Greetings from sunny Costa Rica. I actually saw on the news that some parts of the US will experience -50 degree wind chills tonight. Yuck. So yes, today Jessica and I celebrate our 3rd anniversary. Even the longest journeys begin with the first steps.
So – for our three week update…We arrived last night to our hotel for our two days off. Excitedly I grabbed the remote for the first time in 3 weeks. I turned on the TV and….The President was on EVERY English station. Not quite what I had in mind for a relaxing time.
Yes, we had a tarantula. They are some of the ugliest things I’ve ever seen. We were heading up to the house late one night when Jessica first spotted it. To her credit she didn’t wake the entire campus up, but needless to say I knew something was wrong. First I got my camera to get a picture, and then I got the broom. Some would say stomp on it, but since I was wearing shorts all I could think about was missing and having it crawl up my leg. Anyway in my best lumberjack impersonation I swung the broom with full force….and missed. The tarantula scurried towards the field. You wouldn’t believe how fast they are. Jessica picked up the hammer to throw it at him, but I said you aren’t going to hit him with a hammer from 15 feet away, so…I threw the hammer. It was a toss for the ages. Not since the glory days of playing bocce at Grove City College have I had such a toss. I didn’t kill it with that shot, but I hit it and it never moved again. I picked up the broom and a 5 foot level this time and attacked. I didn’t miss this time and used the level to finish him off. If I had wrestled a lion I wouldn’t have had more adrenalin than I did right then. When I told the Tias about it they weren’t as impressed. “Usted es mas grande de la tarantula.” (“You are much bigger than the tarantula.”) But Jess was impressed. And we both slept better than night knowing it wouldn’t hurt a kid on the soccer field the next day.
One of my favorite activities here is going to the pool. I usually go on Sundays, but this week we went on Saturday. We have a great time. I take my football and toss it to the kids after I count Uno, Dos, Tres. Ben Roethlisberger needs to realize how lucky he is. Most of my receivers are four feet tall.
Jessica made her chocolate chip M&M cookies this week. We gave some to the kids. They went straight for the M&Ms on the top with no regard for the cookie. In no time we had a bunch of chocolate covered faces giggling at us. One of them kept saying “Ver! Ver!” Which is “Look! Look!” He didn’t eat the cookie for some time; he just wanted everyone to look at what he had.
My Spanish is coming around. Funny how much you can get across when you use your hands as much as I do I have even held some 20 minute conversations with other workers. I don’t know everything that is being said and I’m sure I’ve said yes to all sorts of questions that I had no idea what was being asked, but all in all I think the main points are understood. I told one of the Tias that I don’t really care if they understand everything as long as they smile and nod. However, listening to sermons in Spanish on Sundays has been more tiring than energizing. I usually end up reading my bible and hoping the pastor doesn’t look my way for any acknowledgement to what he’s saying.
Here is my Superbowl analysis. In their last meeting, for 3 quarters the Pats didn’t blitz Eli and he looked pretty good. The Pats then blitzed nearly every down in the 4th quarter and Eli looked like Eli. I expect them to blitz the entire time. The Giants need to work on their blitz pick-ups. And that is how I see it. If the Giants can block they will win, if they can’t, the Pats will do it again.
As a painter here I have a lot of time on my hands to think and pray. Right now we are asking that you also pray for us as we try to determine what to do come March. I’ve even said what Samuel said when God was calling him, “Speak Lord for your servant is listening.” So the verses that keep going through my head are 1st Corinthians 9:24 & 25.
24Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
25Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
So – for our three week update…We arrived last night to our hotel for our two days off. Excitedly I grabbed the remote for the first time in 3 weeks. I turned on the TV and….The President was on EVERY English station. Not quite what I had in mind for a relaxing time.
Yes, we had a tarantula. They are some of the ugliest things I’ve ever seen. We were heading up to the house late one night when Jessica first spotted it. To her credit she didn’t wake the entire campus up, but needless to say I knew something was wrong. First I got my camera to get a picture, and then I got the broom. Some would say stomp on it, but since I was wearing shorts all I could think about was missing and having it crawl up my leg. Anyway in my best lumberjack impersonation I swung the broom with full force….and missed. The tarantula scurried towards the field. You wouldn’t believe how fast they are. Jessica picked up the hammer to throw it at him, but I said you aren’t going to hit him with a hammer from 15 feet away, so…I threw the hammer. It was a toss for the ages. Not since the glory days of playing bocce at Grove City College have I had such a toss. I didn’t kill it with that shot, but I hit it and it never moved again. I picked up the broom and a 5 foot level this time and attacked. I didn’t miss this time and used the level to finish him off. If I had wrestled a lion I wouldn’t have had more adrenalin than I did right then. When I told the Tias about it they weren’t as impressed. “Usted es mas grande de la tarantula.” (“You are much bigger than the tarantula.”) But Jess was impressed. And we both slept better than night knowing it wouldn’t hurt a kid on the soccer field the next day.
One of my favorite activities here is going to the pool. I usually go on Sundays, but this week we went on Saturday. We have a great time. I take my football and toss it to the kids after I count Uno, Dos, Tres. Ben Roethlisberger needs to realize how lucky he is. Most of my receivers are four feet tall.
Jessica made her chocolate chip M&M cookies this week. We gave some to the kids. They went straight for the M&Ms on the top with no regard for the cookie. In no time we had a bunch of chocolate covered faces giggling at us. One of them kept saying “Ver! Ver!” Which is “Look! Look!” He didn’t eat the cookie for some time; he just wanted everyone to look at what he had.
My Spanish is coming around. Funny how much you can get across when you use your hands as much as I do I have even held some 20 minute conversations with other workers. I don’t know everything that is being said and I’m sure I’ve said yes to all sorts of questions that I had no idea what was being asked, but all in all I think the main points are understood. I told one of the Tias that I don’t really care if they understand everything as long as they smile and nod. However, listening to sermons in Spanish on Sundays has been more tiring than energizing. I usually end up reading my bible and hoping the pastor doesn’t look my way for any acknowledgement to what he’s saying.
Here is my Superbowl analysis. In their last meeting, for 3 quarters the Pats didn’t blitz Eli and he looked pretty good. The Pats then blitzed nearly every down in the 4th quarter and Eli looked like Eli. I expect them to blitz the entire time. The Giants need to work on their blitz pick-ups. And that is how I see it. If the Giants can block they will win, if they can’t, the Pats will do it again.
As a painter here I have a lot of time on my hands to think and pray. Right now we are asking that you also pray for us as we try to determine what to do come March. I’ve even said what Samuel said when God was calling him, “Speak Lord for your servant is listening.” So the verses that keep going through my head are 1st Corinthians 9:24 & 25.
24Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
25Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.
I do not know where this is heading. However I do know that no matter where we go, be it Pittsburgh, here or who knows where else in the world, I want to run in such a way as to get the prize. What is my purpose here?
One last story. Yesterday Jerbin and I played soccer. Here is how it typically goes. He sets the ball up and walks a good 10 steps backwards. He then giggles “Venga! Venga!” which means “Come! Come get it!” I make one movement and he goes full speed at the ball giggling the entire way. He usually kicks it and then falls down to show how much power he has. It is the best. One time he dribbled the length of the field with me guarding him. After he scored he wanted to hang on the goalpost. As I lifted him up, a bee stung him on the ear. I hate bees. He cried in my arms as I carried him up to the house to get some medicine and a glass or water. And that is why even though I am scared to death, I kill tarantulas.
Thanks for reading. I really enjoyed your e-mails.
Lots of Love from both of us
Jon
