Culture Day

Today we had our culture day at school. Each trimester we have a day devoted to learning interesting things about the Latino culture. In previous culture days we learned about Christmas traditions, national holidays, food, music, and many more interesting little facts about life in Latin America. Today was no different as we were privileged to hear about common home remedies, popular children's games, music and dance, and of course food. It took me almost 13 years of marriage and becoming missionaries for Ken to finally take dance lessons with me, but it finally happened! We learned how to do the merengue and the salsa.

Another neat part about culture day is we get to eat some of the local cuisine, but this time we actually got to help cook it too. I finally found out the secret to making something with the brick-like substance they use instead of brown sugar. They melt it down with coconut, cinnamon, nutmeg and clove and make a sort of candy with it that is pretty good. We also had a great potato and meat dish with corn tortillas, fruit salad and a refreshing fruit drink. All in all it was a lot of fun and a great opportunity to experience some of the culture. Below left you will see the photo I call "white men can jump" and to the right I call it "white men can dance".

Girls Just Want to Have Fun!

Here are some pictures from Kayleigh's 1st grade teacher's Surprise 50th Birthday Party. Happy Birthday Peggy. We love you.

Young at Heart

This last weekend I had the pleasure of going on a one night retreat to an area about 1 1/2 hours outside of San Jose with the ladies from our school. The theme of the retreat was "You are His Stars" and each of us was treated like stars during the day we were at the retreat with chocolate, star name tags, people to pray for us, and some wonderful messages from Marge, our speaker.

When we went there I was starting to feel a bit tired and worn out from the daily trips to school, continual studying, and feeling like I was moving at a snail's pace learning Spanish. I guess some people would call it a slump, but as I get closer and closer to the big 4-0 I think at times that maybe I am just feeling my age. Then I went on this retreat. They had fun games for us to play including one where we all lined up around the room according to our ages. I felt a little bummed as I looked around the room and realized that I was in the older 1/3 of the 70 or so women that came to the retreat.

During the retreat we were given a couple of hours to enjoy the pool and the big water slide. Because I recently dyed my hair back to it's original color of brown, (don't ask me about the "zanahoria/ orange" color I had been sporting for 5 months through an early miscommunication with a Tica hairdresser) and I didn't think it wise to get in the pool, but I enjoyed watching other ladies go flying down the slide squealing the whole way. The funny thing about the slide and the pool was that the ladies most represented were the women in the 50 something category. While me and my 30 something friends were staying a safe distance from the water, the 50 something "red hat" ladies were having a blast in the pool, doing water ballet, playing chicken, and acting like little school girls.

As I watched them frolick in the water I realized that they might be older than me, but what a blessing it was to see that these ladies were truly young at heart. And so I left the retreat renewed in my spirit with perhaps a lighter and younger heart than when I came.

Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

- Psalm 103:2-5

Playa Tambor

Here are some pictures of our recent trip to Playa Tambor with the iglesia here. We camped for 3 days on the beach. We had a wonderful time with our Tico and gringo brothers and sisters.

"Monkey Snot" and Other Delicacies

There are many things about Costa Rica that are fun to experience. One of these is the variety of exotic, albeit sometimes strange fruits and vegetables available here. A favorite of our children is lovingly called "monkey snot" by gringos (also known as passion fruit). The shell is thin and when opened has several small seeds that are about the size of sunflower seeds. They are surrounded by a sweet flesh and are crunchy when chewed. Yum! The picture on the above left is of the mamón chino. The spines are surprisingly soft, and the seed inside is surrounded by a sweet flesh that you suck on and then spit out the seed. They are very popular here as a snack and fortunately very cheap as well.

Above to the right is the mangosteen. We were first introduced to a small cousin of this fruit at the beach. It is incredibly sweet. The outer shell is very similar to "monkey snot" and the inside seeds are too hard to eat, but the flesh around them is very tasty.

I learned finally why the cashew nut is so expensive. As you can see from the picture the cashew is actually attached to a fruit (Maranon) on the cashew tree. The nut itself is actually poisonous prior to cooking. It is the case that the double shell surrounding the raw cashew, which is technically a seed and not a nut, contains urushiol, a resin that can create significant skin rashes, and can be toxic when ingested.
Urushiol is the same chemical found in poison ivy, and it is present on the leaves of the cashew tree as well as in the raw cashew shell. Processing raw cashews can be a laborious and nightmarish ordeal, and people who work in cashew processing plants tend to exhibit greater allergies to cashew shells over time. There is a high incidence of skin rashes among people who either harvest or process raw cashews.

A favorite of Costa Ricans is the cas. They use this fruit mostly to make natural fruit drinks (frescos). You can actually take its fruit and peel it and place the flesh in the freezer. When you are ready for a cold refreshing drink you just place it, seeds and all, in the blender and blend away. There is no need to add sugar or anything. It is very delicioso and healthy!

Apples, grapes and pears are very expensive here. It is actually considered a nice gift. My language teacher was thrilled when another student gave an apple as a present at Christmas. Watermelons are available here but a bit pricey too. Now what they lack for in the usual fruit offerings they make up for in the availability of fruits like pineapple (about $1.25 a piece), mangoes ( around $.50 each), and papayas ( less than $1/ lb). Lemons, limes and mandarin oranges grow in people's yards, so I can buy 6 for $1 most of the time. Coconuts are so easy to find here that people actually buy them at the feria (market) with a straw in them just to drink the juice and then throw the rest away.

So next time you find yourself biting into a big juicy hamburger and feel sorry for us eating our vaca flaca ("skinny cow"our nickname for the beef here in Costa Rica), just remember that we can eat our weight in tropical fruits like "Monkey Snot"!

He Makes All Things New

I will never forget the day I met Veronica at the House of Restoration. When we came in the house something didn't feel right. Instead of sitting at the tables waiting for us like usual, the women were all over the place, talking, drinking coffee, and there was a feeling of chaos. I started to get a whopper of a headache as I was trying to make sense of what was going on. One of the ladies there told us that another lady was being exorcised from a demon out in the back yard. Apparently the lady had bit another lady in the middle of the night. When I talked to the girl who had been attacked (Tatiana) she told me she had been awake most of the night because she felt an evil presence in the room. She finally fell asleep then suddenly awoke when the girl was on top of her biting her.

Now let me say that I believe there are demons in this world just as I believe there are angels. I have heard of people performing exorcisms, but I have never seen one. Although we could not see the women out back praying with the woman, I realized the ladies in the house did not see this for what it really was, spiritual warfare. I asked them what the week had been like before this happened. They told me they had had a great Bible study 2 days before. They said they just prayed for each other most of the hour. The next day they received more women for a total of 6 new faces. I realized that I did not know 1/3 of the new women there. Sierra (my fellow M) and I decided a change of plans was in order, so working with Matthew chapter 4 and how Christ responded to attacks from Satan, I taught them how to respond to spiritual warfare.

Anyone here that knows me also knows that I have a lot to learn in Spanish speaking. When I teach a Bible study I generally take most of a week to prepare. Before we came here I had only taught children's Bible studies, never adults. I can only say that it is a God thing that I could teach this lesson that Thursday, because I did not have the words in English to teach this, much less Spanish.

During the lesson new faces came in to join us. One lady even came up to me and in pretty good English told me she needed to practice her English with me. I looked at her and said, "Maybe we can talk after the lesson." She persisted wanting to know where we were from. I told her we were Americans and told her to take a seat and join us if she would like to. A few minutes later when I was making the important point that when under spiritual attack our first response should be to come together and pray as believers she interrupted me again and said very clearly, "Why do you not teach in English and I will tell them in Spanish what you are saying." Immediately I recognized what I had already suspected. This was the lady they had tried to drive a demon out of. I turned to her and in the best Spanish I believe I ever have or ever will speak I told her that the Lord sent us here to teach a Bible study in Spanish to these women. And furthermore, the Lord sent us with our families to this country to learn Spanish so we could spread His Word to the countries He was sending us to. I told her that the women in this house speak Spanish, so I will teach them in Spanish. Several of the women spoke up and said, "Yes, we understand you just fine. We understand everything you are saying to us." I knew Satan was trying to destroy my confidence to continue. I completed the lesson and gave them homework to read in Ephesians on the Armor of God. We prayed over the ladies and the house that a peace would settle over them and that they would grow spiritually.

The next week I came back with my friends and we taught on the Armor of God. Veronica was more subdued, and the ladies told me the week had been much calmer. The ladies were a little distracted at times during the lesson, but overall I think they understood the purpose of the Armor. As I left Veronica and Tatiana both pleaded for Crystal and me to pray for their little children as they missed them so much and wanted to see them. We wrote down their names of their children and ages and prayed with them before we left.

The following week Tatiana had left. She could not take being away from her babies any longer. Veronica did not come to the study. There were only 6 women at a study that usually has 15-18. I was sad because this lesson was on the Roman's Road plan of salvation. All 6 ladies at the lesson told us they were saved, but we handed out the paper with the scriptures and how to share the plan with others. We encouraged them to share that week with others that come.

All the next week we had Spiritual Emphasis Week at school with 2 services a day in the chapel. I was pretty busy with the praise team, classes, etc... The day of our study I found out Sierra would not be able to come because she was sick. I found myself praying again like I had 3 weeks before, "What do you want me to teach Lord?" I felt He wanted me to continue to encourage the women to share the gospel with others. The last week they had made it pretty clear that we were the missionaries and it was our job to share the gospel, but I wanted them to understand that Matthew 28:18-20 says that all of us are to be part of the Great Commission.

The lesson went well, and afterward Veronica asked for Crystal and me to pray for her again. She said she knew she had had a demon and now the demon was gone, but she was still afraid. She said she was a lesbian, that she had taken every drug on the street, that she feared for her children and herself. She said she wanted peace like we had. We prayed over her first asking God to protect her. Then I asked her if she was ready to give everything in her life to Christ. I showed her that she had to open her hands completely and give God her life, her addiction, her rebellion, even her children. She agreed and eagerly she said the sinner's prayer with me. When we were done praying I told her she never had to worry again about those demons because greater was Christ in her than anything in the world. I told her if she hears Satan whispering to her that "she can't change, that she will never be able to have a good life", that she just needs to say that she is God's child and he cannot take her from the hand of God.

Yes, Veronica looked like a completely different woman that day. Three weeks ago she was a disheveled woman with a wild look in her eyes; today she is a child of the King! Praise God! I look at her and I see the Father's love for us in that He pursues us fervently. We cannot hide in a valley so deep that He cannot reach in and carry us out of the pit. Praise God! Please pray for Veronica as she continues to grow daily in the Word and in her faith.

(A rare triple rainbow we saw when

leaving the House of Restoration.)

Full of Surprises

I am sorry it has been so long since I have updated the blog. Things have been a little crazy here, both good and bad. Let me start by first saying thanks to everyone who has sent us packages. We have been batting about 50/50 on receiving them ever since a hard drive was shipped to us to replace the current one on our computer. Unfortunately I guess someone in customs felt like they needed the hard drive more than us, so it has made blogging a bit more of a challenge for me. Please pray that somehow it will get here through customs to us.

I wanted to put some pictures on here of all that has been going on, but I think I will have to do more than one blog for that, so on this blog I am putting pictures of a birthday party that Kayleigh went to of one of her friends from school, Gloriana. Her mom is also one of my teachers at school. The kids had a great time playing musical chairs, a ring toss game, and of course playing with the piñata. I got to paint some faces of some of the kids for fun. My favorite part was when Anna's (my teacher) little boy wanted me to paint his whole face like Spiderman!

On a serious note we ask that everyone would keep Ken in your prayers. He has had intermittent stabbing pains in his right groin area now for almost a week. He has seen a surgeon here to make sure it is not a problem with the inguinal hernia he had repaired several years ago. The surgeon didn't feel anything, but really didn't check for any other possibilities. I am sending him to a lab today to check and see if it is a kidney stone, so please pray for him as we seek an answer and healing. I promise to update everyone as soon as we find something out.

New Beginnings

Since arriving here in Costa Rica to study Spanish I have had the privilege to be a part of a ministry began by one of my colleagues who has since passed the baton on to others, who have in turn passed it on to us. The place is called House of Restoration for Men. There is also a women's house that you can read about on this site where Kirsten serves as well.

Visiting the House of Restoration has definitely taken me out of my comfort zone, as least what was left of it after uprooting our family and moving to a foreign land with a most-foreign language. Here, men are struggling to leave a life on the street, a life of substance abuse, violence, and despair. It is not the typical recovery center you would find in the States. There are no counselors or professional treatment programs. There is simply no money. What is there is a commitment to the use of Biblical principles to teach faith and reliance on God to overcome life's challenges.

That is where we come in. Each Monday, a few of us language students come to share a time of fellowship and study in God's Word. We are welcome and one of several teams from various ministries that come in during the week. This week was a particularly uncomfortable one for me as I had finally stepped up to lead the Bible study after struggling just to communicate and understand others for months. The meetings are held entirely in Spanish so the anxiety factor was high. Anyone here can tell you I am not very functional in Spanish, but the need is great and our God is greater.

There are a lot of new faces at the house since the Christmas break, so I thought I would share a basic evangelistic message that I thought would be a shame to take for granted that all have heard. I began the time together asking the men why they were there. This drew, as you can imagine, a few blank stares. I clarified by asking them not why they were in this house or this program, but rather why are they here on this planet. What were they created for? More blank stares.

I lead the men through the story of creation and how God created us in his image. Why? A relationship with Him. I showed them the Greatest Commandment in Matthew 22 - "...love the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind..." How can we do this if we do not have that relationship with Him. What hope is there for any of us?

We then began to search through the text of Romans. What is God's purpose for us? What prevents us from having that relationship? How did God remedy that problem? And lastly, what will our response be to God's provision for us through Jesus Christ?

Now, my Spanish is atrocious. It was all I could do to read my pre-written comments. I told the men up front that I would be asking them a lot of questions but would most likely not understand their replies. They assured me that it did not matter. They are a very patient group and used to putting up with us gringo language students. So, with a sense of impending embarrassment and humiliation I pressed on.

God showed me something that day. He showed me just how powerful His Word is and how sovereign He is. He showed me that the Gospel was His and His alone. It did not come in the door with me. It was there with Him when I got there. When we came to the end of the "lesson plan" I asked the men to consider what they had heard. I asked if there was anyone present who would be willing to put their trust in that provision alone and turn from all other attempts to be acceptable to God, to please God, and to earn what they were looking for. Who wants to have that relationship, that forgiveness, and that assurance? To my amazement, at least 15 men bowed and prayed to receive Christ as Lord and Savior of their life.

The man in me wants to analyze what happened and ask myself if they really meant it. Were they just going through the motions to make the Missionary Man look good on his Spanish debut. I don't think so. I think God showed Himself real that day and I cannot wait to get back to hear how he is working in their lives already. I think He showed us in no uncertain terms that when you speak to people about their Creator, the language is universal and very personal.

Please pray for these men and others who will be coming through the house in the weeks and months to come. Pray that God will show them just how much they mean to Him and that He has already won the victory they so desperately seek. For the men who are now my brothers in Christ, pray that they will grow in their desire to know Him more, that they will know what it means to overcome through faith in the Overcomer.

For us, pray that we will be able to begin a discipleship of these men and that more students will join in the work. We only have a few short weeks or months to spend with the men as they pass through the house. May our time with them count. May this place indeed be a place of new beginnings.

One drop of Crimson

Basilica de Nuestra Señora de los Angeles is located in Cartago (about 25 minutes from San Francisco de Dos Rios). It was originally built in the mid 1600s, but has subsequently been rebuilt several times over the years due to earthquakes. On August 2, 1635, Costa Rican folklore says that the Virgin Mary showed herself as a small, black doll to a young girl named Juana Pereira. After the doll disappeared and reappeared several times at the creek where Juana had found it, the Catholic Church agreed that the Virgin wanted a cathedral built on that spot. The Basilica is today considered the holiest church in Costa Rica, and every August 2, the faithful make their way from all over the country, many walking for days on the side of the road, to pay homage to "La Negrita", the little black statue of the Virgin Mary found by the little girl over 370 years ago. The statue can still be seen today on the same rock it was supposedly found on.

People come to the Basilica in hopes of redeeming their loved ones from purgatory. You can purchase gold charms in front of the church to receive a healing. You can purchase charms in different shapes like arms, legs, stomachs, hearts, etc... Holy water runs from a spring there at the church and many people believe that it has special healing powers. Just about anything can be purchased in front of the Basilica... charms, holy water, rosaries, toys, even lottery tickets. I wondered if Jesus would have cleared the place like the temple 2000 years ago.

Probably the most moving sight for us when we visited earlier this month was that of people coming to the door of the church and immediately dropping to their knees to begin the long slow procession towards the front of the church on their hands and knees. Many are petitioning for healing of an illness. Some are pleading forgiveness for past sins. Sadly enough many are making this painful crawl for loved ones that have died in hopes they will be released from purgatory. All of this moved me to tears. As I sat in a pew and just took it all in, my oldest sat next to me and asked me why they were crawling to the front. I explained, "They don't understand, honey. All they need is the blood of Jesus. This statue can not bring them their healing, remove their suffering, or save their loved ones. Only Jesus."

The song is "Crimson" by Nicole Nordeman.

Birth Pains

Thursday afternoon at 1:11 our world was literally rocked. About 20 miles from us in a tourist area we visited during December, an earthquake of 6.1 magnitude shook all of Costa Rica and our neighbors in Nicaragua and Panama. What seemed like an eternity actually lasted only 40 seconds. As it first started I believed, like previous tremors we have felt, that this was just a little one. I discovered as the bed I was studying in did not stop jiggling, but actually started moving across the room that this was not just a little tremor. I heard Ken and the kids going to the front carport and realized Cade was still in his bunk bed in his bedroom. As I reached to get him the jiggling stopped so I thought, "Oh, it must be over." The jiggling turned into the kind of swaying one might experience on a small boat on the high seas. I quickly snatched up our youngest and ran for the door. Our Tico empleada was praying out loud "Santo Dios, ayudanos!" (Holy God help us!) I realized this was the real deal and started to pray myself. When the earthquake stopped I realized almost all of my neighbors had left their homes and were in the street. With all the power lines I'm not sure that is the safest place, but we have decided to have an emergency plan for the future now.

My neighbor said he thought we were close to the epicenter. Come to find out we were 20 miles from it. The town that was hit hardest is still searching for those missing. The death toll is at 34 with 64 still missing. Many children were killed in large mud slides while playing outside. Tourists in the area were also killed. Scarily enough there have been over 2,000 aftershocks. We have felt several of them.

We watched the coverage late into the night as the rescue workers tried desperately to get to people buried beneath the dirt that slid down the sides of the mountain. Connor asked me at one point what was that white bag they were trying to dig up. As I listenend to the newscaster I realized that they were trying to get to two little girls that had been buried alive while selling candy on the side of the street to tourists during their summer break. This picture is of the parents of those two girls. Please keep them in your prayers.

As you look at these pictures I ask that you would pray for the people of Costa Rica, especially those from Alajuela where the quake hit hardest. There is an active volcano there (Poas) that some believe could cause problems if we continue to have many quakes this year. Most of all please pray that the people of this area would seek the Lord as their source of comfort and healing. Thank you for your prayers and for your concern for us during this time.

...There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All of these are the beginning of birth pains...

Matthew 24:7-8

That's a bunch of bull!

Every year for 2 weeks in December, San José hosts what some Ticos claim to be the event of the year. Los Toros, the Costa Rican annual bullfights are a sight to behold. Never having a desire to see a bull slowly tortured to death, attending one of these events has never been on my "do before I die" list. However, here in Costa Rica, a bullfight is not the fancy-pants show you have seen on TV and movies. There is no three-cornered and fringed hat, no silk hosiery, and certainly no red cape. Instead, what we have is more like the product of a mixed marriage between the running of the bulls in Pamplona and the WWF. We don't kill the bulls here. In fact, the bull has the upper hoof most of the time.

The object here is to release a large, highly irritated bull, complete with goring apparatus into a redondel (bullring about the size a rodeo ring) to be taunted by a few hundred of Costa Rica's judgement-challenged, machismo-obsessed, allegedly sober citizenry. In fact, sobriety is a test before entering the ring. Though safety is not sacrosanct, at least they strive to give these poor hombres (and a few mujeres) a fighting chance by ensuring they have command of what is left of their senses. They run around the bull, swatting at his back side, trying to pull his tale, and generally anything else they can get away with to get the bulls attention and provoke an adrenaline inducing few seconds of sheer terror as he attempts to run them down with the aforementioned goring apparatus positioned for maximum effect. Most scamper away safely, but a few leave with permanent reminders of their flirtation with death.

They hold two shows a day for the duration, resulting in a great number of battered and bruised participants. And, just in case you are wondering, gorings are not terribly uncommon. They even have a special medical treatment facility accessible from the ring fully manned with paramedics and replete with the necessary life-saving equipment.

My colleague, Anthony, invited me to a show one evening after Christmas. Being the culturally sensitive lifelong learner that I am I said yes. The video pretty much says it all, so take a look and see for yourself. Except for the occasional electric goad, I would think most animal activists would find this turning of the tables acceptable. In the body count, the bull always wins.

¡Disfruta!

Ken

Doka Coffee Plantation and Sarchi

A Tico Christmas

A Tico Christmas is the same and yet different than Christmas in the US. One big difference is the food. Most people here have rice and chicken and tamales for their Christmas feast. It is a family affair the first week or two of December to make tons of tamales and freeze them for the whole family. They will gather together for this event and each take their share of the bounty home to last the month of December.

Another Tico tradition is celebrating on Christmas Eve with family instead of Christmas day. Family gathers around 8 or 9pm and they eat all evening and shoot off fireworks all night until about 3am. They actually use the large professional fireworks that you would see in the states for Fourth of July city celebrations. All this time we thought when we heard these loud booms they were some sort of canon, only to find out these are very large fireworks! Apparently these fireworks are a nightly occurrence until after the 1st of January.

Although this year was our first Christmas away from family and friends back in Alabama, God was gracious to give us family here. My mother came down for 9 days and we had another missionary (David) and a Tico family (Francisco, Yolanda, and their son). It was so different from any Christmas that we have had, but I was so thankful that God had provided us with new friends to spend this special day with. Mom and I cooked all the day before and Christmas morning (sweet potato casserole, stuffing, salad, chicken supreme, pumpkin cheesecake, and red velvet cupcakes). I can say for our Tico friends that it was very different from the typical Costa Rican fare. A special shout out to Mom, Nana, and my best friend ,Teena, for the wonderful gifts of pecans and pumpkin that helped make the feast happen!

The children had an amazing morning of opening all their presents. Grammie brought a suitcase full and Nana sent a huge box from our family in Mobile with all kinds of goodies for the kids. It was such a wonderful surprise! The children had so much fun playing with all their new toys.

My favorite part of the whole day though was being with our new church family that night. They had a special Christmas service that evening and asked one of the other missionaries (Ash) to play guitar and me to play piano with the praise band. It was so wonderful to be a part of the praise team. Even though most evangelicals here do not sing many Christmas carols (usually only the Catholic churches sing the traditional carols), the pastor asked Ash and me to play a few of our traditional carols. We chose 3 that we knew were also sung in Spanish (Silent Night, Angels We Have Heard On High, and O Come All Ye Faithful). It was beautiful to listen to the people sing the words in Spanish as we sang them in English, praising the birth of our Savior together. Afterwards they had a Christmas dinner that started at 8:30pm. Believe it or not this is considered early by some Latinos. The food was sweet, and the fellowship even sweeter.

Dios le bendiga este nuevo año. (The Lord bless you this new year.)

Our Christmas Card

Make a Smilebox greeting

And your address is...?

Yesterday while giving my mailing address here in Costa Rica by e-mail to someone the question arose "What is your zip code?" I hear these kinds of questions often and the answer is never a simple one. You see, here in Costa Rica, and other Latin America countries as well, it is common to not have physical addresses like those in the United States. Most streets do not have names outside of the old downtown section of the city, so we have to be a little creative in describing our whereabouts for any and all askers.

While the address you see on the right hand side of our blog is indeed a mailing address, it is a post office box for our language school. It serves a couple of hundred folks here as the location to receive mail and packages and we have a mailroom on campus for that purpose. Now if someone wanted to actually come to my house the address "description" is a bit different. We give addresses based on landmarks in a particular sector of the city. We start from known landmarks such as a park, police station, school, well-known building, etc., and then proceed to give directions and distances along with a description of the edifice we call home.

The physical address of Casa Nelson is as follows:
San Francisco de dos Rios - De la casetilla del guarda del Parque de Bosque, 300 metros al oeste y 75 metros al sur, casa blanca y verde con portones negros, mano derecha, en frente de la pulperia.

Now for you non-Spanish speaking gringos out there this loosely translates to:
In San Francisco de dos Rios (a "suburb" of San José) - From the small guard house at Parque Bosque, go 300 meters (3 blocks - however long that may be) east and 75 meters (3/4 of a block) south. Our house is the white and green one with black burglar bars (which incidently make up a sizable portion of the architecture). We are on the right hand side across from a small convenience store (ran out of the neighbor's garage).

This complete description is on our cable, phone, internet, and power bills. It is required to request a taxi, order a pizza, or get a membership card at the local PriceSmart (which is a Tico Sam's or CostCo). Get the picture? By the way, the car in the picture here is a prop. It does not exist in reality.

One of the things "veteran" language students do for incoming new students is to take them to a nearby copy center with "physical" address in hand to have multiple laminated copies made for the refrigerator and wallets. Don't leave home without them. I might add that our address is one of the more simpler ones due to our proximity to such a well-known landmark as Parque Bosque. Some of these poor guys here need a full index card to lead the taxi-driver home. It gives back-seat driving a whole new meaning.

And don't even think about trying to MapQuest me!

Big Things Come in Small Packages

The other night we came home to a hand written note by Connor that a package would soon be arriving from Nana full of candy, grits, and other goodies. Ken and I had gotten to go on a rare date thanks to a soon to be leaving student from a college in Ohio that is doing just one trimester down here. (Thanks Brandi! We will miss you when you go back Sunday. ) Any way it made the children's day to know that something special was coming for them in a care package from Nana. It was an unexpected gift.

A couple of weeks ago we received another unexpected gift from Mrs. Bredbenner (Mom to Brett, one of our fellow M's down here). She apparently told Brett's wife her Sunday school class and her wanted to bless a couple of families down here during the holidays with a care package. What a blessing it was! Complete with stickers, Christmas bags, garland, cookie mix, spices, a beautiful stocking (Connor was threatening to use his nasty stinky soccer sock for Santa to fill), chicken packets, stuffing, even Christmas napkins a table cloth, and a great dvd! What a wonderful and totally undeserved gift. You rock Mrs. B!

Ken and I had been a little bummed as it is the end of the school year and we are missing our family and friends. Ken was missing his annual game of Trivial Pursuit with his brother Jeff and seeing all of his family in Mobile. I was missing our ladies annual ornament swap from Sunday school and our Christmas program at church. To top it all off apparently the rainy season is still not over yet. We were especially bummed that we wouldn't be receiving any mail at Christmas, but the director said we could check our mail if we were willing to bring everyone's mail to the school during the Christmas break! (So feel free to send those Christmas cards and letters if you want to spread some holiday cheer!) That is a gift that we are so grateful for.

All of this reminded me of a gift that arrived 2000 years ago in a small package. This gift was foretold and still it was unexpected by the people. When the angels told the shepherds in the field they probably knew the prophecies concerning the Messiah. They probably did not expect to see Him face to face in a manger filled with straw in such lowly conditions or heralded by a host of angels singing , "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth and good will toward men."

When the Wise men followed the star from the east for years, I am sure they too were not prepared for the tiny house and the simple surroundings that greeted them when they found the Christ child. They were probably surprised too at the manner in which God provided salvation to the nations. A small child, born to young, poor parents. Why in the world would God send his only son to earth in such a way? Why was there no palace, no royal clothing, not even a parade? Why was this gift wrapped so simply in human flesh? This was God after all, incarnate. Why would He be willing to leave the splendor and majesty of heaven to be born in a stable for animals with only scraps of linen for his clothing?

Every year I am reminded of the wonder of this small gift that has been the most important gift I have ever received. I do not deserve it, but I am so grateful for it! Our prayer is that in the midst of all this holiday rush, everyone will take the time to think about that one special gift given to us more than 2000 years ago, unexpected and undeserved, but oh so grateful!

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.

Luke 2:11

Gettin' Jiggy Wit' It at the Museo de Niños

Life of Significance

It's Begining To Look A Lot Like Christmas

Yes, even here near the equator, it is begining to look like Christmas. Because the Ticos do not celebrate Halloween, the stores here start putting up their Christmas decorations in September after their National Independence day. We actually put up our donated Christmas tree (thanks Blackstock family- we'll be praying for you every time we light it up as you go to El Salvador to serve the Lord!) before Thanksgiving. A first in the Nelson house, I assure you. Now we have our very own Charlie Brown Christmas tree and it couldn't be lovelier.

Now Costa Rica does not have snow, but they do have rain!!!!! They even have a special type of rain in their "winter" (invierno) season. It is called "pelo de gato" which means "hair of the cat". When it first starts falling you feel like it is tiny little snow flakes, except it is 60 degrees instead of 30 degrees. We do get down into the 50s most every night, and so it does feel a little more like Christmas outside with the weather being a little cooler and definitely wet.

Costa Ricans love their Christmas music! We had the privilege of learning some songs in language school. Many of them are about the first Christmas. Funny enough most of those songs are about Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, and the donkey...yes, I said and the donkey! Apparently a Christmas song is not complete without the little burro in the lyrics. There are also many songs with words that even the ticos could not really give the definition of (just think ra pa pum pum from drummer boy or fa la la la la). My favorite was a song that talked about asking the virgin Mary to come and help the people because the angels were taking all the chocolate for themselves. Yes, very creative to say the least!

The best part for me though was the piñatas. I always thought that piñatas were for children, but not so here! They had one for the female students, one for the males, and one for the teachers. It was funny to watch the teachers (who organized the whole event) trick us gringos with moving the piñatas. As the gringo would be blindfolded and try to hit the piñata, the teacher with the rope would move it up and down, and another teacher would sometimes pull it completely out of the way leaving the gringo swinging fruitlessly in the air. This was all very amusing, but the best part was when the teachers did the same thing to their own people hitting their piñata. Even better was the baseball dive all of them took after the piñata broke and candy went everywhere! They were all spread out on the floor just scooping in the candy with both arms. ¡Que divertido!

Last, but not least, is the upcoming Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. It is because of this annual offering we are able to be here and to be a part of the mission work God has given us. We realize the economy is struggling globally right now. We even feel it here as food and utility prices are much higher here than in the US and it tends to make this time of year a little more difficult. We pray that despite the economic struggles that Americans are facing, giving this year will be able to sustain the more than 5500 missionaries currently on the field with the IMB. We know that God is in control, and we thank each of you for your continued faithful support of this vital work God is doing around the world.
This next week is the week of prayer for international missions. We encourage everyone to please take the time each day to pray for missionaries around the world. Christmas is difficult for all of us as we are away from our family and friends, adjusting to a new culture, and missing many of the simple comforts from home during the Holiday Season. Despite all this we are so blessed to be able to share what this season is really all about with the people we are serving. Thank you so much for your prayer support and continued support to Lottie Moon. We would not be here without it.

Blood Brothers (and sister too)

So how do two brothers (and a sister) become blood brothers? They merely spill their blood at the same moment by not following directions, of course. It all started Saturday after we came back from the feria (farmer's market). I needed to wash down the stroller and after I was done I let the kids play in our painted carport area to cool off. It was like a slip and slide for them, and I just told them to not run and fall down, but rather just slide on their knees. All went well for an hour as Kayleigh and Cade slid around on the ground. Then Connor got home from soccer practice. He too was sweaty and wanted to have some fun in the water. As I was cleaning vegetables I heard Cade start crying. I looked and Cade had fallen and smacked his head on the step by the door. He had a nice little gash in the middle of his forehead. I realized right away that this one was going to need some skin glue. Ken went for the always handy first aid kit and I told Connor and Kayleigh that the fun needed to stop. As I was preparing to bandage Cade I heard an ear piercing scream outside. Sure enough, Connor decided to go ahead and slide anyway and was now sporting a deep gash in his leg from the bottom corner of the half-open iron door that he had just inserted his left thigh into. So our little Costa Rican home quickly turned into a M*A*S*H unit. Who knew my nursing triage experience would be so handy here on the mission field? As Ken held pressure on Connor's cut, I cleaned, glued and bandaged Cade. Then I cleaned and bandaged Connor so we could take him to the ER for his necessary stitches. Three hours and 3 stitches later, we were back home and laughing at the whole scenario.

We realized that Connor learned a very valuable lesson about being obedient. It was a teaching moment I do not believe he will forget any time soon. It reminded me too of the times I have been disobedient with the Lord only to learn the painful consequences of my disobedience. Sometime it is momentary pain; sometimes the scars stay with us for life. Regardless of the pain I felt, I know how much it really hurt God to watch me suffer the results of my actions, just like it hurt me to watch Connor suffer the pain from his disobedience.

On a less serious note, Kayleigh too qualifies as a blood brother/sister by losing her first tooth! Although it was not nearly as traumatic (or quite as bloody), it was definitely entertaining. I have been informed by her that I am to cut all of her apples for lunch as she has another loose tooth and does not want it to end up in her apple at school!

Fall of Fun

Our Fall of Fun

This fall has had a flurry of activity for the kids as we have tried to stay busy during the rainy season. The kids have creatively decorated the house with pumpkins, scarecrows and cornucopias.
The school has had some fun days like crazy hair day and dress up in your favorite time period. Connor was a cool rapper with bling. Kayleigh even made some bling for little Cade. Kayleigh was a hippie from the 70's.

Luisa had her birthday in October so the kids made her some cupcakes, a card, and we gave her a new Bible that is bilingual.
Kayleigh continues to take ballet 3 hours a week at the studio around the corner. When she first started she complained about how difficult it was. Now she loves it! They are preparing for a recital during Christmas, just in time for Grammie to come down and see!
Although it still rains everyday, the amount of rain is less than it was in October, so we are able to get outside a little more than before. All this activity has made for some really tired kiddos. This weekend poor Kayleigh was so exhausted I found her asleep laying draped over the chair. Good times for sure!

A Change of Heart

Recently at our women´s Bible study at the House of Restoration we had a discussion of what our lives are like with and without Christ in them. As I looked around the room I was in awe of the visible changes I saw in so many of these women just in the last three months.

Tasha (one of the other Miss.) told me that Liliana came to the house hollow and empty, covered in sores, hair matted, and completely broken. Now I look at her and I see the beauty of Christ. She has a wonderful glow in her smile that shines from inside out. She is a life that was changed by Christ.

Karla was devastated when she arrived at the house. She had recently been diagnosed HIV positive and did not know where to turn. She resented the man that had given her this disease and she was bitter because she felt that now she had to suffer alone. Today she has a peace and a joy. Every time I see her she has a big smile and is so excited to learn more about the new life she has in Christ that she wants to share it with others, even the man who gave her HIV. She is a life that was changed by Christ.

I distinctly remember the day Maria arrived. She came to the house during the middle of our study and looked like she would rather be anywhere but there. I heard her ask another lady, "When will this be over?" Maria now has to return to her parents home. She is only 16 years old and her parents had placed her in the home because of her alcoholism. She is excited about going home, but she does not want to leave the Bible study. She eagerly volunteers now to read Bible passages out loud each week and keeps up with her daily Bible study journal. She is trying to arrange to have her mother bring her each week to the Thursday Bible studies. She is a life that was changed by Christ.

I could go on and on about others like Isabella, Yolanda, and my dear sweet Kalyn (her name in Spanish sounds like Kayleigh, so I call her my hija/daughter). All of these women have gone from death in transgressions to life in Christ, enemies of God to children of God, following the ways of the world to standing for truth and Christ, enslaved to Satan to free in Christ!

The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:17: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"

Do people really see Christ in our lives? This question recently convicted me greatly. Have there been times I just tried to blend in with the crowd and go along with what others were saying because I did not want to take a stand, because it was easier? When people look at me do they see me standing for truth in my walk and convictions, or just caving into worldly desires for more stuff, power, pleasure, etc..?

Each of these women is now making a stand. They are telling their families, their friends, even the people they once called enemies about the change Christ has made in their lives. It is easy to hide behind that wall of just saying, "Well, they know I am a Christian, I don´t need to say anything about my life in Christ, they can just see it." But is that all we are really suppose to do, or is there more?

1 Peter 3:13-15 says: "And who will harm you if you are passionate for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear or be disturbed, but set apart the Messiah as Lord in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you."

These women are living that example in their lives. The change they experienced began in their heart, but enveloped their entire lives. They are willing to stand up to the fears of the past, the peer pressure and remain passionate in their Christian walk. We too cannot be shy about speaking the truth in love. We must be the salt and the light in this world, especially in times of darkness. John the Baptist did this and lost his head for it. Most of the apostles also sacrificed their lives for the truth. Elijah ran for his life because he obeyed God and would not deny God's truth.

We can do no other as children of God but to obey what the words of Paul : "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong." 1 Cor 16:13