The infamous box

In Las Fuentes, we have been incredibly blessed in our partnership with the church there. It's been over 2 years that I've been working out of the church rent free. They've been very gracious in allowing us to use their space and various resources there. It's been a huge blessing. There are still some drawbacks in not having a place of our own, however we are taking steps towards growing and bettering what we do have available to us. For example, for the last 2 years or so in Las Fuentes, because we don't have a space that is just for us, we have kept all of our materials and supplies locked in a 2'x3' plastic box that we would have to carry up and down stairs from where we would store it to where we would have our program with the kids. It was pretty hefty and jam-packed with lots of great things. But it was also not the easiest to manage with having to move it all the time and having little hands rummaging through it, making it seemingly impossible to keep it in some kind of order or system. So, with the amazing servant's hearts of Jeremy and those working with him at the woodshop, we put in a request for some kind of cabinet that we could lock and keep up in a more permanent spot in one of the rooms where we work with kids in the church. In not much time at all, the cabinet was finished and moved into it's place in Las Fuentes! And we are so very grateful for not having to lug that large box up and down the stairs and having a more organized and larger place to keep all of our supplies! Below are some pictures of the day that we got the cabinet and transferred everything from the box to the oh-so-spacious cabinet.




This is a picture of everything we took out of the box and various other places to put inside the cabinet.




You can see the infamous old box in the background, being cleaned out.




Nicole and Mark helped out with the transfer and the Jeffs, on the right, helped move the cabinet and put it in it's place.




SO neat and organized!!!!




Functional and beautiful!




I love it!

A whole lot 'a talking going on

One week ago, I returned from a trip to the states---California, being the specific one I visited, actually. Ya see, what actually happened is that every year, my home church in Hanford has a Mission Fair. And each year they have a guest speaker. This year they asked Dave Hansen (the president of Students International) and I to be the speakers- a tag team type of effort. So, after some anxious weeks of prayers and nervous planning, I flew back to CA for the event. On Saturday, there was an international dinner, including a salsa (the food kind) contest! Following the dinner, there was a time when people could go around and here different people from different organizations speaking about their ministries. There were four sessions, so that people could here each of the speakers. In this time, Dave and I gave a little introduction to Students International- what it is- what we do. And then I spoke a little more specifically just about what all is going on with SI Costa Rica. It was good to be able to share that much with people in my home church that have supported me and seen this facet of God's plan begin to develop in my life. It was also very encouraging to see so many familiar faces. Which was also SUPER helpful Sunday morning, two services, when I saw the hundreds of chairs (I'm really bad at estimating, it could have been less...like 12...well, no, not really. I'm pretty positive it was more than 12) beginning to be filled with bodies- living ones, with ears, ready to listen.....to me =/ But I gave it all to God. Dave spoke some, gave kind of an introduction, I, then, gave kind of my personal story and testimony in missions and then Dave closed it out. It seemed to go pretty smoothly and well. It was also amazing to be able to have all of my family there, parents, brothers and sister-in-law, everyone!

Afterwards, I got to spend some quality time with my family all together, which I LOVED, of course. Throughout the following week, I also got to meet with people who are either coming to Costa Rica this next year or are interested in doing so. My mom and I even made a trip down to L.A. to get some paper work for my religious visa application for Costa Rica. It was a really good trip- pretty full, of all good things, but also a good time of being able to see and share with my church family, as well as my family-family and some friends. =)

Mission Fair

Announcement! Exciting/a little nerve-wracking:



My home church, First Baptist Church of Hanford, is having their annual MIssion Fair April 9-10. They have asked Dave Hansen (the president of Students International) and I to be the speakers. So, I will be in the Central California area at that time and while I do not revel in the idea of speaking in front of large groups, I would love to see you then and have your support for this event. Even if you're not able to attend, please keep me in your prayers, as I'm pretty nervous about it. I'm sure it'll be great and I have confidence that God will give me the words that He has for everyone to hear. Thank you for your prayers =)

Teams and the Fuent

In Las Fuentes, we've begun to put into practice some of the new ideas for this year. One of these ideas for the boys and girls club was to assign a theme or a value to each month. Each week of that month, we set aside some time to talk about different aspects of that value and do some kind of activity with it. Some examples of these themes are, Goals, Self-worth and Respect. It's something the kids are still getting the hang of, but there have been some good discussions that have come of it and it's been helpful to refer back to for the children in other situations.

In hopes of creating a more community centerish type of environment (but without the whole actual physical building part), I've been brainstorming and creating a list of special activities to take place on Friday afternoons. Some compiling of resources, supplies and able-bodied help are still needed for many of the activities, but so far, we have also been able to host two movie afternoons. For these events, we were able to borrow a projector to have more of the big screen kind of feel. We were given permission to use the community building (where we also do aerobics), which also provided chairs and we brought snacks to make the whole movie watching experience complete. We chose movies appropriate for the ages of those that came, between 4 and 13. Although, some had made suggestions of movies ahead of time that would not have been appropriate, we stuck with movies like, Monsters Vs. Aliens (the Pixar one) and Yogi Bear. They all loved it, even the too cool for school ones- I saw them laughing. This is just a small thing that I'm sure a lot of them maybe haven't able to experience before. And starting out with this kind of activity, rather than something more complicated or involving, I feel like they'd be more likely to get involved when we plan for things that require some more involvement, such as tournaments or special projects. So far it seems to be going pretty well. Each time we've had about 20 kids show up and they behaved excellently both times, also showing me that I can attempt something a little more challenging with them. Especially when teams are here to help direct such activities.


Speaking of teams, we've had our first two student teams of the year. The first group was made up of a team from Jupiter Christian High School in Florida and an Intervarsity group from James Madison University in Virginia. The second group contained a women's soccer team from Crown College in Minnesota and a team from Taylor University in Indiana. Both of these groups were excellent and gave us a great jumping off point for the year and the teams to come. They were very willing to jump in, flexible with everything and very encouraging with their interest and care for the work being done here.


Here are a few pictures from one of the movie days with the kiddos:


















Our movie clan, making our best monster and alien faces! Krysta and Tracey Dixon (neither of which are pictured here) came to help out on separate occasions. Erin Janzen, who is pictured here, also came to help out.

Women's Trip!

Back in February, we had a group of about 25 women from California, Texas, Guatemala and Austria, one of which was my mom, that all met down here in Costa Rica for an SI women's trip! It was great to be able to spend time with so many women that I'd known from California and Guatemala and to get to know the others. It was also amazing to be able to share in it all with my mom. She'd come to visit before, but never in the context of an actual outreach, so I think it was good for her, along with the others I'd known as well, to see what all goes on in my site and how teams fit into that. We had a good and very encouraging week with this team. It was not without it's challenges, though. In working with kids of the age that I do, pre-teen or early teens, there presents quite a few challenges with disciplinary issues. This women's team got to see some of these challenges first hand, but were very supportive and encouraging in how it was handled. It's always exciting having new people work and experience our lives here, but there's something special about sharing it with those who are close to you or have known you beforehand.

Below are some pictures from this outreach:





Janice Hansen (who lead the women's trip), me and my mom.



Tracey, with Lynnea, leading the way on our excursion to La Paz Waterfall Gardens





Women at the waterfall.

Holidays----way back when----

The following series of blogs are an attempt at an update on my life since December or so, of last year.

Holidays:

As a kind of end of the year activity, we took about 25 kids from Las Fuentes to a park in Desamparados and had a kind of field day with different team games and activities, as well as a hot dog featuring lunch. It was a crazy kind of day, which the kids seemed to enjoy. It was the first time we'd taken a group from Las Fuentes to any kind of outside place and for the most part it was good. But we also learned some different ways or kinds of things we may do for the next time. =)

After these activities, I was blessed to be able to go home, to California, for the holidays, but not without stopping by Louisiana to visit my dear friend, Dominique, first. Both Louisiana and California provided great opportunities to rest in the company of family and friends. And even more than that, I was able to speak to a Sunday School class from my home church that supports me. They also put together a large supply of donations that they sent down for our ministry here in Costa Rica. It really is a blessing to have such a great team of support back at home.

Upon coming back to Costa Rica, the kids I work with, the aerobics ladies and those I visit seemed anxious to get back started with the program, which was encouraging, especially when leaving home/California is not always the easiest thing. This year also started with some new ideas to begin implementing in the work being done in Las Fuentes, such as monthly themes of values in the boys/girls club time, more community center type of activities and sharing articles and healthy recipes with the aerobics ladies. Some of which are more easily begun than others. Please keep in prayer the implementing of these new projects and discernment and wisdom in the process.

Below are just a few pictures of my time in the states:



Dominique and I----SOOOOO HAPPY!!!!!!



Noelle and David (the marrieds), me and my Mom and Dad!



Jonathan and his beard and Munroe.



Isaac and Munroe---we kinda love dogs!

A Wedding, a Birthday and Fun-loving Delights!

In mid-September I was very blessed to be able to spend a few weeks in California. In this time I was able to be a part of my older brother, David's wedding, my Mom's birthday, my friend, Heather's baby shower and lots of quality time with family and friends. I hadn't been back to California since January- a good 8 months! Not quite my favorite amount of time.
It was especially great to be able to be a part of David and Noelle's wedding, as a bridesmaid. It was a beautiful ceremony and an amazing celebration at the reception. And now, I'm very happy to have a sister in the family!
Also, when home, I got to share in the celebration of my mom's birthday, September 24th. We surprised her with going to see Bye-Bye Birdie at Roger Rocka's Dinner Theater in Fresno---my two younger brothers, Jonathan and Isaac even came along (I didn't give them any details about that night for as long as possible so they wouldn't try to get out of it- they were good sports, though ; ) David and Noelle couldn't make it because of some honeymoon thing =) It was a lot of fun!
While at home I was also able to attend my friend, Heather Roeber's baby shower for her soon-to-be-born little girl, Elise, who I'm very excited to meet at Christmas!
In addition to all that, I also had a few opportunities to talk to people and groups about what all it is that I'm doing down here in Costa Rica. I got to speak to a women's group at my church and they offered a lot of encouragement. My friend, Rebekah Milhon and I were asked to speak to our church's high school Sunday school class on the topic of missions. We each talked about our experiences and encouraged the students to get involved where they're at. They actually seemed to listen pretty well and asked some good questions. I seem to be continually reminded, in those types of situations, of my love for youth and their involvement in such things beyond themselves and their own little bubbles.
Being a quality time person, I was incredibly blessed to be able to spend the face to face time that I did with people I love. In some ways, it seemed like it was way too short of a time to get in all the quality face time that I'd have liked to. But also, upon returning to Costa Rica, I felt that I'd been gone for way longer than I actually was. It's weird- all those feelings and trying to juggle them, but I'm feeling a little more balanced now and allowing myself to rest in the arms of Him who has it all under control in His timing and His balance.

Because I feel that my words don't do my experience justice, here are some pictures for you to enjoy of my time in CA:




David and Noelle at their rehearsal dinner.



Richard and Granny (my Mom's Mom) at the rehearsal dinner.



My Mom and Dad. At the rehearsal dinner. Still.



The bride and her maids---some of us look like we're sleep standing.



David and Noelle's pups- Grace and Charlie.



Noelle and her dad making their way down the aisle.



Noelle and David during the ceremony.



Noelle, her parents and her sister, Monique. David (with the help of some friends, my Dad and brothers) made that white arch behind them for Noelle.



My brothers and some of my Mom's side of the family, left to right- Aunt Kathy, Jonathan, Granny, Richard, Aunt Cary, Isaac and myself.



Siblings! Jonathan, myself, David and Isaac.



The wedding party.



David and Noelle Pritchard's first dance at their splenderific reception---that's the dessert spread on the right!



My parents at Roger Rocka's for my Mom's birthday celebration extravaganza!



Me, Isaac and Jonathan watching Bye Bye Birdie. They were clearly thrilled........that there was food there.



My super duper friend, Aiyla and myself.



My splendiferous friend, Courtney and I at her sister, Heather's baby shower.



Heather at the shower for her baby, Elise.



Me and my greatastic friend, Rebekah!

Thanks for watching. =)