Why am I studying at ILE?

I had to answer this question today for an assignment and here is what I wrote. Also, in case you don't know ILE stands for Instituto de Lengua Español. 

I am studying at ILE because I have a desire to learn Spanish. In the future, I hope to work with Hispanic children in ministry. Learning Spanish is key in my future ministry work.

I came to ILE because of a mission trip that I went on in Spain. In Spain, I met some former ILE students, who had only great things to say about the school. Then after I returned from Spain, I met some more former students, who strongly encouraged me to come to ILE.

It is a blessing and an honor to be studying at ILE. God has opened the way for me to study here and I am very grateful to be here.

Join Creation

When I think of Heaven I get excited because I am looking forward to the day when I will join with all of creation in glorifying and praising Our Father. One of my favorite passages is found in Revelation when four creatures in Heaven are saying, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty who was, and is, and is to come". I just imagine all of creation saying that and it brings me joy. (Those words have also brought me comfort in my time of need.) Or how about in Revelation 5:13, when all of creation is saying, "To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power for ever and ever!"

Creation will some day be joined together worshipping God and I look forward to that day. For now though there is still alot of people searching for that joy, hope, and love that can only be found in Christ. They might just need someone to show them God's love and grace. As friend of mine said today, "well when I get to Heaven I doubt that God would say well you just talked about (my love) too much." So just open your mouth and share what you know to be true in God's Word and allow the Holy Spirit to do the rest.

Writing from an Actual Computer....

It feels so good to be writing from a computer today. My phone has sure been getting a lot of use lately and it is much easier to type on a computer. I had to come to school to print out my powerpoint verbs so I thought while I was here I would write my blog as well.

First of all, I want to say thank you to all of you who are supporting me both financially and prayfully. I think about all of you every day. All of you have actually been a great motivater for me on days that I don´t feel very motivated. On days that I don´t feel very motivated I think about you and the Lord, and together you all help me study those few extra hours. I am trying to work with excellence but the Lord knows I need help and motivation every now and then. Today, I got my first exam back with 100% on the written exam and a 90% on the oral exam so thank you all.

It is hard to believe that I have already been in Costa Rica for three weeks! These past few weeks have just been flying by! I am having such a good time and learning a lot! Every moment of every day is a moment of learning, whether that is trying to speak Spanish or just observing cultural traditions and daily life. In a week or less, I will get to celebrate a Costa Rican birthday as my host sister, Deanna, will be turning 15. I am so excited for her and went out yesterday to buy her a present. My host parents will also be celebrating an anniversary in a couple of weeks, they have been married if I am remembering correctly for 26 years! Sonia and Oscar are such a cute couple and anyone who has been in their house for a couple of minutes can see their love for one another. 

Also, I really want to say Congrats to all of my friends who have graduated this month! I am so proud of all of you and love you all! I can´t wait to see pictures on facebook!

The Weekend

This past week was a hard week emotionally for me because I started to miss home. Up until a few days ago I never cried about missing home even when I left at the airport, but for some reason this week I missed home. I cried one day and that was that. I took a nap afterwards and now feel fine. I just had to get those emotions out of me, I guess.

It is never completely easy adjusting to a new way of life but for me it has been really easy. I love Latin America, the culture, and the people. Now if I could just have my family and friends here that would perfect. Although, I know that is not a possibility and I have accepted that part of the missionary life. This life is not about being comfortable on earth but it is about finding comfort and strength in the Lord. This past week a few things happened that helped me confirm that I am suppose to be here and it is wonderful. God is always with me and being here I know that He has gone before me and I so thankful to be a part of His ministry and be His witness.

Yesterday, I went and worked with the children at Valle del Sol. It was even better the second week, I didn't think that was possible, but the more I work there the more I am going to be attached to these wonderful children and families. This week the kids had their pictures taken for a craft for next week and we sang songs, colored, and played games. It was alot of fun. I definitely got to work on my Spanish because Horacio, the other director along with Steve, asked me if I would put up the pictures on the flannel board as he told the story. Horacio doesn't speak any English so I really had to listen to the story, Jesus' Temptation, to understand where each figure went where and at what time. All in all it was good and I was able to understand almost everything he said.

The little kids got to hear a different story and color. So once I was done helping with the older kids. I went to the other room. Steve has asked me if I would be his teacher's assistant so basically I help the teacher, Steve with anything he needs and help the younger children. My little buddy Jason was there and I helped him and a few other kids color. These children really love to color. Although, Jason won't color on his own, he is 2 years old, so I pick out some crayons for him and then he will try to color, and then wait for me to hand him a new crayon. Even though the crayons are in front him. He is so cute. The other children are so funny too. This week I got to interact with alot of the girls and get to know a couple of them pretty well. This ministry is all about relationship building and helping them to know Christ through His word and our actions. It was a good Saturday.

Today, I woke up and went to church. Today, in church the pastor talked about finances. I could follow the sermon pretty well thanks to his PowerPoint. All of his notes were on the slides, I loved it because I could understand it. At least if it was one the slides I could.

Afterwards, a few girls and me went out to celebrate a friends birthday. We ate at this little Mexican food place and it was delicious. I had a supertaco with beans and French fries. That was how the meal came but the taco wasn't what I expected it to be, it was better. It was roled up filled with shredded chicken and deep fried. The toppings were on the side (guacamole, lettuce, tomatoes etc). That was the best meal I have had outside of my home

Now I am starting my homework and getting ready to eat dinner, spaghetti. Mami cooks really good Italian food too, it is not the same  as in the states. It is better!


P.S
Sorry for not writing on two days this week. One day blogger was down and then on Saturday I forgot until I was half a sleep.

Exams and a Earthquake

I survived my first exam today. I can now conjugate over 100 verbs. I am sure I did good on my test so no worries. I now get to study for my exams for next week in phonetics and language.

This afternoon I woke up from my nap to an earthquake. This is common in Costa Rica and many ticos can warn you when one is taking place and can help you determine how strong the earthquake is. The one this afternoon was strong but it only last for about 10 seconds. In case of an earthquake, we all go to the courtyard in the middle of the house and if I am at school we go to the parking lot.

Since, I am talking about a different culture let me point out some other cultural differences. The water in San Jose is safe to drink and is fresher than most of the water in the world. They get the water from streams and purify it making it safe to drink. If you have ever been hiking up in the mountains you know how good and clear that water is.

Also, here it is not common to flush toilet paper down the toilet so there is always a trashcan in the bathroom. Clothes are also hung out to dry on a clothesline in order to preserve energy. Coffee here is not just a drink it is a way of life. Starting at birth some mothers will mix a little coffee with milk and put it in the baby's bottle in the morning. It is very common for a tico to drink two cups of coffee a day. One in the morning and one in the afternoon.

Meals are also important here. Most people believe it is important to eat breakfast so there is a small meal for breakfast, a large lunch, then a small dinner. Most ticos also do not snack during the day. It is also uncommon to tip if you are out to eat because the tip is always included in the price of the food.

Homework, Homework...

School has been going great. I am really learning alot and taking in alot information. Usually, after school I eat lunch and then go take a nap because my mind and body are tired. I still am having trouble sleeping at night but I am learning little things that help me sleep better. For example, having my iPod playing mellow music and having a light on. I am trying to learn to sleep without the light but it is taking some getting use to. At home there is a street light that comes in through my window so I am use to having some light when I go to bed.

Then after my nap I study for a while and then at night I study some more. Right now, I am trying to conjugate and memorize over 80 verbs both regular and irregular for a test on Friday. I only have about 20 more verbs to go and then I will ready. Conjugating is not that bad but remembering which verbs are regular and irregular is tough. Although, I really enjoy my classes and studying because I am excited about learning Spanish and being able to communicate and minister to people.

The ministry I help with had a meeting the other day in Spanish, which was good practice because I had to try to pick up on the words that I know. We talked about changing the structure of the ministry and getting people more involved in the ministry so as time goes on I will be taking on some more responsibilities. Which I am excited about. I know I can't communicate that well right now but I can help and communicate a little bit. Like last week, I didn't need words to see that a young boy was being shy and having trouble coloring so I sat besides him and picked out colors for him and I to use together. Knowing my colors and "may I use the bathroom" really helped. He stayed by my side the rest of the day. Crying is also universal among children just sitting by a child and putting your arm around them when he or she is crying can help them calm down. Then before you know it you have a bunch of little friends. There is middle school boy named Brandon and he is so funny. I see alot of leadership potential in that kid. He is so helpful and kind to the younger kids. He is really a good kid.

Yesterday, I went and played volleyball with some students from the school and I am starting to make some new friends. I having been trying to get involved in activities at school (such as being the first trimester representative, the cashier for student council, playing volleyball, and taking a zumba workout class) so that I can get to know new people and the "older" students. It is easy to get into the habit of talking to only the people in your class but there are so many interesting people here that are going out into the world to serve so I am trying to get to know as many of them as I can. I also I know I can learn alot from them too.

I am loving my time here and I am trying to make the most of every opportunity.

Let's take a Walk

 This is my house...you are going to to walk with me to school today.

 This is the street I live on. It is a good neighborhood.

 Once we get to the end of street we turn left and this is the road we walk on for about 1 minute.

Then we turn left and we walk for quite a while down this hilly road. At the bottom of this road there is usually a guard who helps protect the neighborhood.

This is parque el cope where many of the students study and bring their kids. It is one of nicer parks in the area. We cross through the basketball court on my way to school.

Once we cross a busy intersection we arrive at the bottom gate and follow the rest of the gringos into school.

Once we enter through the gate we have to walk through Sojourn Academy, which is the school for the missionary and teacher's kids. This walkway is covered because of the rain and on the left you can see the gym, where I play volleyball on Tuesday nights with other students.

This is one hallway of classrooms, which is really a small building of classrooms. If you cross the covered walkway you would find a similar building with classrooms and an office.

Well this is my first class of the day, Phonetics. This is my teacher Gabriela, she is fabulous. I really enjoy this class. We alternate every day who gets to sit in the hot seat, which is the desk directly in front of her desk.

Well thank you for walking with me to school today. Adios.