Volcanoes, Parades, and Coffee

I am writing this blog from the comfort of my internet-free home so that I can save it to a flash drive and post it later. It is so hard to find time to get to an internet café, and then they aren’t always open when they say they will be open and then when I have a clock counting the minutes I use and how much I owe (even though it only costs like 60 cents/hour), I just don’t feel like I have the leisure to write a good blog, so I don’t know when I will actually post this but oh well.

I am 2 weeks into my time here and I have already had some adventures. Saturday I went with some friends to a VOLCANO. yep. It was sweet. We were right up there by the crater looking down into the steaming opening of the volcano, with the sulfur burning our eyes. On Sunday, a group of 15 of us went to Cartago where we saw the ruins of the first Spanish settlement in C.R. We also swam and had a cook-out . The bus ride back was an adventure, because the bus was definitely waaay over maximum capacity and we were driving up a super steep mountain with no guard rails in the rain. But we made it!

Today is independence day, so last night all the elementary schools in Costa Rica have parades of Faroles. A farol is a type of lantern, the kids parents make them in the shape of a national symbol or a school or house or some other shape and then they put candles inside of them and carry them in the parade. At Manfred’s school it was supposed to start at 6. We got there at 6:30 . It was dark by then, the school yard was like pure mud and everyone just seemed to be aimlessly standing around. I really didn’t understand what was happening. It turns out that they were waiting for the torch runners to arrive (because the news of Costa Rica’s independence was delivered to them by someone running with a letter and a torch) and so when the torch runners coming from another school arrived at Manfred’s school, a drum line started playing and everyone started marching down the street. It was quite festive. Then today I went with some friends to another parade. It was probably over 3 hours long, but we didn’t stay for the whole thing (especially since they don’t throw out candy in the parades here).

Classes here are interesting and challenging. We have lots of guest speakers from the community come and talk to our class about poverty, economic systems, music and culture etc. We also have a good deal of homework. It is so interesting to study culture, politics, economics and justice from a different point of view, in a land that has been hurt by American policies but at the same time loves American pop culture and fast food. This weekend we are taking a field trip to Limon, a province on the east coast. We will visit a banana plantation, and pineapple plantation and a coffee plantation (!) and no worries, we will also go to the beach!

I am still enjoying my family here, but I would like to bring up one thing, not because I want to air their dirty laundry but because I would really like you all to pray. There has been an issue because my 16 year old sister here has a “boyfriend” who is 23 who she met online. Her parents are in an uproar and really don’t know what to do. It is awkward for me to be on the outskirts of all this, and I think we all need God’s wisdom and direction, and I want to be able to help the situation as best I can.

As a side note, I have eaten so much beans and rice here! Especially rice. I also decided today that I miss Mexican food. Tacos, burritos, and enchiladas are NOT traditional Costa Rican (or “Tican”) food. But it doesn’t even matter what the food is like here because the coffee is SO GOOD. I have it in the morning and in the afternoon every day. When I travel outside of the city there are coffee fields everywhere. I would also like to mention that you can buy a pineapple here for less than a dollar, and one of those little baskets of strawberries for 50 cents.

Many of you have told me you read my blog. You don’t even know how encouraging that is. I don’t have time to respond to everyone but know that I really appreciate your thoughts and prayers. You can pray for me in the following ways:

1. My relationship with my family. Sometimes its hard to know how I fit in and what my role is.

2. Balance of time between school, cultural events and family

3. We are being faced with many challenging ideas, and I really want to process them in humility with a biblical perspective, not a perspective of human wisdom.

4. For the people I am missing and who are missing me (ie family, friends and Kipp)

Chapter 2... Costa Rica

I made it to Costa Rica! Preparing for this trip has been so different from Mexico just because I know how much loneliness and homesickness to expect, and for that reason I think I was more nervous than excited. In the Miami airport I met up with the rest of my group. There are 34 of us in all, and we are a very lovely group if I do say so myself. I only slept 3 hours the night before I left and I think I am still trying to make up the difference. I have been SO EXHAUSTED all week! This week was orientation, on Thursday we split into group of 3 and explored downtown San Jose we had a list of things we had to find, and a map. Unfortunately almost none of the streets are labeled and nobody really knows which street is which, so it is very difficult getting from one place to the other. I was with McCall and Andrew and we laughed a lot at ourselves. After a morning of being quite disoriented and getting incorrect directions from the locals (they don’t want to disappoint you by saying they don’ know where something is) we ate lunch in a very pretty park. We just couldn’t get over the fact that 2 days prior we had been at home in the US and now we were on an adventure of cultural blunders in a completely foreign country, eating lunches packed for us my women we hardly even knew in a park that we couldn’t even find on the map! There was also a lovely object lesson at lunch. Andrew’s mom had packed him a huge orange, but she had peeled it with a potato peeler and cut a small part of the top off. We just really didn’t know how he was supposed to eat it. McCall decided it was a great representation of our situation because “it’s like we have things that are sort of familiar and we have our ways of doing them, and just the fact that people here do things differently makes the normal seem completely abnormal and makes us feel completely incompetent.” We just have different ideas of how to do things.
I have a great host family. Thank you Lord! Henry and Maritza are my parents, and my sister Alejandra is 16, and my brother Manfred is 8. They have had 11 students before me, so they are “pro” hosts. But speaking of doing things differently… tonight we had taquitos for dinner, meat rolled up in a taco shell and fried. I was excited when I got to the table and saw the taquitos piled with lettuce and sour cream and salsa, until I looked closer and realized the “sour cream” and “salsa” was actually ketchup and mayonaise. Yep. It was drenched in ketchup and mayonaise. But I ate it J

A few other observations:
It is colder here than I expected. It rains every day and right now I really wish I had some sweat pants and not just shorts.
People here a clean freaks. EVERYONE takes a shower EVERY day. For those of you who don’t know my showering habits… let’s just say it’s a stretch.
People dress up here. Most women wear high heels or fancy flats. I want to fit it, but I have to walk about 2 miles to school most days and then another 2 miles to language school in the afternoon, so I’m wearing my tennis shoes… go ahead, call the fashion police.

I’m doing this guys! Please keep praying for me. It is overwhelming to think about being here for over 3 months, but God is faithful to give me strength and joy for TODAY, and that is all I need.

I'm home

Well, I'm home now, safe and sound. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about that. I was starting to have my place and fit in down there, I was getting a pretty good handle on the language, and now I'm gone. I was happy to come home, but I love so many people in Queretaro and I already miss them a lot. I am surprised how easy it is to go through my day and not think about my experience and all I learned there, all those special people. I think I need to process a little bit more.

Praise God that I was healthy and safe my whole time this summer- it really is amazing how He protected me
Praise God for all I learned and how He revealed Himself to me this summer
Pray that my time in Queretaro will have a lasting impact on many aspects on my life in the US.
Pray that I can maintain my relationships with my Mexican friends through the internet

thank you all so much for praying for me. You are a blessing!

A picture is worth a thousand words...

And since I don't feel like writing thousands of words, feast your eyes on these!...

Left: a gordita! Saturday I ate a gordita (not the one in the picture) that was by far the best thing I've eaten here... it was pretty close to life-changing
Below: The Paredes family (minus Ramon, the dad, who is taking the picture) and myself in Bernal

Photos from the youthgroup "garage sale" of sorts. The purpose was to provide a poor neighborhood with cheap clothes, and then use the money to prepare food for people who sell things in the street near the church

Pijamada!!!!!!! (aka slumber party) we are making jewelry. Notice how well I fit in ;) Also, notice that Ariola is having no fun whatsoever at this moment haha!

*I have just over 2 weeks left here. Pray that I can "aprovechar el tiempo" make good use of my time. I want to spend every single day with a purpose. And I don't just want to "hang out" with the girls, I want to point them toward the Savior, I want each conversation to be seasoned with the Holy Spirit. Honestly, I don't really know how to do that, so pray that God gives me wisdom!

Still kickin' it

Well it's been a while, and although I am not feeling incredibly inspired to write a blog, I figured I should let people know that I am still alive.
Sometimes I stop and wonder if I am really on a "mission's trip". Mexican hospitality is AMAZING. I get invited over to people's houses or out to eat all the time, and everywhere I go they tell me "this is your house, Laura". It has been really cool to get to know families within the church, to hear the stories of their faith and just share a piece of their lives with them. On Sunday a family from the church took me to Bernal and San Miguel de Allende, two beautiful towns about 45 minutes outside of Queretaro. Bernal has a "pena" (cool-looking rock formation) and San Miguel has a beautiful iglesia. It was a beautiful day of being a tourist, and I will upload photos later when the battery on My camera is not dead.
As far as ministry goes, here is what has been going on: Friday I had a "pijamada" (slumber party) with the high school girls. I was a little nervous about it, but I think everything went pretty well. 11 girls came. I know it seems strange that part of my work here is to have slumber parties, but have no fear, it was a strategic action. The high school girls for the most part lack a sense of unity. Some don't get along and some are new to the church. Since there are not a lot of Christians in Queretaro, the girls really need the encouragement and support of Christian friends, and this is part of what I am trying to build this summer. Also, a couple of girls invited thier non-christian friends. Hopefully it was a good introduction to the church for them. I briefly shared a few Bible verses with them, and my desire that they truly love and support each other and grow in their relationships with each other through Christ, but I was really nervous and I have no idea if I used the right words or what anybody thought, but I hope that God was using me.
Additionally, we are in the midst of planning the "campamento" (summer camp). I'll just be up front about this one, I don't like Mexican planning:) For example, today we discussed who should and shouldn't receive financial assistance to attend the camp. We have talked about this subject in the past, and today we talked about it for a good 30-45 minutes and in the end, we still didnt come to a conclusion and we're going to talk about it at the end of the week. ahh!!!! so much for efficiency!!!! I'm kind of the go-to girl for anything nobody else wants to do for the camp, making flyers, buying materials, planning games, finding devotional verses pertaining to the subject. A few of the missionaries/people who work in the church act like they are just so stressed out and don't have time to plan the camp, and even though I don't really understand why they are so stressed, I am glad I am here to help. And I am really excited because it is going to be fun!!!
I have hung out one on one with most of the high school girls and I find myself in kind of a strange position. The original "oh cool, a foreign person" phase has passed and I feel like now a few of the girls arent very interested in spending time with me. I pray that God will give me wisdom in knowing who to invite out again and how to pursue a relationship with the girls. I feel like my time is short, and I want to be able to invest in girls who want and need my support.
This post is really positive, but I don't want to be fake, I really miss my family and friends language and culture, and I am constantly telling myself not to wish the time away. Please pray that I can keep my thoughts in the present and make the most of ever day here.

hmm

I believe Queretaro is one of the nicer cities of Mexico, I haven't really witnessed a lot of extreme poverty but I did have a conversation today I want to share.

I was talking with Job, the worship leader about the show "extreme home makeover" (I show i happen to be a fan of and cry every time) and he was telling me that he finds that show so crazy, because when they start out with a family with a rundown house who can't afford to fix it. The American "poor" more or less. But Job remarked that these people usually start out with a house with 2 floors and a large yard, that's like a mansion here! He can hardly believe we consider them poor.
A few weeks ago a guest in our home and Evy were remarking that in the US, to be poor means that you don't have a car to drive to work in or you have to rent an apartment instead of own a house, but here that doesnt mean poor. Here, poor means you don't have a house nor do you have food on a daily basis.
The majority of people I have met here, I would not consider underpriviledged, they just realize what they can live without. I don't have AC and I'm still alive. We don't have a dishwasher and it takes like 2 seconds to wash the dishes by hand. They don't have a clothes dryer because they can line dry the clothes and dont need to pay for the energy to run the machine.

maybe simpler is better

Available

Well, I am in the midst of week 4 of my time here in Mexico (to be exact it is day 24 and there are 35 left, but who's counting?) and things are going really well. After completely reconstructing my mindset and the way I viewed my purpose of being here, I finally feel like God can use me here. Dejame explicar (allow me to explain):
First of all, I am not here to do "stuff," to complete tasks, to check off things on a list. For me, that is SO HARD. I am a planner, I like to be able to track my successes and failures, I want to know if I am doing a good job. But there is no one here to say "Laura, do this, this and this". There is no list. Therefore, I have come to realize that my number one priority this summer has to be my own personal relationship with God. I knew that in my head before I came, but now I know it in my heart. Here in Queretaro I don't have my family friends, house, car, culture, language, schedule, and my appearance that fits in with everyone else. I didn't realize how much I depend on these things, and now I have to depend on God to give me my identity and my peace becasue I don't have these things. I have come to realize that the one and only thing I have to offer the people of Queretaro is my heart, and when they see my heart I want them to see God. I want them to see the God of salvation, the Lord of love. Often I cannot express myself very well in words, but I trust that the Holy Spirit can still speak through me with or without words.
At first I was really frustrated that I wasn't always doing something. I felt like I had way too much free time, but now I have slightly less free time and I am learning to embrace the free time I do have. I have never taken so much time to spend with the Lord, free from the pressures of my schedule and responsibilities, and this opportunity has been an immense blessing to me.
I have been hanging out with many of the high school girls one-on-one and I am also planning group events. I see the Lord in these times in the fact that these girls like me! I honestly don't understand it. I know I sound like an idiot when I try to talk most of the time, I don't fit into the culture at all, so I don't really understand why they would want to hang out with me but they are genuinely excited to get to know me. Thank you Lord!
**Please pray for the girls because there is a lack of unity among them, and in this culture where the vast majority of people do not share their beliefs, they need each other more than they even realize.
** Also, there is at least one girl I know of who has not accepted the Lord as her Savior, but she has not come to youth group the last 2 weeks. Pray that I can connect with her and that we can have some good conversation
I want to also share a sweet story of how I have seen God working in the church. On Tuesday, a 27-year-old lady named Christina was walking past the church and she heard the worship team practicing for the Wednesday night praise service. She lives close to the church and she said she had wanted to come check it out for a while, but Tuesday she saw the gate was open and came on in. Pastor Martin saw her and started talking. She said she would come to church, but she didnt know anyone. So Martin introduced her to Jessica, Yetzi and myself. She came to the worship service last night and I sat next to her. She thought it was really cool but I don't know how comfortable she is with Christianity because when it was time to pray in groups she wanted me to pray (praying in Spanish is not exactly my strong point). But it was really cool that I had the opportunity to pray with her and for her. She said she is going to come to the young adults group tonight. Praise the Lord for working in Christina's heart and giving her the courage to walk into the church, and also praise the Lord for the love I saw poured out by everyone welcoming her.
Well this post is long enough, but the last thought of the day is this: The importance of being AVAILABLE. I think in the US we feel like we always have to fill up our schedule with stuff to do. But when we sit back, relax, and just enjoy the presence of the Lord, this is when he can fill us with is Holy Spirit. When our eyes and schedules are open to those around us, we can find such great ways to minister to others!