giving - generously

i came here with the idea i'd spend a certain amount of money on certain things each month. i scratched that idea in the first month. it's something i have prayed a lot about and regularly. the more i pray about it the more i read in my bible to give generously. the more i ask God for wisdom the more i am led to scripture on generous giving. He has never shown me anything that says when to stop. even when i read the notes in my study bible it refers me to more passages on giving.

how much are you spending on christmas this year. instead of buying more expensive toys for your children that will be broken in a month how about helping to buy - build a well for a village in africa or... buy a goat or a pig or chickens for a hungry family or village in india or... or fruit trees or seeds or farming implements for any poor family in any poor village in any poor nation.

the poor here give to each other out of their poverty, and it's real. what are you giving out of yours. if you have food on the table and a roof over your head you have more financial 'wealth' than most people here. instead of buying those pretty new shoes you like to add to your collection buy shoes for someone who's never had a pair or a street person who's wearing shoes that are falling apart. instead of a new dress for the christmas party that you'll only wear once buy a pair of pants for a child whose never had a pair or a man whose pants are literally thread bare or a second dress for a woman so she can wash her first dress. instead of buying new linen to match your new paint job send it to almost any country in the world.

i've been told we should consider our own poor first. i don't care where you give - just give. God tells us over and over to give - generously and joyfully.

if giving is new to you try it - you'll love it. it really is more joyful to give than receive. you really are more blessed to give that receive.

instead of buying a new strand of lights this christmas give to your union gospel mission. you won't have a material thing that you might have for a few years. you will have fed 1 person 1 meal 1 time. but you will have treasure in heaven and if you die the next day your new strand of lights won't mean squat anyway.

don't tell me you can't afford it. don't tell me you're too young. instead of getting another body piercing - feed someone in your town. instead of getting another tattoo - buy chickens to feed a family.

north americans live to excess - the rest of the world lives day to day.

instead of indulging your children's every whim this christmas give to children who don't even know what christmas is.

christmas is... the birth of our Saviour who gave.

He gave unselfishly, sacrificially, everything. His all. He gave His all.

what are you willing to give. He's not asking for your life - but He will give you life... eternal.

He gave til it hurt... more than anything we could possibly imagine. and He is still giving, from heaven, beyond the grave. He is giving us a perfect love, more beautiful and amazing and wonderful than any earthly love, peace in all things, hope that we will have this love forever with Him, blessings more than we can count.

What are you willing to give.

total God thing

i have been sick in bed for the last few days and yesterday there was a spider about 2 inches across on the wall between the wall and my bug net. certainly any other time i would've flown out of bed, screamed and called for one of the boys to kill it. i thought i could smash it with my sandal but then i'd have it's guts all over my bug net. i tapped the wall hoping it would move, nope. i used a pen to nudge it away hoping it would move. yup it moved, right onto my bug net. i realized what was happening, that i had total (well almost) peace about this big spider one foot away from me so i laid back down and prayed and thanked God. that was a definite first for me. it's almost unbelievable for me. i wouldn't have believed it possible a week ago. but then i believe in an unseen God that loves me very much and answers prayers.

i know i have a long way to go but thank you all so very much for your prayers.

never give up. maybe we don't pray for miracles but don't doubt that they happen. never stop believing. just tell God what you need (He knows already but He wants to hear from you). He wants to bless you. He may not give you what you want but He will always give you what you need.

believe me - me laying one foot away from a spider for me is a miracle.

the honeymoon's over

at times i have felt like cinderella, work, work, work. except there's no prince charming in this story. my joy at having a family to take care of has at times made me feel that i was being taken advantage of. now that summer vacation is here it's next to impossible to find time alone or peace and quiet in a house with 6 boys. their older sisters have been here for christmas so it's been pretty busy and noisy around the house. having lived alone for 13 years it's been hard to get used to. patri and eilyn are both older and patri did all the kitchen duties and eilyn did all the laundry chores and with 11 people in the house there are a lot of both. what had made me feel like i was just a servant is in fact the culture here. girls do everything and boys do very little, almost nothing. i don't know how much we are to learn from or teach another culture but in my house we always shared chores. as well the bible tells us that if we want to eat we have to work. i tell ya - the girls really like this scripture. i'm not so sure about the boys but jonny got up after dinner 2 nights ago and did all the dishes. chico works hard labourering, almost all day every day, dany teaches math 2 or 3 times a night when school is in. the rest of the time life is really pretty easy.

i had decided i needed to have my own place. i wouldn't have to cook and clean for 9 people and feel like a servant and i would have peace and quiet to spend more time with God. my soul was in turmoil - wanting more of God but finding no peace. i have struggled with moving out and living on my own and have found a house to rent. but after the joy of christmas eve and realizing that it's a cultural thing to have all the women do all the work i wasn't sure that that was the right thing to do either. for as much as i need more time to spend with God i really didn't want to leave 'my family'.

as everything i prayed about it and as usual i was led to read something that would give me the answer. it was basically that solitude was selfish. solitude without service is selfish.

for now i am content to stay where i am. making dinner last night i once again felt like i was taking care of my family.

january things will change. patricio will be back at work and jose will start university again.

and as i consider scripture and telling the boys what it says i am reminded that Jesus came to be a servant.

Christmas

christmas day was a day like any other except that the store was closed and the boys had a soccer game. it was more of a special day on christmas eve. we had a fiesta for the children in church and had a piñata with juice and cake and games and church afterwards. the new pastor is awesome with kids and he invited any and all of the children to invited Jesus into their hearts and lives and about 15 little ones did. it was so awesome. it was a lot of fun. i heard that they only eat tamales for christmas and i had discovered that i really didn't like them so i bought a bag of chocolates (what can i say it was a first but they were so good it won't be the last) to stash to eat for when everyone was eating tamales. there were several treats bought that day, ice cream, popcorn, and i thought maybe we would all be pigging out on junkfood and i would share my treats when we did. it was getting late and nothing was happening in the kitchen so i went out to see. everyone had been eating their individual treats themselves and there was no dinner. i ended up making dinner for everyone at 8.30. later on they gave me a christmas present and i gave them theirs. well. there is no more difference in the wide eyed excitement of little boys than there is in big boys. i wasn't sure how it would go over but i was thrilled at the enthusiasm over the dart board. it wasn't even $6.00 but for them it was unbelievable. we were killing ourselves laughing for hours. and those that weren't playing darts were playing uno and we've been playing both ever since. at 11.30 the stereo was put at the front door and the music was cranked and we danced and laughed. at midnight everyone went to bed.

for people that are not used to getting a present at christmas it was pretty cool. muscle shirts for all the boys was a huge hit. $60 total - the cheapest christmas i've ever had and yet very joyful. no one wondering if there was more, if that was all there was. it was pretty cool. one i'll never forget.

i hope you all had a joyful christmas and wish you all a happy new year.

feliz navidad y prospero año nuevo

o en ingles merry christmas and happy new year.

pick your poison

burning plastic, ant poison, gasoline, mosquito coils and the latest - mothballs. mimi said they were good for killing cockroaches and asked if i wanted to buy some. not! i can't stand the smell of them. she bought 4 pkgs. just the smell of them in the hockey bag was enough to make my heart race and me nauseous. i bought a couple of things and just having them on my bed, just from them being in the hockey bag, was too much. i had to take them out of my room. i don't know what the precautions are for any of the others but the mosquito coils say to avoid prolonged inhalation. is 5 months prolonged? and i don't think you're supposed to spray ant poison on the living room floor right at your feet while everyone is sitting there. or spray the couch with gasoline and ant poison while everyone is there. omg. i guess they are all used to the poison and the horrible smells but sometimes i have to leave i can't breathe. i have tried telling them they are poisonous and that it's bad for us but it doesn't register. i guess cuz they have always done it and nobody's dead from it yet. ???

totally amazed

for as much as the yard was flooded yesterday there was no water when i woke up today. yesterday the road was almost impassable, today there was no water. there are a lot of fields inundated with water but the river is once again confined to its banks. i could hardly believe it. i didn't think the bus would come this am because i didn't think it would be able to get through. there was no water. there is a subterranean water-lake system (or something) in this part of the country. i guess that's where it all goes. which is good because last year the tico times (ticotimes.net) (costa rica on-line newspaper) reported that underground fires had been intentionally set by someone trying to destroy the eco system here. they said the water levels had dropped drastically. i guess they're getting restored this year. they haven't had this much rain in 5 years.

if i hadn't seen it with my own eyes i wouldn't have believed it.

garden of eden

i can't imagine that it would be more beautiful than where i am. i would have loved growing up here (i think) not having all the modern conveniences life is so simple, 11 hour school days, from getting up at 5, home at 4, dinner, soccer, dinner again, tv for a couple of hours and bed. would growing up on a rural farm in canada have been any different, except of course for the climate and scenery. the plaza (soccer field) where the boys played on sunday was surrounded by palm trees and vivid beautiful flowers, and horses, bicycles and a couple of vehicles lined the street. absolutely gorgeous.

first aid

talking about God with danny last night and how God is our first love. danny said God is our first aid. He's our first love and He's always there to help us when we're hurting - aid. although jose speaks pretty good ingles and danny's is pretty good we still lose a lot in some translations but i thought that one was pretty good.

barefoot

i couldn't believe the number of people playing barefoot at sundays game. someone accidentally stepped on my bare foot with their tacos and it hurt. boys of every age, little kids to young men playing barefoot. got the pastor out playing soccer with us in the front yard. we don't really play a game, we just kick the ball around. it's fun and great exercise.

discipline

apparently i need it or so i've been told. i was raised to respect my elders and ladies first and to give up my seat on the bus to old people, pregnant women and women with babies.

one time patricio said the pastor wanted cafe. i was tired and said 'he knows where it is' meffi and eitel cracked up. although they couldn't have known what i said they must have recognized the tone. sunday when the boys and i got home from the game we were hungry, thirsty and tired. i made coffee and marta, a family friend, said she would have cafe with the pastor. i told her that the cafe wasn't for the pastor - it was for the boys and me. that didn't go over well at all i guess cuz she said i needed discipline. if he had just walked 7 kms he would've got a cafe but he hadn't so he didn't. need took priority over position.

pastors are revered here by almost everybody but me. i really like him, i respect him but he is just a man. i respect that he is my spiritual leader, sort of (at least he would be if i could understand him).

water

for as much as there is a tremendous amount of water outside there is no water inside. not surprisingly, the water line from the tower must be broken, probably washed away where the road was. apparently we will be without water for 2 or 3 days, hopefully not cr time or it could be a week. thank goodness for baby wipes. all in all it's been a very different day today.

power

and of course we lost power but surprisingly for only most of the day not all of it. it came back on in time to watch csi.

rain on a tin roof

is very loud and if you can imagine how much rain we've had in just 24 hours it was almost deafening. add to that thunder right over the house. this little wood house was just a shaking. it was kinda funny cuz at the time i was singing that song with words ''show your power oh Lord my God'' wow. what a show of power it was.

flood - omg

there was so much rain last night the fields around the house became lakes, the street became a river up to my knees and the river became a rushing torrent of water across the road. i walked to the store about 25m away and i was laughing. i had never been in a flood before and the kids were playing in the river (street) having a blast. i was only in the store for about 5 minutes and by the time i returned home the water had risen another couple of feet. i wasn't laughing any more. i didn't panic but asked jose about people living in low lying areas that may need help. his lack of concern bothered me but he said no problem, that people build houses on high areas. as i walked around town to see what, if anything, was flooding, i saw the house at the end of the street where our church is was going to get flooded if the rain kept up. then i went to the road heading out of town. it was impassable and the water was up to the back door of the house at the end of town. i watched as a man rode his horse (the water was up to the horse's chest) through the river that yesterday had been the street. the current was quite strong and when the horse went sideways in the currnet he hit it to spur it on. school kids came to play in it but i told them it was dangerous and to get out. i walked home past the church and the water had risen to within a foot of their house. when i got home the bench under the street was under water. i could hardly believe it. mimi was scared. the water came another 4 feet closer to the house than it was 5 years ago. she said they had called the police to come and shoot the crocodile as it was dragging a rooster away. when i first walked to the store i saw a snake being washed over the road - river and thought how sushi would be freaking. then i saw all the spiders that were being washed over the road and i freaked. jose and meffi were walking through thigh deep water down by the bench and he said there was a tarantula on the tree. he said it was huge and that we would have a lot of spiders now because they would be washed up here from the river. OMG i need prayer. he said it was the snakes you had to be very careful of because they are very poisonous. yeah well i don't plan on getting too close to them either.

alligators

i didn't think we were that close to the river but danny said when there is so much rain, and we've had lots lately, that the river rises closer to the house and alligators have got the chickens before. hm?

coconuts

fall right on the path where we walk from the house to the road. i brought one in the house thinking we'd have fresh coconut. nope. when they fall from the tree they're no good. today's game was about 7 kms away. 6 of us walked home together and on the way eitel picked a bunch of green coconuts. the boys started throwing them on the ground to crack them open to get the juice inside. mm it was so good. when green the juice is good but the inside isn't ripe yet.

door to door shopping

almost anything can be purchased from a travelling salesperson going door to door. fruits and vegetables, jewelry (the team really likes this one) beds, cheese, furniture, candy, bread, misc stuff. today's salesman had sox, razors, fanny packs, moth balls, underwear, sandals, cd's, belts, all kinds of misc. stuff. all packed inside a very large hockey bag size duffel. walking around the countryside in the hot sun carrying a heavy duffel hoping to make a buck. i wonder now many kms he puts on in a day.

i wrecked the refri

did you know that when you use a hammer and knife to defrost a fridge chances are you'll puncture the freon. apparently i'm not the only one to have done so. they really did need a new fridge, i just hastened things a little. mimi's brother had an old, really old, one that he was getting rid of that we are using for now.

airstrip in amparo

an american has bought a finca (farm) behind the cemetery and is building an airstrip. suspicious thoughts cross my mind about a drug smuggling operation. maybe i worked at the cop shop too long. mimi said he didn't buy the finca to farm it, just to build a house. i wonder why anyone rich enough to build their own airstrip would want to live in amparo. escape a hectic rat race or something illegal. i am reminded of movies or newscasts of drug smugglers in the remote jungles of central and south american countries. san carlos is the closest place for decent shopping and it's 3 hours away. this is a quiet, peaceful, beautiful little pueblo and i would really hate to see anyone cause any problems here.

marriage

people i have met either want to marry me off or feed me. i met a lady lawyer on the bus last week and she wants to find me a husband. i don't know why everyone thinks i have to be married. i could never marry a man that loved me more than he loved God.

i had lunch today with mimi's sister-in-law in los chiles. she put several dishes of food in front of me. everyone seems to think i need to eat more.

my cooking

ok for those of you that know me don't laugh but the pastor not only asked for more of my bread but he took my recipe for his wife. i haven't made popcorn once since i've been here and i haven't missed it or chocolate once. they've asked if they were canadian recipes but they have all been costa rican foods and they love them. go figure. who would've thought.

mosquitoes

two nights ago the boys lit mosquito coils and put them in the spaces in the floor boards in the living room. the smell was awful. last night the mosquitoes were so bad i was getting eaten alive while making dinner so when eitel started lighting the coils i asked for 1 in the kitchen. i wasn't sure which was worse, inhaling the poison or getting eaten alive. it's gone from almost no mosquitoes to swarms of them.