week two in review...

I cannot believe that we have now been here in Costa Rica for 2 weeks!  We are experiencing that ever-so-common effect of time feeling both fleeting and stalling at the same time.  Some days, Kyle, Melissa, and I just look at each other amazed that it is only 3:00 in the afternoon.  But then, it is before I know it and I am sitting down to reflect on what all has happened this week.  

I've been a little frustrated that we have not been able to get into an orphanage yet.  Afterall, THAT is why we are here.  I wish, some days, that we were walking into a program already established here in Costa Rica.  It would be nice to have had someone tell us where to live, or where to shop, or how to handle healthcare issues, or how to buy a car...but those are the things that we have to learn in order to be effective here in ministry.  

However, all these moments have been crucial.  

We have been blessed to partner with an organization that has tremendous vision and tremendous passion.  

In fact, I believe that the pressure we feel to have everything 100% in place is a pressure we have put on ourselves and is actually keeping us from waiting on The Lord to direct our steps.  Just the other day, Tara (Exeuctive Director of ROOM) encouraged us to continue to follow The Lord's pacing referencing Zechariah 4:10.  I cannot recall a time where I had been conscious of this verse but the timing of the reminder has been exactly what I needed: it says, "Do not despise these small beginnings, for The Lord rejoices to see the work begin..."  

The work is beginning for sure and we are rejoicing!

What a beautiful realization that 2 weeks ago having an in-country director for Costa Rica had not yet been realized!

2 weeks ago we had no concept of what it would be like to travel in an airplane with 4 children.  Now, we know what to expect and how to prepare with even more effectiveness.

2 weeks ago we had no concept of what traveling in and around Costa Rica would really look like for us.  Now, we have traveled by taxi, bus, rented a car and have traveled in the city and on the "new" roads...

2 weeks ago we had no point of reference for Costa Rican directions.  Now, when people say, "go to the salon in Tinamastes and take the dirt road past the house with the red roof", we understand.  We also understand that there are no street names.  We understand that making friends with locals is the best way to know where anything and everything is.  Or, your only way.

2 weeks ago we had no real potential long term homes.  We reserved the house we are staying in understanding that we would have 3 weeks to find a house that we would stay in for the next year+.  This has been, by far, the most difficult part for me.  Travel has probably been the most difficult part for Kyle.  But, locating and deciding on a home has been the most difficult part for me.  Probably mostly because of my desire to create a home for my children.  

Just the other day, after a particularly difficult day, I came inside and laid on the bed and decided that God and I really needed to have a conversation.  I asked God if He wanted me to feel unsafe...or maybe I was confusing "uncomfortable" with "unsafe" and I needed Him to direct me.  But whatever was happpening, we needed something to change.  There has been an obvious level of release of security that has happened for us to be here.  And the difficult part has been discerning the difference between God's leading and my comfort.  Am I just uncomfortable or is this God's Spirit leading me? 

What an incredible lesson to be learning in a foreign land! After that night, we had one last house to see.  Yesterday I was overcome with emotion as we found the home...What had been lacking, had been found.  God's faithfulness made evident once again...

2 weeks ago my kids were still unsure of this land.  Last night, Calvary said, "Who loves Costa Rica?" and all four simultaneously raised their hands.  

 So much has happened in 2 weeks.  We have continued to grow and learn and understand what it means to live here.  We have made connections and friendships that are going to be so instrumental in developing and growing ROOM's ministry. 

These are small beginnings, but they are necessary.  We are so happy to be God's instrument for laying the ground work here in Costa Rica.  We have learned so much and are so happy to continue to learn and grow in both love and knowledge of this amazing country and their people.  

"What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.”  1 Corinthians 3:5-9

this week's prayer requests:

1. Safe travels for Melissa who is returning home on Saturday...she has been so wonderful to have here with us.  

2.  It has become obvious that we need to purchase a vehicle...please pray for guidance that we will find a dependable and affordable one.

3.  We are hoping to make the house we viewed yesterday situated 40 min outside of San Isidro our home base...please pray that all goes well.

4.  Our plan today to go and visit 2 orphanages in San Isidro has been stalled due to both Melissa and Finley being sick.  Please pray that both will feel better and that no one else gets sick.  

week one in review...

We have officially been here in Costa Rica for one week and I decided that the best way to celebrate was to review what this week has looked like for us.  So the weird "whoop whoop" sound of some Costa Rican animal (we haven't decided what animal exactly) will serve as my writing ambiance...
Our travel day was relatively uneventful, which when traveling with 4 kids internationally is a blessing in and of itself.  We did have a crazy issue on our flight to San Jose from Miami that ended with us redirecting to Liberia to land and refuel before heading back to San Jose.  We arrived 2 hours later than expected in San Jose but we were so happy to blur through customs and find that our driver, Giovanni, was still waiting for us!
After landing in San Jose we had a long drive to Domincal.  Giovanni introduced us to our first Costa Rican meal at a local soda along the way...the kids were less than impressed, but Kyle, Melissa, and I were thrilled to have some good food after all those hours on planes.
We finally arrived at the "New Road" in Dominical...a loosely used term for an unpaved road full of standing water, lizards and frogs, and pot holes :).  Dominical is beautiful!
We were grateful that it is technically off season here in Costa Rica and the beginning of their rainy or green season because we were able to rent a house for three and a half weeks for the same price as it would have cost to stay in 2 hotel rooms for 1 week.  What a blessing it is to know that we can have  a slower pace of integretion for the kids and gives Kyle and I more time to decide on a house and understand the areas a lot more.
The first few days we devoted mainly to food.  There are not any large supermarkets in Dominical...Both of the ones we have frequented are more like the equivalent of conveince stores in the US.  So, although we were able to find things that we knew we would like easily (produce is abundant!), it was difficult for my mind to switch to picking up a few things at a time instead of stocking up for 2 weeks at a time...we could only purchase what we could carry...
On Monday, we took a bus into San Isidro...San Isidro is known as the unofficial capital of the southern area of CR...bus routes are centered around when they will arrive or depart from San Isidro and the area is bustling with the activity of the 40,000+ people that make up the population of San Isidro...We had decided that we wanted to set up our home base in San Isidro while still back home based on the information we researched.  Our bus ride in was very interesting as we only had standing room for the entirety of the trip...which is no big deal until I think of the kids with us...which is a whole post on its on about how much we love and are grateful for Melissa being here with us.  Once we arrived in San Isidro Kyle and I were on our own.  Directions anywhere in San Isidro, and Costa Rica in general, are pretty much like walk 30 M past the bread store and turn and go 10M.  Again, all that is fine if you have an idea of where the bread store is.  We searched for over 2 hours for the real estate office before we started re-evaluating what Monday would be for us...we started seeing Monday as an exploratory outing...we would find things and experience and practice our Spanish...and be better prepared for the next time we came in and could find the real estate company. We had decided that we needed a local cell phone for making local calls.  So we stopped in to make our first big purchase here.  Kyle did great communicating with the man in Spanish and we left with a little prepaid phone perfect for making local calls.  We also were able to get some help deciphering our directions and set off again to find the real estate agency...after following that man's direction, another man's direction, and a nice lady at the local bakery we arrived at the real estate office...only to find that Diego wasn't there.
yep.
that is exactly how it happened.
So, we made another appointment and headed out to purchase some things for home and then to head home.
To be honest, we were a little discouraged with the day, but it ended up being great because we started seeing the layers of tourist and resident slowly begin to shift and change...we are learning what this country is really like...and that means learning all the intricacies and subtle nuances that add up to big differences.  We don't want to merely visit this country...we want to live here.  We came here to understand the country so we could understand the need.  Understanding the culture is a first step and there is only so much we can gain from reading in books; we have to experience this culture in order to effectively understand it.
We learned several things on Monday:
1.  We have pretty decent Spanish...not great...but enough to carry on a conversation (Kyle is way better than me!).
2.  San Isidro is a unique city busy and full but also still small and intimate.

We have made contact with a local organic farm that has a house on the property that they are looking to rent.  We are praying that this will be the house for us.  We are also praying about the reality of purchasing a vehicle to be more effective in traversing the vast terrain of Costa Rica.
We are also excited about visiting our first orphanage this coming week.

The kids are doing great.  So many people have been thinking of us and praying for us and we know that those prayers have ease this transition.  Calvary has wanted to stay back more often than go when it comes to venturing to the market and he is 1 for 2 when it comes to local fare...but he has done amazingly well.  I am so thankful that having an extra set of hands here has allowed for us to be more flexible with accomodating his transition.  Although it may be slower than the other three, he is adjusting and I am so proud of him.  He has downloaded several spanish apps to practice his spanish and we made a little tent for him to have a little space for himself...funny thing is how much just having that space available makes him feel more relaxed.
Harper is loving all the change and adventure.  She wants to visit every place we go and listen to every conversation.  She tries as much local food as possible and is feeling quite confident in her surroundings.  I have noticed that she has been much more irritable and a little more difficult in her behavior and we talked about how culture shock can happen even when you are enjoying the culture...that her body is exhausted from all the change.
Finley and Oliver Jack are just along for the ride...once they adjusted to the time difference, they were pretty much all set.
My biggest complaint is how much screen time these kids have had...it is driving me crazy.  It is most likely more an indication of how much I am ready for a new normal to begin.  

We are so thankful for everyone's prayers and support.
Our biggest desire is to be used here...to follow His lead.

If you are following along we ask that you pray with us.
Specifically for these things:
1.  That God will lead us to the doorsteps of those that He wants for us to help.
2.  We will continue to grow in our ability to communicate.
3.  That we will find a house.
4.  Continued ease of assimilation for the kids.

Thank you, genuinely, to everyone that has sent us a message either on FB or Viber.  It has been so encouraging to know that we are surrounded by people that may not be here with us physically but are with us fully in spirit.  And thank you, ahead of time, for your prayers...I am already excited about our next update!