Give Thanks

In the spirit of Thanksgiving (weekend) and wanting to focus on the goodness of the Lord and what He has done, I thought I'd write a post with that theme.  Thanksgiving isn't a thing in Costa Rica since it's uniquely a U.S. holiday, but our multicultural staff celebrated with turkey and the works on Friday evening at our leaders the Dixons' home.  I've missed Grandma Rogalsky's apple pies these past four years to be sure, but I'm grateful for the chance to celebrate together in community here.

Some of the ladies (and little Joab in the background) enjoying the Thanksgiving spread

So back to the being thankful topic at hand.  Here are just a few things that I am thankful for as I consider the past months here in life and ministry in Costa Rica:

• All of the team members and students who come down to love on kids in the Tutoring Center!  Jose and I are the staples here but these "gringos" that come bring a fresh energy, perspective, love and man power that we need to be able to do our job well.  

  

  Team McFarland, Cal Poly and Bellvue

  
   
• The fact that SI owns the Tutoring Center is a really positive thing for the community of Los Guido and our ministry.  It sends a message that we are here to stay, Lord willing, and want to continue to invest in the community around us.

  

  Our new sign to let everyone know who we are when they walk past our building!

• New kids always find their way to our door!  Oftentimes the season after summer and all of our extra helpers have gone, we see a drop in attendance by some of the kids.  But the moms and kids themselves are great advertisers for us, and we have welcomed new faces this fall when some of our old faces have taken a break from studying with us.

  

  The two kids in the front right are new and faithful attenders.  Those are my cool parents in the back. :)

• A new church that I have become a part of these past six months or so.  Having attended an English speaking church for the majority of my time in Costa Rica, I felt God leading me to find one that worshiped in Spanish.  My friend MacKenzie and I have been attending a church led by a young Tico pastor who is passionate about the Bible and Jesus, and we have felt welcomed there.
• Although our 4th-7th grade girls' group's attendance has not been as consistent as I would like to see, our study of "Grandes Mujeres de la Biblia," (Important Women of the Bible) has been going really well!  They are remembering who and what we are talking about from week to week, and are excited to read and discuss what God's Word says about these godly women.

  

  MacKenzie leading a discussion about Hannah.  LOTS of girls came the day I took this picture.  :)

•    All of the financial and prayer supporters of both the Tutoring Center and me personally!  Chances are, if you are reading this, that means you!  I'm so thankful for the people who are invested in this ministry and make it possible that it continues.  

There are MANY other things that I am thankful for that I could include here.  In a world where there is so much pain and ugliness around us, it is so valuable to take time to reflect on His goodness and good deeds.  What things are YOU thankful for?  

A lifelong learner

When I was an undergrad and then a teacher credential student at Fresno Pacific University, I heard a lot about the idea of being a "lifelong learner."  I received an excellent education and gained a lot of knowledge in college, but that did not mean that I was ready to take on all that teaching in a public school in a small farming community at the edge of a big city had to throw at me.  I learned so much those 5 1/2 years of teaching in Fowler, CA, and it was a wonderful place to do ministry through the noble occupation of public school teacher.  Fast forward to 2015 (ten years after graduating from FPU!!) and I am continuing to learn, every day.  Living in Costa Rica outside the capital city, I am in much more of an urban setting than I ever have been before.  Add to that the difference between being from a first world country and living in a developing country, there are many many differences and things to be learning and growing in.  

There are so many things that I wish I could change about the systems and way of life here, especially in the community of Los Guido where I work at the Tutoring Center.  My students receive such a sub par education that it's almost a surprise when they DO have class.  There is not a substitute system in their school district, so if the teacher has a meeting or conference or illness or whatever, there's no class that day.  It is so unfair because these children have so much potential to learn and develop into contributing members of society, but I just don't see their education being valued as it should by the powers that be.  The Tutoring Center exists to be an extra support to what they are learning and working on at school, but if they aren't at school, our job becomes a lot more challenging in trying to fill in all the huge gaps that are left.

The entire county that I live and work in has been a place of strife the past year or so, and a lot of it has to do with a territorial drug war that exists.  I don't understand that stance that the law enforcement takes sometimes and why they don't do more to help solve this issue.  I realize it's way more complex than I could ever understand or imagine, but it is heartbreaking to hear my students talk about the gunshots they sometimes hear at night and see in their eyes not necessarily a fear but an acceptance that this is part of their "normal" of life.  

These problems are not unique to Costa Rica or Los Guido.  Our world is broken, and thus systems are less than perfect and people don't love and value one another as God desires us to.  We can read the news feeds or turn on the television and just get so overwhelmed that we just want to curl up and shut it all out.  We can decide to go numb or on the other extreme, become so self-involved that we don't care about what is going on in the world around us.  God has been teaching me lately that He has given all of us a place to live and to serve, and we need to do that the best we can, with the help of the Holy Spirit, where we are in this moment.  I can't solve the issues of the Costa Rican public school system.  But I can be available for those 10+ kids who are going to show up on Tuesday morning to study with Jose and me, and do my best to love them, point them to Jesus, and remind them of their potential.  

I pray that I will always be learning, seeking how I can be a part of bringing restoration to this broken world.  To be the hands and feet of Jesus.  And I pray that you will do your part as well.

Here are some pics of what I've been up to lately!

A 4 year old's pirate birthday party with these SI friends

My friend Mallory, a cute little blond pirate

Two of my silly second graders that have become really great readers.  I'm a proud teacher.

Getting out of the city for a day of sun at the beach.