leaf carrying ants. Afterwards, we stopped at a tourist trap and bought candy to hold us over until dinner because we didn’t want to pay for lunch . I ended up paying two dollars for a snickers bar… how depressing. But it was a goooooood snickers bar! That night around dinner time, we all got hit with a mysterious gassy feeling in our stomachs, and one by one we all entered the bathroom, not to return for awhile. Out of the seven of us, five of us determined that we were the ones to have had milk at breakfast (I know, I hate milk, how ironic... but I had it in ceraeal). So diarrhea plagued us basically all night and even some of us in the morning the next day. That put kind of a damper on the night, but I learned some amazing things through that experience. I am terrified of toilets and of being sick and of course that combined in a foreign country really could have sent me over the edge. But instead, I found myself on the toilet praying for God to be glorified in this experience… which seems so funny to me now, praying that he would receive glory from my diarrhea. But I knew that it was his perfect timning, because I was with friends and I was in a hotel with multiple bathrooms…. And it could have been much worse.
I’ve been a bit discouraged lately wondering if I am wasting my time here thinking about home or wishing I was home, etc. but I have learned so much from this experience, that I know that it is just a lie to keep me distrated from the rest of the days I have here. I have learned that I am family oriented person, and also that if this is my only chance to teach English in a Spanish speaking country, that I have done it. I am living that dream.
Wednesday I went to my kindergarten teacher’s house after school to spend time with her family and spend the night. She invited me over after we had had an amazing conversation about Christianity and how she wished her kids had more faith like I had. That was humbling because I knew I was way far from perfect, but she wanted me to come and basically be an example to her family, as well as set me up with her 19 year old son, I determined later. Seeing as setting people up always goes well with me, I ignored that part and instead focused on the chances I got to speak with the family. Her husband and I had an interesting conversation and it ended up he asked me when I was saved. I told him last summer and gave him a testimony of sorts. Then their 12 year old daughter saw me reading my Bible later and started to read over my shoulder, translating the English into Spanish! It was definitely amazing to experience that, and that night there was a tremendous thunder storm that only solidified my awe in the almighty God as he showed just how amazing and in control He was.
This week I gave a speaking exam to my kids, which is another story unto itself, but one worth telling at some point, don’t worry. In person. This weekend has been super relaxing as well... we are at the beach house and we have enjoyed wonderful meals, rode horses on the beach, and spent time at the pool. I have been a little sick to my stomach, which I have determined is a combo of lack of sleep, not being able to go to the bathroom regularly, and my nerves about going home. It has been interesting to learn about how to trust God again this week about my stomach ache… how amazing is it that when I’m not focused on home, I don’t feel so sick. I miss you guys so much and I am so thankful for this experience… I pray that God can receive glory from both of those feelings! Twelve days, my friends.
--Amanda
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
I herded cows on horseback
That right there is a true statement. The first weekend of June, Stephen and I stayed the weekend in Los Ranchos where Krista lives. It was pretty intense. We were so excited for it to be June, finally, and we planned this special weekend.. let me just tell you. First of all, I had another lesson in God's sovereign plans and how I seriously need to stop trying to decide what it is I want all of the time... long story short, we weren't taken to Santa Cruz that Friday so I sort of freaked out – anger, tears, trying express my emotions in Spanish – anyway, I finally ended up getting a ride to Krista's house and all was well. I have learned how incredibly grateful I am for what I have been given in my village, that is for sure. And I have developed some serious respect for Krista becasue I wouldn't have lasted one week there. So anyway, we woke up Saturday to pancakes for breakfast! We had butter and peanut butter as toppings.. hello, hadn't had peanut butter in forEVER! It was glorious. Then we hung around for a while listening to music until we went horseback riding in a sort of tour of Los Ranchos.. all, like, ten houses of it. But it was beautiful and sometimes I felt straight out of a John Wayne film as we would ride up to the tops of hills and look around at all of the beautiful mountains. It was truly an experience. It hurt a lot and I bounced uncontrollably off of the saddle if we went anything more than turtle-slow, but that's okay. On our way back, we stopped by a pen of cattle and herded them for the guy who gave us the tour. It's real. We went into the pen on our horses and circled them and yelled ¨väca¨ at them (spanish for cow). Not gonna lie, this was so not my thing, so I started to just leave the pen and let Krista and Stephen do it, and then all of the cows followed me! Hello! After we finished, we went back to the house and got ready to go to a dance that night in a nearby town. It was awkward and I relearned quickly how much I just don't do dances. My favorite part was the drunk Costa Rican who asked me to dance repeatedly, and I said no repeatedly, so he started dancing at me.... I wanted to leave. Haha. But it was certainly an experience and there was a live band and the dancing was really neat to watch. I ended up dancing one time with stephen, which turned into more of an homage to Caitlin Bell's dancing style. We got back from the dance at like two o'clock in the morning, the latest I had been up here, and then had to wake up at seven to go to the beach. We went to the beach with the town and wow, what a trip. Am I talking too much? Anyway, I was pretty grumpy and had a lot of allergy stuff going on and not a lot of sleep and lots of loud people in the bus. The town ended up renting a school bus to take them to a nearby town for a soccer game, so we went and then walked to the beach. It was beautiful, that's for sure, and I really enjoyed the beach. Then on the way back, say hello to the busride from hell. All of them were seriously inebriated and we stopped at a bar on the way home, in which the driver got a beer as well. We also pulled over on the side of the road three times for the guys to get out and pee. Hello, not acceptable. At one point this guy started to get everyone's attention to tell them I was his girlfriend (he is married with a kid) and so I didn't take that too well, obviously, and I told him sorry, I only like Nicaraguans. Here, that is a serious insult because Costa Ricans hate Nicaraguans. So everyone oooooed and whatnot. Then he got really excited and threw beer at this one girl and a beer fight erupted, which ended with us all dripping in beer and beer raining down from the ceiling. After that, home was a nice thought.. my La Garita home that is. It was a great weekend with Krista and Stephen, lots of bonding, but I really learned to be thankful for what I have been given here. The next day, this past Monday, I went to Playa Tamarindo (a beach) after school with Brian and Anna and checked internet and spent time there on the beach and chatting. We ate TCBY and ran into one of the family friends who drives us places, so he gave us a ride home for free! The four week mark passed by this past week and now, today, is 19 more days until home. I have had to be reminded many times about how God is everything to me, here in Costa Rica and there in the US, and how simply going to the US isn't going to fix anything except physical comforts. I have to consciously focus my thoughts and desires on doing what God wants for me here, about spending time with Him, and about loving and praising Him here. My mind does tend to wander about home though.
Okay, gotta type fast. Super fast recap, ready? That Tuesday I went to church and my brother here, Leo, with the daughter and girlfriend, got saved at church! I'm not quite sure what all happened but they said for everyone to clap and welcome our new brother in Christ... that was pretty amazing! I can't wait to talk to him about it and see what that means to him. Wednesday one of the teachers, Christina, brought her computer and hooked it up to the internet and I was able to reply to personal emails. It was amazing and so awesome and wow I almost cried. I just loved getting in touch with home. This experience has taught me more than ever to apreciate what I have. And to apreciate what is in my heart at all times, no matter Costa Rica or the US. I am here to teach, first and foremost, and that is what I need to pour my heart into. The afternoons may be slow or sucky, but I'm not here for those, and those are also amazing times for me to get into the Word, and praise Him for alluring me to do so each day. Please pray for our team here. I will update about this weekend next time, but just so you know, we all got hit with some sort of diarrea bug when we were together, and we are praying that it be over soon. Praise the Lord we were together to share in the experience and that there were multiple toilets. I'm serious! I love you all and I am so thankful for your reading these ramblings and for loving me. I think about you every day!
--Amanda
Okay, gotta type fast. Super fast recap, ready? That Tuesday I went to church and my brother here, Leo, with the daughter and girlfriend, got saved at church! I'm not quite sure what all happened but they said for everyone to clap and welcome our new brother in Christ... that was pretty amazing! I can't wait to talk to him about it and see what that means to him. Wednesday one of the teachers, Christina, brought her computer and hooked it up to the internet and I was able to reply to personal emails. It was amazing and so awesome and wow I almost cried. I just loved getting in touch with home. This experience has taught me more than ever to apreciate what I have. And to apreciate what is in my heart at all times, no matter Costa Rica or the US. I am here to teach, first and foremost, and that is what I need to pour my heart into. The afternoons may be slow or sucky, but I'm not here for those, and those are also amazing times for me to get into the Word, and praise Him for alluring me to do so each day. Please pray for our team here. I will update about this weekend next time, but just so you know, we all got hit with some sort of diarrea bug when we were together, and we are praying that it be over soon. Praise the Lord we were together to share in the experience and that there were multiple toilets. I'm serious! I love you all and I am so thankful for your reading these ramblings and for loving me. I think about you every day!
--Amanda
Monday, June 4, 2007
I don’t understand ‘tranquilo’
Okay, I know it isn’t exactly Friday like usual… for some reason they just didn’t pick us up on Friday, nor did they tell us they wouldn’t be coming. I am going to try to recap the last few days of May real quick, because I don’t have much time… I’m in an internet café that I took a taxi to, not real! Okay, here we go…. It’s going to be random.
First of all, I have found a radio station here that plays English songs, some of which have totally reminded me of you. I’ve heard stuff from Journey to Whitney Houston to English songs. I don’t know where the DJ found them. So I was starting to get distracted by my access to television a lot (keep in mind, this is around the 25th of may) and so I woke up one day thinking how I was so not going to get into the Word because I just knew I would wake up and Gilmore girls or Smallville would be on TV. But of course, a hilariously answered prayer, the cable was out, so I spent a beautiful hour in the Word and really diving into what God wanted to tell me that day. That Friday (the 25th?) I went to Santa Cruz with the gang and that’s when I did my last update.. oh and I had a chocolate donut!!!.. the Saturday we went to Liberia, about two hours away on bus.. we went to see Pirates, but the times didn’t work out, and it was dubbed in Spanish. Hello, I didn’t care enough to try and translate the entire time! We ate at Pizza Hut , though! We finished eating and I heard a faint tambourine in the background, and looked… the waiters were coming toward me with a cake! Ahh! I was so red, and they sang to me Happy Birthday from Pizza Hut. Amazing. Krista spent the weekend with me in la Garita, which was tons of fun and I really got to know her a lot better. I woke up on my birthday to a cockroach on the bottom of my foot. Yes, that’s a true statement. Then they had arranged a surprise trip for me on my birthday - we went fourwheeling on the beach. Not real! It was so beautiful and fun and dirty. We went through random roads and campos and saw many mountains. It was also an answered prayer because I remember saying how if no one else, I wanted to spend my time with Stephen and Krista on my birthday, and it was us three and Yanith who went. Celinia also made me an amazing caramel cake… we spent the rest of my birthday touring beaches.. we watched the sunset on one of them – my first sunset on the beach in costa rica.
So, I have been struggling with wanting to be here lately, and it seemed like as soon as I voiced that that the Devil really took that weakness and ran with it. Only later did I remember the verse about strength perfect in weakness, and that God is so much bigger than the Devil and He can totally take care of me in that weakness instead of letting it consume me. I have had many dreams of home, of people, of the airport scene when I get home. I’m really excited to come home…. I only have four more weeks. That might sound long to you, but to me, that means three more weekends, and that is amazing. I have learned also that I have to go to the Lord to renew the perfect peace and comfort He bestows upon me, and that I can’t try to pull yesterday's high into today. Isaiah 26:3 and random words that I can remember from other songs really help me as well to keep my wits about me and to keep running to the Lord for everything.
Another answered prayer – I was worried that I wasn’t having a good experience because I wasn’t spending a lot of time meeting people here and going places with them, and the day it was the hardest on me was the day God decided to introduce me to two a azing people close to my age. They turned out to be Christians and invited me to church with them the next day. So last Tuesday I went to an Evangelical church for the first time. It was great, I knew some songs from the praise CD from Mexico and from my Puerto Rico trip, so that was fun. oh plus I saw a lot of my students there! So cool! Oh, and I had an amazing conversation with my sister and my kindergarten teacher (different times) about Jesus and about the difference here between Catholics and ‘Christians’ (Evangelicals) and how important a relationship is.. it was so amazing! Okay, I have to go…. I’m going to try to update before Friday, but we will see! I miss you all so much!
--Amanda
First of all, I have found a radio station here that plays English songs, some of which have totally reminded me of you. I’ve heard stuff from Journey to Whitney Houston to English songs. I don’t know where the DJ found them. So I was starting to get distracted by my access to television a lot (keep in mind, this is around the 25th of may) and so I woke up one day thinking how I was so not going to get into the Word because I just knew I would wake up and Gilmore girls or Smallville would be on TV. But of course, a hilariously answered prayer, the cable was out, so I spent a beautiful hour in the Word and really diving into what God wanted to tell me that day. That Friday (the 25th?) I went to Santa Cruz with the gang and that’s when I did my last update.. oh and I had a chocolate donut!!!.. the Saturday we went to Liberia, about two hours away on bus.. we went to see Pirates, but the times didn’t work out, and it was dubbed in Spanish. Hello, I didn’t care enough to try and translate the entire time! We ate at Pizza Hut , though! We finished eating and I heard a faint tambourine in the background, and looked… the waiters were coming toward me with a cake! Ahh! I was so red, and they sang to me Happy Birthday from Pizza Hut. Amazing. Krista spent the weekend with me in la Garita, which was tons of fun and I really got to know her a lot better. I woke up on my birthday to a cockroach on the bottom of my foot. Yes, that’s a true statement. Then they had arranged a surprise trip for me on my birthday - we went fourwheeling on the beach. Not real! It was so beautiful and fun and dirty. We went through random roads and campos and saw many mountains. It was also an answered prayer because I remember saying how if no one else, I wanted to spend my time with Stephen and Krista on my birthday, and it was us three and Yanith who went. Celinia also made me an amazing caramel cake… we spent the rest of my birthday touring beaches.. we watched the sunset on one of them – my first sunset on the beach in costa rica.
So, I have been struggling with wanting to be here lately, and it seemed like as soon as I voiced that that the Devil really took that weakness and ran with it. Only later did I remember the verse about strength perfect in weakness, and that God is so much bigger than the Devil and He can totally take care of me in that weakness instead of letting it consume me. I have had many dreams of home, of people, of the airport scene when I get home. I’m really excited to come home…. I only have four more weeks. That might sound long to you, but to me, that means three more weekends, and that is amazing. I have learned also that I have to go to the Lord to renew the perfect peace and comfort He bestows upon me, and that I can’t try to pull yesterday's high into today. Isaiah 26:3 and random words that I can remember from other songs really help me as well to keep my wits about me and to keep running to the Lord for everything.
Another answered prayer – I was worried that I wasn’t having a good experience because I wasn’t spending a lot of time meeting people here and going places with them, and the day it was the hardest on me was the day God decided to introduce me to two a azing people close to my age. They turned out to be Christians and invited me to church with them the next day. So last Tuesday I went to an Evangelical church for the first time. It was great, I knew some songs from the praise CD from Mexico and from my Puerto Rico trip, so that was fun. oh plus I saw a lot of my students there! So cool! Oh, and I had an amazing conversation with my sister and my kindergarten teacher (different times) about Jesus and about the difference here between Catholics and ‘Christians’ (Evangelicals) and how important a relationship is.. it was so amazing! Okay, I have to go…. I’m going to try to update before Friday, but we will see! I miss you all so much!
--Amanda
Friday, May 25, 2007
Hoppy Baybay To Me!
It´s Friday! This week has flown by, thanks be to God. Last weekend was our first weekend at the beach house, and wow was it amazing. The house is located in Hacienda Pinilla, which is a very nice community of huge houses and ritzy hotels and golf course. When we pulled up to the beach house, ¨Casa Matapalo¨, we were all excited to see its close proximity to the beach – literally walk out the front door and it´s maybe twenty yards in front of you. The house itself has four bedrooms, three of which have six beds in each room. We were well spread out and comfortable, that is for sure! The downstairs was an open sitting area with many tables and chairs, as well as the kitchen, a bathroom, and then the master bedroom and bath on one corner. All of the house is open air, just as with our houses we live in. Lots of fans. Anyway, after we arrived they told us that we were going to have our meals at the hotel, and that we could eat ¨¨everything¨. So we made our way to the hotel, and wow! We were served a full course meal! It took three hours to eat! We were served refreshments, I got Fanta in a glass bottle, and then various little courses before our appetizer, main course, and then dessert. It was Carrie´s birthday, and we were chatting with the waiter, and he said his birthday was the day before, so he reappeared in a few minutes with a tray of tequila shots! That was a bit awkward, because half of the people at the table had visible looks of í´m not going to drink that¨and then others were excited. He brought out limes and salt as well and taught everyone how to do it… turns out half the group didn´t take the shot, which I was afraid would be an insult to the guy, so I took a sip of it when he was looking, more as a thank you, out of respect, than with any desire to taste it. But now I can say I have tasted tequila, and wow, that was gross. Afterwards, we were all stuffed and turned in quickly – we had a big day ahead of us! That Saturday Brian arranged a free zip line canopy tour for all of us! Yes, I swung from a cable thousands of feet above the ground so I could look at monkeys and canopies. I have done it, I can say I have done it, and wow I am never doing it again. That was the most traumatic thing I have ever done… I was so incredibly nervous and uncomfortable, but what an experience! We were so close to about five monkeys, they liked to throw things at us, and the zip line workers were hitting on us, what more could you ask for? Anyway, I have pictures of that because I didn´t think anyne would ever believe me if I said I went on such a thing. Ada and I became better friends on that trip because she was equally afraid of heights. The dynamics in our group are certainly interesting and sometimes clash, but it has been really neat to spend time with such different people. Anna and I have also become better friends, and I can truly say I have a sister in Christ to swap encouragement with any time of the week. Of course, I have to pick up the phone to do so during the week, but that´s not too much work. ¨-) So the beach…. After zip lining we went to the beach out front of our house and had a blast! The water was so nice and cool and there were rocks lining it. We also have a 24 hour security guard stationed with us at the beach and at the entrance to our house… I felt completely safe. We swam until the rains came, and then some of us went to the hotel early to email and stuff before our next full course dinner. Sunday we woke up and went to the beach one last time, which is where my dreadful sunburn came from. To make a seriously long story short, I got a really bad sunburn on my legs (although not on my knees because I made sure to apply a lot of sunscreen there) to the point of sun poisoning. I didn´t have blisters, but the pain was deep and the color is still rather reddish purple. Yanith took me to the doctor on Tuesday, which I am so thankful for, and my ¨mom¨ Rosa bought me a cream to put on my legs that the doctor said she would have given me. She also gave me pills for the pain and told me to drink lots of gateorade for rehydration. So I wasn´t able to go to the school because they told me I had to rest and keep my feet propped up. That was certainly an experience. I have never had that happen when I wasn´t around my family to take care of me. Of course I had plenty of worried people around me, but they were speaking Spanish, looking at me like I had the plague, and giving me things to rub on it (someone gave me a laxative to rub on it… umm, no thank you!). I certainly learned then what it meant to turn to God as my Healer. I prayed and cried and prayed that everything would be fine and that this wouldn´t kill my trip or my skin for that matter. It was difficult to sleep, but I managed and in the meantime watched a lot of tv and read books. I was able to get into the Word a lot, too, and really learn what it means to have God answer my prayers. He healed me in his time and comforted me, giving me enough sleep and nourishment so that I was able to teach some throughout the week. What an amazing experience. I learned of the healing touch as well as what it means to screw up knowingly (aka not putting on sunscreen when I know I am as pale as a ghost) and having God pick me up, dust me off, and make everything better.
Anna, Eva, and I went for a walk on the beach Sunday and we had a very interesting talk about Christianity. Eva is Jewish, and so we got on some really testy subjects like abortion and free rights, but I think it was handled maturely. Anna certainly knew how to defend the Christian faith. When Eva said she didn´t understand why anyone would think they had the authority to say what is right and wrong, Anna said she didn´t believe any one person had the authority here on earth, but that she knows who does have authority. I had never thought about that line of defense before and was really encouraged by that. Then we continued to talk about the differences in Judaism and Christianity and it came up about Christians believing they are right and that everybody else was wrong, to which Eva believed that as long as she was okay in her faith and believed, that others can believe what they want to believe. That was a saddening thing to hear, and I so earnestly wished to get through to her that it´s not just you that you should be worried about. I don´t quite know how to put it all into words, but it was sad to try to explain with humility that Jesus Christ is the way and the only way. Judgement and acceptance, tolerance and love. It was a seriously deep conversation for a walk on the beach, don´t you think??
Anyways, I need to keep typing! Anna and I swapped stories and I shared with her some honest thoughts I hadn´t admitted to myself out loud…. I have learned while I am hear how this is all God´s planning for me to be here, and it is his strength that is keeping me going. I certainly wouldn´t be here still if I didn´t have his strength and comfort. I could not do this on my own – I would opt for couch potato in my air conditioned, American home any day. But I know that hthis is where God wants me and I just have to keep leaning on him and I will experience so many wonderous things from him. I constantly remind myself why I am here – it always goes to the word love. God is love. I want to love these children. I want to learn to love God and these kids and my family and the people I meet. Love, love, love. I need a t shirt. God answers prayers. It´s beautiful. I prayed through Isaiah 41: 10 constantly this week, leaning on God for strength in every way. I feel much better today, although my legs are still colored red. It certainly could have been much worse.
Random last thoughts: This weekend should be fun – my ¨sister¨and some friends, including some of the gang here, are going to Liberia to see a movie, hopefully pirates o the carribean! Oh, and wow, I can´t forget to tell you – my third grade class and teacher sang happy birthday to me, but it sounded like ¨Hoppy Baybay¨. It was hilarious! I haven´t tired of rice and beans yet, although I am getting pretty close. Literally rice and beans at every meal, yall. Eggs and chicken accompany it, along with fruits like apples, bananas, pineapples, papaya, and pears. Oh, and sweet tea, because my family loves me! Okay, now I really have to go, but one last thing – I found a radio station that plays some American songs, including Journey, You are the wind beneath my wings, and I will always love you. Amazing. I miss American music. And worship music especially. I sing to myself the parts I can remember, though. ¨-) I miss you and love you all and I am praying and thanking God for you every day!
--Amanda
Anna, Eva, and I went for a walk on the beach Sunday and we had a very interesting talk about Christianity. Eva is Jewish, and so we got on some really testy subjects like abortion and free rights, but I think it was handled maturely. Anna certainly knew how to defend the Christian faith. When Eva said she didn´t understand why anyone would think they had the authority to say what is right and wrong, Anna said she didn´t believe any one person had the authority here on earth, but that she knows who does have authority. I had never thought about that line of defense before and was really encouraged by that. Then we continued to talk about the differences in Judaism and Christianity and it came up about Christians believing they are right and that everybody else was wrong, to which Eva believed that as long as she was okay in her faith and believed, that others can believe what they want to believe. That was a saddening thing to hear, and I so earnestly wished to get through to her that it´s not just you that you should be worried about. I don´t quite know how to put it all into words, but it was sad to try to explain with humility that Jesus Christ is the way and the only way. Judgement and acceptance, tolerance and love. It was a seriously deep conversation for a walk on the beach, don´t you think??
Anyways, I need to keep typing! Anna and I swapped stories and I shared with her some honest thoughts I hadn´t admitted to myself out loud…. I have learned while I am hear how this is all God´s planning for me to be here, and it is his strength that is keeping me going. I certainly wouldn´t be here still if I didn´t have his strength and comfort. I could not do this on my own – I would opt for couch potato in my air conditioned, American home any day. But I know that hthis is where God wants me and I just have to keep leaning on him and I will experience so many wonderous things from him. I constantly remind myself why I am here – it always goes to the word love. God is love. I want to love these children. I want to learn to love God and these kids and my family and the people I meet. Love, love, love. I need a t shirt. God answers prayers. It´s beautiful. I prayed through Isaiah 41: 10 constantly this week, leaning on God for strength in every way. I feel much better today, although my legs are still colored red. It certainly could have been much worse.
Random last thoughts: This weekend should be fun – my ¨sister¨and some friends, including some of the gang here, are going to Liberia to see a movie, hopefully pirates o the carribean! Oh, and wow, I can´t forget to tell you – my third grade class and teacher sang happy birthday to me, but it sounded like ¨Hoppy Baybay¨. It was hilarious! I haven´t tired of rice and beans yet, although I am getting pretty close. Literally rice and beans at every meal, yall. Eggs and chicken accompany it, along with fruits like apples, bananas, pineapples, papaya, and pears. Oh, and sweet tea, because my family loves me! Okay, now I really have to go, but one last thing – I found a radio station that plays some American songs, including Journey, You are the wind beneath my wings, and I will always love you. Amazing. I miss American music. And worship music especially. I sing to myself the parts I can remember, though. ¨-) I miss you and love you all and I am praying and thanking God for you every day!
--Amanda
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Would you like to see a dragon?
So much has happened since I last wrote to you all! I have visited three different beaches in one week... but that isn't even the whole story of my past week. I am just going to go through my journal and try to hit all of the highlights. Last Sunday, Rosa (my mom here), Leo (my big brother), Rocio (my sister), and Alison, Leo's baby, took me to the beach for the first time! We went to Playa Real, a local beach near La Garita. It was incredibly beautiful, complete with mini islands out in the water and rocks that started to peek through the water as the tide receded. It was so beautiful! On our way back, we were in the family car and one of the tires broke (yes, broke... I don't even know how), so we sat on the side of the road until someone came to help us. It certainly made for an interesting end to the trip! Alison (two years old) has grown on me and I on her, and she has become an adorable bundle of Spanish babbling that I simply do not understand. We just look at each other and make faces and laugh. :-) Fressi, my neighbor friend, came over and gave me a newspaper that she found that was in Spanish and English, so that was neat! Okay, wow, and let me just tell you about the bugs. I can't even count my bugbites, but my family refers to me as a "light" that attracts all of the bugs. 'Bichos", they are called, and they seem to love me. I have certainly been humbled by these little creatures -- I started to realize how much of a bad attitude they would put me in and then thought, what does that say about my opinion of my Lord? He is SO MUCH BIGGER than those petty little bugs! And he doesn't bite. Even better.
My school had exams week this week, aka stress week. And not the American kind. Talking with the others we have all kind of determined how incredibly unstructured the school system here is. I'm not being rude, simply saying how stressful it is walking into a classroom where half the kids are standing up, singing, talkig to others, walking in and out of the room when they please, while kids of other classes walk in and talk or peer through the barred open-air windows and chat. Not acceptable! It has been very difficult to work under this unorganizedness.. and it is so hard to communicate about the schedule for some reason, probably because I let it bother me so much. I am certainly learning how different teaching is here. I have also been reintroduced to my impatient side, which has had to be quelled by the only person who can make that go away, my amazing Father. I have had many freak-out moments and am learning slowly what it means that I am here. I am not here for the beaches... I am here to teach students English, to touch their hearts, and to overall discover and fulfill what it is the Lord has planned for me this summer. I was reading the book Mrs. Jenni gave me, "Experienceing the Depths of Christ" and it was talking about how to meditate on a single verse. so I searched for the keyword "patience" in my Bible and then stumbled upon the ever-popular I Corinthians 13. I read the first verse and stopped there. Not even on purpose, but the weight of the message hit me like a ton of bricks. "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal." I can't just get up in front of those kids and sing English and expect them to learn. I have to have a heart for them and that love can only come from Love itself. Wow. That was amazing.
We have had huge rain storms here as well -- they seem like monsoons, they pound so hard on the tin roofs. The air does cool when they begin, though, which is nice, although the electricity frequently goes out as well.
Fressi and I have bonded a lot lately, with she sharing more to me about herself. We even sang some praise songs together in Spanish one day. She is Evangelical and so she knows a lot of the songs we listened to for Mexico! Rocio and I have bonded as well in hilarious conversations of previous boyfriends and searching out new ones on the beaches. She is so much fun and I really look forward to getting to know her more and finding out what is in her heart. She and the rest of my family are Catholic and they attended mass this week, although I'm not sure it is every week, or even regular at all.
I have been able to talk to Evie and Krista on the phone this week, as well, which was nice to hear their voices. I am now at the hacienda with everyone, but I will have to tell you about that later. Someone is waiting to use the computer! Hopefully we get to go to the internet again tomorrow! Cross your fingers! Thank you all so much for praying for me. I need it! This is the most amazing, hardest experience of my life thusfar. I can't tell you how amazing it is to know that you are on the other end of this message, and that you care. It means so much to me. Thank you so much for your prayers! I love you all so much!
--Amanda
My school had exams week this week, aka stress week. And not the American kind. Talking with the others we have all kind of determined how incredibly unstructured the school system here is. I'm not being rude, simply saying how stressful it is walking into a classroom where half the kids are standing up, singing, talkig to others, walking in and out of the room when they please, while kids of other classes walk in and talk or peer through the barred open-air windows and chat. Not acceptable! It has been very difficult to work under this unorganizedness.. and it is so hard to communicate about the schedule for some reason, probably because I let it bother me so much. I am certainly learning how different teaching is here. I have also been reintroduced to my impatient side, which has had to be quelled by the only person who can make that go away, my amazing Father. I have had many freak-out moments and am learning slowly what it means that I am here. I am not here for the beaches... I am here to teach students English, to touch their hearts, and to overall discover and fulfill what it is the Lord has planned for me this summer. I was reading the book Mrs. Jenni gave me, "Experienceing the Depths of Christ" and it was talking about how to meditate on a single verse. so I searched for the keyword "patience" in my Bible and then stumbled upon the ever-popular I Corinthians 13. I read the first verse and stopped there. Not even on purpose, but the weight of the message hit me like a ton of bricks. "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal." I can't just get up in front of those kids and sing English and expect them to learn. I have to have a heart for them and that love can only come from Love itself. Wow. That was amazing.
We have had huge rain storms here as well -- they seem like monsoons, they pound so hard on the tin roofs. The air does cool when they begin, though, which is nice, although the electricity frequently goes out as well.
Fressi and I have bonded a lot lately, with she sharing more to me about herself. We even sang some praise songs together in Spanish one day. She is Evangelical and so she knows a lot of the songs we listened to for Mexico! Rocio and I have bonded as well in hilarious conversations of previous boyfriends and searching out new ones on the beaches. She is so much fun and I really look forward to getting to know her more and finding out what is in her heart. She and the rest of my family are Catholic and they attended mass this week, although I'm not sure it is every week, or even regular at all.
I have been able to talk to Evie and Krista on the phone this week, as well, which was nice to hear their voices. I am now at the hacienda with everyone, but I will have to tell you about that later. Someone is waiting to use the computer! Hopefully we get to go to the internet again tomorrow! Cross your fingers! Thank you all so much for praying for me. I need it! This is the most amazing, hardest experience of my life thusfar. I can't tell you how amazing it is to know that you are on the other end of this message, and that you care. It means so much to me. Thank you so much for your prayers! I love you all so much!
--Amanda
Saturday, May 12, 2007
I'm Here!
I'm here! Wow, I don't even know where to begin! Costa Rica is beautiful and so very laid back compared to the United States! Stephen, Krista, and I arrived Wednesday. Yanith picked us up and took us to our respective villages – on the way, she told me how Melissa told her how I wanted to teach English in a latin American country and that was really encouraging, although equally intimidating. Krista and I were very nervous about our Spanish, and still are, but it is going to be fine. Yanith also told me how I have a huge challenge because my school doesn't have an English teacher, which was super intimidating but I didn't realize that it was that big of a deal until I talked with the other people with me and they said how they were working with their English teacher, and here I am teaching alone. It is okay, though, because I love it and as soon as I step in front of the class I am comfortable and everything feels right. I get stressed when I am around a lot of adults and I don't understand them, but the kids are so open and encouraging, they make it all worth it.
My family is great. I live with Rosa, her husband Bernabe, her 22 year old daughter Rocio (Miss Jenni's prayer is answered, I have a friend my age) and her 30ish yr old son Leo. He has a daughter, Alison, who is 2, but she lives with her mom and comes over in the mornings to be babysat sometimes. They have HBO and other English channels, which is really neat, but I am perfectly okay with reading a book every now and then. Their neighbor Fressi is amazing. She is in her 30s and is married, but she is one of my friends already. She comes over to their house a lot and watches tv and stuff. I sort of think of her as my guardian angel. She seems to understand me, which is really neat.
The classes and students are amazing. They call me "teacher". I went to a restaurant and bar with Rocio, her friend Jaquelin, and Rocio's cousin Alan, and Jaquelin's cousin Jeudi. It was really fun and I was able to communicate with them relatively well in Spanish, which was encouraging.
Next time I update, I want to tell you all about what God has been doing in my heart and in my life here, but I am almost out of time at the internet café. Just know that He has allured me to the wilderness and I am learning more and more what it means to have Him in total control, and how amazing this impacts my life. He gives me comfort that does not go away, and when I miss you guys, He calms me and comforts me and it is beautiful. I love it. I love you guys so much and I can't begin to describe how hard it was when it set in that I would be here for two months. But I don't doubt that this is where God wants me to be and this is only part of his big plan for me. Amazing!
--Amanda
My family is great. I live with Rosa, her husband Bernabe, her 22 year old daughter Rocio (Miss Jenni's prayer is answered, I have a friend my age) and her 30ish yr old son Leo. He has a daughter, Alison, who is 2, but she lives with her mom and comes over in the mornings to be babysat sometimes. They have HBO and other English channels, which is really neat, but I am perfectly okay with reading a book every now and then. Their neighbor Fressi is amazing. She is in her 30s and is married, but she is one of my friends already. She comes over to their house a lot and watches tv and stuff. I sort of think of her as my guardian angel. She seems to understand me, which is really neat.
The classes and students are amazing. They call me "teacher". I went to a restaurant and bar with Rocio, her friend Jaquelin, and Rocio's cousin Alan, and Jaquelin's cousin Jeudi. It was really fun and I was able to communicate with them relatively well in Spanish, which was encouraging.
Next time I update, I want to tell you all about what God has been doing in my heart and in my life here, but I am almost out of time at the internet café. Just know that He has allured me to the wilderness and I am learning more and more what it means to have Him in total control, and how amazing this impacts my life. He gives me comfort that does not go away, and when I miss you guys, He calms me and comforts me and it is beautiful. I love it. I love you guys so much and I can't begin to describe how hard it was when it set in that I would be here for two months. But I don't doubt that this is where God wants me to be and this is only part of his big plan for me. Amazing!
--Amanda
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