beans, rain and inadequacy...

Prior to moving to Costa Rica, there were things that I knew I wasn't particularly fond of that are pretty much part of every day life here. But it's been interesting to see how change and growth has come and has been promised to come through some of these.

1. Beans. Black beans, to be more specific. A staple in any Costa Rican kitchen. Green beans are the only beans I like all the time. Black beans in particular have been my nemesis since we were first introduced. A memory I'm sure I've conveniently forgotten. It's baffled many a person that has been to Costa Rica before the incredible skill I have attained in being able to navigate around the infamous black beans. However, despite such a highly attuned skill, sometimes the feared encounter is inevitable. BUT, as of recently, to my own surprise and shock, I have actually stated, out loud mind you, that there have been some black bean dishes that I've actually enjoyed. And this may have come as a shock to many, so I will now include a short pause so that you may recover--------------------. It goes beyond that, I've even found myself walking by people's houses and smelling some tantalizing aroma wafting from their kitchen, realizing that is was in fact black beans and then having a desire to eat them! This is actually quite a large step in my life, as small or insignificant it may seem. My ability to eat and potentially enjoy one of the foods that is never lacking in a Costa Rican meal is quite exciting to me.

2. Rain. Rainy season has now begun in Costa Rica. And while I don't usually mind the rain, the fact that the morning can be sunny and beautiful and then out of no where a bunch of nasty storm clouds rush in and invite a downpour while you are walking (which at this time has converted into swimming because the streets morph into rapid moving rivers) home from the Post Office. This is not my favorite. And on top of it all, its unpredictable- I'm a little more accustomed to the Central Valley of California, which is a little more reliable. When it rains there, it's usually steady and has been overcast for the whole day. It doesn't rain in the summer- it's hot and dry all the time. I kind of prefer the predictability. BUT there are little things that I'm discovering that I actually enjoy about this rain. You get variety! Sun and rain all in the same day, a little bit of it all to make everyone happy. Also, the beauty of the rain. I love walking outside at dusk when it's not pouring cats and dogs, and sometimes even larger animals. I love when the sun is setting and the street lamps are coming on and the wet streets reflect the golden sheen of the street lamps, matching that of the sunset. It's pretty awe-inspiring....to me, at least. So, while I don't exactly come from one of those run outside in a storm, splash around in the puddles, rain-loving backgrounds, I'm learning to look for the beauty in it in my own way.

3. Inadequacy. This stands in a category on its own. While it still pertains to the topic of things I don't love experiencing in Costa Rica, it takes on a little bit of a different sentiment. In so many things here, some days on a multiple times a day basis, I have felt completely inadequate and incredibly frustrated in that. This seems to have been happening even more recently, since I've been working more at my site. I've begun working at a church in a little community called Las Fuentes. I'm the type of person who, work-wise, likes to be told what exactly to do and how to do it- like a formula or instructions. But there is no formula and no instructions in beginning something new in a place that is learning the whole partnership ordeal right along with us. There are some legitimate options for me to work in- things that we believe God's leading us toward, that will benefit the community. However, I have these feelings of incredible inadequacy. Who am I to come in and teach people, whether it be English or Biblical principles. I don't know how to do these successfully. And while sometimes these fears seem to override all rational thought, I know that it is Christ that works in and through us, bringing adequacy through our surrender and obedience to HIm. And although I have that knowledge, sometimes I have to pull it out of the corner of my mind, dust off the cobwebs and bring it into the light of truth and belief. Not always easy. There are some verses that I especially cling to when I find myself drifting towards the pity party located on inadequate feelings boulevard.

In regards to adequacy in receiving salvation and servitude: 2 Corinthians 3:4-6

"Such confidence we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."

Talking about our weaknesses and God's strength in that: 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

"And He has said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.' Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore, I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong."

Isn't it amazing, yet heartbreaking at the same time, when God keeps using outside circumstances to teach you lessons that didn't penetrate your thick skull the first 35 times He spoke them? I had that experienced that in church this morning. It was comforting in a confirming sort of way but also startling in a swift kick in the pants sort of way. So, in the midst of juggling all these things in my head especially these last few days, the lady that gave the message in church this morning spoke on the first part of 1 Corinthians 3. She talked in great detail, siting other verses, as well, about how some plant seeds, others water, but God grows. As my dad likes to say, "the results are God's department." We need to be obedient and plant and water where He says, despite maybe our lack of receiving feedback or seeing direct fruit or even foreseeing fruit to come. The verses I particularly liked were 5-9:

"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."

God is the one who purposes us in certain ministries to do the work/task that He's given us and equipped us for. And He is the one who grows the seedlings we've obediently planted. We may never know the growth stories of all the seed that was sowed in our work, but that is not necessarily part of our job. Sometimes, however, we do have the privilege of seeing how God has used us, in all of our inadequacies and weaknesses, to impact lives for His kingdom. And my prayer would be that in those times, God would receive all the glory and we would be just merely reflecting it back to Him.

A pictorial guide to life, that is mine.

So, one day, I was sitting on our couch reading when I heard some scratching noises on the window. When I turned around, I saw this massive beast just sitting there....watching me. He was probably a good 18 inches long. Kinda crazy.


Pictured here (left to right): Pastor Gilbert, his daughter, Madeline and myself. Gilbert and Madeline are who I'll be working closely with in their church, located in a little neighborhood called Las Fuentes.


We got to help out at the church in Las Fuentes as they put on a kid's program and handed out Samaritan's Purse boxes to kids.


Aiyla with some girls after they received their box from Samaritan's Purse


These next pictures are from the guarderia (day care/drop-in center) in Los Guido, where Krysta and I worked for a while and now where Tracey Dixon is working. In this picture: Axel and Gabby- Gabby is who runs the guarderia


Daniel and Dixon


Genesis, Tiffany, Dixon and Aiyla holding Ian

Easter, Lizard friends and Las Fuentes

Hey all!

Sorry I haven't been doing as well keeping up with the blogging- usually I either feel like there's not much worth writing about or there's so much to tell that I don't know how to sit down and write it all out so that people actually kinda like reading it. Sooooo, that's what's been up. Any-who, let's see....Easter!

I experienced my first Easter and Semana Santa (Holy Week) in Costa Rica. It's very interesting because the Catholic church has a ton of processions and things going on at this time, and because of this the Evangelical Church (at least those in our area) try to stay as separate from the Catholic church as possible. So, while we got to watch some of the processions and events put on by the Catholic church, we heard only a few words about Easter from the Evangelical church. Because of their desire to not be affiliated with the Catholic church, they have swung to the opposite extreme, not really mentioning Easter at all. I can see, to some degree, the steps they've taken to be separate from the Catholic church, but I don't think its quite right to do away with it all together. I don't have the answers for how they should do it or what would be the right way to handle it, but its definitely got me thinking...

In other life stuff, we have pretty much officially named and been assigned to ministry sites! These will be the sites where we'll be hosting teams at least for the summer and probably into the fall, in which time we'll take a qualitative kind of inventory to see how these sites are working out and seek God to see if He wants us to continue pursuing these same sites, or if He opens up other opportunities or what all will happen. It's hard because the sites are still very much in the baby stages--like newborns, we're just learning how to adjust to them and all. I'll be working with a church in a community called Las Fuentes. The pastor of this church is very open to our help in a number of areas, including working with his daughter in helping to lead a youth group of about 50 youth, from ages 12-25. Its not exactly clear quite yet all that I may be doing or involved in there, but I'm very excited for this partnership and working along side the pastor and his daughter. I should be getting more details fairly soon, so I'll be sure to keep you all updated when I find things out =) The other sites will consist of construction projects, being lead by Jeremy Janzen. Krysta will be in charge of a site that will look like a tutoring center and library, as well as, leading a kids club at a church. And Tracey Dixon will be heading up a site at the guarderia (day care center), looking to implement some kind of program for the wee ones there.

It's an exciting time for us as we begin to flesh out each of our ministry sites and get to the heart of working with the people. But please continue to keep us in your prayers- that we would have discernment in finding our place in all of these partnerships and just for working out all the little kinks and everything. And also for each of the sites as we begin to prepare for the summer teams to come- it'll be a whole different ball game! But I'm really excited for it! Well, thank you for your continued prayers, support and care. And for now, I'll leave you with some pictures from our team Easter eating extravaganza and our most recent discovery in our apartment. God bless =)




Easter dining preparation- Cardamon cross bread and lamb-shaped cake




My first lamb-shaped cake---following in the steps of Krysta's family tradition




The best of the best Easter spread




Right in the middle of the picture, you can see the new addition to our home...that we actually shooed out not too long after

the happenings

Since coming back from our trip to the jungle, Krysta and I have had the opportunity to begin working in a guarderia (day care). We've been volunteering there to see if it has potential to be a solid SI site. This guarderia has been open for about a month. It can have up to 30 kids at one time, of which there is one lady in charge of keeping track of them all. So, we've been going to help with some crowd control, feeding the kids, and playing with them in non-destructive ways. It's been a fun time of getting to know the kids and getting a feel for working in this type of setting. We've also had opportunities to meet with a number of other people that we're looking to maybe partner with, such as a pastor who would like help with the youth program in his church, or another organization that wants to open up a tutoring center and library for kids in their area. It's pretty relieving and amazing to see how God is putting into place each of these sites and I'm excited to see how He's going to work it all out!

Some other exciting news....my parents came to visit! About a week after we got back from the jungle (I guess that would be about 2 weeks ago now) my parents arrived in Costa Rica. My dad headed out to the jungle with the men's team, while my mom headed to the urban jungle setting of our apartment. It was fun to have my mom staying with us for the week. She even made a few trips with us to the guarderia and seemed to like the kind of controlled chaos of it all. When the men's trip was over, instead of returning back to the states with the other men, my dad and Dave Hansen (SI president) stayed here a few more days to check out our sites and get an idea of where we are heading as SI Costa Rica. It was a good time of being able to show my parents what my life down here looks like, as well as, giving them a more solid idea of what I'll be doing....and just hanging out with them was fun too =) I feel incredibly blessed to have been able to have them come and visit and I feel refreshed from it.

In these last few days, we've gotten a little bit of rain, but overall it's been pretty blazing hot. Depending on who you talk to here, this is normal weather for now and apparently Semana Santa (Holy Week- the week before Easter) is supposed to be one of the hottest. There also tend to be a lot of activities that go on during this time, due to the large part of Catholics in the population here. So, I will be writing again soon to let you know about all of the goings on in this time. Until then, have a good one and God bless! =)

Jungle Journey!

Hey Everyone----
So, we just got back from the the jungle in Shiroles, the Talamanca region, in the south of Costa Rica. Krysta, Aiyla and myself led a group of 22 college students from James Madison University in Virginia there for a week long trip. Overall, the trip went very smoothly and the team was amazing! We had great times of sharing in the morning devotions and evening meetings. And we got a lot of work done during the day. We mixed a TON of cement to help lay brick and a sidewalk. We also had quite a few people painting, helping with sanding and varnishing, as well as digging ditches and moving rocks for drainage ditches, as well as various other odd jobs. Even the Sharps (the missionaries down there that we work with) and the Costa Ricans we worked alongside commented on how much we got done and how well the team worked. In the afternoons, after we'd finished working for the day, we didn't have a VBS program but kids from the community would come to the compound to play soccer and other games with the team.

Although I've helped to lead trips like this a number of times, I still get a little nervous and anxious in the beginning and various times throughout the trip, BUT even more than that it confirms my heart for this exact thing. I LOVE being a part of facilitating these kinds of trips- taking away all of the things we worry about at home, such as technology, worrying about makeup, freaking out about wearing the same thing 3 days in a row, maybe not smelling the best all the time, either due to the massive amounts of sweat we produce in this time, clothes/towels not drying all the way because of the humidity or basically bathing in deet everyday. I love the stripping away of all of these things, and seeing people turn their attention away from themselves and learning what God is doing and wants to do in their lives. I LOVE being someone who can kind of host and help to guide people through this kind of experience and time, and then seeing them open up and allow God to work and mold them. And even as a leader and having done this kind of trip 8+ times now, its amazing to see how God still works in me, giving me fresh perspectives and new lessons to learn every time. I love it!

So, we saw the team off at the airport on Sunday and then headed back to our apartment. This, for me, has proved to be one of the more difficult parts. Its very different to finish a trip like that and not return home to family and friends and my home church and English speakers, but instead to just go back to our little apartment in Desamparados, minus the 22 others that we had just spent 24/7 with. Although, I may not seem like it, I like to be around other people, even if I'm not doing a lot of the talking, so saying goodbye to teams like this can be pretty rough. This is a huge factor in short-term missions, though- the teams have to leave and go back home and all- so, it's something I've dealt with in the past and will continue to have to deal with, so I just keep looking to God for the know-how on how to correctly maneuver my way through these kinds of feelings. So, please keep me in your prayers in regards to this. Thanks =)

In other news......my parents come this weekend! My dad will be part of the men's team heading out to the jungle for about a week, during which time my mom with be staying with us women folk! And after the men's trip, my dad and Dave Hansen will be staying a few extra days to hang out with me! Wellllll, and everyone else here too, i guess ; ) So, that is very exciting and I will let you all know how it goes. Also, tomorrow, we are going to meet with a pastor, who I may very likely be working with in programs with/through his church. Sooooo, I will also let you all know how that goes, as well!

After that entire novel that I basically wrote you, I will leave you with this- a video tour of our new apartment and a group picture of our amazing JMU jungle team! I hope you enjoy them! God bless!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHYhiVd9aTs

Guate-great!

So, I'm starting to lag in the blog area a little bit- sorry about that. I'll try to do better =) Let's see----last week we were in Guatemala where we met up with I think 30 something women coming from the states, the Dominican Republic and even those who live in Guatemala for the first ever SI women's outreach. It was awesome to see so many women from so many different walks of life and places to come together under a common cause. And, I have to admit, that a women's outreach is something that I've been vying for for a while now....or at least since the men's trips have been up and running! =)

For me, personally, this trip presented sooooo many differing aspects, it was exciting and challenging for me. First of all, my mom came on the outreach, so getting to spend time with her was a HUGE plus! Also, it was fun to have all of us women who are a part of SI Costa Rica be there together. There were also a number of women on the trip that I already knew, from the Central Valley or from our training that we did in Colorado back in September, so it was kinda like a little taste of home...in Guatemala. It felt even more like home because about a year and a half ago, I was a summer intern in Guatemala for SI and lived there for about 2 months helping out with the summer teams, so it was really fun to get to see my old host family and people that I hadn't seen since then. It was great!

Having been there before also presented some challenges in this trip. When I was an intern, I had my responsibilities and knew what I had to do and how to do it---after the first outreach or so. But coming back and being part of an outreach, rather than the one facilitating the group, and being at a different site than I'd been before created a slight identity crisis in my thinking. I wasn't sure what I was doing or how to do it, which is how I've felt in Costa Rica these last few months. But I think it hit me harder in Guatemala because of my previous experiences there. This trip I was a part of the Health Care site, which at this time, involved us going into a small community, El Gorrion, and to survey every home with questions as to their living conditions, health and the community as a whole. This would provide a basis for future work in this community, revealing the real needs, as seen by the people who actually live there. An amazing idea! We split into 3 groups and took separate sections. I was the translator for my group. I was glad to be able to serve in this way and I loved being able to talk to these people and hear what they had to say.

However, I know that this was only a small outreach, but in this and in these last few years of my life, I feel like God keeps stripping me of what I think to be my titles or "what I should do," and places me in situations where I feel pretty useless because I have no medical background....or being at an agriculture site, never having built chicken coops before.....or not really knowing how to run a kid's program or VBS and being put in charge of it....or working at a plant nursery, having very very VERY little knowledge of anything green. And I know that all that knowledge comes with experience and you can't expect to get it exactly right the first time, or second. And part of me loves having that variety of opportunities and changing it up and whatnot. But the other part has a strong desire to find something more specific that I can really excel at and really pour myself into that. BUT I also know that in our weakness, God is strong and that He will use me as long as I make myself available and in doing such things as these, where I feel super inadequate, I'm forced to lean and rely totally on God...which is where I should be all the time.....so, this is my current struggle. And I realized that in Guatemala and see that it continues now that I'm back in Costa Rica. In this realization, I know that I have to choose to have the right attitude/response, no matter what the situation. So, I'm working on that.

Even now, being back in Costa Rica, I feel this pressure (probably self-inflicted) of choosing a direction or focus---especially when people inquire as to my potential site, which is a legitimate and good question. However, I feel I always draw a blank when it comes to answering. I want to serve God where He would have me be and I know that He wants me in Costa Rica, but beyond that......we will see. I'm excited, a little anxious, but mostly excited to see how it all unfolds!

Sorry if that all kind of jumped around, but it was all to say that Guatemala was great and thought-provoking. And now, after having been home not even a full week, Krysta, Aiyla and myself are off in a few hours to meet a team at the airport to take them to the jungle for a week. And this I love!!! It's exciting, but I am a little nervous, because Krysta and I have been on plenty of jungle trips, but we've never lead one completely on our own before, so please keep us in your prayers! I'll let you know how it went when we get back =)

Oh, I almost forgot! We got a P.O. Box here in Costa Rica = a more secure way for you to send things, if you want!!! We're pretty stoked about it. So, here's the address:

Cailah Pritchard
Apartado 946-2400
Desamparados, Costa Rica
America Central

Hey- thanks for reading! And for now, I'll leave you with some pictures from Guatemala (courtesy of Erin Janzen =)





In Antigua. Where's Waldo- can you find Krysta and I?????




The only picture I could currently find of my mom and I in Guatemala---sorry, Mom and self...




Aiyla and I LOVE the bus!




Team Costa Rica super great ladies! (l-r): Erin Janzen, Tracey Dixon, Krysta Williams, Yours Truly, Aiyla Shockency

Costa Rica, Guatemala, Costa Rica

Hey Everyone-

Sorry I haven't written anything in a while, but things have been a little all over the place. We have officially moved into our new apartment! Meaning that we have obtained a refrigerator, oven, washer and dryer (about half of which are fully functioning at the moment). We've had a few set backs/complications with our appliances, but we're getting them all figured out.

Tomorrow, all 5 of us SI Costa Rica women head to Guatemala to meet up with a women's outreach that will be taking place there over the course of the next week. We're going to get a better idea of how a fully functioning base looks and hopefully to learn from how they've done things and what the role of full time staff really looks like. We'll be meeting up with 20 or so other women, many of whom are coming from the Central Valley of CA and are known to us.....like my mom! So, we are very excited for this and anxious to see what God has to teach us in this time, reaping from others' wisdom.

Hopefully, by the time we get back from Guatemala our phone line and internet will be set up and COMING SOON: a video tour of the new apartment!

Please continue to be praying as we begin to make decisions of where and who we'll be working with. We've been presented with a lot of opportunities and we're seeking God's guidance and leading to place us in the right places. I look forward to sharing what we will have experienced in Guatemala and other ministry opportunities that are coming up soon! As for now, I'll leave you with a picture that Krysta and I took with our amazing language teachers!