Have been spending the last 4 days at the Webbs' house here on the Seminary campus. Shelley is the Coordinator of the CALL program, which I am involved in for language study, and David coordinates evangelism for the South Area, which is Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. They are on vacation at the beach, so I am hear taking care of their dog and enjoying the privacy!
Thursday afternoon Estaban, Anna (my companeros in language study) and I were invited to the Armstrong's house. Scott and Emily are also American missionaries here (there are 3 American families), but live outside the campus. Scott's mom and brother are here visiting, and they invited us over for the afternoon and evening, and we enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner! It was great fun, and, of course I ate too much.
Saturday some of us were going to go hikng at a national park (yes, my ankle is fine now!), but ended up not going for various reasons, and it turned out to be a wonderful day of prayer for me.... I am so thankful for God's Spirit who moves within me and transforms me and makes me anew.....
I am also thankful for the team here. Wednesday I had a meeting with Dr. Helmer Juarez, Partnership Liason for the MAC Region (so my boss), and we talked for almost 2 hours about projects and plans for the future -- and almost completely in Spanish!! It was amazing -- when we got stuck, one of us would say a few words in English, and then when understanding dawned, return to Spanish....I'm also having meetings with others on the leadership team here so that they will understand better what partnerships are, and so that I will understand more clearly what their roles are. Good stuff!
It's kind of weird -- I still have 2 weeks to go here, but find myself preparing for leaving in many ways.....
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
El clima
I love the weather here -- today is the first time it has dipped below 70 degrees in my apartment -- and it's never been hotter than 78. Everyone is walking around in coats today.... Often (the rainy season isn't over yet), like today, it is misty much of the day, but it is still bright when it's cloudy. It's also often windy, you can hear it whistling around the windows, but when you go outside it's still fairly warm.
Everything grows so fast -- 2 weeks ago one of the groundskeepers cut down the brush around a certain tree, and today it is already almost a foot high..... this is a 12 acre campus, and there are 2 f-t people who spend the whole day mowing, weeding, and raking -- and they do it rain or shine! I have seen one of them mowing while holding an umbrella.....
Everything grows so fast -- 2 weeks ago one of the groundskeepers cut down the brush around a certain tree, and today it is already almost a foot high..... this is a 12 acre campus, and there are 2 f-t people who spend the whole day mowing, weeding, and raking -- and they do it rain or shine! I have seen one of them mowing while holding an umbrella.....
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Sunday, November 8, 2009
La clinica
OK, so each day I fill up at least one notecard with vocab words - 20 per card. Some I get from my lesson, others from my reading, etc. Came across a list of words related to hospitals/illness/body parts -- since one of my friends here was in the hospital last week with kidney stones, I thought they'd be good to learn. Sure did come in handy....
Thurs eve coming from the laundry room, I fell, and injured my 'bad' ankle. Pain was severe enough at first that I lost consciousness briefly and everyone (1/2 of the seminary campus population!!) thought I'd hit my head. When I came to, I realized I was holding unmentionables that I'd gotten out of the washing machine, so had to discreetly pass them off to my roommate... Because everyone thought I might have a concussion, they wanted me to go to the hospital. By the time la ambulancia arrived, I was doing fine, and trying to get out of going -- but Dr. Saenz (the boss) said he thought I should go, so I did. The ambulance guys were very nice, and Shelley went with me.
Both of my doctors (generalist and orthopedist) seemed happy to practice their English with me, and I was very psyched that I remembered Spanish words for ankle, knee, etc. They wanted me to have a head CAT scan, so after the xrays, wheeled me to the scanning room -- only it was locked!! There was much puzzlement and scurrying around, and finally they took me back -- apparently the machine was broken..... so at least I didn't have to have a CAT scan!
Today the ankle is doing well -- the inflammation is less, and there is very little pain. I have an apt tomorrow eve with the orthopedist, and hopefully he will tell me that I can start walking without the crutches.
Scheduled to fly to Nicaragua on Thurs with Dr. Juarez to check out the ENC MicrEnterprise project -- and we will meet Prof. Bill Driscoll there -- so I want to be healthy enough to be able to get around!!
I'm hoping and praying that during the 8 weeks here there will be no more excitement like this to report....
On a more up note, today at church I really think I was understanding more...gracias a Dios!
Thurs eve coming from the laundry room, I fell, and injured my 'bad' ankle. Pain was severe enough at first that I lost consciousness briefly and everyone (1/2 of the seminary campus population!!) thought I'd hit my head. When I came to, I realized I was holding unmentionables that I'd gotten out of the washing machine, so had to discreetly pass them off to my roommate... Because everyone thought I might have a concussion, they wanted me to go to the hospital. By the time la ambulancia arrived, I was doing fine, and trying to get out of going -- but Dr. Saenz (the boss) said he thought I should go, so I did. The ambulance guys were very nice, and Shelley went with me.
Both of my doctors (generalist and orthopedist) seemed happy to practice their English with me, and I was very psyched that I remembered Spanish words for ankle, knee, etc. They wanted me to have a head CAT scan, so after the xrays, wheeled me to the scanning room -- only it was locked!! There was much puzzlement and scurrying around, and finally they took me back -- apparently the machine was broken..... so at least I didn't have to have a CAT scan!
Today the ankle is doing well -- the inflammation is less, and there is very little pain. I have an apt tomorrow eve with the orthopedist, and hopefully he will tell me that I can start walking without the crutches.
Scheduled to fly to Nicaragua on Thurs with Dr. Juarez to check out the ENC MicrEnterprise project -- and we will meet Prof. Bill Driscoll there -- so I want to be healthy enough to be able to get around!!
I'm hoping and praying that during the 8 weeks here there will be no more excitement like this to report....
On a more up note, today at church I really think I was understanding more...gracias a Dios!
Sunday, November 1, 2009
La Cumbre Santidad
Just finished 2 days of a holiness conference with people from all over Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean -- 400 pastors and other church leaders. It was very encouraging to see so many young leaders, in early and mid-20's. Times of worship here are very loud and engaging -- wonderful music!! The keyboard player made the keyboard sound like a grand piano -- everything from very contemporary worship music to the Hallelujah chorus....
One of the wonderful surprises of this conference is that I saw so many people I know, including my friend Vicky from Guatemala (we stayed with Vicky and her family when we adoped Charissa 22 years ago!) and Eliezel from the Dominican Republic -- did a missions trip with ENC students there in 2000, and Eliezel was one of our leaders! He is now a volunteer missionary on the campus here.
The speakers were very good, and I practised my Spanish a lot -- though I still found it difficult to understand a lot. During the first plenary session it started pouring -- all the roofs here are made of metal, and what a racket! Even with a decent sound system, it was difficult to hear anything at all! We've now had 2 absolutely gorgeous days of sunshine, though -- and even though it seems to me that it rains a lot here, people are concerned that it hasn't rained enough, and that it may be jeopardizing the water supply.
On a more mundane level, went to the little building next door to do my laundry yesterday, and surpised a foot long-or-so lizard who was sunning himself just inside the doorway. He was un poco 'gordo', but had no trouble getting away from me very quickly!!
One of the wonderful surprises of this conference is that I saw so many people I know, including my friend Vicky from Guatemala (we stayed with Vicky and her family when we adoped Charissa 22 years ago!) and Eliezel from the Dominican Republic -- did a missions trip with ENC students there in 2000, and Eliezel was one of our leaders! He is now a volunteer missionary on the campus here.
The speakers were very good, and I practised my Spanish a lot -- though I still found it difficult to understand a lot. During the first plenary session it started pouring -- all the roofs here are made of metal, and what a racket! Even with a decent sound system, it was difficult to hear anything at all! We've now had 2 absolutely gorgeous days of sunshine, though -- and even though it seems to me that it rains a lot here, people are concerned that it hasn't rained enough, and that it may be jeopardizing the water supply.
On a more mundane level, went to the little building next door to do my laundry yesterday, and surpised a foot long-or-so lizard who was sunning himself just inside the doorway. He was un poco 'gordo', but had no trouble getting away from me very quickly!!
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Feeling stupid
I'm getting tired of feeling stupid. I spend 3 hours in Spanish class, cram as much Spanish as I can into my head, then am not able to carry on an ordinary conversation.... ugh. I know I'm here to learn, but yuck. I've decided that the difference between coming to Latin America with a missions team and coming to learn Spanish is that with the latter you feel stupid all the time....
OK, it's not all frustration, just sometimes..... Went out for ice cream with the Webb family a few days ago, and David had just returned from a trip to SE Costa Rica, where there is an indigenous people numbering 23,000. When the road ended, they had to walk for an hour and a half to get to the village they were seeking, fording 2 rivers on the way. The group they met with had been started by some other denomination several years ago, but has had no contact with them for awhile. David and the others served communion to them for the first time, and performed weddings -- very cool stuff!
Sunday I went to a church nearby with a retired missionary (Allan Wilson) -- he had started the church 37 years ago and they had asked him to come for their anniversary. It was very special - an 85 year old lady was also celebrating her birthday, and her family was the first one to attend that church -- she was so moved to see Rev. Wilson, was wonderful to listen to their reminiscing, and during the service they showed pictures from years ago.......
Anyhow, I guess humility and perseverance are the English words for the day.....
OK, it's not all frustration, just sometimes..... Went out for ice cream with the Webb family a few days ago, and David had just returned from a trip to SE Costa Rica, where there is an indigenous people numbering 23,000. When the road ended, they had to walk for an hour and a half to get to the village they were seeking, fording 2 rivers on the way. The group they met with had been started by some other denomination several years ago, but has had no contact with them for awhile. David and the others served communion to them for the first time, and performed weddings -- very cool stuff!
Sunday I went to a church nearby with a retired missionary (Allan Wilson) -- he had started the church 37 years ago and they had asked him to come for their anniversary. It was very special - an 85 year old lady was also celebrating her birthday, and her family was the first one to attend that church -- she was so moved to see Rev. Wilson, was wonderful to listen to their reminiscing, and during the service they showed pictures from years ago.......
Anyhow, I guess humility and perseverance are the English words for the day.....
Monday, October 26, 2009
Missionary moment
Had a 'missionary moment' today. I've been looking for a way to gather my curtains during the day so that breeze can come through the window, but the string I had planned to bring got left behind. I've been using twist ties -- don't work that great, and look ugly (feo). I put on a skirt today that I had bought just before I left -- clearance rack at Walmart! It had those little ribbon loops on so that you can hang it on a regular hanger -- I always cut them off, so I did, and eureka, they make great tiebacks for my curtains!!
It's all good. :-)
It's all good. :-)
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Week One
Week one is over - on one hand, it feels like I've been here 2 months, and the other hand, like I just got here. Language study is going OK. It's wonderful to be able to focus on it, with not a lot else I need to do, but my brain so often feels stretched beyond its limits. And, of course, I just want to improve faster than I am!!
Pretty settled in to mi apartamento and with my companera de cuarto, Esther. We try to speak only in Spanish, but she speaks very fast, with a Mexican accent... hmmm.. we're still using a lot of hand signals.....
Went to the grocery store by myself on Fri, and was very proud !
I've discovered since I got here that my guidebook was mistaken -- the rainy season does NOT end by late Oct! It's hard to believe how much it rains, yet everyone tells me they are concerned because they have not had as much rain as usual, and they are concerned about the water supply...guess I'm not going to have to worry about getting a sunburn...
Pretty settled in to mi apartamento and with my companera de cuarto, Esther. We try to speak only in Spanish, but she speaks very fast, with a Mexican accent... hmmm.. we're still using a lot of hand signals.....
Went to the grocery store by myself on Fri, and was very proud !
I've discovered since I got here that my guidebook was mistaken -- the rainy season does NOT end by late Oct! It's hard to believe how much it rains, yet everyone tells me they are concerned because they have not had as much rain as usual, and they are concerned about the water supply...guess I'm not going to have to worry about getting a sunburn...
Monday, October 19, 2009
Estoy aqui!
Arrived yesterday afternoon. Flights were long and late, but not bad. Had to get up at 3:30 am, though, and got lost on the way to the airport, in downtown Nashville.... Shelley, David, and Kayla Webb met me at the airport, and I got to visit a grocery store before they brought me to the apt. It's one that's owned by WalMart.... lots of variety, has both food and health/beauty items and a pharmacy. Prices actually seemed similiar to the states, so it's clear that many people can't afford a lot of the products I was seeing. I can use American dollars (they look at them very carefully, and they have to be nice and crisp and new looking), and then receive change in colones. So now I am officially bi-financial, though not bi-lingual yet....
Today I had some orientation in the am, met a lot of the staff at the MAC Regional Office, the South Area Office, and the Seminary, (all housed here on a 15 acre campus), went to the grocery store, and had my first Spanish lesson! Esta bien!
Weather here is in the 70's but very humid, so feels warmer. Pretty cloudy -- we are at the end of the rainy season -- thunder and lightning a couple of times, and once it rained pretty hard for 20 minutes or so. We are at an elevation of about 3,000 feet, and there are high mountains all around us, and it is quite breezy sometimes. Of course, I'm still wishing for a nice ceiling fan....
Today I had some orientation in the am, met a lot of the staff at the MAC Regional Office, the South Area Office, and the Seminary, (all housed here on a 15 acre campus), went to the grocery store, and had my first Spanish lesson! Esta bien!
Weather here is in the 70's but very humid, so feels warmer. Pretty cloudy -- we are at the end of the rainy season -- thunder and lightning a couple of times, and once it rained pretty hard for 20 minutes or so. We are at an elevation of about 3,000 feet, and there are high mountains all around us, and it is quite breezy sometimes. Of course, I'm still wishing for a nice ceiling fan....
Friday, October 16, 2009
Nashville
Well, finally flew out of Logan at 7:30 this am... can't believe how difficult it was to get packed -- I must have packed and repacked 6 times!! Because I will be in an apt, I needed all my linens, including a blanket, and then some kitchen stuff -- my suitcases were both over 50 pounds before I even packed any clothes! So I kept shifting stuff around and taking stuff out, and when I finally got to the airport they said they were both 1 pound over -- but they didn't give me any hassle about it....
Am at Trevecca Nazarene University today and tomorrow participating in Cross Cultural Orientation. I love listening to why people are here -- but I'm having trouble staying awake! Going to bed early tonight, so hopefully that won't be a problem tomorrow. Staying with my good friends Heather and Brad Daugherty and their little girl -- spent most of the evening reading books.....
My new apt mate sent me a video of the apt -- it seems very cute, and I am getting very excited about being there...leave Nashville at 6:30 am on Sunday, and get there about noon time.
I sent out an em update Wed, and heard back from so many people before I left -- was very cool, and I've felt really strengthened by all the people who prayed with me before I left.
On the plane today, I suddenly felt very rootless and panicky -- like, what in the world am I doing? Hold me up, Lord....
Am at Trevecca Nazarene University today and tomorrow participating in Cross Cultural Orientation. I love listening to why people are here -- but I'm having trouble staying awake! Going to bed early tonight, so hopefully that won't be a problem tomorrow. Staying with my good friends Heather and Brad Daugherty and their little girl -- spent most of the evening reading books.....
My new apt mate sent me a video of the apt -- it seems very cute, and I am getting very excited about being there...leave Nashville at 6:30 am on Sunday, and get there about noon time.
I sent out an em update Wed, and heard back from so many people before I left -- was very cool, and I've felt really strengthened by all the people who prayed with me before I left.
On the plane today, I suddenly felt very rootless and panicky -- like, what in the world am I doing? Hold me up, Lord....
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Getting ready
I finished my job at ENC this week, very bittersweet...so many details to take care of before I leave, and every once in awhile this panic hits me -- what in the world am I doing?! What am I thinking? and then I'm paralyzed for a bit... until I remember who God is and what he has already done in and through me... and, then I move on.... there really is an advantage to being on the other side of 50 -- there are so many evidences of God's love, grace and leading to look back to.... and they give me energy and faith for what's ahead....
buying, packing... do I need to take this with me?..... learning new technology - blogging, skype, webcam, camcorder.... what do I need to do before I go - mow the lawn, pay bills, spend time with family, remember to tell David this or that.....
can I really do this? this isn't just for a week, it's for 2 months - surrounded by Spanish, studying grammar -- will I have a constant headache?! no English-speaking husband or roomies to talk to at night.....
how will things go at home when I'm gone? homesickness... missing the grandchildren....
and then what will this partnership stuff look like when I return?
guess I need to focus.....
buying, packing... do I need to take this with me?..... learning new technology - blogging, skype, webcam, camcorder.... what do I need to do before I go - mow the lawn, pay bills, spend time with family, remember to tell David this or that.....
can I really do this? this isn't just for a week, it's for 2 months - surrounded by Spanish, studying grammar -- will I have a constant headache?! no English-speaking husband or roomies to talk to at night.....
how will things go at home when I'm gone? homesickness... missing the grandchildren....
and then what will this partnership stuff look like when I return?
guess I need to focus.....
Thursday, September 24, 2009
A new thing
Isaiah 43: 18-20 Forget about what's happened; don't keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I'm about to do something brand-new. It's bursting out! Don't you see it? There it is! I'm making a road through the desert, rivers in the badlands. (TM)
So, this is a new thing -- not just this blog, though that's new enough - but leaving my job, and going to Costa Rica for 2 months to learn Spanish (OK, the trying to learn Spanish is an old thing, but immersing myself in it is certainly new!)... Lord, give me courage! This is a God-thing, and I believe You are 'making a road'...help me to rely on Your wisdom..
So, this is a new thing -- not just this blog, though that's new enough - but leaving my job, and going to Costa Rica for 2 months to learn Spanish (OK, the trying to learn Spanish is an old thing, but immersing myself in it is certainly new!)... Lord, give me courage! This is a God-thing, and I believe You are 'making a road'...help me to rely on Your wisdom..
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