I'll Meet You at the Next Meeting

I’ve decided I never want to be the president of an organization, general of an army, the leader of a nation, the big man (or woman) on top—there is just way too many meetings with those jobs.  Much better, put me on the ground, in the field, on the streets doing something with my hands and feet—teaching, learning, making, growing.  But, alas, God has other plans for me this month.

My week has been booked with meetings nearly every evening, meetings with our kids for the soccer court project Bola Bola.  As I mentioned in a previous post, there are three work committees (promotion, donations, and governmental support) that meet weekly and a coordination team that meets bi-weekly.  Guiss, Rachel and I are “in charge” of one group each as well as meet with the coordination team—this way we are all involved but don’t have to be in charge of every aspect of the different groups.  However, Rachel is gone this month so Guiss and I have to cover her team.  I know, this sounds like no big deal.  Just one more meeting a week, you may say.  Lies.  Her team essentially is a team to set up meetings with governmental bodies each week to gain permission and support.  So it’s a meeting to make more meetings.  Let’s just say I can’t wait until Rachel is back in the country again because I miss her so much :)  And the whole meeting thing wouldn’t be so terribly bad, if everyone showed up and did what they were supposed to do that is… it’s hard to get anything done when kids skip meetings, when governmental representatives cancel meetings last second, and when people just don’t follow through. My daily frustration and disappointment are apparent… but there is only so much I can do.  I can’t make anyone do anything.  I can only be there to encourage and to push and to support and I fear at this point it’s an uphill battle.  But I shall grit my teeth, put that smile back on, and face this battlefield head on.

The kids I work with are great, don’t get me wrong :)  But they are kids.  Learning, growing, making mistakes, missing meetings, goofing around, and not paying attention are all part of the job description.  As you can probably tell, my week has been a long and arduous one, filled with challenges and “failures”.  As such, my faith has been tested daily, forcing me to either rely fully on the strength and wisdom of God or attempt to do it all myself.  Thankfully, God is a patient and loving God who never leaves me when I stray and always catches me when I stumble.  Each and every morning he sends me a gentle reminder of His Presence through my devotions, that even before I begin my day He is there beside me.  So no matter what battlefield or warzone I find myself in on that day, He is already there working with me through it.  What a comfort and joy it is to know that I don’t have to rely on my weak and fallible self!  To me, it is no wonder that people without faith live such depressing and shallow lives—they place too much faith in themselves and, when they are disappointed by their own failures and missteps, depression and apathy become instant companions.  I thank God that He has spared me from such torture.

I would like to close by sharing the words of Sarah Young once again, from the devotional for April 5 in Jesus Calling:

“Let Me fill you with my Love, Joy, and Peace.  These are Glory-gifts, flowing from my living Presence.  Though you are an earthen vessel, I designed you to be filled with heavenly contents.  Your weakness is not a deterrent to being filled with My Spirit; on the contrary, it provides an opportunity for My Power to shine forth more brightly.

As you go through this day, trust Me to provide the strength that you need moment by moment.  Don’t waste energy wondering whether you are adequate for today’s journey.  My Spirit within you is more than sufficient to handle whatever this day may bring.  That is the basis for your confidence!  In quietness (spending time alone with Me), and confident trust (relying on My sufficiency) is your strength.”

I ask that you please pray for me this week: that I rely on God and on His Strength, for my patience and understanding to be in abundance, and that I can find joy despite the many challenges.  Thank you for all your support and stay tuned until next time!

Semana Santa

My first real vacation since I’ve been here and I still ended up leading—you know me, I can’t just say no J 



Luli and I by the pool

Last week I was blessed to be able to travel with the Padilla DeBorst family (that’s right, just Jim, Ruth, Tali, Luli and me) to a spiritual retreat in Pochomil, Nicaragua.  While we had quite the border experience (we got stuck there for 4 hours waiting for them to approve our car to cross the border), the trip itself was fun, if a bit awkward at first with me being the only non-member of the family… but I got over it thankfully J  The hotel we stayed at in Pochomil was beautiful, right on the beach, complete with a pool, a beach volleyball court, a bar, and plenty of hammocks.  And I got to room with just Tali and Luli—it was like a sleepover every night!  This retreat is for CRWM missionaries and their families who are living in Central America to come and hang out, study God’s word, and in general have a good time.  This year’s speaker was the head pastor, Mario Vega, from Elim church in El Salvador, the biggest church in that country and supposedly the second biggest in the world.  It truly was a treat to hear his story and learn from his experiences.  I also enjoyed immensely the time I had meeting the other missionaries and reuniting with my friends from El Salvador—I missed them so much! 


View from our bedroom window

One evening, Luli and I led the hymn sing (I played the ukulele) and it turned out beautifully despite the mistakes that we made—it always seems to turn out that way, doesn’t it?  Another night, Luli and I once again led an event, this time the fun night.  We were the judges and encouraged everyone (on penalty of losing and not getting ice cream) to participate in several fun and sometimes embarrassing games.  It was a hoot!  So, I didn’t have much free time what with all the planning and organizing but it was worth it.  In all, we were there for four days, long enough for me in the heat but way too short of a time to be with friends.

 

On the way back from Nicaragua, the family and I stopped in Monteverde, Costa Rica for a few days of true vacation.  What a change in climate!  Whereas in Pochomil the temperatures were pushing 90 every day, in was chilly and misty in Monteverde.  Monteverde (literally “Green Mountain”) is a national park and is a protected cloud rainforest.  This means that it has all the wildlife and nature of a rainforest, but is higher up in altitude so it’s generally cold.  Way cool! 
One afternoon, Luli and I went horseback riding to a coffee plantation and let me tell you, the coffee tastes wonderful.  And yes, my butt is still sore from that ride.  Before dinner one evening Tali pointed up in a tree and, before my very eyes, there were monkeys swinging from the branches.  How cool is that?!  The girls were so surprised that this was my first experience seeing monkeys in the wild.  I literally pointed to myself and said, “Uh guys, I grew up in MICHIGAN, remember?”  Jim had a good laugh at that one.  Another day we all went on a hike through one of the parks (you can rent mud boots for $2—yeah baby!) and I got to see beautiful trees and flowers and birds and insects (including a very pretty centipede and the gorgeous blue Morpho butterfly) all the while being lightly rained on.  It was amazing!  God is so good.  I also found out during this trip that I am randomly allergic to pineapples now.  I wasn’t before but now I am.  Who knew?  This trip was a great bonding experience for all of us, for me to see Jim and Ruth outside of the office and more relaxed than I have ever seen them, and I am so incredibly thankful to have been a part of it.

I need to also mention a few things about Semana Santa, or Holy Week, since it’s seriously the biggest holiday here in Central America.  For Holy Week, everyone gets off of work and school and basically hits the beaches.  I was told that more people die during Holy Week than any other time due to car accidents and drowning incidents—yes, it’s that crazy.  Since I was on vacation, I didn’t get to directly participate in any Easter event, but I did hear/see about several traditions.  For example, I briefly saw someone pulling a bull out of a catholic church on the day before Palm Sunday, all decorated and such.  I’m not sure what it was for, but by the large crowd that circled the bull, I’m sure it was something important.  We also passed by a tree where a dummy was hanging from a rope by its neck—Jim explained to me that this is the “Hanging of Judas”, another tradition that people do during Semana Santa.  With Mass every day, and the beaches packed with families and friends, and loud music playing from every corner, the whole week felt like a festival.  I highly recommend you experience Central American Semana Santa once in your life—you’ll never forget it.

Before I end, I would just like to ask for your prayers for this month especially.  Rachel has left to visit with her family for the month of April, a huge blessing for her.  This means, however, that Guiss and I are loaded with more responsibilities with this project to fix the soccer court.  I’ll admit, this is making me a bit stressed.  Ok, a lot stressed.  And not only that but both Jim and Ruth will be traveling this month, leaving me in charge of the office/household for a bit.  I know I won’t do it alone but it is still a daunting task to me.  Please pray for peace and confidence to get through the challenges I’ll face.  Thank you and stay tuned!

My Heritage Beckons

The chirp of a hiccup breaks the silence and I pat her back, soothing her with my touch.  This bundle of cuddles was my gift to hold this morning, a small sleeping baby girl barely two weeks old J  Snuggled up in a pink fuzzy blanket, only her tiny little socks peeking out—how much more precious can you get?  God is good, that’s all I can say.

 

Back (from left): Jim, Tali
Middle (from left): Osian, Caty, Menna, Luli, Maya, Me
Front (from left) Chabe, Ruth, Ginna

As I sit here writing this, I can’t wait to share with you what happened to me this past week.  You see, of all the random experiences in the world, I’m really glad this one happened to me.  Let me explain: I’ve been given a new job title around here: anfitriona or hostess.  While being in charge of the house and visitor’s coming and going is nothing strange or new, our visitors this past week were a great surprise for me.  Three Welshmen (well, one Welshman and two Welshwomen) graced our halls for a few days, a joy I cannot even begin to express.  Menna, Caty, and Osian are traveling throughout Central America, visiting different communities and learning how they live out God’s Kingdom in this world—they've visited self-sustaining agricultural communities, indigenous social groups, and most recently us here at Casa Adobe.  They wish to bring back what they learn to the communities they live in in Wales.  In particular, they are looking at how they can strengthen their Welsh-speaking communities who are experiencing threats of becoming obsolete—to some, Welsh is a dying language.  To these three, Welsh is their heritage and their life—they won’t let it die if they can help it.  I had the wonderful privilege to learn some Welsh this weekend as well, something they were more than happy to teach those of us here, especially once they found out I have a bit of Welsh blood in me.  It was so fun exchanging stories and experiences of our time in Wales (not to mention I felt super cool knowing places like Cardiff and Llandudno and a few Welsh words here and there—bonus points!!).  Just for my own sanity and pride, I’ll share with you a few words I’ve learned:

• Shwmae (shoe-MY) = hello, how are you?
• Llan (shlan) = church/chapel
• Tyddyn (TI-then) = farm
• Diolch (Dee-OCH (with phlegm)) = thank you
• Gwych (Gweech (with phlegm)) = brilliant

 Casa Adobe now has a new name too:  it’s the Welsh name Tyddyn Clai (or small farm/homestead of clay/mud).  It was the closest thing we could come up with to Casa Adobe.  I personally love it.  In fact, I’m trying to figure out how to make a plaque of it and hang it up somewhere J

 

I also have to mention quickly about how our soccer court project is coming along.  We have officially made it to the “work” phase of the project.  The kids are now organized into three work teams: events and promotions, donations, and governmental permissions and contracts.  These teams meet once a week and are “run” by the kids with everyone having their role not only in the meetings but also outside of them (from being a secretary during the meeting to heading up the events team and planning our next big activity).  We also have a strategy and coordination team with a representative from each group, a team that meets bi-weekly to make sure every is on the same page.  It is so inspiring to see these kids take initiative and eagerly take on the next task—it definitely challenges me to put in the extra effort, if only to match their gusto and enthusiasm J

I also want to quickly mention that I will be traveling this Saturday to Nicaragua once again.  There is a retreat there for CRWM missionaries throughout Central America.  Even though it’s my first time going, I’m already going to be leading two events with the help of Luli: music night and fun night.  Please pray for safe travels for all who are going.

Happy upcoming Semana Santa (Holy Week)!  Stay tuned!

There and Back Again

 

Another place, another adventure, another tale :)

The Whole Faithwalking Group

For a week I had the coolest opportunity to be a part of a spiritual formation conference, known as Faithwalking, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras with people from all over North, Central, and South America as well as the Caribbean.  Missionaries and community leaders from all over the Americas and the Caribbean were there—quite an impressive group (so impressive that little ol’ me felt quite out of place)! The first three days were filled with intense sessions about delving deeper into our motivations and memories and finding God amidst it all, learning how to find Him in the past, present and the future.  After each session, we had time to share our life experiences with each other, sharing how through our struggles and failings we found God.  These sharing times were intensely personal and were therefore at times really difficult and uncomfortable but I really feel we all as a team grew closer together and to God.  At the end of the week, we participated in several meetings/presentations where we discussed both Faithwalking but also the different missions that each group was a part of and how we could combine our efforts to improve or embellish each site.  It was a fun time of listening and collaborating—Rachel, Guiss and I even got to present our project with the kids and the soccer court!  Everyone was very interested and encouraged us to write up a report sometime to share our experiences so that they can read and learn from them.  We learned that we are doing great things and that, yes, there are plenty of areas to improve in and now we have some ideas of how to do just that!  I cannot even begin to describe what a great time I had and how many new amazing friends I have.  Thanks be to God!



Chris, Me, Guissel, her cousin Samara and her boyfriend
(There are 2 volcanoes in the background btw)

On the way back home, Rachel, Guiss, Chris (Rachel’s boyfriend) and I took a couple days to explore Nicaragua.  Guissell is from Nicaragua and so she invited us to her hometown in Cuapa to meet her relatives and see where she grew up.  Though I had to use an outhouse and sleep in a house with dirt floors, it was one of the most exciting trips I’ve ever had.  We rode in the back of pickup trucks, went to swim in Lake Nicaragua (you can see volcanoes in the distance while swimming, I might add), climbed a huge rocky mountain thing (no handrails, no real path, and my shoes didn’t have much grip…), ate food cooked over a fire, sampled Nicaraguan rum (a great beach treat), met more people than I can remember, was told many times that I needed to find me a boy and get married already, rode in a boat (which I was so scared that it was going to tip or something), ate mangos picked right from the tree, watched tons of music videos (it must be a pastime favorite in Nicaragua or something… ), got woken up by loud music and pigs (yes pigs) every morning before 5,


Rachel and I on top of
La Piedra de Cuapa

rode a bus where nearly every part of my body was pressed up against someone standing next to me, and, of course, got really sunburned.  It was such a fantastic time (minus the sunburned part, but I did find an aloe plant on the side of the road and used that—thanks to whoever planted it there!)!!! 

So, in sum, these past two weeks were gift wrapped, big bow on top, addressed to Kelsey, express delivery from God himself.  What did I ever do to deserve it I wonder?  But I will give thanks, in all circumstances, and rejoice in the blessings He has given me.  And with that, I bid you adieu.  Stay tuned!

Not Everything Goes as Planned...

I’m so sorry everyone that I didn’t post anything yesterday—life here has been pretty chaotic as of late!  Each day seems to be filled with new demands, new surprises, and new opportunities.  I’ve gotten lost and un-lost in San José, I’ve answered calls and emails, I’ve designed a newsletter, I’ve conducted interviews, I’ve played soccer, I’ve not gotten lice (praise God!), I went roller skating, I created a homemade video, I participated in more meetings that I care to count, and I’ve also eaten more soup than I care to  think about.  And I’m sure there’s plenty more I’ve simply forgotten to mention J 

Last week, Lent started and the community here at Casa Adobe wanted to do something to honor this time as well.  After much discussing (and maybe some gentle arguing) we came to compromise: we would all commit to eating only soup for dinner.  And since three of us living here are vegetarians, the soup we make needs to be meat-free.  So why did we choose soup of all dishes?  Soup has a beautiful way of bringing many, sometimes differing, elements together into one pot and, after much simmering and stirring around, the end result is a delicious dish.  We hope that this blending and coming together may be symbolic of what our community here feels during this time of lent.  It’s going to be challenging but also fun, seeing how many different types of soup we can invent J

Showing the kids their video :)

And now to the biggest event that happened (or didn’t happen) this week:  Yesterday we were supposed to have our first big meeting with a local association, something like a town meeting, where we would have presented our project (remember the one to fix up the local soccer court?) and hopefully gained their support.  The plan was for the kids to do all the talking, to present their side of the story, share why they’re interested in working in this project, and ask the community representatives if they would commit to supporting their efforts.  We even spent time this past week filming the kids and the court, including actual game shots as well as personal interviews of several kids as to what changes they’d like to see and what problems exist right now that need to be addressed.  The final product was pretty inspiring and I am so proud of how involved the kids were in making it.  So, we went armed with our 5 volunteers (ages 7 to 15), a poster we all made, an outline, and our cherry-on-top—the video.  Unfortunately, as we were walking to our meeting, we found out that in fact the association was not going to be meeting that night and we weren’t really given a straight answer as to why not.  We heard several guesses—the president was at a concert and therefore couldn’t attend, the association was in legal trouble and meeting with a lawyer—but who really knows where the truth lies in this situation.  So, after all our hard work, a monkey wrench was thrown into the mix.  Now we must learn the lesson of patience as we wait to hear when the next meeting will be.  Please keep us in your prayers as we continue working on this project with the kids and with the community.

 I also have to apologize again—I will not be able to post anything for the next two weeks as I will be out of the country.  Rachel, Guissell, Jim and I will be traveling to Honduras for a conference being held there in the capital Tegucigalpa.  This conference is going to be half spiritual development and half work/meetings.  Rachel, Guiss and I will be participating as best we can, offering our input as observers and sharing the experiences we’ve had thus far in our community organizing project with the kids.  Us three girls are also going to stop and stay a few days in Guiss’ hometown in Nicaragua, to see her family and the place where she grew up.  In all, this trip should be an intense time filled with making new friends, traveling to new places, learning new things, and growing in our walk with God.  Please pray that our energy will not run out and that our patience and optimism may be never ending.  Stay tuned!

Ups and Downs

The wind rushes at my face as we go higher and higher, glee filling my heart and all I can do is smile.  Today is a good day.  And then we get to the crest of that hill and see nothing but air below us, and the pit in my stomach suddenly grows.  I’m falling and there’s nothing I can do to stop it.  Just hang on tight!

 

This is what this past week has felt for me: a rollercoaster designed with hairpin turns, break-neck speeds and heights to make you shiver.  I feel as if I was laughing and then crying within seconds of each other… I’m still trying to get over such a disorienting emotional time.  Here, let me explain a bit.  So, first, Rachel and Ruth flew to Tanzania, Africa last Wednesday which left me slightly more in charge of the office than I was before.  Challenging but a welcome challenge.  Everything was going ok with minor mishaps here and there (like my debit card suddenly not working, but that’s fixed now) until Friday morning comes along.  I find out my dog died the night before.  Crushed, I felt utterly crushed.  I know, K.C. is just the family dog but still, she was a pretty amazing dog and we didn’t really realize it until she was gone.  Needless to say, I started off that day rocky and when everyone else in the house was having such a great day, it was hard for me to deal with it.  Let’s just say I didn’t feel like playing soccer that afternoon.  Then Saturday came and I was invited to the girls’ all-school picnic.  It was a blast!  And I got a nice sunburn too out of the deal.  And Saturday was my little sister’s 21^st birthday (ok, she’s not so little anymore) and it was hard being away from her and not being able to share in her birthday surprises.  We did get to Skype though, so I can’t complain too much.  Sunday I went to church with one of the kids we play soccer with and that was super interesting—a charismatic church with lots of singing and dancing and praying over one another.  I may or may not have felt extremely out of place but they still made me feel welcome.  We’ll see if I work up the nerve to go back J  And then yesterday, I needed to buy our bus tickets to go to Honduras for a conference and the bus agency was giving us a hard time.  As it is, we need to spend two extra days in transit because all the direct tickets were sold out.  So, more changes in planning to account for.  My brain is literally on overload.  And I'm still trying to deal with the death of my pet.  Ahhhh!!!  I feel fit to scream sometimes, let me tell you.

 

And through it all, God gently reminded me that I was never alone in all this, that I’d be a fool to try and rely on my own strength through these trials.  And I was the fool.  I felt weak because I was weak and didn’t call on God to renew me and lessen my burden.  I tried to take it all upon myself, tried to handle it in my own way, not realizing that I was pushing away God’s hand of healing and of peace.  I stumbled and instead of grabbing His hand to catch my fall, I braced for impact. 

I just want to share with you a passage from Sarah Young’s Jesus Calling because it really spoke to me: 

“Bring me your weakness, and receive My Peace.  Accept yourself and your circumstances just as they are, remembering I am sovereign over everything.  Do not wear yourself out with analyzing and planning.  Instead, let thankfulness and trust be your guides through this day; they will keep you close to me.  As you live in the radiance of My Presence, My Peace shines upon you.  You will cease to notice how weak or strong you feel, because you will be focusing on Me.  The best way to get through this day is step by step with Me.  Continue this intimate journey, trusting that the path you are following is headed for heaven” (February 4).

 
Please keep me and my family in your prayers as we deal with the loss of K.C.  Please keep me in your prayers as I learn to lean on God and his strength and not on my own.  Thank you everyone and stay tuned!

Soccer!!

Gol!  I have to say, I never thought I’d like playing soccer so much.  For one thing, I’m terrible at it J  And secondly, I’m not very good.  But, graciously, the kids don’t care that much.  They simply enjoy being outside, spending time with their friends, and playing a fun game of soccer with whoever wants to play.  We have kids anywhere from 8 years old and up, with Rachel and I being the oldest on the field but not by a lot.  This past week, we dedicated time each day to go play soccer with them, a treat for their last week of vacation before school starts.  Nearly every day, we had 15 plus kids show up!  It was a racket, let me tell you!  And, yes, most of the kids who showed up were boys.  A few girls’ interest were perked when they saw us girls playing but they were too timid to join in the game.  So, we set aside a day to play with just them, to teach them the basics and to play a game without the boys bugging them.  It was so fun to see them running around, learning how to kick the ball and how to keep it away from their friends.  In all, playing soccer has been a great bonding experience for all of us who play.

The Court

There is a plan though.  We love to play soccer, of course, but that’s not all there is to it.  The court is in pretty bad shape with holes in the surrounding fence, metal rods sticking out every which way, the concrete is wearing away and the loose parts cause slips and falls constantly, the court itself is not of proper size (it’s more of a square than a rectangle), and we keep losing our balls because the fence isn’t high enough to keep them in the court.  In all, playing here is fun but at times dangerous.  We’d like to change that.  BUT we don’t want to be the people who make that change for the kids.  The plan is to work WITH the kids to make this change happen.  With the kids we’ll plan events for fundraising, for petitioning the government to step in and be responsible for fixing it, for coordinating meetings with local government representatives, for raising awareness, and whatever else needs to happen.  We want to build up the kids’ capacity to enact change, to have them believe that they can be agents for change, that they can make things happen.  We’ll walk with them along the way, but this is to be their growing experience. 

We have no idea how long this is going to take us.  A few months, a year, maybe never.  But our goal is to see it through until we can help out no longer.  Please keep this project in your prayers as we endeavor to empower these kids to enact change in their community.  Pray that we don’t lose hope, that we persevere when times get tough, that we keep our motivation going no matter what.  Pray that these kids will learn all they can, that they will embrace this project, and that they will enjoy helping their community.  Stay tuned to hear more about how this project unfolds!