Simple thanks

Pretty regularly, thought not as often as I would like, I sit down and reflect on simple things that I am thankful for.  I think that sometimes it is easy to pray to God for the things that we need or the areas that we are struggling in, and forget to have an attitude of thanksgiving throughout the year.  My heart and spirit are

always encouraged when I am able to take a step back and say thanks to the Lord for what He has done in and around me.  Here is my most recent prayer of thanks for some of those things:

Thank you for iced hazelnut coffee, for whispy white clouds, and for a living room full of laughter and friends.  Thanks for being able to bake with kids who don't always get to be "kids" at home, for heart to heart talks with co-workers at lunch, and for a bedroom with a beautiful view out the window.  Thank you for the way you created each and every one of us unique and gifted in so many different ways.  Thanks for books and music and nature that can all point us to you.  Thanks for the access to the Internet that allows me to have sweet time with my precious niece and to send silly pictures to my brothers and parents.  Thanks for my reliable car that gets me where I need to be, and for safety as I zip around this country of crazy roads and driving.  Thanks for the freedom to vote and to voice your opinion about politics and all that stuff that goes with it.  Thanks for friends who will call you out when you're being mean and who will encourage you when you're feeling down.  Thanks for hugs from little ones and for smiles and laughs.  Thank you for each and every day you give us on this Earth.  It is a gift and I pray that I will live it to the fullest.

I'm thankful for friends like Rose

Angry Bird pizza success with some of the older students

Science experiment with the younger students

My Costa Rica

 As I was riding the bus into San Jose this past week to go and pay our monthly rent, I was feeling a bit nostalgic about living in Costa Rica.  I had just spent an action packed 17 days in California, celebrating Christmas and spending time with dear friends and family, which was a wonderful time overall.  But I was ready to get back to my "normal" and my life here.  There are things I miss about California, one important one being Target.  Seriously, if Target made an appearance here, I think I might be able to stay forever.  ;)  But there are things that I have come to love about Costa Rica, specifically, my experience here in Desamparados, and I wanted to share a few of those here.

• Paying approximately fifty cents to ride the bus into San Jose from my home, which saves me the headache of one-way street driving and searching and paying for parking.
• Getting my oil changed by a nice gentleman who calls me "mi amor" and "mi reina."  He's not hitting on me and it's really only because he doesn't know my name- but if an oil change worker in CA called me "my queen" I think I might give him a dirty look.  It is just more acceptable and nice in Spanish.
• Greeting people and wishing them a happy new year days after the new year began.  I think the idea of greeting and saying goodbye to everyone who is in the room is a wonderful thing.
• My friendship with my "watchy-man" Oscar who guards the cars at the gym I attend.  I brought him some almonds and Dewar's candy and he told me that he had been wondering when I was coming back from my trip to California.  It's nice to be missed.  
• Costa Rican coffee just can't be beat.
• The beauty of the countryside...I am totally fine with the rainy season because of the gorgeous green that can be seen everywhere as a result.
• And my friends and SI family that is here.  I am so blessed by them.  

Beach time with these great friends and fellow SI staffers

Another beautiful sunset seen out my bedroom window

 

 

Study abroad/semester students

The mission of Students International is to minister to both the students who come down to work with us from North America, as well as the community members that we work with in our ministry sites.  This 2013 calendar we have had two groups of semester students that have worked alongside us as interns, and I have loved being able to be a part of their lives and experience here!  Now that our group that has been here over this fall semester is getting ready to go back home in a week and a half, I thought I'd talk a little bit about what that program looks like and how they fit into our work.  :)

The semester students live with Costa Rican families during the duration of their time with us.  They also take 7 weeks of Spanish language school at the beginning of the semester, so a big goal of their semester with us is to learn A TON of Spanish!  It has been so fun to see one of our semester students who came with next to no Spanish and is now able to have conversations with the kids that we work with and with her host family.  I'm a firm believer in taking advantage of the host families that you live with to soak up all the language that you can, as well as not be nervous about "looking stupid" and just speak as much as you can.  Anyone who has learned a second language (or third of fourth...) knows that it is not easy, and there are so many moments when you feel ridiculous.  But those are the best learning moments.

The second half of the semester, the students are interns with us in our ministry sites.  We have two fantastic young women that have made really great connections with the kids from Los Guido and it is going to be really hard to see them go.  They have practiced math facts, read books, quizzed students on their Social Studies and Science study guides, taught art lessons, helped with baking and crafts, killed cockroaches, and many other things.  They have been open to be learners as well, soaking up all that they can from the kids that come to the Centro and also during discussions that they have had with myself and Jose.  And they have been perceptive to lend a helping hand when it looked like I was overwhelmed with the kids being crazy kids.

Another part of the semester program that I thoroughly enjoy being a part of is our Wednesday night "family nights" that we have with them.  My roommate Cailah and I take turns with our friends hosting the semester students in our home, and there is a team of us as staff that lead a Bible study time with them.  We talk about themes such as poverty, justice, the Kingdom of God and reconciliation.  It is so encouraging to see how they are able to apply their past experiences and experiences they are currently having in their ministry sites and host stays to the biblical principles that we talk about.  And of course, there are yummy snacks and time to just "be" without having to worry about language or culture.

Thanks, Brita and Sara, for being such awesome semester students this fall!  You will be missed.

Brita, Sara, Jose, and 4th-6th graders showing off their newspaper crowns they made.

Brita and Sara making cookies to be sold at our student store (and organizing the giant pile of construction paper that we have!)

Beach day trip with friend Rose and semester students Sara and Anaica

 

Ministering in their own communities

A program that SI-Costa Rica has started this year that I have not talked about much is an internship program that we have with two young men of the Los Guido community where I work.  William and Justin are the two guys who have been interning with us in our ministry sites about three days a week since the first part of 2013.  William works with my friend Cailah with the children in a community called Las Fuentes.  He is involved in outdoor recreation activities, indoor games, helping coach a high school aged boys' soccer team, and being a positive role model for the kids of that community.  Justin was working with Diego in our sports' ministry, playing a lot of soccer with kids in different communities as well as helping being a mentor to them.  He is currently working with our Microfinance ministry with coworkers Cindy and Diana.  The agreement we have with them is that they work with us as interns, they attend night school three evenings a week to finish their high school education, and in turn, we financially support them in their training for future jobs.  For William, that has meant helping him to attend an institute to learn basic electrician skills, and for Justin, that's helping provide healthy food and bus fare for him to continue training with his minor league soccer team that he is a part of.

One of our goals with these young men is that they would learn more about what it means to be a man of God and a role model in their communities when men are so often absent in the lives of the families.  They both have lived in Los Guido their entire lives and have experienced difficult and challenging life situations themselves.  It has been so encouraging to see how they have grown to be more responsible and to really love the work that we are doing in their own and nearby communities.  By choosing to stay off drugs, to be respectful in how they talk to women and authorities, to study God's Word, to be accountable to us as their site leaders, they are challenging what the world around them tells them they should grow up to be.  

I have been able to interact regularly with these two young men in the setting of my English class.  We have gone through several transitions in what the format and time of my class looks like, but it is encouraging to me to know that they both value studying English.  Part of their jobs as interns is working with the teams that come from the States to work in our ministry sites, and it is to their benefit if they are able to communicate with these team members in English.  Little by little, I have seen them grow in their skills, but I would still love to see them learn so much more. :)  When I moved to Costa Rica to join SI, I never thought that I would be working with teenage boys, but it has really been a joy to get to know these guys and walk part of life's journey with them.  Please pray for William and Justin as they work with us, as God is working in their hearts and in the lives of their family members.  I have such high hopes and prayers for them and their futures and know that God can use them greatly if they are willing and available!

Justin eating a lunch staple: Cup of Noodles

William helping to prepare empanadas for a Culture Night activity

Both of the boys play on our SI-Los Guido soccer team and did very well this season.

Playing ping pong at a banquet for one of our short term teams

The second time Dad and Mom came to visit

As is now a tradition, Dad and Mom came to visit me the first week of September again this year.  This week was chosen specifically because it was the week that the USA national team came to Costa Rica to play the Costa Rican national team for a World Cup qualifying game.  After kind of a lot of drama and it being nearly impossible to find tickets, we were able to purchase them and attend the game.  And what a game it was!!  The Costa Ricans were quite pumped up to beat the USA after the game that the two teams had played in Denver, CO earlier this year where the USA won during a massive snow storm.  Wisely, we did not announce that we were US citizens or cheer against the Ticos while at the game, and the Costa Rican team ended up winning 3-1.  A lot of national pride was shown by the Tico fans and it was really fun to see how excited they were with the win.  Costa Rica and USA have both qualified for the World Cup next year so I will have to decide who I'm going to root for.  :)

Top row of the end zone seats, and Dad sporting the Tico jersey.

I was blessed to have my parents help out for two days at the Tutoring Center.  They helped teach English, Dad played a lot of soccer and a simple version of baseball, Mom taught a craft lesson of making washer necklaces at girls' club, they baked cookies, corrected math problems, prayed for us, etc.  I'm proud of them with the limited Spanish that they know and how they were able to make connections with the kiddos that I work with on a regular basis.  And it is encouraging to me to know that they now have a bigger picture of what my work here with the kids of Los Guido looks like and be able to share that with friends and family in the States. 

A bonus of having Dad and Mom come to visit is that they want to do some of the tourist things that I don't do that often since I am a resident here and also living on support.  :)  We spent three nights in Manuel Antonio National Park and had a wonderful time!  We saw sloths, monkeys, snakes, butterflies, frogs, iguanas, and many other animals.  We zipped through the canopy on a wonderful zip line tour.  We hung out at the beach and Dad and Mom spent a good hour boogy boarding in the warm ocean.  We ate yummy food and drank delicious coffee.  And I am so thankful for my trusty Suzuki that I was able to take us around in this visit.  A great time spent together and I am blessed by the adventurous and wonderful parents that the Lord has given me.  Maybe next year Peter, Toni, Kate, Aaron and Courtney can also make a trip! :)

 

A legal Costa Rican resident, finalmente!!

It's been almost a year and a half since I moved to Costa Rica, and this week, I got my official "religious resident" ID card!  This is a huge thing and means that I will no longer have to get my passport stamped as a "visitor" but can go through the "resident" line.  Praise the Lord!  And anyone who has going through the getting-residency-in-another-country process knows that it is quite involved.  I'm so thankful for those who have gone before me on my staff, especially my boss Jeff, and all the help they have given me to make this process happen.  I've had to wait in several lines before the sun came up, pay quite a bit of money, pay into the Public Health Care System (that I hope I won't actually have to use), and wait and wait.  This is the reality of living (legally) overseas, and I'm so thankful that this chapter has been turned.  

Going along with having my residency, goes the question "how long are you going to stay in Costa Rica, Tara"?  I can't tell you how many times I have heard that question in the last six months or so.  I realize that it is a valid question, as I signed up for a two-year commitment originally and have left friends and family and my former "life" in California.  My answer has been "I'm not sure, as long as the Lord would have me here," and that's what I think the answer will be for a while.  As I look back over the past year and a half, there have been many ups and downs, yay ducks and yuck ducks as we learned to call them in my missionary training I had before moving here.  There are times where I miss California and my niece Kate and nice roads and Thai food and Neighborhood Church desperately.  But as my mom told me not too long ago, I feel a lot more comfortable here now than I did a year ago or even six months ago.  And I'm so thankful for that.

So I don't really know how to answer that question of how long I'm going to be here.  I do know that I have a really cool job that I get to live out many of my passions and giftings, and that God has been molding and changing me in many areas as well.  One of the team leaders that was recently down here working us gave me a huge compliment in telling me that I am "so patient" in how I work with all the people that come in and out the doors of the Tutoring Center.  Patient is NOT a word that I would often use to describe me, but it really touched me to think that she saw that in me and blessed me by sharing that with me.

If you are on my prayer and or financial support team, if you have come down to Costa Rica with Students International, if you are my friend or family member who reads my blog every once in a while- THANK YOU!  As I continue to adjust to life here and learn what it is the Lord wants me to be doing on a daily basis, I know that I cannot do it without the support system that I have.  I am truly blessed and grateful. 

SI Costa Rica has a new blog, and I wanted to share it in case you wanted to find out more about our ministry as a whole.  You can find the blog here.
Finally, I am posting some pics of the last month or so to catch you up on what's been going on with me: :)

My friend, Erin, and I exploring Manuel Antonio National Park

Thanks for coming to visit me, dear friend!

Looking at a homework assignment in order to help team member Emily assist 2nd grader, Joyce.

SI CR staff, along with our team from the Well in Fresno and Belleve in Seattle

Sometimes we get to be "girly" in Friday's girls' club

Reading a biligual book together.  Love this.

Why I like short term teams

I like having our short term teams come and work with us here in Costa Rica for numerous reasons.  They bring fun supplies for us to use for our ministry like pipe cleaners, white board markers, and multi-colored yarn.  They help give our kids more one on one attention that they desire and often need to study at the Tutoring Center.  They bring fresh ideas for art activities and girls' club cooking lessons.  And they are another group of people that can speak into the lives of the children and youth of the community where I work.  My kids love me and Jose, but to be honest, it's more exciting having a group of high school or college students from the States who are different and interesting than just a day with the same old same old.  

We have hosted and said good-bye to two summer teams already, and both have been excellent!  Our first group was a group made up almost entirely of college students from Reedly Mennonite Brethren Church, which brought some familiar faces.  Jason Hofer, youth pastor and their team leader, was my high school youth pastor, and so it was really fun spending time with him and his son while they were here.  This group only had 8 members on it, and they were such a relaxed but really fun group to work with.  Our second group from the summer was a team from Indiana, made up mostly of high school students.  The four girls that were at our site had so much energy and love to give to our students, and they made some of the deepest connections I've seen out of any of the students who have come through the doors of the Tutoring Center.  The last Friday that they spent with the kids was a bittersweet day, knowing that they were saying goodbye and had no idea if they would be back in the future.  This is one of the joys but also the realities of working with short term teams- they are an encouragement, help, and just plain fun, but it is also hard to see them leave. 

Below are some highlights of time spent with team members these past weeks:

Jason Hofer and his son, Jacob, took me out to a nice dinner while they were here.  :)

Reedley MB's last day at the Centro

Wonderful high school ladies from Indiana

Showing off our "dogs in a dog" cooking project.

Waiting in line for the piñata

Some of my regular (and favorite!) girls

Team member Jake reading with some of his fan club during Library time

Team member Audrey trying out her Spanish reading skills

Our awesome Reedley MB students

Testimony sharing time during girls' club

Cooking lesson

The entire crazy crew from Indiana along with our SI-CR family

Fantastic Indiana team members