You Win Some You Lose Some

One of the challenges of living in another country is buying food. Some things are pretty easy to discern, apples are apples no matter where you live. They do have water apples here. They look like a shriveled read pear but alas Granny Smiths are Granny Smiths wherever you go and you use them to bake an apple pie. There are other uses for Granny Smith apples but none are as good as an apple pie. Rice looks like rice. Beans look like beans, their “musical nature” is also present in Latin America.

However, there are somethings that are not similar. Spices are new and have different names. There are some similarities but more differences. Product descriptions are all in Spanish which we are learning. The most difficult is meat. The cuts of meat are much different and the names of fish differ between Latin American countries. For instance, the name for a fish here in Costa Rica is small type of snapper whereas in Mexico it is an eel so using Google Translate is no help.

Then there are things without names. This comes when we go to the market. It is typically busy and very few signs. We ran into a bit of a problem when we tried out a new stand that was selling leafy items. Katie wanted a go at it so she ventured into the ladies stall. She was surrounded by leafy green edible plants and people. The sales lady talks fast so Katie did her best to understand. She returned with a couple of bags of green leafy things. We came home, soaked them, spun them (in a salad spinner to decrease the drying time), and stored them. While I was looking at the items, I asked Katie what she got. Well, what she thought she bought was not what she bought. She did successfully buy some spinach but failed on the arugula. We now have an immense amount of mint. I mean we have a lot of mint.

I’m not sure what will come of it. I can’t drink anymore mint tea and she’s not allowed to sneak anymore of it into a salad. There is nothing like brushing your teach as you eat a salad let me tell you! So we will chalk that one up to a loss.

Our motto grocery shopping is, “You win some you lose some.” While Katie’s story was more recent, the first week here I attempted to buy some sausage. I had just had some delicious chorizo. So I bought two different types. The first was a Costa Rican chorizo and the other came as a package in a long sausage link with red lining. The first night I cooked part of the big link and one of the Costa Rican chorizos. I was so excited to taste them, if they were anything like what I had earlier I had hit the jackpot. Well instead of hitting the jack pot, I swung and missed horribly. The Costa Rican chorizo was the worst sausage I had ever had in my life. It was slimy, bland, and bad all at the same time. It was worst sausage I had ever eaten until I took a bite of the other one. What was in the nice large link of sausage? Bologna. Yep, you’re every old day bologna. Now if you are a person who like bologna two things. First, I feel sorry for you. Food is so good and meat tastes so great there is no reason to put it in your mouth. Secondly, I bet if you eat it, you probably don’t eat a two inch thick piece of it. You probably mask it with mayonnaise, lettuce, cheese, mustard, bread, or some combination therein. It was a big letdown, far worse than drinking unsweet tea when you are expecting sweet tea. So we still have some mint in our refrigerator, we got rid of all that sausage.

While we do win some and lose some, you only do if you play the game or in our case, go to the market. But if this is all about nasty sausage and enormous amount of mint I have wasted your time. However, I think about us sharing the gospel. The motto is true, you will win some (to Christ) and lose some (they are already lost) but you can only win someone to Christ if you step out and share the gospel. As a comfort to you, remember sharing the gospel is not about your convincing someone. No one has ever been won to Christ because you came with polished arguments and defending the gospel like a seasoned pro. People come to Christ because God draws them to himself. How does he do this? Through your faithful obedience and by your stepping out in faith by sharing the gospel. Sharing the gospel is primarily your bragging on God and what he has done in Christ. The gospel is the good news. The good news is that no one is too lost to save, no sin is too great, and everyone is welcome. So get out there and share the gospel!

Stop and Hear the Parrots

Living in another country is full of challenges.

In Latin America, there is the challenge to remember toilet paper goes in the trash can not the toilet. That is really a thing here. The struggle to remember that is real! There is the challenge of a new schedule. Here the sun creeps over the mountains a little after 5am. In case you were wondering, that was not our normal time to wake up. It was definitely not Hannah’s normal time to wake up.

Here we are loaded up. Hannah is 30 pounds and our three backpacks are a little more than that in total weight. 

Even though there are many difficulties, there are great experiences too. In order to acclimate well, sometimes we just need to stop and smell the roses.

Take this morning for example, we are in the middle of rainy season which means the ants (hormigas) invade. A couple of days a week while I wait for hot water to boil for my coffee, I kill ants. It is me verses them. I’m not about peace treaties with them. I want them to die slowly so they can tell their friends. To be honest, they don’t bother me too much. I view it as a challenge to eradicate them. Since we have a fifteen minute walk to school, we put Hannah in a stroller (graciously given to us by a church before we left and life is easier with it). However, this morning, the ants found her stroller. Her stroller is like every other toddler’s stroller or car seat – absolutely disgusting. The ants found Hannah’s little buffet for them.

We were already running late so Katie put her baby carrier on and I loaded up with three back packs. We thought about catching a taxi to school but the traffic was pretty bad which meant we could walk about as fast as a taxi. Looking back, I’m so glad we walked. Because we were without a stroller, we entered into the school through a different gate which allowed us a new site and sound, parrots! As we approached the school, we were greeted with the screeches. Parrots aren’t exactly song birds!

Acclimating to a new culture is difficult but if you will live with the “glass is half full” mentality it gets easier. This was a good morning to stop, see, and hear the parrots. How glorious! 

So I’m learning español. People ask how it is going. To be honest, I do not know enough to tell you. In class, I do not understand enough to ask questions! There are some people in class that are having complete conversations and I am completely lost. I’m not without hope in the process. God has called me and he will equip me. This doesn’t mean I don’t need to study it just means he is with me when I am.

There are three ways to say give a demonstrative pronoun in Spanish. They are éste, ése, áquell. These are masculine forms. For you grammar types, there are also masculine plural (éstos, ésos, aquéllos), feminine/plural (ésta/s, ésa/s, áquella/s), there is also a neuter form (ésto, éso, áquello). Now that I have satisfied the grammar nerd in all of you and figured out how to do accents on letters, which was no small feat. Let me tell you why this is comforting to me.

In English we use, “this” or “that” as demonstrative pronouns. These words represent things that are in our hand (this) or things that are far away (that). In español, it is different. They add a different degree of distance. They use éste, ésta, and ésto for something at hand. They use ése, ésa, and ésto for something close but not in hand. They use áquell, áquella, and áquello for something far away.

So while studying this for class, I began to think about how there are some people close at hand. I can talk to them on a daily basis, get to know them, and share the love of Christ with them. There are others who are a little farther away. I may see them occasionally or I may speak to them on social media. There is yet another group of people, those who are far away. Those people, I will never meet. I will never get to know them. They are too far. Even though someone may be too far for me to reach, they are not beyond the reach of God. God is omnipresent. He is everywhere. No one can hide from him.

It makes me think about the people Sentinelese people. They are uncontacted. They live on an island in the Bay of Bengal. When contact has been attempted they have shot arrows and killed anyone who comes close. For this reason, India has imposed a three mile buffer zone around the island. The Sentinelese people are too far for me but not for God. I’m praying that these far off people would be open to the Gospel and those who are far off would be brought near. 

Katie is finally home. She spent the last week in the hospital fighting a pretty serious dose of the Noro virus. We had people praying for us all over the globe. We both felt completely overwhelmed with the grace and peace that is only offered in Jesus. While spending a week in the hospital is bad, It is worse when it is in another country. When you don’t know the language, well it seems worse. The problem is only heightened when you have a twenty month old child that needs to be quarantined from her mother. Since Katie had two IVs, one in each wrist, she required my constant presence so I was unable to spend much time with Hannah throughout the week.

However, even though the situation sounds bad, I wanted to share with you how the Lord tenderly loved us through the ordeal. He is so faithful and loving. He did several things with perfect timing that reminded us of his care and provision.

Initially, we had planned on spending Saturday at La Paz waterfall and zoo. It is (I know from pictures of friends) a beautiful tropical zoo paradise about an hour and a half away from San Jose, CR. There were about forty students set to go on the excursion which the language school set up for us. We were so excited. I had the Go-Pro camera charged, bags packed, and we were set. After several weeks of seeing the city of San Jose both Katie and I felt we needed to see something pretty. Not that the city isn’t nice but it is the capital city. Everything changed about 3am. I woke up with severe stomach cramps and everything that went with it, I thought, La Paz may not happen. When I woke up two hours later throwing up, I thanked the Lord for bringing on the sickness an hour before we were set to leave for La Paz. I don’t have anything against the other students but I feel some things are best not shared!

Katie was so sweet and kind. She took missing La Paz like a trooper. She cared for me. She got Gatorade for me and even washed all the vegetables from the market. I laid in bed feeling horrible but cared for. At noon, Katie came in the room and said she wasn’t feeling the best. Two hours later, she was in full on sick mode. We asked our neighbors to watch Hannah and Katie and I laid in bed sick as dogs. At about 5pm, it was apparent Katie was not getting better.

The school has a doctor (Dr. Longworth) who keeps office hours at the school and at the best hospital in CR. His parents were missionaries here. He was born here but speaks perfect English. I spoke with him on the phone and he advised us to go to the ER. So we took our first solo taxi ride (first ride without someone speaking for us) and we drove to the ER. Dr. Longworth called ahead to the ER for us and within ten minutes Katie was seen, had blood drawn, and IV fluids had begun. She was still sick but in the right place.

The blood work came back and showed she had an infection and was dehydrated. After several hours, the ER doctor (who also spoke very good English) gave us his business card with his personal contact information on it, a host of medications, and set us on our way. When you go to check out of the hospital, they offer to fill your prescriptions at the pharmacy. Typically, the meds are a little bit more expensive but the convenience factor makes it completely worth it. While we were waiting for the scripts to get filled, the ER doctor called me back in and told me he called Dr. Longworth and that he wanted Katie admitted into the hospital. He said, “I do not know Dr. Longworth. My normal protocol for this type of sickness is to release you with these medicines.” So I was stuck deciding between two doctors opinions. After conferring with Katie, who still didn’t feel the best, I told him to admit her. If it were me, I would have probably gone home but since it was Katie I wanted to make sure she was ok.

We had to wait longer to get Katie to a room. We finally did around midnight. When we entered into the room, the nurses began checking her vitals. I asked one of them to take my temperature. I had a 100.5 degree fever. I didn’t feel good so I checked myself into the ER and had my blood drawn. While waiting for my results, I took a bag of IV fluids. My numbers came back showing I was fighting something but nothing to the same level of Katie. I was released with no medications. After a bag of fluids, I felt much better.

I got to Katie’s room about 2:30am. She had been throwing up or at least attempting to the entire time I was gone. I was so thankful for Dr. Longworth and giving us the wisdom to follow his advice over the other doctor.

It took a couple of days for Katie to feel better. We were hopeful she was going to be coming home on Tuesday. She was trying so hard to get released. The doctors gave her two goals: drink liquid and eat food. When she could do both and keep them down she would be able to go home. Well Monday night, she had an appetite. She ate some food and drank some Powerade. I went home preparing to come get her for discharge. She sent me a message early in the morning, she couldn’t keep anything down. On top of that, she had severe pain in her abdomen.

It was the grace of God for her to stay those extra days. During the extra days, the doctors found that fluid had formed around her bowel and in her lungs due to the severity of the sickness. They were also able to determine she had the Noro virus and not a bacterial infection as was initially expected. This discovery completely changed her medication. The medications and lack of antibiotic helped her be able to repair the damage done to her stomach and esophagus.

While we were there, the nurses were so kind. The doctors all seven of them were great. Dr. Longworth is known for being thorough. He made rounds at least one a day. He had another doctor come by twice a day, an infectious disease doctor, gastro doctor, surgeon, and a couple of doctors who ran tests. Here doctors run ultrasounds not techs. It is great because they give instant readings and diagnosis. Katie got several tests and each one was administered by a doctor with an attending nurse. Katie was in great care. I told her it was an all-inclusive stay. She was able to order anything she wanted, had people make her bed twice a day. Costa Ricans are very serious about showering in the morning and changing sheets. She had her sheets changed and turned down twice a day. Needless to say, she saw my statement as a joke. Oh they also serve a Hershey’s Kiss whenever you order a cup of coffee. I see the last point as a total positive thing for coffee shops in the US to adopt. 

While we were there, we had visitors from the school staff, a teacher, and plenty of students. We couldn’t have felt more loved by their visits. To top things off, some of the students have set meals up for us now that we are home.

Several of the hard things that happened to us. First, Katie got admitted to the hospital. But can you imagine if she wasn’t? What a mark of God’s kindness having her admitted! Second, Katie couldn’t keep food down on Monday. Keeping her several more days allowed the doctors to find out exactly what was wrong with her which kept her medicine count down. Now that she has been home and recovered, we could not be more pleased with her care. The last couple of days of her hospitalization allowed the doctors to do several different tests which completely changed the medication she was given. This medication change allowed her to return home and recover much quicker. So while we may not always know God’s plan or his timing, his plan is always good and he is always on time. 

We recently spent a week in Ecuador. Our trip down was quite memorable and by that I mean miserable. We started the trip out on very little sleep after having a two day long yard sale. Things got real interesting when the airline did not allow us to bring the car seat on the plane. For me (James) I was disheartened. On the other hand, Katie was in a six hour wrestling match. 

Right before take off. The last time Katie smiled until we landed. Hannah's look... well she is thinking, "They aren't strapping me in! I'm free!"

We made it to Ecuador. Katie's beautiful smile returns. Hannah was exhausted!

We had a layover in Panama where the air conditioning was not working in the airport. After lacing up the gloves again, we boarded the plane for Ecuador. We finally made it!

We landed in Guayaquil and drove several hours to Cuenca. Cuenca is a beautiful city located in the Andes.

Cuenca, Ecuador. 

 We stayed with the Sills family. They are great hosts, guides, and friends. After taking a day to rest, we traveled to Incapirca to visit the ruins. 

Incapirca, Ecuador

Incapirca, Ecuador on a very windy day!

When we left, we visited the training center in Tambo. When I walked into the church and training center, I saw both Pastor Felix and Manuel (a pastor who lives several hours away). They both greeted me with open arms, literally giving me a nice big hug. Right before we left, we met a Japanese lady, who knew Japanese, English, Spanish, and Quichua. She was a Jehovah’s Witness. We took a couple of minutes to share with her about the correct Jesus. We left that day, tired, overwhelmed with the need, but encouraged with all the work God is doing up in the mountains.

A blurry picture of Felix showing off a nice bed in the training center. 

The family at the training center in Tambo. 

We spent the rest of our time in Cuenca seeing the sights and sounds of the city. We went to the museum which doubles as a cultural center for the city with more Inca ruins. We went to the market to buy produce and I even went a got a cup of coffee! 

A nice cappuccino 

We went to the mall one day because their version of Wal-Mart is there. The store was like Wal-Mart in what they offer with less interesting people!

Before we came home, I was prepared with the required policies for car seats. The flights home were not as memorable. However, it was significantly better!

Beautiful smiles and straps the entire way!

A couple of funny things about our trip:

1.      1. We need a pressure cooker. It took us 4 days to cook black beans. That’s right 4 days. Because C2. Cuenca is almost two miles in the air, water boils at a lower temperature and things take longer to cook.

2.      2. We will be eating a lot of fresh produce. We bought $20 worth and it was all I could carry (and I’m incredibly strong, ok maybe not but we bought a bunch of stuff).

Wide angle lens required for $20 worth of produce.

3.      3. Ecuadorians love Hannah. Who doesn’t right? They loved seeing her and she loved them doting on her. My language was not good enough but I’m sure a couple of them talked about her chubby thighs. Thankfully she is only a year and half and those comments are still ok,

4.      4. We have much to learn. We need to learn language, culture, cooking methods, and relearn how to drive.

For all of you who have supported us, prayed for us, and even asked us how we are doing, thank you. We are setting final dates and times to leave for language school, mid-August but that is for another post.  

I know that tomorrow is such an exciting day for most of us.  We have so much to celebrate.   But for others, tomorrow is a very hard day.  If tomorrow will be hard for you, I hope these simple words of encouragement minister to you as you walk through tomorrow…

To the Hurting Mommy/Mommy to Be

        Maybe walking through Mother’s Day is one more reminder of your grief.  Maybe it’s one more reminder of hopeful plans that never panned out.  Maybe it’s one more reminder of an empty womb and empty arms.  Please know that if you feel alone tomorrow, you are not alone.  You are loved and you are prayed for.  My heart grieves with yours.  I can’t make your hurt or loss any better.  There is nothing I can say that will change what you are walking through.  In some ways I understand and in some ways I do not. But I do understand loss and waiting for God’s timing.  These are not easy things.  But God loves you and he is big enough to hold your tears.  He is big enough to carry your heart through this day.

 “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1

To the Mommy who is waiting…

My prayer for you is that tomorrow is filled with God’s grace for you.  I pray that as you encounter others that they bear the image of Christ to you.  I pray that you have hope in Christ.  He knows suffering and He is the great comforter of the heart.  God knows the plans He has for you and his timing is perfect even in the painful season of waiting.  My prayer for you is that you allow God to heal your heart in your season of waiting. My prayer for you is that you trust God in his timing and his plans for your life.  My prayer for you is that your hope is founded in Christ.  If you need to cry tomorrow, it’s okay.  But I pray that God refreshes you and gives you hope as you wait on him and his timing.  I pray that He brings you great joy and peace. 

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

To the Mommy who is grieving…

My prayer for you is that you feel God’s mercy being poured out on you throughout the day.  I pray that as you wake in the morning, God gives you peace.  I pray that God gives you happy memories.  As you think of those happy memories, I pray that you are reminded of a God who loves you unconditionally.  Please know that we live in a world of sorrow and of sin.  Death was never part of God’s original design for creation.  I’m so sorry that you are walking through grief.  My heart aches for you.  I pray that you are able to spend time tomorrow remembering your baby or child.  I pray that others will remember you and your grief.  I pray that God uses others to minister to you and love you.  I’m so sorry that this day that is so happy for most, is very sad for you.  But I pray that God carries you through tomorrow and at the end of the day, you are able to look back at our gracious God loving you, healing you, and leading you through the day. If you need to cry tomorrow, it’s okay.  You are a mommy who has loved and lost. 

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort who comforts us in our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

To the Mommy who chose adoption for the child she birthed…

My prayer for you is that God gives you hope and peace.  I pray that you know the love of God.  I pray that you know how much he loves you and that he wants to adopt you into his family.  The choice that you made for your child is one of the most beautiful sacrificial pictures of love.  I pray that God can use this in your life to share God’s hope and peace with others.  I pray that as time passes, God heals your heart and gives you much joy.  My prayer is that you are reminded of the precious gift of life that you gave the child that you birthed.  You birthed a child and then put your child’s needs above your own.  You did a very hard thing because of your love for your child.  Your love for your child should never be questioned, but affirmed

“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18

If tomorrow will be hard for you, please know that God loves you.  Please know that other mothers have walked before you or are walking a similar path with you and understand your pain and suffering.  My prayer for you tomorrow is that you look to the God who created you and who loves you for hope, peace, and healing.  You are a beautiful, unique, exquisite woman created by God!  He loves you more than you can comprehend!  He is big enough to hold your tears.  He is big enough to hear your questions.  He is big enough to heal your heart.  He loves you! 

Lord, anything but my dogs.

Today is a hard day for my family. We have, for almost five years, enjoyed two great dogs. Sadie WalkerTexasRanger and Howitzer JackBowitzer whom we affectionately call, “Howie.” Sadie is a boxer and Howie is a Heinz 57 mutt. They are great, a little overweight, well trained, great with kids, the consummate guard dogs, big babies, and grocery destroyers. When Katie and I followed the Lord in our call to missions, we never knew all it would cost. We are giving away many of our goods, selling our house, and today, giving our dogs away.

Now some of you might go online and look at the requirements for bringing dogs overseas. Before you do, let me assure you, it is possible that Sadie and Howie come with us. However, we are not thrilled about them spending time in quarantine or living in an apartment. Even worse, would be putting them through this twice in one calendar year.

For us, our dogs served as children place holders. For several years, we were trying any avenue to have a child. While we were there waiting, Sadie and Howie were there. When we had multiple failed adoptions, Sadie was there trying to lick Katie’s tears away. Howie, well he is a special dog and is perfectly happy to just lay around and be pet or to just lay around. Now with Hannah they are no longer place holders but are child protection and friend. One of Hannah’s greatest joys after she is finished eating her food is to drop her food on the ground for her two patiently waiting friends. I saw it (and without attempting correction) yesterday and I have no idea how much food Hannah eats. I also know why Howie is overweight!

Things have not always been great with Sadie and Howie. A couple of years ago, they decided to make a break for it and take a vacation in the nature preserve. Howie came home after five days and Sadie eight (she is a bit more stubborn).

All in all, today is a sad day because we love those two dogs. They are going to a great home with new owners who love dogs and will have time for them. Today is tough because it is another loss we are experiencing as we follow Christ.

Paul writes to a church and recounts who he used to be and what he had and says, “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead (Philippians 3:8–11).”

Today, we are experiencing another loss but we will gain more. It is incredibly sad to see these two dogs go. But we praise God for the time we had with them and for how He made them. God made animals, dogs especially, (the verdict is still out on cats), with an innate ability for love and relationship. This ability is how God created them and for that He is praise worthy. A dog is a man’s best friend. I prayed the other day and it ended with, “Lord anything but my dogs.” But I don’t want to settle for a “best friend” when I can have a Savior and Heavenly Father. When I see the love these dogs have, it is infinitely better in Jesus. These days make us focus on loving our Creator not his creation because what we love in creation is really what we love about him. It just hurts to see it sometimes.