how many people can you fit on a motorcycle?

a family of 3 or even 4 can ride all over the country here. and if you have one you carry your helmet in your hand.

last week when i got off the bus at santa cecilia (the highway) i was asked if i wanted a ride home. i knew i recognized the man so i said sure (although that wouldn't make a difference now). it has been raining so-o much the road has rivers running across it so it would've been a very slippery, muddy walk home.

there was a little boy in the drivers seat and i expected someone else was either coming or the man would change seats with the boy. nope! the kid put it in reverse and backed up. not recognizing the scraping noise he continued backing into the delivery truck sitting right beside him. at this point i asked the man how old the kid was - 10. 10 years old and he's driving. about a dozen people watched all this and then guided the kid as he jockeyed back and forth to turn the suzuki around so he could drive out front first.

his vision was between the top of the dash and the top of the steering wheel. it seems just about anything goes here. although when we got to about 200 metres from amparo the man told the kid to turn around. maybe cuz we have police in amparo and there aren't any in santa cecilia.

suitors

oh dear they're getting younger. last sunday in church a little boy, maybe 11 or 12, maybe 10, who knows, gave a note to his younger brother to give to me telling me his name. as i was leaving the church the little brother gave me a piece of scrunched up paper. i thought it was garbage but opened it to find another note saying that i was very affectionate and that he loved me. i only ever say hi and smile.

chico's story

chico's gone. he's found his family and he's gone home.

he was born in nicaragua and left his family when he was 9 years old to come to costa rica with an 11 year old brother to look for work. he had lost contact with his family and had not seen his mother and father and 3 other siblings for 12 years. he had not seen his older brother for 10 years. an 11 year old boy on his own looking for work in another country, no family, no friends.

12 years later he ends up working with an uncle who tells him where his family is. he has two sisters 25 and 15 years old. and his brothers are 18 and 23.

so he wasn't abandoned. he left a loving family to find work to help feed his family. and now he has found them again. he was so happy to be going home.

i am so happy for him but sad that i won't see him again. he is a very fine young man who aspires to sing in church, play the keyboard and become a pastor.

world vision donations

Unfortunately, due to CRA (Canada Revenue Agency) regulations the only way World Vision Canada can issue tax receipts is if the funds come into our office.

Then what I have done in the past is if someone had a specific request to purchase items/goods etc. that the World Vision Costa Rica office required/knew about...I send them a Gift Notification with instructions on what to purchase. Gift Notifications are a min. of $100 Canadian.

information passed on to me from world vision canada for anyone that had thought about donating money for here.

going to panama

you can only be in costa rica for 3 months before you have to leave the country for at least 3 days. a customs officer took a closer look at the date on my passport the other day so i thought i'd better adhere to the rules this time.

also because God said i am only here for one year, and who knows maybe i won't be back, and as i am so close to the panama canal i thought it would be a good reason to go see it.

also it just happens to coincide with when costa rica's national soccer team will be playing in panama.

chico's family

turns out he's been working with an uncle who told him his mother and brothers live in costa rica. yesterday he found out where they live and he plans to go visit them this weekend. he hasn't seen his mother for 12 years or his brothers for 10 years. needless to say he's just a little nervous. scared but very happy.

did she abandon him because she just couldn't afford to feed him anymore or?

people have taken him in and taken care of him for as long as they could afford to feed him. now he's returning the favour. he has a huge, generous heart and is feeding and taking care of those that have been taking care of him.

marriage proposal

yesterday one of the fellows i've been working with asked me to marry him. he's a hunk but i said no, it'd be like robbing the cradle. after we finished what we were doing then he asked me to go on a date. might've been fun but i didn't want to encourage him. one thing here age just doesn't seem to matter.

feeding the hungry

yesterday i was reading a brief article in 'in touch' magazine on the life of the man that started world vision and samaritan's purse. i read ''people of the world are so hungry to hear the gospel'' and i burst out crying. where i am living and in the surrounding communities that i go to i see people or hear of people that are so hungry, period. i hadn't planned to do anything but stay home yesterday cuz i was coming here to san carlos today and monday i was in a couple of different villages and thursday i am going back. but right after reading that line and crying it was like God was touching my heart to get busy and do more.

i know when we were giving out sandwiches to the street people in mission it touched my heart. as i walked down the alley to give food to the addicts in a crack house all of a sudden i started crying because it was like God was touching my heart telling me i was where He wanted me doing what He wanted me to do.

the bible talks about feeding the hungry, clothing the poor. as i read that line i thought but i don't know how to speak the gospel to people and i certainly can't speak the language, but what i did think was that i do want to help feed people that are hungry, to provide seeds and tools so they can help themselves, to provide school supplies, clothes, toothbrushes, whatever. i think of other people and agencies in canada that are there to help people and think i belong here because there aren't enough people or agencies or money here to help the people and there is such a great need.

going home

took a break for a week and went to stay at a friends place an hour west of san jose. she has two very beautiful houses set in an incredibly beautiful acreage that has to be a replica of the garden of eden. i was in one house by myself and read a lot of books for a week. there was a young couple staying in the other house where the tv and phone are. it is set in the mountains and even in the middle of the day it was dark and you could almost feel the jungle closing in on you. the houses are almost brand new with up-to-date modern conveniences. it was much cooler, from mid to high 30's in amparo to low to mid 20's. there were no mosquitoes, no gargantuan spiders inside. there is a pool that overlooks the central valley. you would never have to leave except to buy groceries. there is a man that takes care of the grounds and his wife cleans the houses once a week. the flowers, the trees, the birds, the butterflies. everything was just so clean and beautiful. i was living in the lap of luxury.

and i was miserable. as i weighed the pros and cons about returning home to amparo i thought of how poor and broken down the house is, the garbage (no pickup here), the smells (smokes from the fires, burning mosquito coils inside the house, poisons to kill the various bugs, chickens in the house, rotting fruit), the huge spiders, the roosters, the mosquitoes, bats, snakes, toads, coakroaches, billions of ants, etc. in the house, cooking and cleaning and laundry for 9 or 10 people i wondered about the ache in my heart. i had read several books but none of them were the bible. when i finally stopped reading and started talking to God i knew i wanted to go home. i was so unsettled for a week and once i'd made the decision to go home i was so excited. last night i made dinner, cleaned, did laundry, helped the boys with their homework, talked with them. i had missed them so much. i was home. i was content.

there really is no place like home.

God's faithfulness

never ceases to amaze me. even though i haven't spent much time with Him lately, when i returned home yesterday after a week away i was loaded down with 2 very heavy backpacks and 3 more bags. i knew i wouldn't be able to carry them the hour walk home from the highway and i had hoped i would be in time to catch the school bus returning to amparo from the highway. when i got off the bus there were two of the boys friends at the corner store and i asked them about the bus. i didn't understand what they said but thought that it was that there was no bus. i started off walking with all my bags and i hadn't walked very far when the boys called out to me to say they wanted to help me with my bags. no matter what it is, no matter where it is, God will always, always give us what we need when we need it. even if we lose ourselves for awhile He thankfully will not forget us. even when we aren't He thankfully is always faithful.

chico's generosity

my back and neck have been bothering me since i returned to costa rica. i have not been sleeping well because of it and one day a bed was delivered to our house. for me. from chico. this young man works 6 days a week, sometimes leaving the house and 4 a.m. to walk to whichever farm he might be working at for the day, returning 13 or 14 hours later. not all days are the same, sometimes he can only get a few hours work a day. he earns dirt poor wages, slaving under a blistering hot sun at 38 or 39 degrees, or in torrential rains. he buys clothes and other things for the other boys. he gave the most money to the church to buy the new keyboard. he helps support the family. dany and jonny graduate this year and chico has said that once dany and jonny are finished school he will go to school next year so he can get an education. chico had thought that a special bed would help my back and thought nothing of spending money to help me feel better. i explained that the bed wouldn't help so it went back. but i was touched by his generosity. and reminded of the widow who gave all she had. and of the rich young ruler who couldn't bear to part with his money. he is such a simple and awesome young man.

garden paradise

the book 'wild at heart' says 'where the geography around us corresponds with the geography of the heart' if you know me you know i have always had a lot of plants - friends have referred to my house as a jungle. now i am surrounded by them and i don't ever want to leave costa rica. i cannot imagine leaving this garden paradise or living anywhere else now. it is so beautiful.

machete

i bought my own last week. if anyone would've told me that i would be using a machete, never mind buying my own, i would've told them that they were crazy.

recently patricio cut down a tree in the back yard. with a machete. a couple days last week i cut all the branches off. with a machete. a dull one at that. but it's all in the way you use it. it won't cut a banana leaf but it sure goes through a tree branch. i was finished everything else and was bored. it was a good workout and felt good to be able to do it. it just seemed so weird to be doing it. with the different things i've done in my life limbing a tree with a machete was never one i had envisioned before.

i'm definitely having some very cool experiences here.

gardens

the students at the local school planted fruits and vegetables last friday. if their garden is successful it would be a good model to show the other schools on the frontier. she said there were lots of papas in the garden on thursday. either they were dads that came to till the soil for the kids to sow seeds the next day or there were a lot of potatoes, papas in español.

also xinia, a teacher in amparo, has asked the city council for property to build a coop garden, as well as a man that lives in san jose but has property in amparo. city council has said yes and has even said that someone will come with a tractor to clear the land and till the soil.

that is so cool. what seems so simple for me because i've had gardens before is quite exciting for people who haven't the first idea what to do or how to do it.

it's also a great way to use up the garbage. now if only we could find a solution to dispose of the plastic, glass and tin.

testify to love

it has bothered me that i haven't been able to learn more of the language. i have wondered how i could fulfill the great commission, how could i share God's love with others if i can't communicate in their language.

but this morning coming here on the bus i was listening to ''testify to love'' by avalon. some of the words are ''i'll be a witness in the silences when words are not enough''

well my words aren't enough because i'm not fluent but as i thought of this other words came to mind ''every simple act of mercy''

yesterday i was very uncomfortable when someone was telling me i was such a good person. i said i wasn't but that it was God that lives in me. i couldn't speak his language but i understood what he was saying. so when we think our words aren't enough or we don't know the words to say, let our actions speak for us. let our simple acts of mercy be our witness, our testimony.

unbelievable

left the internet in san jose friday afternoon when the thunder and lightning started and 20 minutes later i was walking ankle deep through a river that had been the street. it rained so hard so fast it was unbelievable. streets everywhere had been turned to rivers.

i was more afraid to spend the weekend by myself with a family that doesn't speak any english but friday we talked for 6 hours straight and had no problem at all. i couldn't believe it.

saturday we went to the mall and it was dry when we got out of the taxi and by the time we walked inside huricane force winds were blowing the rain horizontally 30 feet into the inside of the mall and sending chairs and buggies that were 40 feet inside flying. some women were screaming. it was wild. it was unbelievable.

everyone says it rains so hard like that every day in the winter. it's nice in the morning and rains every afternoon.

sunday afternoon leaving san carlos when the rain started it got so bad that our bus turned around and headed back to the terminal and then we took a detour home because the heavy rains and flooding had caused a cave in and washed away the road.

the unbelievable part is that the whole country isn't under water. the next morning things are dry and most of the water is gone. then it starts all over again in the afternoon.

unsettled

went to san jose for the weekend by myself and when i got off the bus i walked about 10 blocks to the store and when i took my backpack off to pay for my purchase EVERY single zipper was open on my backpack. i just about freaked. luckily the top item was food and that was the only thing missing. my fanny pack, with my money, passport, visa, etc., that was in my backpack, right below the food, was intact, as well as my cd player. i did feel what i thought was a tug but there was no one there and i only paused very briefly at corners to check for cars before crossing the streets. i was stunned, if 1 or 2 zippers had been opened it would've been one thing but 6 zippers were wide open and i had been walking for who knows how long with them all open. i couldn't believe it.

everyone asked if i was afraid but i wasn't, it was just a very unsettled feeling, but not fear or worry. now the family says they won't let me come here alone again.

well so much for resting

worked like a dog cleaning, clearing and planting the back property for a garden. then got a cold and spent a couple days in bed and now i'm bored out of my mind with nothing to do.

the friend i was teaching english to and learning spanish from got another job, she's not one to sit still either, so she's not around in the day time anymore.

i need a job of some kind but haven't a clue what to do. talked to olga at el ministerio de salud about gardening in the schools and told her i wanted to help with that. she liked that idea but nothing has developed yet.

going to visit a friend that lives near the pacific for a change of scenery. it will be quite a change, from a houseful of almost boys to a houseful of almost all girls. and they don't speak english. i learn so much more when no one speaks english. don't know how long i'll stay, there's less to do there than there is in amparo but who knows.

day to day living

the first 6 months i was here i kept wanting to do and without something to do i guess i was anxious. this time i haven't wondered what to do. i just live each day as it comes. 2 days ago i was walking at the airstrip where i love spending quiet time with God. i thought i don't have to do anything. i have spent the last 40 years working every day. i think i am here to rest, just to rest in God. i have never sat around mondays to fridays and just had coffee in the morning and had a leisurely day. this is like day to day life for a stay at home mom. mimi and i get up at whatever time, it varies from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m., do a chore or two, then sit around and have coffee and talk, then do more work. laundry, cleaning, cooking, dishes is non-stop for a family of 9. it's not that i'm not doing anything. yesterday i raked the front yard, about an acre. i have turned the back yard into a vegetable garden. i'm doing more physical work and loving it. but i don't feel anxious because i'm not doing something outside the home.

i am not anxious waiting to do something for God. He hasn't asked me to do anything. He has told me i am here for a year. for now i am living life, each day, as it comes. after that who knows. when He has plans for me He will tell me.

1 or 2 days a week i go to a friends house and i am teaching her english and she and her family are helping me to learn español.

olga, a friend that works for the ministry of health, has asked if i will help her with a drug program in the schools.

it rains an awful lot so i ended up buying gumboots just so i could walk in the street. man they are so ugly. the boys all laughed at me the first time i wore them. shorts and gumboots. hm.

we exist...

to worship God. we were not created to worship anyone or anything else. if anything is coming before God in your life you are not experiencing the exquisite joy of the most intimate only perfect relationsihp. He created me, He knows me more intimately than any other because He's in my very being. He's the air that i breathe. no other could fill me or love me so completely.