I Smell Cookies

Today was the first day back to school for the boys. Their teachers survived and everyone seemed to have a lot of fun. Afterwards, we went with a group of 20 or so to an extremely poor barrio (neighborhood) called "La Carpio" to minister to the children there. It was similar to some things we have done in Mexico with our homechurch. We played games, sang songs, told a Bible story, and had some activities related to the story. All the kids were very sweet and you could tell they loved the attention they received.

At the end, I saw one of the regular workers passing out some cookie packets to some of the kids. Somehow my kids each ended up with a pack. I told them they should give them to one of the other kids because they never get treats like that. It was a no brainer for my oldest. He quickly went to another boy and in his best spanish asked the little guy if he wanted some cookies. "Si, gracias," was the response he heard.

My youngest was not on board with giving away something he already had in his possession. After all, he is only 6. He began to chow down like the cookie-monster ending a 40 day fast. As he was nearing the end of the package we noticed the skinniest little dog you can imagine. This poor, hairy, skeleton of a canine was walking up to everyone looking for something to eat. A couple of us began to coax my son into giving his last cookie to this hungry little dog. Maybe it was guilt, maybe it was peer-pressure but he put the cookie on the ground for the dog to eat. That scraggly little pup timidly approached the cherished morsel, gave it a couple of good sniffs and quickly decided that sometimes it's just better to be hungry. I want to know who picked THAT snack. As for the fate of the rejected cookie, last I saw, some kids were trying to feed it to some random chicken walking down the street. Try to find a street like that back home.

Waste Not

I'm just going to pretend like the last 3 weeks never happened so I won't feel guilty for not updating my blog for the 2 people that actually read it. Actually, it was a time filled with final exams at language school, an oral proficiency exam, and a visit/vacation with my parents. Not fun, Not fun, and fun (respectively).

The past couple of months God has put a thought/idea/truth on my heart that I think of everyday and I want to throw it out there for you to consider. "Worship is never wasted" This is the thought that I wake up with and carry with me throughout the day. When I close my eyes at night it is there.
Now let me explain what the Lord has shown me in these 4 words. Over the past 2-3 months we have learned: One of our dear friends was diagnosed with cancer; A missionary colleague and mother of 5 suddenly died on the mission field; A young college graduate died in a car accident while serving as a summer missionary in Peru; A friend of ours had to return from her field of service due to back surgery. That is a lot of disheartening news over such a short period of time. All of these individuals love/loved the Lord and are/were following Him in obedience. As I began to think about 'worship' God showed me something. The very root of true worship is obedience. It is impossible to worship the Lord while you are walking in disobedience. If you haven't tried it, Don't (just take my word for it).
When most people think of a 30 something dad of 3 young boys having cancer, or a mother of 5 dying suddenly, or a recent college grad dying tragically, or a 22-23 yr. old with back surgery to the point she has to go home from the mission field they think, "What a waste!" Honestly, that was my initial reaction to such news. That's where it all started. I still see the news as extremely sad but I have a new perspective.
As a christian, I am called to offer myself as a living sacrifice to God. This is an act of worship. God knows the details. He knows I have a wife, 2 young sons, that my desire is to tell people how to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, that I'm a "good person" or whatever. He knows all of that. But if something happens to me or my family while we are walking in obedience does that make God bad or unloving? I say, "No!" We live the way we live out of worship, not for some earthly reward. If our lives of worship are "cut short" or altered, they will be "cut short" or altered by the one receiving our worship. By the one who doesn't allow worship to be wasted.

Down the Drain

A few things seem to be going down the proverbial drain right now. As I type this, Jenn is puffing on a nebulizer because she has managed to get Bronchitis and some other medical junk. She is on 'Roids right now (She said the doctor prescribed them, but I think she's just trying to get in the Olympic spirit.) You know how former gymnasts are.

I'm definitely not a Spanish speaking whiz but many of the things I have known for years and even re-learned this trimester have suddenly decided to go down the drain. I am experiencing some kind of Span-mnesia. These kind of symptoms are usually the result of massive head trauma. Thankfully, the only trauma my head has experienced is massive information overload. My brain is like a glass (more like a shot-glass); it can only contain so much before it overflows in order to make room for the new stuff. I'm losing some of the basic stuff. I feel like it's in there somewhere but I can't seem to remember where I put it. Not to worry though, I have four whole days to get my stuff straightened out before my 1st Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI). YIKES!

For a reprieve from the mounting stresses, I took the boys to play soccer in the park with some of their new Tico friends. Five minutes into the game and the ball was in the street. No big deal except for the fact that all the grates which cover the street drains have been jacked. I was able to lower 3/4 of my body into the 5 feet deep hole and retrieve the ball with my feet. It was game on once again. 15 minutes later and the ball was back in the street. Fortunately, the oncoming car saw the ball and slowed his car to a crawl. Unfortunately, his front wheel "crawled" over the ball. It had a certain egg shaped appearance after that. One of the Ticos said it looked like an American football:) Everyone knows that soccer balls have atleast 3 lives so we played on. Within a few minutes, the ball had found its home-away-from-home (i.e. the street) again. We all watched hopefully as the ball traveled westbound. So much for that. Immediately, it found another drain. We couldn't see the ball this time so I lowered one of the boys into the curbside cavern. However, it was all for nothing because the ball had already made its way into the maze of pipes never to be seen again. As we returned to the field/vacant lot, the 9 year-old owner of the ball was visibly sad. After consoling him for a bit, we said, "Well, atleast we have buddies to play with in Costa Rica!"

So here we stand, certainly with struggles but BLESSED!

Culture 101

Every culture is unique. Each has its own set of norms, does and don'ts, etc. There are also things that are found in most every culture. For example, mothers are usually the primary caregivers for the children. Men are usually the ones to do the manual labor. Children don't obey their parents (Oops, did I say that?). Obviously, these aren't written in stone but they are generally true.
While sitting at McDonald's the other day I made a new cultural observation. I was pounding a McPollo Sandwich when I noticed this old dude at the table next to ours. As I checked out his hairdo it hit me: The Comb-over is universal. This was truly a revelation. I thought comb-overs were only found in the States. OK, to this guys credit, his basically began at the part in his hair and traveled due East until it reached his other ear. He wasn't trying to throw down the Benny Hinn look which, aside from being hideous, is completely hilarious and sad. No, this fellow was just trying to hang on to his youth like any other guy. News Flash: No one was fooled but hey, Pura Vida.

Observation #2: Ticos just call it like they see it and that is totally acceptable. Political Correctness is absolutely nowhere to be found in this lovely country. If someone is "heavy/overweight" they are addressed as "Gordo"(fat). They don't see it as saying, "Hey, Fatty!" The person is simply big and they are simply referring to the big guy. If a guy is of Asian descent you call him "Chino." I have no clue what our pastor's name is because everyone calls him Pastor Chino. My teacher made 4 references to Chinos eating dogs and cats this week in class. We were all cringing in our seats and she was like, "Well it's true." NO COMMENT!

I just hope I'm not around when an overweight Asian man with a comb-over walks into a pet store.

Becoming More Like Jesus

The goal of every Christian should be to become more like Jesus everyday of his/her life. Some days and weeks are better than others. Those of you who are followers of Christ know exactly what I'm talking about, don't you? At times, you hit a spiritual growth spurt and you feel so close to the Lord as you are being conformed to his image. Then there are those times when you seem to be going nowhere spiritually. Even when you read His Word, you don't seem to get anything out of it.

Missionaries are no different. We have the same capabilities as you: To Grow & To Grow Stagnant. I personally want to thank each of you who remembers to pray for us. We cannot do this without the prayer support of the people who love us. We think of you guys often and it is good to know that we haven't been forgotten.

As you pray for us remember to pray...

• for our spiritual growth
• for our physical health and safety
• for language acquisition
• for our family life
• for the boys

This weekend we became more like Christ in one area of our lives. We did not choose this nor would we choose it again but, last weekend we were without running water from Thursday to Sunday. And so we went without showers for the better part of 4 days. The Lord didn't exactly have access to an awesome showerhead, under which he could shower on a daily basis either. At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus fasted in the wilderness for 40 days. He probably had some serious B.O. too (Remember he was fully God and fully man).

This Tune WILL Get Stuck In Your Head (My Bad)

I have discovered quite possibly the most random video EVER made. This is definitely one of my all-time favorite finds on the internet.
Remember Highlights magazine which could be found in any doctor's office across America. There was always that one page that had random objects hidden in a bigger picture. You are about to experience the musical version of that page.
To prove its randomness, I have made a list of things that can be found in the video.

• Way too many overalls
• Shorty shorts - shirt + jacket= sweetness
• Deja Vu of the closing scene from "Nacho Libre"
• Safari hats topped with pinwheels
• Frying pan
• 4 yr. old drummer wearing Paris Hilton's shades
• The most amazing elbow dance ever created

When you're ready to be blown away, go to the very bottom of my blog and push pause on the project playlist so you'll be able to hear the music in the video clip. Then buckle your seatbelt and hold on for dear life.

Isn't Spanish AWESOME?

10 & 2

Last week was an incredible time of refreshing for me spiritually. The language institute brought in a guest speaker who addressed the spiritual life of missionaries (and Christians in general). Every one of his messages really hit home with me. He spoke about trusting God, addressing sin, forgetting the past, finishing well, culture shock, language learning, things that really matter, etc. He preached every morning at chapel and every evening we had a time of worship followed by another sermon. I may be a missionary but that's just way too much "church", or so I thought at the beginning of the week. Then the Lord started working in my heart and speaking to me through his Word and his messenger. Now, I sit here thankful for every opportunity I had to worship the Father during spiritual emphasis week.

I realized one "not-so-spiritual" thing last week during one of the speaker's stories. He was describing a road rage incident he had while in the midst of culture shock. And then it hit me! I haven't sat in the driver's seat of a car since April 27, 2008. Not only that, but I may not have my hands at 10 & 2 until I get to Peru in May 2009. That's weird. Ironically, I hated to drive in the states (just ask Jenn). After seeing the wild driving in CR, I'm a little relieved not to drive here.

Some of our taxi rides have been real doozies. We had this one grandpa taxi driver that was rockin' out to some hilarious music. He was singing along like fifteen year old girl. He was working his neck like one of the Roxbury Guys and swerving through traffic like Ricky Bobby trying to catch Frenchie. In different cabs, we have heard "Thriller," "Xanadoo," and Frank Sinatra. Don't feel sorry for us; the best of US culture is only a cab ride away BABY!