Latesgiving

Thanksgiving did not go at all as planned this year. If you recall, I was incredibly gung-ho about preparing the perfect feast and cooking everything myself from scratch. I scoured the internet for recipes that don't require ovens (since nobody has one and those that do are afraid to use them). I found a reliable recipe for stuffing and of course, mashed taters, but pie was going to be the trickiest.

Planning was difficult, but progressing when I received notice that the youth group trip to Alajuela to return the favor of conducting the Sabbath School and Church service was moved to Thanksgiving weekend. This meant that practice was moved to Wednesday and Thursday night before leaving on Friday. This, in turn, meant that there would be no time for cooking or feasting. I was devastated, but feigning optimism, I called my parents, informed them of trouble and arranged to skype them in between school and practice: a 3 hour window. It ended up perfectly. I talked to my family and they showed me all the great food I was missing out on. Our conversations ended pleasantly, and though I was sad not to be there with them, I realized how happy I am to be where I am, doing what I'm doing.

Friday came and with it, the trip to Alajuela. I was tired to begin with, but after the long car ride and a couple hours of practicing, I was ready to sleep. So needless to say, I was a little irked by the fact that everyone in the house decided to stay up 'til 12:30. Amazingly, I was ready for the day when I woke up. I showered, breakfasted, got in costume and headed to church, which was just 6 houses down. The Sabbath School Service was a play of sorts with special music, scripture and the mission story mixed in. It was the story of the 10 virgins. I was one of the 5 that didn't bring extra oil. My part in the play was to say a few lines and...wait for it...sing special music. In Spanish!!! I sang Solo Cristo (None but Jesus). I was really nervous, but I made it through with only one noticeable squeak. The rest of the service went beautifully. After church, we had a deliciously filling potluck and then nap before evening worship, supper, and evening games.

Supper is back on track with the topic of Thanksgiving. Our group went to PriceSmart, which is the exact same as Costco. It was wonderful. We got pizza and then we roamed the halls of the store and low and behold, we came across a pumpkin pie. I was so happy that I did a little dance. Obviously, I bought it.

After supper and evening games (which I did not participate in on account of being too full), we went back to the house where I was happy to stay up and talk to my new friends from Alajuela. We stayed up 'til nearly 1 am. Next day, we went to some pools where we swam and got some much needed sun. By the end of the day, I was flushed but not burnt. It was glorious. After bidding farewell to everyone, we made the long trek up the mountain to Monteverde where it was raining, per usual. And yet, I was happy to be back in the comfort of this town I've grown to love over the last *gasp* 3 months. I still can't believe it's been that long.

Finally Monday came. This was the day Nate, Calle and I were planning to celebrate Thanksgiving. We used the packet of mashed taters that came from WWU Student Missions, the pumpkin pie I bought in Alajuela, and to this mix we added corn, homemade stuffing, sparkling grape juice and rootbeer floats. It was glorious. We laughed, we listened to music and we took pictures. Then we carefully set up the dinner table, said a prayer ("God on three, 1, 2, 3, GOD!!!") and dug in. We ate soooo much. Many smiles, laughs and burps (kind of a contest) later, we cleaned up and went into Calle's room and watched Psych. I ate so much I couldn't lay on my stomach. I was so happy.

Reflecting back on it all, I don't mind at all that Thanksgiving didn't turn out how I planned. I wasn't home, but if I had been home, I wouldn't have met so many awesome people, I wouldn't be teaching, I'd still be horrible at Spanish. As it stands, everything that happened to hinder my plans of "The Perfect Thanksgiving" just made it better. Just another reminder that God is in control and that his plans are better than mine.

Jesus and the 10 virgins

Clearing my throat before the big Spanish debut

Oh soymilk, how I miss thee

Stuffing in the makings

I dish it out real good.

Happy to the point of squinting

Salud!

Pumpkin pleasure

A visitor

Come and see...

Whenever folks asked Mother Teresa about her work...how it was going, what life was like, she would say, "Come and see." - Shane Claiborne, The Irrestistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical

It's about time I issued a request for service. In less than 3 weeks, I will be the only volunteer here. As we near test week and eventually, graduation, I am becoming acutely aware of what this could mean for the school. Currently, we have 5 teachers (Yolanda and Tere split up the day so that someone can be in the office). To function well, we need 4 teachers and a Director. When Nate and Calle leave, we will have me, Tere and Yolanda, who was actually due to retire last year. Although the church is very active and dearly wishes that volunteers were not necessary to run their school, the reality is that the school cannot afford to run without volunteers.
My request to you is that you would seriously consider coming to serve a school year here. Pray and ponder this request carefully. If this is not in God's will for you, maybe it's His will for someone else. Please refer your friends to the Mission Call here and to me if they have any questions. The call can be a bit confusing, so let me break it down for you. This is what you need to know:
The request is for service from February 13, 2011 to December 17, 2011 (10 months) in beautiful Monteverde, Costa Rica. *Clarification. I know this call will be over in less than a month, they just haven't posted the new one. You can still apply to this one.* The school is grades kinder (starting age 3) to 7th grade (considered to be high school). Teaching of all subjects is fair game---Bible, Math, Science, Music, Social Studies, Art, English, etc...Living arrangements will most likely be with a family who has a child in the school or possibly with the Director. You will receive a stipend of $100 (US) each month. Pretty much every store up here accepts US dollars and they will give you change in Colones so changing money is easy and there are plenty of ATMs. You don't need to apply for a Visa (though you do need a passport), which is really handy. You just need to leave the country every 90 days and your Visa is automatically renewed. For any other questions, refer to the Mission Call or ask me. I'm glad to answer questions.
Now it's time for me to gush about how awesome it is here. The school is small and growing too. Things have been tough, financially, but it's getting better. The school is awesome because you get to know all the kids individually; no one gets left behind. The church family is wonderful as well. They have a very active youth group so it's easy to make friends by going to the worship they have every Thursday or to game night after sundown on Sabbath. Monteverde is also a really safe and friendly town. It's a big location for tourists even though it's 2 hours away from another paved road. Teaching is hard work, I can't deny it, but it's so rewarding. When I least expect it, I'm completely blown away by my children. For example...The kinders are learning not to take toys or hit each other...My 1st graders can spell almost all their spelling words from memory...I found a way to get my 5th-7th graders interested in music...My 3rd and 4th graders are actually paying attention in class...It's a really beautiful thing. I literally could not stop smiling in my first grade science class today because I found out they had been studying at home. They noticed and laughed at me because of my goofy grin.
Honestly, I do miss home sometimes, but I've grown so much and learned so much that I can honestly say that I in no way regret coming. Coming here is one of the best decisions I've ever made. Please take my request seriously and pray about it. If you are called to serve, God will find a way to get you here, so don't even try the money excuse on me, haha. =] If you are not called, pass this on to anyone you think might be even mildly interested. Paz y amor!

Independence Day!!!

In Central America, September 15 is a well known holiday. It's Independence Day! It's a big deal like in the States, only this is for multiple countries. Pretty cool stuff.

Sisters getting ready for the parade!

Happy Calle

Cheese!!! Nate and Daniel

Daniela, 7th grade

Monse, 1st grade

Tony, 1st grade. This kid is ridiculously sweet and ridiculously tall.
He's only about 8 inches shorter than me!!!

Fabian, 4th grade

Photoshop fun with Nate

Johan, Kinder

Belen, 3rd grade

Tracy, 7th grade

Yolanda!!! Our wonderful directora

Ugggggggghhh...

Brothers, Pablo, 4th grade and Johan, Kinder 

The other Johan, also kinder

Tere, wonderful woman and teacher and her son, Esteban
Who loves the stache?!?

Rachell, 1st grade

Little sister Sofia

Valeria, 1st grade

Esteban

Rudi aka Shirley Temple, Cousin of Esteban

Rudi and Kayra (used to be in Kinder but recently left the school...so sad)

Goodbye dinner for Daniel

Goodbye party for Daniel at Ivan and Mayi's

Monse, Thug Life =]

Overwhelmed

It's not what you think. I'm not overwhelmed by the work I'm doing, though it is tiresome at times. I'm wholly, utterly, unreservedly thankful for everything I have. I know it's not thanksgiving, but why wait for a holiday when I can be thankful right now? Everything about today just threw my blessings right in front of me and I can't not share them with you.

Clear skies - This morning, the sun came out and it remained clear for much of the day. In fact, I can see all the stars right now. It rained for a total of 9 days straight. I hope I never take a clear sky for granted again. I love the sun and I love stars. Sometimes, it takes horrible weather to remind me of this.

New tastes - Almost as soon as I got home tonight, Jeison handed me a piece of sugar cane. Soooo yummy. I've had it before, but it just reminds me of all the wonderful things I've gotten to eat and try here. Firstly, you should know that I've been reconverted to the love of eggs. For those of you who don't know, before last spring, I hadn't eaten an egg (by itself) for at least 3 years. Now I eat them all the time and they're quite delicious, I must say. I even had one over easy and liked it! Big steps for me. I also got to try Mamon Chino (lychee fruit) and starfruit, both of which are absolutely delicious. I've also tasted quite of few things I don't like (I don't remember names otherwise I'd share) but they make me enjoy everything else so much, I don't really mind in the end. I love food.

My Costa Rican family - They are one of the biggest joys in my life. This morning I had to chase Sofia through the house in order to get her hair combed before school. We laughed the entire time. Then this afternoon as we were watching a video in Kinder class, she gently worked her way onto my lap and fell asleep. Have you ever had a child fall asleep on your lap? It was perhaps the most sublime interaction I've ever shared with another person. She is precious and I love her. Aileen is maybe the most kindhearted person I've ever met. She always draws me darling pictures of the family (with me included!) or asks me if I need anything. She loves to tell me stories. I hope to have a child as sweet as her one day. Kindria is like a big sister and a mom all wrapped into one. Not only does she take care of me, but she talks with me, shows me new things to cook and laughs at me when I get freaked out by the giant bugs that frequently wander into our home. Jeison is awesome too. He built me a door for my room and is always ready to share exciting things about Costa Rica with me. He has a wealth of knowledge to share and I appreciate it.

My biological family - I got a package from my parentals today! It was filled with stickers and other small trinkets for kids. It also contained a MUCH appreciated Spanish/English Bible, an Adventist Hymnal (in Spanish and with the actual music so I can learn the songs properly), earbuds, a recipe for homemade play-doh, and chocolate covered caramels (definitely my Dad's doing). So much joy from one box! My parents are really so wonderful. They never fail to take care of me and even when they don't give me what I want, I know that they're doing what is best for me. I miss them like crazy. I miss my brothers too. It's been so great getting postcards from Phil and I always hope that he and Mike are online when I have free time because I love talking with them. They have had a profound influence on the person I am today. I love my family.

Mail - As evidenced by the bit about the package I received, you probably already realize that I love mail. It's such a joy to get something by mail. A postcard, a letter, a package...all are wonderful. Mail is extra special because we all know that it takes more time to write a letter and put it in the mail than it does to get online and leave a comment via facebook or send an email. Not that those are bad; I love those too, but I always squeal in delight when I get a letter. Snail mail is beautiful.

Friends - I'm so glad Nate and Calle are here. I'm really going to miss them when they leave. They've been so much fun to work with and hang out with too. In fact, we just finished doing Yoga (P90x). We are just like a little family and I'm really glad I've gotten to know them here. Now to all the rest of you. You know, I miss you a lot too. If you're reading this, I would like to send an extra little dose of thanks your way. =] Really, I'm just thankful for all of you. Thanks for the prayers and the letters and the kind words on facebook and the skype time. I can feel the love even though I'm countries away. I love you all!

God - I'm thankful for God because he's the reason I'm so blessed. He gave me friend and family and he's the reason I'm here in Costa Rica. God is good all the time and all the time, God is good.

Excitement to the maxxxxx!!!

I just got the best news ever!!! Seriously!!! My parents are going to be here for Christmas!!!!!!!! They'll be here December 15-27! I'm the luckiest girl alive!

Here's some of my past Christmases. Hope you enjoy!

Baby's first Christmas

Back when we actually sent out Christmas cards

Who's jealous of Phil's rad haircut?

Even Vega joins in the fun

Haro Christmas. You kinda had to be there...

Snowshoeing on Christmas day!!!