Friday, November 26, 2004
Happy Thanksgiving!
Now that three months have passed already and we have found somewhat of a routine, Liza and I wondered what we would talk about in our next update. One thing we wanted to share was that we have been doing our own bible studies in the house, and something occurred to us while we were going over Galatians. Many people praise us for being here, think that we are so wonderful for doing God´s work a world away. While we appreciate all the support and love, we wanted to confess that the deeds we do don´t prove anything, don´t mean anything in terms of getting into Heaven. That is, works have nothing to do with it, but faith in Jesus has everything to do with it. We are only here because of our thankfulness and the unfathomable love God has for us, and in turn want to return that love to others. No amount of works can prove you worthy, because we all mess up, we all fall, and we all struggle with life everyday. I believe that everyone has Jesus in them, because we definitely see and feel the love. We just did not want people to think we are better than we are because we are here; we are the same people, struggling to figure out what God has planned for us, fighting the urge to do whatever we want, and not worrying about the language, the job that we have at hand, or the future. God seems to show himself in amazing ways if we choose to see it. On the other hand, life never goes quite how you might expect……..
For example, on Saturday the 20th we awoke to something we have never experienced first-hand; an EARTHQUAKE! I woke up as the whole house was shaking and it took a minute to come-to, but I was paralyzed, I literally could not leave my bed as it shook and I figured out what was happening. Good thing we didn´t get hit the hardest in the ¨temblor¨ that rated 6.2 on the richter scale. Many homes and streets were destroyed close to the Pacific. Yet, I really felt just how small we truly are in this world, especially with all the aftershocks. We never knew when they would come, how strong they would be, or how long they would last. Many we could not feel, but the ones we could still paralyzed me. That lasted about 2 days. Liza, however, was very non-chalant about the whole deal, feeling as though it was not that big of a deal, that she was missing out on precious sleep. It was pretty humorous in the midst of fear.
As for this time of year, both of us long to be at home for the holidays, but we know that we are here for a reason and that we would not trade this experience for the world. We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving; we celebrated on Sunday since we couldn´t on Thursday. We had turkey (pavo), stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, the works. It is not quite the same here, then again nothing is, but it was good to pass the day with Lara, another volunteer from the U.S., and to show our German roommates what Thanksgiving is like. We also got to talk to our families, and even though it made me cry, I am so thankful that I have people that really love me and are really behind me. Liza was very excited to talk to her family also, and she is lucky because her family is coming for Christmas, so we will be able to have a semi-normal Christmas. The important thing is that we know that our friends and family are with us in love, and that you all know how much we love and appreciate you.
In the midst of trying not to repeat ourselves, it occurred to us that our everyday life really isn´t that ordinary. We forget to talk about things that we do differently now than in the states, but never really realized that it is that different, that though life goes on pretty similarly, there are also many differences. For example:
· We cannot put toilet paper down the toilet because the sewage system is not the same, so we have to throw it away in the trash. At first it was kind of gross, but now it is normal. It really isn´t as bad as it sounds.
· All the highways/major roads have round-abouts instead of streetlights, and so people come out of nowhere trying to get from one end to the other. It is like driving in California times 7, I think.
· Speaking of streets, crossing the street is risking your life daily. We joke about it, calling it Frogger like the old video game, where you have to get across the street without getting squashed. The cars come so fast, and picking the perfect time to go is always a challenge. But we do not get extra lives. Still, that´s how life goes here.
· We always allow at least an hour to get to wherever we are going. The bus system works really well and is cheap, but it is still slow. We spend on average three hours a day on the bus; the upside is that we get a lot of reading done.
· Making sure we always have our umbrellas is a task. I have lost two on the bus, and usually just forget it in the house before I leave. Needless to say, in the rainy season I end up wet and surprisingly cold in the evening. You´d think I would learn.
These are just some of the normal, everyday things that we have grown accustomed to. I know there are more, but being here three months already makes it hard to compare to my life back home, which feels like so long ago, plus I have a bad memory J
The good news about this time of year is that Matthias (my German roommate) and I are both going to be celebrating our birthday on the 4th and 7th respectively. The four of us are planning to go to a beach on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica on the 3rd. It will be a nice change, and I have not gone to a beach on that side ever. It is hard when you work on the weekends like Liza and I do.
So, you may all be wondering if we have found any good friends, or may have the fear that we have found boyfriends. I can honestly say that we have found friends for a lifetime and beyond. I am also happy (and a little disappointed) to say that we are both still single. Though, there are friends that would like to date us, but none of them seem to be ¨the one¨. The culture difference here is that there seems to be no dating, you just go straight into the relationship, meeting the parents, the works. That is too scary at the moment. So we just continue to meet new people, tell them why we are here, and build those relationships which we feel life is all about. We have trusted God´s plan up to this point, and he has handled it all pretty well. So we will keep on keepin´on, and just keep swimming, just keep swimming……
My final thought is on prayer requests.
· In La Carpio where we work, there is some serious tension between two groups of the church. I would like to ask you to keep these people in mind, because it hurts the unity and the fellowship greatly. We will be leading a bible study on this on Wednesday, I ask for a prayer with that too, I know I am a little nervous.
· Please keep in mind those most affected by the earthquake. It seemed to have hit one of the poorest towns the hardest, and they are trying to rebuild.
· I know many people at home who are struggling with school, work and bosses, relationship problems, among other things, and I ask that you think about them, pray for them in their time of uncertainty, helplessness and sadness. It is easy to focus on things far away, but we sometimes forget about the problems right next door.
· I also ask for you to keep in mind other missionaries around the world. I have received many updates from friends in Bahrain, Tanzania, Japan, and all over the world, and I ask that they are in your prayers because I cannot imagine how different life is for them at this time. Costa Rica is nothing compared to having to hide your faith, along with your hair and legs in public (in the blistering hot sun too!)
Thanks for reading the novel, hope you enjoyed it. If you would like to email Liza or I directly, the addresses are lindsaym7@hotmail.com and lizafoo22@yahoo.com. Muchos bendicios a todos (many blessings to everyone)!
For example, on Saturday the 20th we awoke to something we have never experienced first-hand; an EARTHQUAKE! I woke up as the whole house was shaking and it took a minute to come-to, but I was paralyzed, I literally could not leave my bed as it shook and I figured out what was happening. Good thing we didn´t get hit the hardest in the ¨temblor¨ that rated 6.2 on the richter scale. Many homes and streets were destroyed close to the Pacific. Yet, I really felt just how small we truly are in this world, especially with all the aftershocks. We never knew when they would come, how strong they would be, or how long they would last. Many we could not feel, but the ones we could still paralyzed me. That lasted about 2 days. Liza, however, was very non-chalant about the whole deal, feeling as though it was not that big of a deal, that she was missing out on precious sleep. It was pretty humorous in the midst of fear.
As for this time of year, both of us long to be at home for the holidays, but we know that we are here for a reason and that we would not trade this experience for the world. We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving; we celebrated on Sunday since we couldn´t on Thursday. We had turkey (pavo), stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, the works. It is not quite the same here, then again nothing is, but it was good to pass the day with Lara, another volunteer from the U.S., and to show our German roommates what Thanksgiving is like. We also got to talk to our families, and even though it made me cry, I am so thankful that I have people that really love me and are really behind me. Liza was very excited to talk to her family also, and she is lucky because her family is coming for Christmas, so we will be able to have a semi-normal Christmas. The important thing is that we know that our friends and family are with us in love, and that you all know how much we love and appreciate you.
In the midst of trying not to repeat ourselves, it occurred to us that our everyday life really isn´t that ordinary. We forget to talk about things that we do differently now than in the states, but never really realized that it is that different, that though life goes on pretty similarly, there are also many differences. For example:
· We cannot put toilet paper down the toilet because the sewage system is not the same, so we have to throw it away in the trash. At first it was kind of gross, but now it is normal. It really isn´t as bad as it sounds.
· All the highways/major roads have round-abouts instead of streetlights, and so people come out of nowhere trying to get from one end to the other. It is like driving in California times 7, I think.
· Speaking of streets, crossing the street is risking your life daily. We joke about it, calling it Frogger like the old video game, where you have to get across the street without getting squashed. The cars come so fast, and picking the perfect time to go is always a challenge. But we do not get extra lives. Still, that´s how life goes here.
· We always allow at least an hour to get to wherever we are going. The bus system works really well and is cheap, but it is still slow. We spend on average three hours a day on the bus; the upside is that we get a lot of reading done.
· Making sure we always have our umbrellas is a task. I have lost two on the bus, and usually just forget it in the house before I leave. Needless to say, in the rainy season I end up wet and surprisingly cold in the evening. You´d think I would learn.
These are just some of the normal, everyday things that we have grown accustomed to. I know there are more, but being here three months already makes it hard to compare to my life back home, which feels like so long ago, plus I have a bad memory J
The good news about this time of year is that Matthias (my German roommate) and I are both going to be celebrating our birthday on the 4th and 7th respectively. The four of us are planning to go to a beach on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica on the 3rd. It will be a nice change, and I have not gone to a beach on that side ever. It is hard when you work on the weekends like Liza and I do.
So, you may all be wondering if we have found any good friends, or may have the fear that we have found boyfriends. I can honestly say that we have found friends for a lifetime and beyond. I am also happy (and a little disappointed) to say that we are both still single. Though, there are friends that would like to date us, but none of them seem to be ¨the one¨. The culture difference here is that there seems to be no dating, you just go straight into the relationship, meeting the parents, the works. That is too scary at the moment. So we just continue to meet new people, tell them why we are here, and build those relationships which we feel life is all about. We have trusted God´s plan up to this point, and he has handled it all pretty well. So we will keep on keepin´on, and just keep swimming, just keep swimming……
My final thought is on prayer requests.
· In La Carpio where we work, there is some serious tension between two groups of the church. I would like to ask you to keep these people in mind, because it hurts the unity and the fellowship greatly. We will be leading a bible study on this on Wednesday, I ask for a prayer with that too, I know I am a little nervous.
· Please keep in mind those most affected by the earthquake. It seemed to have hit one of the poorest towns the hardest, and they are trying to rebuild.
· I know many people at home who are struggling with school, work and bosses, relationship problems, among other things, and I ask that you think about them, pray for them in their time of uncertainty, helplessness and sadness. It is easy to focus on things far away, but we sometimes forget about the problems right next door.
· I also ask for you to keep in mind other missionaries around the world. I have received many updates from friends in Bahrain, Tanzania, Japan, and all over the world, and I ask that they are in your prayers because I cannot imagine how different life is for them at this time. Costa Rica is nothing compared to having to hide your faith, along with your hair and legs in public (in the blistering hot sun too!)
Thanks for reading the novel, hope you enjoyed it. If you would like to email Liza or I directly, the addresses are lindsaym7@hotmail.com and lizafoo22@yahoo.com. Muchos bendicios a todos (many blessings to everyone)!
# posted by Liza & Lindsay in Costa Rica @ 11:47 AM 
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This is a great blog you have here.
Very interesting to read, so I bookmarked it.
greets:)
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Very interesting to read, so I bookmarked it.
greets:)
------------------------------
[My blog][avatars and funny stuff]
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