I kill them every time I see them, What would you do?

What a week...
Thanksgiving came and went without much ado here. It is not celebrated and it took us several days just to find a turkey. We made do with what little traditional food we could find and gave thanks to the Lord for his provisions.
Christmas on the other hand is serious. Trees and nativity scenes are up everywhere. Banks, grocery stores and front lawns. I am told that there is much celebration to be had in the weeks leading to Christmas day. Can't wait to experience it all though I'm not sure how it will feel hanging out at the beach near Christmas time.
We have filled our house in these last couple of days with things that have made it feel more like home.
We finally have a washing machine and boy do I appreciate it. It is not a Maytag or Whirlpool or even a GE. This is a top of the line Sankey. The left side is for washing. The top is removable so that the water can fall into the bin. The right side is where you would transfer the clothes for spinning after they are clean. Sounds like a lot of work?

Try washing by hand the way I have been doing the past month and this bad boy becomes a dream come true. 

We bought sofas, beds, kitchenware and a table that our church gave us the night before Thanksgiving day. While setting up the beds last night, I thought of how sad it would be to have to leave here in 11 more months. I can't dwell on the future however, it is all in the Lord's hand. 

The children are making friends at our church and picking up the Spanish more and more. The family that owns the Panaderia down the hill asked us if we would allow our girls to hang around their 18 year old granddaughter in hopes that they could teach each other Spanish and English. We of course agreed and they spent their first day on Friday talking, laughing and taking pictures together.

 It was the cutest thing hearing them in the kitchen touching and naming all the things in the cabinets and fridge to each other. 

Tony has partnered with his brother (from another mother) in an internet cafe, which has kept him busy lately. This in turn has made it impossible for me to continue using him as my crutch in the language barrier. So the girls and I have decided that we will have to venture out on our own during the week and figure out what they are saying, no matter what. If we get lost on a bus and end up in Panama...well, at least the fare to get back won't break us. 

I wish I had more pictures to show all of the unusual yet beautiful things that we see. The other day, two big, gorgeous white horses were standing by the bus stop. They were so pretty, too bad I was too afraid to walk up to them and pet them. Enormous butterflies fly into our home daily and get trapped which provides hours of entertainment for the little kids. Birds, all colors of the rainbow hang out in  my back yard. They fly into the trees and hop from branch to branch. Hummingbirds visit me daily outside my bedroom window and lets not forget the friendly neighborhood dogs that come sniffing by my door as I cook dinner. Ha!

There's really only one thing that bothers me and its the huge disgusting spiders! They are large and in charge. Someone here said that the biggest one they saw had a face! I believe them....

(The picture does not do that monster justice, it was huge)

Not a day goes by without me destroying one of these nasty critters. Tony keeps telling me that they are going to gang up on me for killing so many of their family member and I swear the other day Catia was crawling on the ground with a jacket on. I saw her from the corner of my eye and almost jumped out of my skin thinking she was a grandaddy spider coming for me. Well, I haven't stopped killing them, so I guess my luck hasn't run out yet. 

Prayer and bible study has been really important to me lately as the Lord has been revealing himself in different ways to me and my family. These people are not afraid of the gospel and talking about the Lord with neighbors and store clerks is not taboo. Everyone is not saved, but they do not deny God. As I look around I wonder how anyone can with all of the beauty that the Lord has around us. Romans 1:20 "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse." Just looking outside my window at the sky, the clouds and the mountains and I revel in the Lords greatness. 

Yes, man is without excuse, but we as Christians are also without excuse when it comes to spreading his word. Join me this week in making a point to speak to someone about our God. 

more to come...

Getting to know you...

So it's been almost a month here in Costa Rica and yes, I still love it. Don't get me wrong, there have been hiccups. The church that I wrote about last post supposedly started at 1pm, right...Wrong! Either the neighbor gave us the wrong information or we just didn't understand what he was saying but we were just shy of 3 hours late. Ha!
On a positive note, we absolutely adore this little Pentecostal church called "Eglesia de Guatuso". The beginning of every service (4 days a week) consists of 45 min of prayer. Yes, I said it, 45 minutes of non-stop, get on your feet or stay on your knees, kneeled at the altar or in your seat prayer! Yes!

Everyone and I mean everyone comes over and kisses you on the cheek with a "Dios Vendiga" (God bless) after service. They are very friendly, so if you are not the touchy type.... stay clear! Two nights ago we had the Pastors over for coffee and I actually got the kids to come out and sing for them in Spanish. Ok, so I paid them 100 colones each, but it was worth it. (smile)

 What a blessing it is to know that the family and fellowship of Christians can be found no matter where you set your feet... Amen!

Water is shut off here every once in a while for various reasons. We didn't know this until we turned on the faucet to have some tea and realized... oh, just like that huh? I thought, no problem. Landlord said that we have a reserve tank, that should get us through. Tony went out back to check it and yes, you guessed it, empty. Water must have been out for a while and we used up all of the reserve.
"No prob" said our friendly neighbor the next morning. He told Tony to follow him to his house and he can use all the water he wanted from his faucet out back.
"Gracias Senor! You are so kind." and hence came our water for the next 2 days.

If anyone is wondering, we do not have a washing machine as of yet. I can't really blame anyone but myself since I would never buy one brand new and used ones on craigslist seem to go pretty quickly. So, I have learned the art of handwashing. Thank goodness for a lovely, bright laundry room with a built in washing bin and a covered area for the clothes to hang. Honestly, a little bit of music in my ear and willing kids to hang the clothes makes the chore... not so bad.

There is no doubt that things are different here. Portions are much smaller at the grocery stores. I have seen just one gallon of milk since I've been here. All the rest are sold in quarts. No huge tubs of butter or half gallons of creamer. Neither are there huge boxes of laundry detergent or gallons of fabric softener.
The first time I purchased bananas at the farm stand I asked for 12. The young man behind the counter opened his eyes wide and said "doce banana?!?" I felt odd, so I explained to him that we have 8 children. He then smiled and shook his head ok. Now, they are happy to see us coming down the hill with our shopping bags.

As we become more and more familiar with the merchants here, they are eager to help us learn the language while learning a bit of English themselves. My spanish is still pretty rough, but at least now I can go out alone and not feel totally lost in translation.

Homeschooling is up and going. Kids are back into the swing of things and hating it! Ha! I try to tell them that they have it easy. I only require Bible study, journaling, math, literature, writing, science, history and a generous amount of Costa Rica study which can all be done in their pajamas. Younger kids spend a lot of time outdoors discovering new bugs, plants and birds. The worst has been a big black hairy spider that I dare call a tarantula. Yuck!

I'm ready to be settled so we can begin some missions work. I know that the Lord has the timing in his control and when we begin, it will be amazing!

More to come...

We have internet!

Almost 2 weeks since we've been here and internet has just arrived. We were fortunate enough to have been able to borrow our friendly neighbors wi-fi in the meantime. A few days after our arrival we took a bus down to the ICE agency to obtain internet. The agent told us that we needed a phone line, a new one, not the one we already had. We said "OK, no problem can you give us a phone line?" He replied "Sure, it will take 6 months." So with our heads hanging low, we left the office and headed back home. We eventually decided to call the landlord and ask if there was any way to get the internet sooner. He said that he had a personal friend at ICE and he would call in a favor. Less than 3 days later, we had internet. I guess it's all about who you know.... and a bit of 'Favor'   ; )

I'm surprised that I have not missed having a truck to get around. The bus rides are a trip! One evening after shopping in the city of San Jose, we were on a bus going up the mountain. The curves were sharp and the bus was taking them better than a Mazda Miata! It was pretty full and there was a passenger hanging outside the bus door, waving to various people we passed. The driver smiled the whole time and people thanked him as they got off. At times, I had to look around to see if anyone was frightened by how fast the bus was going but they all looked pretty relaxed, so I figured this must be normal. As we exited the bus there were 4 huge cows standing around the bus stop eating grass. They must have gotten out of the yard nearby...I'm not scared of cows or anything, but thought it best to cross the road and walk away slowly.
(smile)

We have befriended the local people at the panaderia (bakery), carneceria (butcher), and ferria (farmers market). We stop in and buy baguettes, bananas, plantains, chicken, eggs, etc. and chat for a while before we move on. Conversations are light since my spanish is so rough, but they are patient and kind to me and the children. Tony does well in speaking and translating for me. The local fruit and vegetables are really inexpensive. Bananas are a dozen for a little less than $.80 and Pineapples are $.50 each. The bakery sells all sorts of bread with our without cheese. We have taken a liking to the flaky pastry bread with ground beef and spices which sells for less than $.50 each.

One thing that was not expected is that it gets chilly in the mountains. There are 12 different ecosystems in Costa Rica of which we happen to be in the cooler highlands. It has been cool the past few days with all of the rain and the sun not being able to warm the house through the sunroofs in every room.
Other than needing a few extra sweaters and blankets (that we were not expecting to need), we are adjusting. It sure beats winters in Maine.

(Roses in the front yard)

We woke up this morning expecting to make it to church at about 9am. Tony walked to the church first and called to let me know that church does not start until 1pm... Yes!  I sure hope I love it, it is only a 10 minute walk down the hill. Will let you all know next blog.

More to come...

Hello Costa Rica!

We have been in Costa Rica for six days and I'm wondering when the honeymoon will be over. I love this place! The views from my hilltop home are spectacular, the people are friendly and inviting and the temperature is amazing. Our visit in Florida was great. We had a chance to see family and friends and relax a bit before our exit out of the U.S.

Or last day was a Tuesday morning and as we rushed to the airport, late as usual, all I could think of was; what in the world would we do if we missed our flight.

We arrived to the airport an hour before the plane departed. A not so nice gentlemen working for Spirit Airlines looked at us and said “You are late, you're not gonna make it!” I tried to smile while handing him all 10 of our passports and I asked if we could just hurry through check in. He asked where my husband was. I told him that Tony was dropping off the rental car and he said “Your husband is not here!?! You have 20 kids and 50 bags... You're not gonna make it!”

(Blank Stare)

He was starting to wear on my nerves! I ignored his comments and proceeded to check in with a nice young lady who tried her best to get us in the system and check in our 8 bags. (Yes 8 bags, not 20)

Thank goodness Tony arrive shortly and began helping with the bags and my anxiety. Half way through check in, the grumpy, not so nice moron who got up on the wrong side of the bed gentlemen returned and said “You have a problem. You are flying on a one way ticket and need a return flight. As I knew this may be an issue with flying into a foreign country, I had purchased bus tickets out of Costa Rica to Nicaragua. (Thank God)

I pulled them out of my backpack and gave them to him and he walked away without saying a word and I smiled with a little bit of satisfaction. : )

Minutes later the young lady had checked us in and we were literally running through the airport to get through TSA. Oh boy, was that a doozy! All ten of us removing shoes, earrings and belts. Laptops had to be removed from each backpack and placed in bins with cellphones and keys. That alone took us a good 30 minutes. After that was over, we were once again running through the airport to get to our gate with only minutes to go. As we approached the gate I could see the agents pointing towards us. They were probably wondering what happened to 10 of their passengers. Out of breath and relieved, we boarded the plane and I sat down, closed my eyes and exhaled.

We arrived in Costa Rica and the the first thing the kids commented on was the gorgeous mountains surrounding the airport. We called our Taxi driver from our last trip and he arrived promptly with 2 vehicles including a van and a 5 passenger car. The weather was pristine. We were home in about 30 minutes. I truly had forgotten how beautiful the house was. The kids ran through picking out their bedrooms and claiming bathrooms. I headed to my favorite spot which was the back windows that opens up to a panoramic view of the valley and mountains that seem to hold the clouds above in an endless embrace. We all headed out an hour later and purchased a few essentials. Tony's phone rang and it was our friend Mario (the taxi driver). He said “I feel shame. I dropped you off and realized that you all did not have beds to sleep on. I will come by later and give you blankets and mattresses” We tried to tell him that we would be ok, and that he should not worry, but he would not take no for an answer. True to his word, he and a few friends were by later that evening with blankets and mattresses. We slept that night in comfort.

(Favorite spot for morning coffee or evening tea)

Next few days were very adventurous. We explored our neighborhood by foot and by bus. We went out with 2-3 kids at a time and sometimes just Tony and I. The bus rides were a bit crowded at times but never did I see an older person or woman with child have to stand up. The younger passengers always stood up and offered their seats. My Spanish has improved these last few days and the children are beginning to explore on their own which will help them to improve.

I thank God for this opportunity and can't wait to see what more he has in store.

More to come...