Dayaret & Gipsy - saving some spaghetti for later
Kimberly - learning how to use the computer
Jerbin & Tania - hamming it up for the camera
Antonio, Maria & Jacksel - how to get 3 two-year olds to sit still - blowpops
Jessica - walking through the markets in San Jose
Hello Family and Friends,
Well, last Thursday was pretty tough. The kids’ mom came to pick them up at lunch time. The kids were very excited to be going but were also a bit anxious about the unknowns. Since they had lived with their mom, she has moved into a new house and gotten a new boyfriend. We hugged them and shared a few tears. At one point I decided to pick up Dayaret just to have some comfort. They yelled “Adios! Adios!” out the window as they drove away in the taxi. Please pray for these three kids and their mom. Since they left a week ago, she has called here many times asking for help concerning discipline.
I talked with Dena (she and her husband, Tim, are the head missionaries here) that night, and she said how she can still remember the first ones to leave. All in all, I would rather love them as much as I can while they are here and have a broken heart when they leave versus not giving them my all just to protect myself. They are the ones that need it. Though I will probably always remember them, I was feeling better the next day.
I was feeling better emotionally the next day, but not physically. I got pretty sick on Friday. I got all the symptoms of the 24-hour flu. I haven’t been sick in seven years – quick shout-out to the Howats for that one. In the middle of my day in bed my wife came down to check on me, bringing a little one with her. Hania was pretty nervous when she first looked at me. But even though she didn’t want to talk, she walked over and picked up my football off the floor and handed it too me. Even a three year-old Costa Rican knows that football is just one of those things that can cheer me up.
Continuing our week of firsts - first kids to leave, first time I’ve got sick in seven years, and the first rain of the year. February 16th. The Costa Ricans said this is much earlier than in past years. It typically doesn’t start raining until May. They don’t mess around here with rain. We have had several good soaks since the 16th. The power goes out fairly quickly, but that’s alright. I grabbed some Oreos and milk and went out on the porch and watched the rain.
We took the bus to San Jose yesterday for our off day. A bus ride to San Jose costs ¢585 Colones, or about $1.20 US. San Jose is the capital city of Costa Rica. We had a great time seeing the sites and taking in a bit of inter-city culture. Wanting a taste of home, I ate a Big Mac. No matter where you go in the world you can always find Coca-Cola & McDonalds. We walked the streets and went to the parks. They have a beautiful national theatre which reminded us of Heinz Hall back home. In the end we bought tickets for the tour because Jess wanted a little culture.
I was amazed at the hundreds of small tiendas (stores) that line the streets. I don’t know how anyone could find anything. One store would have a giant spool of wire, women’s clothing and children’s toys all together. However, in one of these random stores I did happen to find a Pittsburgh Steelers jersey. When we first went into the store the Denver Broncos jersey was on the front of the rack. I promptly switched it with the Steelers jersey and told the lady working the store that the Steelers are “La Mejor” (the best). She nodded; she must be a big fan.
Since Jessica works until six or a bit later each night, we’re always there for the bedtime routine. I typically clean up from whatever I have been working on and head up for a bit of after-dinner playtime and then send them off to bed. This week I have been painting in the upper house.
Note to self: when painting a children’s home, make sure you block all access to the room you are painting. This way you will not have to clean up little shoe prints of paint up and down the stairs. End of Note to Self.
So, we were up at the upper house giving goodnight kisses and saying “Buenas Noches” to all the kids. As we were walking out the door, Jerbin called both Jessica and I back and said “Jessica, te amo.” (I love you) and “Jon, te amo.” It was almost as if he knew we needed that.
Today for our second day off we’re spending the day here cleaning house, grocery shopping, going to the internet café, and then having some kids from the lower house over for dinner this evening. When the kids from the lower house heard that the upper house kids had gotten to cook with Jessica, they wanted in on the fun. They’re going to make cookies and then pancakes, two things that require lots of hands-on time so everyone gets a chance to help. One of the tias, Kimberly, is also going to come to dinner. It should be a good time.
One thing that we haven’t talked about in the blog as of yet is our thoughts on the future. There are days that we want to go home, and there are days that we feel like we could stay here. Above all else we want to do what God has planned for us to do. As of now we aren’t sure what that is. There are needs here that we could fill, and they’re been praying for a married couple to move down here. There are needs back in the states that we could fill. So, we are asking for God’s direction. If you could remember us in your prayers - and specifically direction for the future - we would greatly appreciate it.
Jon
P.S. Our computer had the blue screen of death this week. She recovered from the first wave, but past experience tells me this is the beginning of the end. We will continue to post to the blog, but we might have to do them all from the internet café. Only two more weeks to go…..
