[Second] First Day of School

Monday was momentous for three reasons:

one:  Jack started 1st grade

two:  Wes and Elise officially began preschool at home with me (I say "officially" because unofficially we've been experimenting with school all summer, but Monday is when we had to get serious)

three: I didn't cry. Not one single tear. This was a major accomplishment given that I cried for months whenever I had to drop Jack off for kindergarten.

Below is a series of pictures of our crew on the first day. I'm sure a photoshop genius could take the best shots of each of them and piece them together for a perfect back-to-school portrait, but I'm not a photoshop genius (or any other kind of genius..to be clear), so you'll just have to use your imagnation.

Growing Up

Maybe one day I'll get some newborn pictures up, but for now I'll be satisfied with staying current. Our sweet baby is 3 months old and, with the older three at Nanna and Papa's for the day, I took the opportunity to do a photo shoot with her. To say Evie is a happy 3-month-old is an understatement. She greets us with smiles every morning and keeps us smiling all day. Enjoy!

 

 

Time for a Little Cabin Vacation

The kids and I spent a little time at the cabin while Sean is in Costa Rica. Instead of cramming everything they want to do (swimming, fishing, boating, tubing, camp fire, buggy rides, digging, etc.) into one way too short Saturday, we were able to relax a little and really enjoy each activity without feeling like we were missing out on something else.

We spent A LOT of time in the water. In honor of the Olympic events in London, I tried to organize a few events of our own. It didn't go over too well. Wes was the only one that would play volleyball with me. Elise just wanted to throw it and the splash through the water to get it.


The boys tried their hand at rowing.

Their tube didn't glide through the water quite like the sculls they saw on tv earlier in the week.

 

Monica was so sweet and took Wes tubing. Wesley is proof that 4-year-olds can't reason. The same boy who is terrified to swim in water deeper than his knees...

 

is more than happy to venture into the aquatic unknown in a tube.

 

Always the daredevil, Elise hopped right on for her first tubing experience. She did great, giggling and waving the whole time.

 

Monica finally got a chance to go tubing without a child in her lap. Our Captain was a little rougher on her without the kids out there. She was up and out of the water a few times during the ride.

 

An extended stay afforded us a chance to venture away from the lake and into town to the Crow Wing County Fair. While I'm sure the highlight for the kids was the rides (more on that later), I think the best part was the mini-farm they got to go through. As the kids entered, they each got a basket and a bag of corn.

 

As the kids navigated their way through the farm (stopping for photo opps, or course)

 

they were able to feed a chicken and gather its egg, feed sheep and pigs and gather their wool and hair (in paintbrush form) and feed a cow then gather her milk.

 

They also planted

and harvested some vegetables (some day a real farmer is going to have to explain to me how carrots and squash grow from corn seed).

 

If there's a board with holes in it, my kids have to stick their heads in and I have to take a picture.

 

Next we visited the barns. Just like their grandma...

 

the kids were wild about the goats.

 

Their next adventure included an encounter with REAL horses. Are we raising city kids or what?! They couldn't get over the fact that they were on real horses.

While I would have been content with their fair experience limited to virtual farming and pony rides, the midway awaited. With tickets in hand (7 tickets doesn't get you much these days, but I refused to have any more money spent on rides) the kids ventured down the blacktopped sidewalk to the roller coaster. All three of them marched up the stairs to the platform. Unfortunately, one of them had to march right back down.

Good thing Elise had her optimist hat on that day. Otherwise she might not have been so content with the duck ride.

 

She also clearly enjoyed this train ride.

 

We wrapped up our fair day with dinner at the cabin with some long-time family friends who shared stories about a recent trip to Israel. Some day I hope to be posting pictures of my own trip there. For now, I'll be content with family trips to the cabin.

No cabin vacation would be complete without some roasting. These lucky kids got to roast hot dogs for lunch and marshmallows for dessert over this fire that went all day and into the night. Jack was the first to give it a try.

 

Here he is with Evie while Grandpa finished the roasting... While Grandpa was on duty for hot dogs, Grandma earned a gold medal for her marshmallow roasting skills.

 

The smoke swirled all around the fire - no spot was safe. Needless to say, our clothes smelled like we'd been camping.

 

No campfire is complete without a little music. I don't know how many years it's been since my dad has played, but the kids were ecstatic when he pulled out the guitar and started singing some familiar favorites. After rounds of Jesus Loves Me, She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain and Wheels on the Bus, we put the guitar away and called it a night.

On a side note... My parents have had this cabin for 26 years now and some of the fondest memories I have are of my parents and their friends (and families) sitting around the campfire singing. Back in those days, my dad was more practiced so we weren't limited to Row Row Row Your Boat. I seem to remember Van Morrison's G-L-O-R-I-A coming up a lot.

As it turns out, a cabin isn't the easiest place to take a 3-month-old so she isn't in most of the pictures. But just to prove she was there, here is our beautiful Evie, enjoying as much of the cabin as she could. Next year, baby girl. Next year.

Can't you just see the wheels turning? What kind of mischief awaits us in the summer of 2013?



Nothing like an up-close-and-personal chat with your big sister.

And one more just because I think she's so darn cute (I take full responsibility for being biased).

 



Costa Rica - Day 6

Monday gave our team a chance to learn a bit about local culture. We visited a small coffee roaster's workshop, walked through an active volcano's crater, and met with a missionary who first came to Costa Rica in the early 1970s. Still being sick, I was determined to make it through the day. I have now started a regimen of Advil and Pepto-Bismal tablets. It has helped, plus I'm getting better.

Helping Roast Beans

Costa Rica - Day 5

Yes, I am sick. I spent the night tossing and turning with the joy of navigating a dark hotel room back and forth to the bathroom. I'm not the only one sick so it might have been something we ate. But there was no way I was going to miss the church service that had been hyped all week so I toughed it out. It only got worse as the day went on.

After a lighter than usual breakfast we made a quick stop at the farmer's market. Very cool! All kinds of interesting fruits, vegetables, lottery tickets, and fish.

Gringos* in the Market

Costa Rica - Day 4

Saturday started with a relaxing morning. Our team was able to do some bonding and getting to know each other better. Until it was time for lunch and we were zoomed off to another lunch in the home of a church member. This church family has been so welcoming to us (probably a big part of the culture). We have been doing lunches and dinners in homes which has been a great way to build stronger relationships with those we are here to help and learn more about the tico culture. I'm hoping to do a blog post all about food soon.

Typical Lunch: Carne con Arroz y Frijoles

After lunch we headed back to the church for another open house. We had a better turnout today than Friday. A few class members showed up to get specific advice. I was able to meet with one young man hoping to start a business targeted at the church's young population. Sounded like a great idea. It is so encouraging to hear how excited these Christians are to serve fellow Christians and non-believers. Our North American churches could really use a lesson. They are passionate about spreading the gospel and serving others.

Something that I believe to be unheard of in the States is youth (teenagers) going to church, becoming Christians, then bringing their PARENTS to church with them. For starters I don't think parents in the States have enough respect for their own teenagers to do this. These teens are exemplifying a "born again" lifestyle so strongly that their parents want to know what it's all about. So they go to church with their kids.

My final class was exhilarating to say the least. We started with some boring dialogue delivered by me then allowed one of the students to share some of the work he has created. He had logos, videos, and pictures that he just made on his own. No one asked him and no one really knew about them til now. Another huge encouragement. These were high-quality, multimedia products. Then I set the team to work: come up with a plan to get your church online; assign parts of the work to individuals on the team; and most importantly, hold each other accountable for getting their part of the project done.

Classwork: Day 3

I also shared a bit more of my testimony with the students. Specifically how through Matthew 28:19-20 (Go and make disciples of all nations...) God has been encouraging me to get out of my comfort zone and really start spreading the gospel to new places. It was the primary driver for my coming to Costa Rica. Then applied it to them and their work on the church website and how they can reach more and more people. Plus, some day God may want them to go some where else. I explained to them that this verse isn't about some Christians receiving a "calling," this is a command to all Christians.

Then dinner, at another house, and finally....sickness.

Costa Rica - Day 3

Would you buy a battery here?

Day 3 had an interesting start. Our first stop of the day was Super Baterias| Los Especialistas en Baterias. Our wonderful driver, Tony, has been having car problems and only got his Mazda MPV back Friday morning. The alternator was just fixed but the battery was still bad and needed to be replaced. So, Tony had a "battery specialist" replace the battery. Battery number one must not have had enough amps because the car still wouldn't start. The battery specialist then used two aluminum pipes to connect the +/- terminals of the battery installed in the car to a second battery that his helper held up next to the installed battery. Still not enough power. Instead of going to a catalog of batteries to match the car to the right size battery the "specialist" proceeded to take batteries off the shelf and try them one by one. Trial and error. He finally found a battery that could start the MPV. Yippee! Then he proceeded to tell Tony the cost was $200. That's a LOT for a battery, double what a reasonable battery should cost. Tony was able to talk him down some.

Tony

The unscheduled stop made us a little late to our first appointment of the day but todo bien (it's all good) because we're on tico time. After the battery adventure we went to the home of Brian and Cathi Duggan. Brian is the International Leader for ReachGlobal in Latin America. The gentlemen on the team from Indianapolis are not from an Evangelical Free church so Brian gave a quick history of the EFCA then dove in deep to his team's goals for Latin America in the next 10 years. The focus is on discipleship and training locals to spread the gospel. There are a lot of new, energized evangelical Christians but they don't have any training. The culture is that of the Catholic Church and complete obedience to the church's hierarchy. This is not the case with evangelicals. The senior pastor does not have absolute power over his congregation. Josue, and other church leaders in Latin America, need church attenders to help co-lead the church. Contact Brian if you'd like to help out. They need experienced church leaders and Christians to come alongside these new believers and disciple them. It's all about relationships.

Meeting with Brian on the Duggan's Veranda

I think we might have had our first fail of the trip today as well. We had an open house at the church for participants of the seminars to come and ask questions one-on-one. No one showed up. It is a Friday though and most participants were at work or school. We are doing the same thing Saturday afternoon and many have indicated they plan to attend. The time was not a complete waste though. The team was able to share with Dan and Josue what was working and what was not working on the trip so far. We were also able to discuss some specific questions that participants had brought up the night before. It was good to come up with some culturally-relevant responses. We were also able to spend some time in the city center of Tres Rio relationship building with Josue, Tony and one of the interpreters (Johan).

View of the school we are using for our sessions from the city square.

Catholic Church in Tres Rio from the city square.

Class time this evening was great. The "kids" in my class really started opening up and I shared a bit more of my testimony. I shared with them how Rebecca and I daily raise our kids up to God and commit our family to serving Him. I told them the story of Joshua when they enter the promised land and he asks the Israelites who they're going to serve: Yahweh or the gods of the Canaanites. Then quoted one of my favorite verses, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!" (Joshua 24:15) We spent a good deal of time scouring a couple of my favorite websites for ideas on how their church can start a web presence: Mars Hill, The Resurgence, and Desiring God. I shared with the class, and those of you who know me will laugh at this, that I frequently refer to these blogs when discussing spiritual matters on a day-to-day basis. A popular website for them is Hillsong. I was able to encourage my interpreter, Ricardo, to learn more about Christian hedonism as well.

"Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will lift you up." - James 4:10 

Take particular notice of the word "will." It's not "might" or "maybe." "He will lift you up." I challenge you, if you haven't already, to fall to your knees and give everything over to Jesus. Humble yourself in His presence by bowing and letting it all out.