Church, the River, and a Cow

Another day has come and gone, and we have learned this: we have much to learn.  We attended church today at the school/mission “Voz Que Clama.”  Although it was 100% in Spanish, Eddie and I (with the help of our Spanish/English Bibles) were able to understand about 10% of what was said.  Many of the songs were familiar tunes and the message was about “fe se ve…” or “Faith is…”  It was a good reminder that even though I feel overwhelmed with learning this language and I see it as impossible, nothing is impossible with God.  I was reminded to have faith that God will help me.

To the left is the room that Jaden will be staying in at the school while Eddie and I have our Spanish lessons.  His babysitter’s name is Diana (pronounced just like my name) and she seems to love him already.  Is God at work, or what?

One more thing about that room: it did not exist just one year ago.  They have not had families with babies attend the school in years, but God knew we were coming.  Just last year, April (one of the other directors) got tired of chasing her son (who is close to Jaden’s age) around during church and requested a Nursery.  They put it together for her and now it is available to children who attend church with their families and students who have small children. 

On our walk home, we could not resist admiring the beauty around us.  And we could not resist dipping our toes in “El Rio de Tuis.”  We walk near it everyday and we can hear it from the driveway of our home.  It was cold but not freezing.  I just kept thinking over and over in shock… “We live here!”

As we walked toward our home, we could hear music coming from the neighbor’s house.   Upon our arrival, we were greeted by Samia’s sister and niece.  Jaden and Ebony had a few minutes to dance and play together before we went in for lunch and a siesta.

Yesterday, we met Gabriella.  She is 17 years old and she was in charge of showing us how to get to and from the city of Turrialba.  She understands and speaks English well, but she is too shy to speak it much.  Turrialba is about 20 min. away, but we had to take the bus and it took about 40 min.  Once we arrived, she showed us the bank, the market, the park, a pizza place, a cell phone store, and a grocery store.  I know that if we had to find them again on our own, we would get lost.  We will not try that on our own just yet, but we will learn.  Jaden made car sounds (vvvvvroom) on the bus all the way to Turrialba, and slept the whole way back to Tuis.   I was not feeling 100% that day, and the trip to the city overwhelmed me greatly.  I know I will get used to it, but it is hard for me to imagine just yet.

On Friday evening, we went to dinner at Samia’s parents’ restaurant.   We were the only ones there to eat and it was 7:00 pm.  They are only open on the weekends, but the rain keeps people away.  Jaden enjoyed the space to dance and run around.  The food was delicious, and Eddie splurged and purchased a Fanta to match his shirt (I know… cheesy, right?).

As I sit here waiting for the photos to upload on this blog, I hear the dogs next door barking like crazy.   I look out the window of our bedroom into the neighbor's yard and what do I see?  A cow.  It was walking to our back yard so I went into the kitchen and opened the back door and look who was looking at me!  He promptly ran away just after he saw me and I snapped this picture.  I guess I will be seeing new things every day, right?  Hopefully I will have my camera handy along the way!  I don't want to forget anything about our experience here.

Costa Rica: Day 1

This is Eddie here.  Let me tell you a little bit about our first day in Costa Rica.  What a day filled with a small dose of culture shock, a medium glass of immediate immersion and a huge bucket of love!  The story begins the day before we took off to the airport.  I know that God uses many different ways to talk to his people but I haven’t experienced many of the ones I will tell you about.  I have mostly experienced hearing God through His Word or through other godly people.  God decided to rock my world the other day through signs.  I was wondering if going to Costa Rica was truly what God wanted us to do.  It was evident through the way God provided the funds we received from the incredible people at Lifepointe Church.  It was also evident with how smoothly everything was going.  Now back to the day before we were leaving.  We were at a park in Coral Springs, FL with my family taking pictures of Jaden (as if there aren’t enough) when a little boy (about 6) kept following us and even insisted on being in some of the pictures.  As I was playing with Jaden and this little boy I noticed the words “Costa Rica” were written on his shirt.  This sweet boy wanted to play with Jaden and his shirt was a reminder to us that: God’s got this. 

Thursday morning, we said our tearful goodbyes and headed to the airport with our large amounts of luggage.  We were waiting in the line to check our bags, pack-n-play, car seat and stroller.  I always hope to get a nice airline-check-in-agent because you never know what they will make you do if their boyfriend had just dumped them the night before.  We ended up getting the sweetest lady who waited patiently for us as I decided last minute to buy some luggage locks from a store in the airport.  I then noticed the agent’s nametag.  Her name was Narcisa.  Notice that the second part of her name spells “cisa.” That is the abbreviated name of the school we are attending here in Costa Rica, “CISA” or “Christian Immersion Spanish Academy.”  To some of you that may sound silly but for us it was just what we needed to take the edge off and know that God is with us. 

After getting through immigration and customs without any problems we met our driver, Daniel, who we would spend the next 2 ½ hours in the car with.  Daniel is one of the co-directors of CISA. 

He is so funny and had also made us more comfortable being in a new country with his sarcastic jokes!  Hector, the other director of CISA, told us to believe only 10% of what Daniel says.  Daniel answered a lot of our questions; but, every once and a while, he would say things like, “I hope you like to eat cats.”  He went on and on about how the families here have one fat (gordo) cat in a cage that they feed to prepare it for feasting.  He almost had me there… until he busted out laughing.  I don’t think Deanna was fooled for one second.  At least that is what she told me.  His next prank came when we stopped for gas.  It is illegal to pump your own gas in Costa Rica, so an attendant comes to pump your gas for you.  I asked him if you had to tip those guys and with all seriousness he said, “Since Costa Ricans are very affectionate the gas attendants only require a kiss on the forehead.  He will come around to your window and lean his head in for a kiss at any moment.” I am so gullible because I believed him for a quick second and then remembered the cat story.  I am not very smart.  He had us rolling many times!

This a picture of the house we are living in for three months with our host family.  We learned that they added an addition onto the house last year just for hosting students.  It is the left side behind the carport.  You can see our bedroom window.  One thing we noticed is how clean yet simple they live.  There are no screens on the windows, and the windows are always open.  The door is often left open, as you can see in the picture.  We noticed that bugs to come in at night as they are attracted to the light,

but they don't really bother us.  We have not been bit by mosquitoes or anything.  We do have to watch out for ants, though.  To the left is a picture of a grass hopper we noticed right outside our bedroom window.  It is huge, but it did not bother us.

This is the view from the front door of our host home.  You can see the town plaza (aka: soccer field) right out our front door.  There is a fence around it and those blue things are benches spaced evenly all the way around it.  It is a good place to go and play when it is not raining.

Once we arrived at our host home we were welcomed with open arms from Samia (mom), José Pablo (12 year old boy) and Jimena (14 year old girl).  We met their father Freddy later when he arrived home from work.  They lifted Jaden up into their arms and kissed him immediately saying “que lindo, que lindo!” (which means “how cute”). Freddy and Samia told me that we are family now and if we needed anything to let them know.  We ate dinner with them and I tried to communicate with the little bit of Spanish that I knew.  I surprisingly understood more than I thought I would, but not surprisingly was not able to speak much in return.  Deanna actually understood some also and was asking me for some help with some phrases.  

After dinner we got to meet some of Samia’s next-door neighbors. It was actually her sister and brother-in-law and their two daughters.  We had a party as Freddy played some salsa and merengue music and Jaden didn’t hesitate to baila (dance). He was doing an interesting dance move as he bounced with his knees bent, butt extended and fists clenched.  I didn’t teach him those moves. Samia’s niece is only two months older than Jaden and her name is Ebony.

She was very shy at first but eventually started calling Deanna and me her Tia and her Tio, which means her Aunt and Uncle.  Overall, we feel welcomed here in Tuis de Turrialba, Costa Rica.  Oh, did I mention that Samia works as a chef on the weekends at a restaurant?  She has been preparing very delicious food!  It has been amazing and very healthy!  We spent some time in prayer our first night just thanking God for his signs of confirmation and his warm embrace as we have truly stepped out of our comfort zone.  Glory a Dios! Glory to God!

Captions by Deanna:

This Jaden and Willie, the family dog, out in the middle of the road. He is very well trained and only stays outside. We like Willie. He accompanies us on our walks to school or the bus stop.

Here, Jaden found a guava on the ground.  While we were having orientation at the school, he found one just outside the door.  He brought it inside and started throwing it like a ball.  It was fine until it exploded and spread guava juice, fruit, and seeds all over the floor.  Just after I took this picture, he took a step forward into the mud.  He the proceeded to scream because he was stuck... he couldn't lift his foot as it suctioned into the mud and it freaked him out.

This is our bedroom.  

Behind the pink dresser is Jaden's "bedroom."  We set up the pack-n-play in that little nook and put the dresser in front of it.  He sleeps much better when he cannot see us.  So far it has worked very well.  You can also see in the picture that we have our own bathroom with a shower!  This room is more than we expected and we feel blessed to be able to live with such a sweet family.

Florida Family

We are in Costa Rica, but before we update you on that, we don’t want to forget about the week we spend in Florida with family and friends.  We enjoyed time of relaxation and memory making.  I think I packed and un-packed and re-packed our suitcases about 4 times (just trying to stay under 50 lbs. each).  Olivia came to visit, and the next time we see her she will be a mother!

We celebrated Eric’s birthday with a rained on BBQ at Eddie’s parents house.   Even with the rain, we had an enjoyable afternoon.  I got to try out a new recipe: Crème Brulee!  And Eddie got to play with fire!

Tata (Eddie’s grandfather) had purchased a large stuffed tiger many years ago.  Since his passing, that tiger has been a reminder of him and his sense of humor.  Jaden was introduced to that tiger.   As you can see, he started out a little nervous but quickly warmed up to it.

Jaden also got to spend a little time with his great grandmother, Bisabuela.  She enjoyed his besos along with the rest of the family.

Jaden also had his first opportunity to play along with the Berrios family as they make beautiful music together.  He loved it!  And Eddie enjoyed playing guitar and singing with his sister, too!

It was a special time before we headed to Costa Rica for 6 months.  Although we plan to see our families in just 3 months, the adventure has been emotionally taxing on me.  I am excited, nervous, over-whelmed and yet totally at peace about the path God has led us on.  I know He is holding my hand.  Even so, a tear or two slips out every once and awhile with out my permission.   

Goodbye North Carolina, Hello Florida

This has been a week!  Our last Sunday at Lifepointe Church has come and gone.  Sunday, September 16^th was a day filled with emotion, both tearful and joyful.  The tears shed were softened by the smiles and laughs to accompany them.  The words of encouragement shared (both written and spoken) were just what we needed to remind us that we will be both missed and prayed for.

The “Going Away Party” was a celebration of the ministry we had at Lifepointe Church (not a celebration of us leaving… Right?)  The party theme reflected the culture we are about to find ourselves in.  The food, the color scheme, the beverages, the desserts, the decorations… all had thought put in by the amazing pastors’ wives and other awesome Lifepointe Staff and church members.  We cannot thank you enough.  (I really have to work on my photo skills because I forgot to take pictures… again.  I promise to get better at that.)

There was a “welcome” speech given by Donnie, an introduction and story time from Joel, and an 8-page letter tearfully read by Eddie to the amazing men who were his friends and co-workers for the past 4 years.  The mood was lightened with a video montage of Eddie and all his silliness weirdness on display - forever recorded on film.  It was a reminder of the joy he found in working at such an awesome church, with such an awesome staff who make ministry both fun and meaningful.  Thank you, Lifepointe Church.

We went home exhausted from the day and sat down and read all of your amazing cards and words of encouragement.  We couldn’t ask for a better church family!

Monday morning came bright and early.  We had quite a few last minute things to pack, we had a truck to pick up and a car to load on its trailer (we sold my car in timing that only God could have arranged), and Eddie’s dad was flying in to help with our move.  A sweet woman from the church walked over to our apartment just to surprise us and help us out by watching Jaden for us while we loaded the moving truck.  That was a detail I had not planned on, but thankfully I serve God who thinks of even the little things.  She was a blessing to us, as we did not have to worry about his safety as the “movers” carried all our possessions down our stairs and out the door.

 Best movers ever!

Speaking of “movers,” back to the amazing staff of Lifepointe Church.  We had help from AJ, Cynthia, Carolyn, Todd, Joel, Rob, Donnie, and… I better not forget: Peewee.  He was just a stranger on the street who came to work… and boy did he work!  His energy level and enthusiasm was through the roof!  I will admit, his yelling and cheering began to stress me out as he was ready to load EVERYTHING on the truck, whether I was still taping the box shut or not.  God was teaching me a bit of patience that day, I guess.  The truck was loaded in an hour and a half, and we were thankful for every trip made up and down those stairs by many helping hands (and feet)!

After the apartment was empty, clean and we had our tearful goodbye, we headed to a hotel.  As we showered and readied ourselves for dinner and bed, we had an un-expected phone call.  Four teens from our youth called to see where we were… They were outside our apartment, and wanted to hang out.  Well, needless to say we took the opportunity to invite them to dinner with us for one last night of hanging out before we hit the road.  Thanks to them, the dinner was full of laughter and conversation (and a doormat) that we will treasure in our hearts.  The evening ended with “besos” for everyone… even the Statue of Liberty!

Tuesday Morning: Eddie and his dad hit the road for a 12-15 hour drive (that actually took 16 hours) to Coral Springs, Florida.  I was blessed to be able to make the trip via Southwest Airlines!  Jaden and I were there in 2 hours.  Before heading to the airport, we got to have breakfast with three amazing girls, and one sweet baby Jackson.  It was good to have those last moments with friends before our adventure began.

After a tearful goodbye at the airport, we boarded the plane.  Jaden was good, although he did not sleep a wink (as I had hoped).  When we landed, I got word from Eddie that they were making progress, but the bad news was that a tire had blown. 

Let me back up a second… I had packed a fairly large “over-night bag” for my flight, even though the moving truck would arrive in less than 24-hrs with all the rest of the belongings we own.  Eddie was slightly annoyed at my over-packing, but I did it in preparation for “the worst.”  I told the girls at breakfast that I was just preparing for the unexpected.  Like, what if they didn’t make it in 12-15 hours as planned and they had to stop and stay in a hotel or something? I didn’t want to say it to Eddie, but I said to the girls at breakfast: “what if a tire blows, or something?”  If you know me, I like to be prepared, and I have had a lot of practice with over-packing in my lifetime!  Upon hearing the news from Eddie about the tire, I had an I told-you-so moment politely told him I was thankful he was not hurt and that I hoped it would get fixed quickly so that they could be back on the road.

Miraculously, they pulled over in front of a tire company, but were told on the phone that they had to wait for over an hour for the moving truck’s company technician to come to change the tire instead.  Discouraged, Eddie and his dad took a walk around the shopping plaza near there.  As they walked, Dad said “Wouldn’t it be something if the guy from that tire place just walked over and told us he would fix our tire?”   I guess God wanted to remind us that He is a God of details and love, because that is exactly what happened.  Turns out, the guy goes to church with the technician who was on his way.  He said “I’m going to take the old tire off and get it ready for him so that when he gets here, all he has to do is put on the new tire and you can be on your way.”  What a GOD-MOMENT!  It was done in 10 minutes and they were back on the road!

Wednesday Morning:  Thanks to Amanda, Eric and Eddie’s parents, the garage was cleaned out and ready for our stuff to be unloaded for storage for the next 6 months.  The unloading took about 2 hours and there was plenty of room for our belongings.  As we unloaded and then stacked each box in the garage, we were reminded of a giant puzzle.  We tried to utilize every inch of space from the ground to the ceiling.  As we fit each piece into place, I was careful to make sure we were not going to need anything out of each box before it was stacked.  Well, I was not careful enough. Once the truck was empty and “puzzle pieces” in place, I sat down in the comfort of the air-conditioned house.  It was then that I realized I forgot to get something out.  I had meant to look for it along the way (using my carefully detailed and numbered list of what was in each box).  What I was looking for was not that important but important enough to me to at least try to see if I could find it.  I located it on my list: box #24… now, to the garage to look for said box.  I glanced around knowing that the amount of boxes visible to me was minimal, and the amount of boxes accessible to me was even less.  My God, who is God even in the details, answered yet another simple prayer of mine.  In less than 5 minutes, the item was retrieved and the boxes re-stacked.  I found that to be a reason to praise God, although I realize that it was an insignificant moment to most every other person on this planet.  Needless to say, the burden of “moving” has been lifted off our shoulders and I can check that task off my “to do” list (at least for another 6 months).

 I'm pointing at box #24

We are “settled” for the next week and all we have left to do is spend time with family and some last minute packing before we leave for Costa Rica in 7 days!!!  Thank you for reading this, if in fact you still are.  Please keep us in your prayers as we make last minute preparations and for smooth travel.  Also pray that God helps me overcome my weakness: OVER-packing! 

Our Costa Rican Familia

We received an email over the weekend to inform us of who we will be living with once we get to CISA.  This is the information we received about our host family:

"The Artavia-Mata family consists of the parents, Samia (35 yrs. old), Freddy (35 yrs. old), and their two children.  Their daughter is named "Jimena."  She is 13 years old and is in grade 8.  She enjoys typical young teen things such as doing her hair and being with friends.  Their son is named "Jose Pablo."  He is 12 years old and is in grade 6.  He enjoys playing video games and skateboarding.  He also likes to play soccer.

Samia is a seamstress and works from home.  From Friday to Sunday she works at her parents' restaurant.  She enjoys doing exercises, going swimming, running and cooking.  She always enjoys talking and spending time with her kids!

Her husband Freddy works as an inspector for Costa Rica's electricity company, "ICE."  He works during the day and is home in the evenings.  In his spare time, he enjoys exercising, playing soccer and spending time with his family.

Their house is located across from the "plaza" - the town's soccer field.  It is located about 15 min walking distance from CISA.  It is in a very safe and quiet neighborhood."

This is a picture of Samia and Jimena in front of their house... our new house starting Sept. 28!!!

We are so excited to meet our new "familia" and Eddie is THRILLED about the soccer field being across the street!!!  This email alone made our upcoming adventure seem a bit more real to me.  I am working on repeating their names over and over in my head so that I can at least remember them.

"Why?"

Are you wondering “Why Costa Rica?”

We have so many people who have lovingly suggested we “stay here in Raleigh and just work on our language-learning skills via Rosetta Stone.”  We agreed.  We would love to stay in Raleigh and learn to speak Spanish fluently.  Actually, over the past 4 years, we made a valiant effort tried (a little).  We tried a computer program.  We tried a tutor.  Eddie even bought a Spanish textbook with a CD and Spanish-English Bible.  We thought that would be easier, and we wish it were that simple.  Unfortunately, it didn’t stick. God is calling us to more than just “fitting it in” to our current life-style.  He has called us to immersion.  Or, as a friend suggested: Spanish “baptism.”

You may or may not know who we are; either way, you may not know how this decision to pack up and move to Costa Rica came about.  We want to share a little more about ourselves, and how we came to this decision. 

My husband, Eddie, is Puerto Rican and grew up with bi-lingual parents.  Although he heard Spanish spoken throughout his life, he is not fluent in Spanish.  For many years now, he has had a strong desire to learn the language.  Because of his “Hispanic look,” many people assume that he can speak Spanish.  He has been discouraged from time to time when his lack of Spanish-fluency gets in the way of ministry opportunities.  He knows that being fluent in Spanish would increase his connection with the Hispanic community and help him to communicate the gospel to the lost.

I am just a little Dutch girl who is “as white as they come” (in the words of Casto last Sunday).  I know almost no Spanish.  Oh, I know numbers and colors and a few other elementary-level words here and there.  Hey, one of my first words as a child was “zapatos.” That means “shoes” in Spanish, and I learned that thanks to my big sisters.  I even took 2 years of Spanish in high school.  Unfortunately, I struggled in those classes and I came away not retaining much of the language.  I want to learn Spanish along with my husband and my son, and I have a feeling I will be the “slow” one of the three of us. (Prayers for me to stay frustration-free would be much appreciated).

Eddie and I met in Florida and were married in June of 2007.  In July of 2007, we moved to Raleigh, North Carolina where my husband attended Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and God blessed me with a job at Gorman Christian Academy where I taught Kindergarten.

Shortly after we got married, Eddie was interested in doing overseas missions.  I was hesitant because I wanted him to finish school so we could have a baby and I could fulfill my dream of being a stay-at-home-mom.  3 ½ years later, Eddie graduated and I was pregnant with our first son.  Currently, he leads worship at Lifepointe Church, which is a multi-site, non-denominational church.  Our church has three locations, and Eddie spent the last year and a half working full-time as a worship leader and youth pastor for the West site.  After the birth of our son, I became a stay-at-home-mom. Our one-year-old fills my days with smiles and laughter, and I of course consider him to be the cutest kid on the face of this earth!

True to my sister’s endearing nickname for me, the “Princess” got exactly what she wanted.  A few months ago, I felt God tugging on my heart.  He reminded me that I had “achieved my dream” of having a child and staying home with him.  I couldn’t be happier.  He is the happiest, healthiest, and easiest baby a mom could ever hope for.  I have been through 3 different women’s Bible studies at my church over the last year, and all of them have reminded me of God’s will for us to share his love with others.  Soon, I felt my heart opening to a willingness to step out in obedience to wherever God called, although I did not know what that would look like.  I just knew our child adjusts well to our ever-changing schedule and frequent traveling life-style.   If you have to take a baby on the mission field, what more could you ask for?  As soon as I shared this newfound change of heart with my husband, he hopped to it.  He was already ready and had been for years.  He began seeking counsel from our pastor and other staff members of our church.  We were praying about God opening the door for us to go overseas sometime in the next few years. 

One morning, we were searching for a new apartment to move into because the deadline to give our 60-day notice was almost upon us.  We were planning on moving, but our radar was set on somewhere in West Raleigh.  Later that day, Eddie met with Donnie, the lead pastor of our church.  In that meeting, it was discussed that so many things were lining up to make this a prime time to go. He encouraged us to “seize the day.” It seemed like now or never.  With our pastor’s support, our church’s support, and a peace from God, we decided to take the steps needed to GO.  We just needed to see where God would lead us.

Two days later, Eddie got a phone call from his sister who felt led by God to (and I quote) “go wherever you go” to do ministry.  Her recent visit to NC had reminded her how much she missed doing ministry with her big brother, and she felt called to join us in our adventure.  

She will be joining us in this 6-month immersion program.  She was even the one to find and to tell us about CISA, the school we will be attending in Costa Rica.  Things were falling into place faster than we ever imagined, and we knew God’s hand was upon it.   He even used our moving date as a motivation for us to make decisions quickly.  We have been at peace every step of the way knowing that if this was not God’s will, He would be closing the door. 

Well, that door has remained open.  And many more doors opened along the way.  We shared our news with our families, our church family, and our friends.  We dug out our passports and applied for one for Jaden.  We started raising money to cover the cost laid out in the budget provided by the school for the 6 months we planned to be there.  We purchased our plane tickets.  We got our vaccinations.  We started getting rid of things we don’t need and started packing the things we do.  We still have a lot more packing to do, and we are trying to squeeze in and savor every last moment with our friends before we go. 

We are moving all of our belonging to Coral Springs (near Miami) where Eddie’s parents live.  10 days later we hop on a plane, and: Costa Rica, here we come!  When we return from Costa Rica, our plan is to move to a Spanish-speaking community where we can continue practicing our new skill.  Eddie hopes to get a job at a church where we can minister to the Hispanic community that surrounds it.  Now, where that may be?  Only God knows, and we trust Him to tell us.  Miami is on our radar, but we are not in the driver’s seat.