Tag Archives: Missions

WWJD?

15 Nov

WWJD?  Probably not what I did.  I didn’t make an instant move, though.  I thought it through and the end result was what I hoped was right.  It’s all about these sandals.  They’re Kyah’s.  She took them off at Kidspoint a couple of weeks ago and we never saw them again.  Then, Cristel came to our house to play and I noticed them on her feet.  I asked where she got them and she just looked at me like a deer in the headlights of a 4×4.  Her sister spoke up and said they were a gift from her aunt, while at the same time, several other girls began to rat her out.  I was conflicted.  I felt that if I let her keep them, even though she knew that I knew they weren’t her shoes, I was reinforcing the negative behavior.  So, I grabbed her by the foot, yanked the shoes off, and she took off crying and running for home.  Not really.  Well, she did take off for home with big crocodile tears, but I politely asked her for them back because they weren’t her shoes.  I’m so mean.  Writing this makes me feel guilty.  I wish I had a pair of sandals that are actually her size to give her.  I just couldn’t gift her something that was stolen.  What would you have done?

Amigos

12 Nov

In our small barrio we have met some of the most wonderful people.  People we will stay connected with throughout the remainder of our lives.  We have developed true  friendships – the kind where they just pop up at your house to hang out – no  invitation needed. We had friends like that in the states (and we miss them like crazy!), but here it has been more difficult to find heart friends.  Why?  At first we didn’t know Spanish well, so that was an obvious barrier.  I also think being here as “missionaries” put a flashing light above our heads.  It’s unfortunate, but many missionaries will enter a place and try to convince people they need to become more like them. i.e. wear certain clothes and don’t wear others, fix your hair a certain way, do this, but don’t do that.  We have always had the mentality that God would change the things that need changed and we are going to live a transparent, authentic life.

Some of our new friends live just a few houses away.  Robert and Cody both have a love for fishing and he was the first one to invite Cody to hunt lobsters at night with a water pistol.  Swimming with crocodiles and/or sharks at night would freak me out, but not Cody.  I love my manly man.  As you may or may not know, I also love to fish.  One of the many things that Cody loved about me when we first met.  Haha!  Many women don’t fish and I don’t enjoy being the “only female” so I usually stay behind.  Luckily, Robert’s wife Rudy is a fisherwoman.  So, as couples (with our small daughters) we get to hang out and fish every once in a while.  Then we usually have a big dinner and enjoy the day’s catch.

Kyah and Ester ready to roll.

We took the boat down a back river that comes off the ocean. These trees lined both sides of almost the entire thing.

One of Cody's fish.

Robert cleaning some of the fish. We caught 11 that day!

FINALLY getting to swim!

Typical 4

16 Oct

Kyah is 4.  A true 4 year old.  She loves to dance, talk, sing, dance, laugh, read books, dance, paint pictures, tell jokes, and play with her friends.  She LOVES to play.  I can remember my mom-in-law commenting on the fact that she would rather be outdoors than inside playing…and that’s when she was only a year and some odd months old.  It’s who she is.  She will always choose playing outside with her friends over just about everything else.   The way she plays reminds me of the way we used to play when I was a kid. Growing up my brother and I were always running around outside, riding our bikes, playing with the neighbor kids, playing catch, building dirt towns, shooting hoops, and just getting dirty. So many kids today “play” by sitting in front of a computer or video game, AND their parents are fine with it.  Such a sad world that has been created for kids to get wrapped up in.  They are missing out on the true joys of just being a child.

One of the things that stuck out at me right away when we moved to this new barrio was how all the kids play together.  They aren’t ever separated by age – i.e. big kids play this, little kids play that- or- “you can’t play with us because you’re too young”.  They all just get along and play together. It’s truly a  refreshing thing to watch.

About 3 months ago we started a kids club here and in another location.  This constant and consistent interaction has allowed  us to build up a trust with the kids in a way we never could have on our own.  The crazy way God works things out never ceases to amaze me.  For example, the house we were planning on renting prior to moving here ended up being owned by a loco and so we had to begin the search again. To say we were disappointed is an understatement.  Then, we landed the place we are in now and it is the ideal location for all things kids.  It’s the perfect place for us.  *Get out of the way, Stephanie, and let God take care of things!*  On any given day there are between 4 to 15 kids running around.  We have a HUGE yard, 10 times bigger than the states, and we’re the place to hang.  I wouldn’t want it any other way.  I’ve been teaching some of the older girls how to make hair bows and have been able to have some real conversations with them about how awesome our God is.  We do not take our work here lightly.  When you know you’re where God wants you, even if for a season, life is much more fulfilling.  “It is joy unspeakable and full of glory…”  true bliss.

Used toothpaste

28 Jul

Carlos is our next door neighbor.  He’s 5 and the oldest of 3, all with different dads.  His father is the local crack head and is not really a part of his life.  His stepdad, Cesar, is from Nicaragua.  He is a local fisherman and a friend of Cody’s.  His mother, Jennifer, has a horrible reputation and we have been warned by other Ticos not to let her around our “stuff”.  Apparently her fingers are a little sticky.  She’s also known to spread her legs for money.

Sounds like my kind of family. (Regardless of the validity of her “vulgar” sins, they still equate to my “tame” sins. Sin is sin.)

Carlos and his brother Nawell spend more time playing at our house than they do at their’s.  Forget the front gate, they just climb over the fence between our homes.  Jennifer and I have spent many, many hours talking and getting to know one another.  She gives us Red Snapper and I bake them cookies.  They are the kind of people Jesus would have hung out with and I want to be more like Him.

Kyah’s school day starts with a prayer, a breakfast, and an assembly line of Kinder kids brushing their teeth.  She recently talked me into buying her a new tube of toothpaste, although her old one was still half full.  ”But I don’t have the princess kind mommy!”  Sucker, party of one.

Last night she came to me holding both tubes of her toothpaste.  She asked me if she could give her other tube to Carlos because he doesn’t have any.  I was so proud of her thoughtfulness.  She saw a need and a way to fulfill it.  So we packed her Fancy Nancy backpack this morning with both her tubes of toothpaste.  We couldn’t walk to school fast enough.  As soon as prayers and breakfast were complete she rushed to her backpack and presented the gift to Carlos.  You would have thought he’d just been handed a new bike or a puppy.  He had a smile from ear to ear and kept asking her repeatedly if it was really his.  She just giggled and told him it was for him to keep.  This story might seem small and insignificant, but it speaks volumes to me.  It shows me that my little girl’s heart is in the right place.  She is experiencing the reality of “it’s better to give than to receive”.

Forgotten moments

4 Dec

It has been a long and twisted road, but my husband and I are finally doing it.  Moving to a country we know little about to minister to people that at points will scare the beJesus out of me.  This blog will tell the story of a journey from security to living totally and completely by faith. If you know anything about me, you are well aware that I like to be in control of my environment.  I know living the life of a missionary mommy will test me physically, mentally and spiritually, but I’m SO FREAKIN’ EXCITED!  So, this is for me.  If you want to read my day to day blahness, go right on ahead.  I hope this forum will allow me a chance to capture moments that might otherwise be forgotten.

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