The First Day....

Well, here we are. Tomorrow is our first day of teaching, and I don't feel like we know what in the world we are doing! Please pray for us! In all honesty, whenevery ou do anything new in life, you feel like this. We both agree that after a week or two we will be in the swing of things and back to feeling like our lives are normal. Another new thing tomorrowis that Elizabeth goes to kinder! She is so excited, and I am hoping dearly that her excitement and expectations are met. We got a 'special exception' to enroll her in the kinder because she is actually too young (about 9 months younger then the youngest person in the kinder). To pile onto that, she does not speak hardly any spanish....so....we'll see how it goes. If nothing else, she got to buy a whole bunch of school supplies with Christy - AND - got two new pairs of shoes.

So here is a question....lets say (hypothetically) you are supposed to teach a class on 'conditionals'. And, lets say just for yucks, you don't really know what conditionals are in your own language. And, for yucks, lets say you got a few questions wrong on a test on conditionals in your primary language. Is that cool? How do you proceed.... (PS - If you are like me and do not know what conditionals are in the English language, google it to learn more).

On the plus side, we have some other pretty excited stuff going on this week. We have what I think will be an AWESOME tutor starting on Tuesday. Also, I believe that sometime this week we will have an empleada starting FULL TIME to help us out. We are so excited because this is exactly what we have been praying for. Please pray that she would make instant and lasting relationships with the kids and that she would feel comfortable with us as well.

Also, please pray for Roxanna's (our old empleada) grandson as he is back in the hospital after having surgery a couple weeks ago. He had a very high fever, infections, head pain and was throwing up. I know that two days ago that had to put him on a ventilator and the situation sounds very serious. Christy and I will have to call her this week sometime to get an update.

Sorry I've been a bit thin on the posts lately - we have just been so busy. I'm hoping that in the next two weeks we will be settled into a routine again.

Donde esta la familia Meyer?

Well, sorry for the gigante delay in doing any updates. Last week Christy's parents treated Christy, the kids and I to a week out in Manuel Antonio - which was awesome. We had great fun doing activities from Zip-Lining through the national forest (well...I was at home watching the kids that day, but given my love of high paces...it is for the better), mangrove tours, beach trips, nice eating and many other things. It really was a blessing. Also, I got a crash course in driving a diesel car up a curvey road behind trucks almost stalling out at about 7 kilometers an our. If you listened carefully you could hear me saying...'No no no no no, please don't stall, please don't stall.' Stalling for me or the car in front of me on a steep slope would almost certainly include me rolling into the back of the car behind me as our van emergency brake could not hold the car, our luggage and the passages in place on a 7 degree or more slope. All that being said, we had a great time and we made it home safe.

The last two days have been spent moving from San Francisco de Dos Rios over to San Antonio de Belen. The move went fairly smoothly but it sure was alot of work. It involved multiple trips back and fourth (3 on Sunday) and many hours of unpacking and finding homes for things. In addition, we are having to figure out small details like our washer that we bought earlier now is not working. I think it is either the water pump or the sensor to the water pump - so if you are a repair expert give me a call so we can talk through my issues.

Christy and I CAN NOT BELIEVE that we will be teaching at La Palabra de Vida in seven days. Please pray for us, the students and the school! Also, I start my new class at Covenant Seminary on Thursday. In addition, we will start private tutoring next Monday. Lastly, wes till have not found an empleada to help at our house and with our children. So, we still have many many continued prayer requests.

To end with today (its late and I'm tired)...a few pictures with some comments.

Every monkey we saw was like this. I was pretty sure that the mangrove guide was going to get bit. Afterward, he looked at us and pointed to elizabeth while saying, 'If she was by herself in the jungle, she would be KILLED!'. Lizzy looked slightly scared.

On our mangrove tour we saw bats just like this. Only they were snuggled up under the leaves and sleeping instead of being out on the tree ready to eat your eyes out.

We went to the butterfly garden which I have to admit I was thinking 'Elizabeth better like this dumb thing...' but after I went it was awesome. Our guide was great, the information was amazing, and they had a great reptile park too.

Here is a picture of Christy and her parents before doing zip-linning. At this time, I was home watching high-five on discovery kids with my kids. Just where I wanted to be (honestly). There were some great shots of Christy in action, but I'm sure she would be mad if posted anything before she approved. More to come...

Sweet revenge and a constant fluctuation

Sweet revenge - its what we all want but so rarely can attain. Last week Roxanna brought me some fruit from her house and told me that she really thought I would like it. However, it was really important that I just eat the whole entire thing (at this point, I know something is wrong but I play along). So I pop it in my mouth, and it may be the most tart/sour/wow tasting thing ever - even now my mouth waters as I think about it. This is saying something given that I have a vey high tolerance (*talent* as I like to call it) for sour, sweet and hot things. It was actually a smaller not quite ripe Cass fruit. At the end of the day, I actually liked it, but she loved the fact that I puckered up pretty good.

No good deed should go unrewarded though. I asked her if she liked queso azul (probably not called that here, but you get the idea). She had no idea what it was - so I said I would try to find some for her to try. For the record, good cheese is almost impossible find down here - and when you do - it is big bucks. All that aside, I found a store that sold small amounts which Christy and I enjoyed quite a bit on a large salad. HOWEVER, I made sure to save a big chunk for Roxanna. After lunch this last Monday I looked really excited, told her how hard this cheese was to find, that it cost some money but I wanted her to try it, etc etc. Of course, I knew she would hate it. A strong stinky cheese like this is way to much for the average Costa Rican pallet. All I can say is, as puckered as my face looked with her Cass, her look of horror and disgust as she tried to finish the cheese was much better. Luckily at the end of the day Elizabeth helped her out and offered to eat the rest.

Enter some pun here like 'Revenge really IS best served cold...' Awesome.

Beyond acting in clearly incorrect ways (e.g., revenge) during my spare time, we have actually had quite a bit of changes in the last week. There was some conversation between our mission that we will deploy to (La Palabra de Vida) and us as to whether it would be possible to deploy out there early. We were originally going to take two trimesters of language school - but we have only just completed our first. They desperately need someone to teach English now - and after prayer, discussion with ourselves, others and our agency we felt the answer was yes - that we could go. There were some conditions with that (e.g., we would not teach a full load, we would work towards getting 8+ hours of private tutoring a week, etc). So, we've started taking steps to 'disenroll' from language school and work towards moving out to San Antonio de Belen. You can pray for Christy and I because the short notice move is pretty stressful. Lots of people to inform, disappoint, etc - which is always hard. Please also pray for La Palabra de Vida as they really do need more committed Christian teachers available through some pipeline.

Another matter of prayer that we learned about today was that Roxanna's grandson just had routine surgery a couple days ago but he is still in the hospital with a really high fever and infection. It was clearly weighing heavily on her mind today.

A servants heart

So I read my testimony in class yesterday (the Spanish blurb I posted on the last blog) - and it was not overly incorrect which is great. I messed up some verb conjugations and a few other things - but overall pretty good. Poco o poco we all continue to improve!

Last week our grammar teacher, Graziella Arguedas, read her testimony in English to us and it was such an encouragement! It has echos of a post I had a few months ago eluding to thoughts on what is 'successful' in life and why. Its often easy for us, and for others back in the states, to assume that all of us missionaries have our heads on straight and our act together. But it only takes a few moments - probably seconds really - on campus at ILE to realize that we are sinners and in need of a savior just like everyone else. You can also quickly find out that not only are the maestros here great teachers, but they are also great people and great believers as well.

I can honestly tell you that this trimesters class with Graziella and the rest of my cohorts has been one of the best classes I have even been in. This is in no small part to Graziella and her infectious positive attitude and amazing faith. I'll leave this blog post with the testimony she shared with us. You can see two things....a)she is much better at English then I am in Spanish and b)she is faithful and a real encouragement. Praise God for teachers like Graziella who are here not only to teach us Spanish, but to help keep all of us crazy missionaries both sane during the transition and also focused on the Lord as well.

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Graziella's Testimony

It is really a blessing for me to be able to share with you part of my life.

There´s no way I could express or write all the wonderful things God has done in me, but today I want to testify and I want to give him the glory for his love and mercy in my life.

I grew up in a very conservative Catholic family. I even studied at a school with nuns. In fact, I was actually planning to become a nun.

It was only because I got a very good grade in the admission test for the University that I decided I was going to do something different.

Just shortly after I began my studies at the University, I met my husband. He had been a Christian for many years. He had served in many ministries. He had worked with teenagers, he had been part of the worship team, and many other things.

One day, after having spent a lot of time asking him many questions about his religion and his beliefs, I was touched by God. I surrendered to Him and I decided I was going to give my life to serve Him.

When my parents found out that I had decided to quit comming to the Catholic church, my real problems began.

They were blaming my boyfriend and they told me they wanted me to let him go. Since I didn´t do it, they got onto me and they told me I was not going to be their daughter anymore. They rejected me in many ways. They said I could continue to live with them but only because they were worried about what people would say if I left the house.

They didn´t speak to me for more than three months. The only way my dad would talk to me was writting notes on pieces of paper.

I was sad and lonely and I felt no one loved me.

Then I realized that not only God loved me but my boyfriend loved me and I loved him, so we decided to get married.

Of course, my parents were against that idea. My father begged me to get married at the Catholic church, but I knew I couldn´t do that.

So they said they were not going to come to my wedding. Noone in the family was going to come.
I prayed and prayed for months and God answered my prayers.

It´s a long story, but let me tell you, my mom finally decided she was going to pay for my wedding dress and my dad decided he was going to pay for the little reception we had.
Everybody in my family came to my wedding, even my grandparents.
It was so hard to go through this, but I had decided I was going to be faithful to God and He rewarded me.

I have always been rejected because I am a Christian, but I´ve seen God´s hands holding me and my family every single day.

Well, since I was studying linguistics at the Universtity of Costa Rica, I needed to practice my English.

Then I introduced myself to a couple of missionaries who were attending my church.
We became friends. I was helping them with their Spanish, and they were helping me with my English.

Then, one day, they suggested to me that I send my resume to the Academic Director at the language school.

This was exactly 20 years ago. I did and I waited, and waited. I used to stop at the front gate of the school and prayed and proclaimed that one day I was going to work here.
I finally got a phone call eight months later.
The director wanted me to come and watch the other teachers just because I had to be trained.
I did and I came to school for a whole trimester, every single morning, without getting any money for that.

But I learned, and I got trained. When the time came to be hired, the Director told me it was not going to be possible for me to get a job here because the number of the new registrations had gone down and they were not going to be able to hire anybody else.
I went home and I cried and cried. I remembered my brother making fun of me saying, “Is that what a christian institution does?”

Well, I ignored that and I kept praying.

Finally, four months later, the Lord opened the door and I got my job.

I don´t really know how to describe what this job means to me.

For many years, I´ve been able to meet incredible people who have helped me to grow in every aspect of my life. Not only professionally but also spiritually.

I´ve learned so much about the american culture that I always joke and tell them that I´m half a tica and half an american.

The Lord has gifted me with my language skills. Sometimes, it´s hard for my students to believe that I´ve never been in the States for more than three weeks.

Well, I have to admit that God made America come to me.

So, I´ve worked with missionaries for twenty years and they have all become part of my family.
My ministry here is not only to teach them the language, my ministry is to guide them, to help them go through their first cross cultural experience.

They have to know that their year here is not only a time to learn a language, it´s also a time for the Lord to polish them.

I love to encourage them every morning, and eventhough we have to face very difficult trials while working in this ministry, we pray for each other every day and we support each other.
This job is not a job, I get up every morning and I thank God for what he´s given me. I´m happy because I know I´m doing what He wants me to do.

All these people are my family and eventhough I´m just with them for a year, we know we´re going to see each other in Heaven.

Students always tell us, the teachers, that they are going to introduce us to all the people who got to know the Lord just because we taught them their language.
That´s our reward. That´s the best pay we can get.

Sometimes I start thinking that I could be doing something else to get more money. I know I could get another job. But I know that´s not what is important in life.

Money is not important when you know you´re doing the right thing for the Lord.
He provides everything you need, and He gives you even more.

So, I´m going to keep working here at the Language school until the Lord wants me to do something different.

I´m going to be encouraging my students, tutoring them, translating sermons for them, even interpreting for them when they come to preach at any church.
Finally, I would like to encourage all of you to stop and think. Are you really doing what the Lord wants you to do?

It´s been very hard for me. It´s been an up hill battle. It´s like climbing a mountain but I can tell you that no matter what comes, I´m going to serve my Lord because He´s my strength and my fortress.

I keep saying every day, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”.
He is the one who strengthens you all, no matter what comes, let me tell you,

¡Sí se puede!

That is in English, yes, you can!

God bless you all.

Graziella Arguedas

Writing in Spanish is hard!

Every time I sit down and write something in Spanish, two things happen. a) I'm amazed by how hard it is because there are always simple words you do not know and have to look up. b) I'm also wildly encouraged by how much I have learned in a few short months of studying spanish. I came here with zero spanish! I really feel like God has blessed our time here thus far and Christy and I have learned both alot about Spanish and ourselves as well. Here is something I wrote tonight, feel free to take our your dictionary and start translating....(or just use google translate). I've not had it proofed yet, so please don't make too much fun of my incorrect spanish.

Cuando yo era el niño, mis padres crían y adoraban a Dios. Mi familia asistía la iglesia se llama 'College Church in Wheaton' o 'Iglesia de Universidad en Ciudad Wheaton'. Esta iglesia tenía muchas personas quien amaba Dios. Tambien, la iglesia tenía muchas programas por los niños. Yo asistía estas programas and aprendía mucho informacíon a Dios y su hijo Jesucristo. Cuando yo era muy joven, yo creí en JesuCristo, y preguntó a Dios, '¿Por favor, llegas y vivis tú en mi corazón?' Yo sé ya que yo no sabía todos las verdades de Dios; pero, yo pienso yo era un cristiano. Cada año, yo estaba aprendiendo mas casi JesuCristo y su palabra. Dos eventos muy importante en mi vida eran cuando yo tomé el misíon viaje con mi iglesia. Durante estes viajes, yo sentí la presencia de Dios. Tambien, yo miré muchas vidas cambiaba por JesuCristo.

Yo continuaba crecer y eventual fui a la universidad. Allá, tuve que decider que vida yo quise vivir. La universidad tenía muchas fiestas con drogas y bastante alcohol. Tambien, muchas personas allá no creía en Díos. Yo hice algunas cosas a yo no estoy orgulloso; pero, Díos era fiel. Gracias a Díos! Díos puse dos amigos en mi vida que eran los cristianos. Yo decidó ir después de Díos. Después de este tiempo, mi amistad con dios esta creciendo.

Yo sé que yo no soy perfecto; pero, yo sé tambien que Dios perdoné mis pecados. Dios me ama muchísmo y él murió sobre la cruz por mi. Por este, es possible para mi tener un relación con Díos.

Díos es bueno.

Princess, chorizos (finally!) and a birthday party

As I mentioned in an earlier blog, Lizzy has been being more girl each day. She LOVES all things princess and she loves playing dress up. Although as a guy, I do not fully understand the interworkings of what playing princess are for a little girl - I do get the benefit of seeing her 'shine' when she feels like one. You can see in these two pictures we put her in a dress, let her wear her favorite necklace AND also put in a pony tail. Before we came down here we got her hair chopped because brushing it was a nightmare. It has only been recently that it grew long enough to pull it back. You can see from the two pictures that she is BEAMING because she feels pretty. I guess it will be our job as parents to always remind her feeling pretty leads to acting pretty leads to being pretty. It never really matters what you look like or what you wear - personality and confidence make the person. Even now as I look at these I smile - she is so cute!

I've been trying, unsuccessfully mind you, sense we came down here to grill. Every time I try my coals always go out and I could never figure out why. My new theory is that it is humid enough here that if you use the top to any grill, the coals get choked out. I grilled today without a top and SUCCESS. We got fresh chorizo (NOTE: NOT SALCHICAS) cooked on the grill. I had some fresh pico de gallo made from the morning and we had some wicked good grilling. The best part is that those little sausages are so cheap - It was about $1.50 for the 8 of them you see there. We will certainly be doing this again sometime soon.

The other fun thing we had this week was a birthday party! Roxana's birthday is actually today, but we wanted to do something a little special for her so we had a mini party on Friday. You can see Elizabeth made her a birthday crown which she is wearing. I made brownies in the morning and Christy and I bought her a large photo album - she LOVES photos - and gave her a little money to buy more film or whatever she wants really. Christy and I both though she was really surprised and happy. I glad we were able to brighten her day a little. She does so much for us it is nice to be able to give back.

Mi Amigos - Los Bautistas de Sur

I love my Southern Baptist brothers and sisters down here. They are all great and I consider many to be very good friends even though our time together is short. However, as I mentioned before, their young sons and daughters have converted our little princess to speaking with a twang. That is funny to me, but not nearly as funny as some of the phrases that I have heard since I've been down here (some out of jest....some straight serious).

1.That don't make no sense to me
2.Wi-re Plyyy-ers
3.Wa'll
4.Hookey Spit
5.Great Honks
6. She practiced us gud today

Help understanding for Yankees:
1. Self evident - but serious
2. Apparently a tool you use on wires
3. For example - Wa'll going to walmart tonight
4 & 5. ????
6. This one was also serious

I have to be honest, I don't even know what 4 and 5 mean or how to use them in a scentence. I googled both and I got nothing. They are my favorite because David, a usually more serious guy used #4 in a scentence. Even the guy from deep Misssissippi said, 'What is that!?!?!' So David responded with 'You know, Hookey Spit!' as if clarifying anything about #4.