My Heart is Torn

These past two days have been busy for me although I'm on break from school. I have had the opportunity to go to the two ministries I'm interested in working at once I graduate from language school on 14 August 09. They are La Carpio and Renacer; both working with teenage girls.

La Carpio is a severely improvised town of more than 4000 people, of which 75% are children. At the end of the main street (the only paved one) of the town is the one and only dump or land field for all of the San Jose area. The majority of these precious people are Nicaraguan refugees from their civil war. Many of them are illegally here and therefore unable to find legal work.

These people are some of the poorest in Costa Rica. I don't know the exact statics but the percentage of those who are hungry and without food is much, much higher than the percentage of the entire country.

CFCI has a huge influence in this community. They have an incredible program for the teenage girls there. They have so many needs and few workers to meet these needs. They have a school program for them; starting a lunch program for the girls at the school so they can spend the entire day learning and not just half of it. They also teach the girls English; have a classes for them to learn new trades; a program for some of the girls to work so that they also can have an education and not turn to other ways of earning money. There is a Saturday program that they do a Bible study, craft time, game time, etc. There are so many opportunities to be used here and I can see myself being there in a heartbeat.

Then today came and I went up the mountains to see Renacer (the ministry that God used to bring me here). Renacer is a year long program for girls 12-18 who have addictions. Most of these girls have come off the streets and a lot don't have family or their family chose not to be involved. They have room for about 50 girls at a time.

The campus is a beautiful campus that is nestled into the forest close to the top of the mountain. Palm trees line the sidewalks to the houses that the girls live in. Today was the weekly move everything out and clean. The girls all were smiling and respectful as we toured and spoke to some.

At this time they don't have a missionary up there and have been praying that God would send one to them. There are a lot of similarities of what I did back in the states but it would be centered around Christ! The one person who can forever change a life! The one person I wanted to talk about to my kids in the states but couldn't due to ethics.

I had really hoped that I would not feel right at one of the places, but that didn't happen. Now I'm torn, I want to be at both! There are pros and cons to both. I know God will use me whichever one I choose. But I want to be where God wants me to be and where I can be used the most. So now it's time to enter into a season of specific prayer. Please enter into this time with me as I seek His leading and direction. I'm excited to see where God has me and I can't wait to start working with these girls.

March 09 Newsletter

For those who didn't get this via email here's a link to my newsletter. http://lifepointozark.com/media/pdf/2009-03_lovelandNews.pdf

Finally After 8 Months

For as long as I have been here, 8 months (can you believe that?), I have always wanted to see a sloth. Sadly my luck has fallen short. I have seen the butt of one several times as it lays curled up in the tree sleeping. But that's not what I want to see. Finally, of course I didn't have my camera on me, we saw not just one but two sloths!! (This picture is from my friend.)

Although they are the slowest animal, they are one of my newest favorites. They are just so fun to watch, as if he was in slow-motion. And they are just too cute. However not so much when you think about how over 300 types of bugs can live on them because they move so slow. Yuck! With that aside they are so flippin cute and funny! It was worth the wait!

Kidnapped by an ATM Machine!

Before I begin my story let me set up the pre-scene; that being the Costa Rican ATM machine. Unlike the states where you can find an ATM on almost any corner, here you can only find an ATM at a bank. It has it's own cubby hole on the side of or at the front of the bank. It has a glass door that is tinted in the middle so people can't see what you're doing.

To get into the ATM you slide your debit card at the door, which demagnetizes the door and allows you in. Once in, the door shuts and locks you in. Inside it is sweltering and almost suffocating hot. After hiding your money in random notches throughout your clothing, you push a button that will demagnetize the door and off you go on your merry little way. Pretty easy right? Not so fast!

Now here's the set up of the actual kidnapped. My friend Amanda and Jenny needed to go to the ATM and I went with them. We walked about 800 meters (1/2 mile) down a curvy, dark mountain road at about 7pm, Friday night. The bank was a little set back from the road, which was only traveled by cars and very few people.

Several people came out of the ATM and held the door open for us. We all three went into the ATM as it was big enough and it would not have been the best idea for me to stay out alone, in the dark, in front of the ATM. I was the last one in and I saw that there was a golden slide lock that was in the way of the door from completely closing. Me being the safety police, I decided to move it so that the door would close with us securely locked in. As the door shut, I thought "I hope that wasn't there for a reason."

It was painfully and suffocatingly hot inside the ATM room and I decided I would rather wait outside. So I pushed the button and only the bottom part of the door open and not the top magnetic lock. I hoped it wasn't working only because Amanda was using the ATM. Once again I tried and it wouldn't open. I waited to say something until Jenny was done. Then I informed them of the bad news. I had just locked us inside the ATM!"

We tried and tried to get it open. I was really afraid that we were about to break the glass from pushing on it so hard. We were in disbelief that this happened and I was worried about how long can we survive in such a harsh environment of suffocating heat. We were pounding and making noise but there was no one to hear us.

After about 10 minutes of being kidnapped by the ATM, Amanda sees a tico guy walking by and she yells out to him, "Auydenos! Estamos atrapadas!" (Helps us! We're trapped). At first he looked at her and kept walking, but his heart took pity on us (okay maybe he wanted to laugh at the gringas locas - crazy Americans). Either way he came to the door and he told me to push the button (again all of this took place in the Spanish language). I told him I know that but it's broken and tried showing him. Once he believed me, and that I wasn't just plain stupid, he looked around for a solution, I was pretty much hopeless that we would get out without involving the police to help. (Try explaining that one!) He said he would try to slide his card. I thought that if the magnetic thing was broken, his card was going to be useless for our rescue. But it worked!

It turns out that just the button was broken and that the sliding lock was there for a very good purpose! I could tell it had been that way for a very long time as the metal door frame had indentions from where the lock has hit it time and time again, allowing the ATM user to not fall victim to the Kidnapping ATM machine. I wonder if the security people ever really watch those videos from the ATM? What a laugh they would have! Who knows how long we would have had to stay inside that thing!

I'm Moving!

I'm very excited to share with ya'll that I have found a studio apartment to move into on 3 May! It's a true blessing as I have been trying to figure out what to do about my living situation. I currently live with a tica family and it's been a good experience but for someone who has lived on her own for almost 11 years it's been a big change. However, I am so grateful for this family to open their home to me.

I will be moving much closer to school - I'll have less than a 10 minute walk, whereas right now it takes about 20 minutes. Which will be wonderful when the rainy season starts here in about a month. I also love the fact that I'm on the property of a tica family who seems to be incredibly sweet. She has several children and I met her 22 year old daughter, whom I hit it off with very well. I look forward to that friendship developing.

It will present a challenge due to the fact it's super small but I love the fact it's my own place to do whatever with it and I can even paint! I love that about Costa Rica; most landlords don't care if you paint the walls because they all paint the walls bright colors here! I'm also very excited that it's only going to cost $15 more than what I pay my tica family now! How awesome.

It's kinda weird because it makes it more real that this is my home now and I'm here for some time to come! I'll post some pics when I get there!