Why am I Here?

I cannot believe that it is almost August!  Where did the year go?  I remember, way back in February, looking at how daunting the year seemed.  Psh, that was months ago already!  Honestly, I feel as if time is slipping through my fingers.  If I had a superpower, I’d choose to be a time traveler :)

I’ve been reflecting a lot lately on why I’m here.  Not in the literal sense—I understand why I chose to live in another culture for such a long time.  I’m talking more in the big picture sense of things.  Why am I, a young white American, here in Central America?  What does my presence here imply about me and my ethics?  Should I even be here?

I'm on the fence.  I’ve always felt that a person can be most effective when they work in their own cultural context—they already know all the rules to play by and have established relations with those around them.  Moving to a new place, a new culture, and/or another country is different—you have to start from scratch.  So, then, what's the purpose of international missions and missionaries?  To impose their ideas on an already thriving culture?  To impose new norms on an already established society? To save the impoverished?  Maybe I’m exaggerating, but isn’t that kind of what we’re saying by being here?  That we’ve got it all figured out and it’s up to us to share the “good news”?  Isn't that overly presumptuous of us?  Thinking we can change the world, or that we should change the world? If we are more effective working in the community we come from in the first place, why try to be where we clearly don't belong, where we might not be needed or even wanted?  Why do we feel this "white man’s Christian burden" to change the world one soul at a time?  Isn't that absurd? Audacious? Wrong?

That said, I do place a high value on leaving one’s context, learning from another, and coming back to put into practice what you’ve learned.  To do that, obviously, one needs to place themselves somewhere they don’t belong.  The temptation there, though, is in thinking that you are coming to change rather than to be changed. 

I’m not going to go all out and say that there is no place for international missions.  That would be way above my pay grade to do that.  However, I will be the first to question its importance and to keep a critical eye on anyone who feels called to that path (including myself).  Make sure you are becoming a missionary for the right reasons.  Please, be humble enough to accept the fact that where you’re going, they might not need you.  Be careful of that pedestal of pride you might put yourself up on—you are important, but so are those you’ve “come to serve”.  Make sure you are sincerely committed to moving to that new community and investing fully in its wellbeing.  Go into it with an open mind and a willing heart to be changed. 

I feel like I’m preaching and I apologize.  In reality, this is a pep talk to yours truly.  I need to hear these words as much as anyone and I hope that by sharing them I haven’t stomped too hard on anyone’s toes.  I’ll end by saying that I fully believe God has called us to a life of missions no matter where we are; I’m just not sure about the best way to go about it. 

Next week, I’ll be in Honduras for another conference.  I won’t be able to write while I’m away but I’d love to continue talking about missions.  Please pray for safe travel and for us to have a good time in Honduras.  Stay tuned!!

Community Organizing

This is the time of year where VBS is in full swing—kids are running around, volunteers are planning things last minute, and parents are more than happy to shoo off their kids for a couple hours.  Ah yes, summer :)  Here in Costa Rica, on the other hand, there are no summer bible schools, no fun fests, no themed lesson plans.  Well, in all actuality, it’s not even summer for them… but I have been around kids more in the last few weeks, well months really, than I ever have been before—VBS included. To be honest, I don’t really remember signing up for this… haha.

Why so many kids underfoot?  Well, most of what I do here is centered on a community organizing project called Bola Bola (lit. Ball Ball).  This project was created by, with and for the kids in our community with the aim at fixing up the local soccer court.  The cement floor is breaking up; the surrounding chain-link fence is rusty, coming apart (dangerous), and is too short to catch any stray balls (so we lose them to the surrounding rooftops); the dimensions are more square-like than an actual soccer field; and there’s no roof so when it rains (which is like 6 months of the year), we can’t play.  The goal then is to, by working together in teams, encourage the community and local government to take on that responsibility.  So far, we’ve had success in the fact that the community is behind us and helping us raise donations and the municipality is currently drawing up the plans for the new construction.  Yay!

Painting a mural with the kids

But there’s more to this project than just fixing a soccer court.  Why work with the kids?  Why not go straight to the big guys on top?  Our project is actually two-fold: fix the court as well as foster leadership in the kids and teens. We want these kids to come out of this project with the wherewithal and the knowledge to continue on in our absence.  We want them to be newly committed to their communities and to actively seek change in the world around them.  We are guiding them along this path, teaching them skills like public presentation and note taking, how to advertise and communicate with non-members, and how to show up on time to events and meetings.   We are also teaching them about the roles and processes in organizational meetings, who the “key” players are in the community, and how to motivate people into wanting the change you want. 

But working with kids can be really hard.  If it rains, their parents won’t let them come to the house for meetings for fear of catching a cold.  If they have school or homework or exams, most likely their participation will be non-existent.  If the meetings are too late or are set up last minute, they might not come.  In a word, they are not exactly in control of their schedules—their parents are.  On top of that, it has been (and continues to be) a huge challenge to convince the community that kids can be effective agents of change.  Please, let’s not limit them to “nice” and “fun” things like a sports day or a field trip (which are nice and all but what are they really achieving?).  Please, let’s challenge them.  Let’s believe in them.  Let’s provide them with the skills and the arena to exercise those newfound skills in.  Let’s take a chance, go against logic, and literally work from the bottom up.  By doing this, we are merely planting seeds—it will be up to God to build the garden in them :)

If you are curious about community organizing and the model that we are using (yes, we have a model), Rachel, Guissell and I have recently published a semi-professional blog about our project.  If you would like access, just email me or Facebook me with your email address and I will send you an invitation to join.  And even if you’re not that interested in community organizing, the blog is a great tool to stay connected with our Bola Bola project and see how things are developing.

On a side note (but probably still pretty important), I have decided to stay here until at least December.  This project will not be in a place for me to leave in September like I had originally intended.  Besides that, I’m just not ready to leave yet :)  But, by adding another 3 months to my stay, I need to raise another $700 to cover my living costs.  Ahem.  So here’s the part where I ask for money and things get awkward… In all sincerity, all of you have been overly generous in supporting me thus far and I cannot express my gratitude enough.  Could you be persuaded to help me a little bit longer?  Or nudge that person next to you who hasn’t donated yet?  And even if you can’t contribute financially, I would greatly appreciate a barrage of prayers for our project and that we can come to a place soon where I will feel that I can leave. 

And, another shout-out, if you know anyone who can speak Spanish and has worked in communities or with kids and is looking for an adventure, please tell them about me and the project here.  We can always use some more hands around here :)

Thanks again for all your support and prayers!  Stay tuned!!

What is Love?

What is Love? 

Is it a feeling? An emotion?  An inclination?  A decision?  An action?  A response?

Or is it something more concrete, like a warm embrace?  A chocolate cake?  A harmonious song?  An artistic masterpiece?  A butterfly kiss?

Does it come and go?  Or does it never leave?  Does it sometimes slumber deep in our hearts only to be awoken suddenly with ferocity and vivacity? 

Can it be given?  Taken?  Stolen?  Broken? 

Is it all of these?  Or none?  Or only some?

As you can see, I don’t really know how to describe it either (and I apologize for the intoxicating amount of pestering questions, but now you have but a glimpse of what a mess of uncertainty my mind is swimming in).  This month, Casa Adobe has decided to dive deep into the murky waters of the topic of love, a task that will no doubt never end nor is there really a clear beginning.  To start the general discussion, we began with a few “simple” questions: what does love mean to us personally, to our friends, to our community, to our culture, to our world, to our faith?  After much discussion, listening, and debating we have not settled on an answer but rather on a central question upon which to focus:  can you truly love without feeling love?  Meaning, can you do something out of love without ever having that butterflies in your stomach or fire in your veins feeling?  For example: if I know I love my sister, but in the moment I really don’t feel it (I may even feel the opposite), but I still decide to help her study for an exam, is that considered an act of love?  To be honest, I don’t know…

What I do know is that Love is EXTREMELY important to Christianity, a cornerstone upon which we build our faith.  I know, an epic epiphany for humankind…  Nonetheless, the ever popular verse rings in my head: “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.  But the greatest of these is love” (1 Cor. 13: 13).  So, now that we’ve established that love is incredibly important, it begs the question as to why is it so important?  As John puts it, “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is Love” (1 John 4:8).  So if our Lord, our Creator, our Master, our Father is by very definition Love, what does that mean for us as his children?  As Christians, we are commanded to “follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Eph. 5: 1-2).  What does it mean to walk in the way of love?  How can I, as a young and fallible imitator of Christ, do that?  Especially when I’m so confused on what Love specifically means… 

During these next few bible studies, my deepest hope is that I gain more insight, more clarification, or at the very least a general sense of direction on this incredibly profound topic.  Pray that I, and all of those who are participating, will not only be blessed by the discussions we will have but that we as a community may emerge with a greater and deeper understanding of what it means to be the dearly loved children of Love himself and how we should therefore walk in the way of love.

Thanks for all your support and encouragement.  Stay tuned!

How Would You Weather the Storm?

You’ll be happy to note that my “meh” mood has been improving as of late.  I have now progressed to a “huh” mood where things appear intriguing and fun, but the energy to fully enjoy them is not quite there.  My goal for next week is to be in the “yeah” mood, where excitement is more often paired up with interest… we shall see :)

Susi and I drinking Starbucks in honor of
the 4th of July

This past week has been a busy one with each day having its own (and sometimes unexpected) visits, meetings, and surprises.  I participated in a cookie fundraiser, co-hosted the bible study at our new house, saw fireworks and drank Starbucks for the 4th of July, went roller skating, picked up friends from the airport (after they had an emergency landing), played soccer, finally did some laundry, was invited to dinner with two different families in the community, lost my house keys (I mean, I temporarily misplaced them), had friends seek refuge in our house after they got caught in a sudden downpour, made enough tea to make even the British proud, and watched the Big Bang Theory.  All in all, a hectic week.

On top of all this, I have been inadvertently thrown into a storm of frustration, anger, hurt and misunderstandings.  When you find yourself caught up in a storm not of your own doing (ex. you are feeling the aftershock and emotions of an event that happened between two friends), how do you handle it?  Do you build a boat to whether the storm?  Hop on someone else’s boat?  Cry for help?  Not say anything and just tread water?  Give up, succumb to the waves and drown?  And which, if any, is the right answer?  I have found out that at my core, I am a mediator.  I will not only build a boat but I will anchor my boat to those surrounding me, even if their boats are sinking themselves and may pull me down with them.  I cannot, for the life of me, ignore the hurt, anger or frustration of someone I know (nor can I ignore their joy and happiness).  I’m reminded of Romans 12:9-21, especially verse 15: “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn” (NIV).  And I will, for whatever reason, take on my friends’ burden as my own, bear that weight on my shoulders, and suffer alongside them.  For me, it would go against everything I believe in to not do this.  Even more so, when the issue is between two of my friends, I will not choose one over the other but place myself on both sides, bearing the weight of both perspectives.  I don’t know if it’s the wisest choice.  I feel torn at times, being pulled from both sides, tired of defending my friends while at the same time agreeing that they acted in the wrong… However, given the choice to have a do-over, I would choose the same thing.  I would willingly put myself there, between a rock and a hard place, instead of taking the easy way out and picking a side.  If Jesus is our mediator, and we are to act and love in his likeness, than I too need to be a mediator (no matter how flawed my imitation may be).  God calls us to be his peacemakers—please help me to find peace in myself so that I can help others find peace as well.

Before I’m done, I just want to personally thank all the mediators out there.  I know what a crappy hand life has dealt you.  I understand the blessing and the curse of feeling what those around you feel.  I know that you struggle and that you think you feel too much.  I understand needing to be in the middle in the hopes of finding peace.  I get it.  And I just want to say, thanks.  And hang in there.  Pretty soon, your very own mediator will come around to help you bear that heavy weight on your shoulders.  Until then, I pray that you may find comfort, solace and strength in the storm you are weathering.  Thanks everyone and stay tuned!

Dismal and Bleak and Gray

Here I sit...  And sit...  I could play a game...  I could watch a movie...  I could read a book...  I could go outside... 

Meh. 

I could go into town...  I could make some tea...  I could play soccer...  I could take a shower...

Meh.

This past week has been a charming example of “meh” and all that this little drab and depressing word includes…

And.

I.

Can’t.

Describe.

It.

For.

You.

I am happy too sometimes, don’t get me wrong.  Little Maya telling me a story, half in English and half in Spanish.  Baby Sage bleating for his mama and prancing around.  The fresh wind through my bedroom window.  The sun on my face in the morning.  A good cup of tea while reading a book.  These are the things I love.

But then, my dismal, bleak, gray “meh” mood comes back…

I know that there are emotions and thoughts buried deep, but for now my mind seems content to just bury them and forget about them for a while.  Those are tomorrow’s problems, tomorrow’s worries.  I’ll get there.  Just not today.

Dear Lord,

I pray that today will be a bit sunnier than yesterday.

That today, I will take time to be by myself.

To sit.

To think.

To cry.

To pray.

I ask that your hand be with me, as I face this new challenge.

Give me strength.

Give me patience.

Give me peace.

In your name alone,

Amen.

God is Good

 All good things come to those who wait.  At least, I think that’s the lesson God is teaching me right now.  These past few weeks have been FILLED with moments of sitting and waiting for things to happen from sitting in a hospital waiting room to chilling at the Nicaragua/Costa Rica border to waiting at a bus stop—eventually the ball will start moving and the doctor will have the results, my passport will be stamped and the bus will come.  Just not on my time schedule :)

My parents, Rhys, and my aunt and uncle came to visit me for two weeks (remember, Sarah was already here).  While we had our moments of tension and terror, we also managed to have a blast!  We stayed in a beautiful house in the mountains overlooking the beach, toucans and howler monkeys living in the surrounding forest.  We went ziplining, toured a mangrove reserve, horsebacked to a waterfall, hiked a volcano, visited town upon town and managed to never get ourselves fully lost.  We were adventurers let me tell you!  I loved seeing my family, spending time with them playing games and swimming in the pool and experiencing the beauty of Costa Rica.  I’m sad that it’s over.

I’ll recount just one story of our trip because it was a miracle nothing worse happened.  One day, we decided to horseback to a waterfall for the day.  We arrived on a beautiful sunny morning only to find that all of the horses available to us by the tour were extremely agitated that morning for whatever reason, nipping at each other and all around unsettled.  Mind you, this was the first time Rhys and my mother had been on horses and only the second or third time for the rest of us.  Needless to say, we were all a bit unsettled as well.  While I was attempting to calm down Rhys’ horse (before the tour had even started), I heard a commotion behind me but didn’t think anything of it—until I heard, “Is Glyn ok?”  WHAT?  I turned around in my saddle as best I could and caught a glimpse of my dad on the ground, his head in his hands, surrounded by people with very concerned looks on their faces.  Turns out, something spooked my dad’s horse and she reared up, tossed my dad and then (because my dad still had ahold of the reigns) fell on top of him.  He was at the point of passing out.  Thank God there was a bilingual nurse also there for the tour and helped my dad.  On his behest, we continued the tour, had a beautiful breakfast and lunch and enjoyed the gorgeous waterfall beore he finally let us take him to the hospital.  6 hours of waiting in the hospital when good news reaches our ears: nothing broken or severely injured a.k.a. he’ll be fine with some strong pain medication.  After joyful tears and a meager $125 bill, we were on our way.  Praise the Lord!  Needless to say, he still needs prayers for healing :)

The Cathedral in Leon

I also had the opportunity this weekend to travel to Leon, Nicaragua to explore a job opportunity for Guissell.  Christian Reformed World Missions is offering her a learning/job opportunity to help develop an internship program that will be compatible for local Nicaraguan intergrants, such as herself.  She has the amazing opportunity to live in beautiful Leon serving with fellow Nicaraguan friends in marginalized communities, all the while learning and doing new things.  I am so proud of her that she has accepted this once in a lifetime opportunity—all we need to do now on our end is to make sure we get the things done here that we wanted to do (which shouldn’t be a problem).  Way to go Guiss!

So, after a CRAZY set of weeks, I am back finally to the office to continue my routine here at Casa Adobe.  While I welcome the normality, I also fear the downtime I will have to think about all the things and people I miss.  Please pray that I will handle this transition gracefully and that I feel renewed with energy and excitement to continue in my job.  Stay tuned!! 

Back to the Basics

One Sunday afternoon, shortly after our Casa Adobe Bible study, a few of us girls were chatting about how we thought the day went.  We loved the company, the food was great, we enjoyed the discussion—all in all a good day.  Then I admitted quietly (or at least I thought it was) that I didn’t really get today’s bible study, that I had a hard time understanding what it was all about.  Tali and Daniela’s ear perked up and made me repeat what I said.  Apparently, they didn’t get it either :)  The relief in the room was almost audible.  In fact, they admitted that Bible studies were really hard for them because their knowledge on biblical things is not that extensive and so they don’t feel they can contribute that much to any discussion.  So, I mentioned that we should start our own Bible study, one where we start from the beginning (literally, in Genesis) and go from there.  Much to my surprise and delight, they both agreed.  So far, with our busy schedules and such, we’ve only managed to have one Bible study, but it was a great one.  We started with Genesis 1-3, the story of not only the beginning but also the end and, to boil it down, of why we need a Savior.  Even though it was back to basics, I found our discussion so refreshing!   We ended our conversation with two HUGE questions:  what is Sin and how is it different from Evil?  And if God is good and perfect and all-knowing, why did he plant that dumb tree in the Garden anyway?  I guess we’ve quite deliberately stumbled upon a centuries’ long debate—so much for starting with the easy stuff!  Next time, we will pick up where we’ve left off, bringing with us some “research” we’ve been able to find in the meantime.  I look forward to it!

I’ve also been immensely enjoying living at the new house.  We love the adventure of cooking there: experimenting with new foods and flavors and being extra careful not to cook too much.  We are also enjoying the challenge of making storage options out of nothing—you have no idea how far cardboard boxes, twisty-ties, and cement blocks can go!  It’s not beautiful, I’ll give you that (unless you go cross-eyed or squint your eyes or something) but it works.  And that’s all that matters right now.  Another new adventure for this week: washing laundry by hand.  Gotta say, I admire those women before washing machines were invented—what biceps they must have had!  After washing a pair of jeans, Sarah looks over to me and her eyes said it all: only wash what we need to survive.  So, we washed our socks and underwear and called it quits.  We can borrow Casa Adobe’s washing machine later :)

Sarah and I playing chess in the park in San Jose

I also can’t tell you how much I enjoy having Sarah here with me.  I’ve grown so used to her being here that I just know I’m going to have a hard time adjusting to her absence again.  Not looking forward to that one.  In the meantime, I shall just go on pretending as if time is not actually flying by, that she does not in fact have a return flight already booked, and that she does not actually have a life of her own to go back to.  For now, she’s mine :)  

And I just want to shout out that MY FAMILY IS COMING TODAY!!  I get to see my mom and dad and my aunt and uncle and, above all (sorry mom), I get to see Rhys!!  Man have I missed them all.  Pray for safe travels for everyone and that I don’t smother them accidently with my hugging :)  Stay tuned!