Pray for Brian and the team...

I just spoke to my wonderful husband, and my heart is heavy. He spent the night ill, and, in my clinical mind, I can think of possible causes, and pray the bug is the most logical, straightforward, and least harmful. I also know that he is able to diagnose and treat himself, yet will most likely be out working even though the team has been working well into the night for days...

Pray for strength, new supplies of drinking water, restored health, and continued open doors.
If anything, this shows me that the continued fervent prayer lifted by the spiritual contingent around the world, and my own household and countless friends, indeed availeth much.

Relief in Action

Teams are on the ground and in the air headed to Haiti today and tomorrow. This will be a long-term effort coordinated with much thought and prayer. Consider how you may be involved. Give, Pray, GO? Yes, there are opportunities to do all these things, but with a willing heart and a U.S. Passport you may be part of God's amazingly designed response to this situation. Leave a comment here and you will be immediately connected with those formulating the response.

More later, the inbox is filling and the phone is ringing!

Haiti.....

The world is watching Haiti and countries are coming together to help the survivors whose lives were spared that fateful day. Humanitarian and faith-based organizations are planning short and long-term efforts as they are able to enter the country. Many of our friends here in Costa Rica are key players in this, and my husband has packed a bag and will meet others from EFCA/Reachglobal tomorrow. As a healthcare professional, wife and mother, the images of makeshift hospitals and orphanages pull at my heartstrings and I know that someone has to go....and yet, the stark reality of potential for additional earthquakes, poor sanitation, disease, etc., confronting the one I love and those whom I have relationships with defy words right now.

Please donate to Reachglobal/Touchglobal or the faith-based or humanitarian agencies you have confidence in and have donated to in the past. Immediate aid will arrive to the people of Haiti as you read this. Short-term and Long-term relief efforts for Haiti and disasters yet unknown will continue for forthcoming months and years; and you, your family, and church fellowship can become involved as future details are unveiled. For today and the foreseeable future, your fervent prayers for those mobilized in this effort, and those suffering in the country of Haiti will sustain and provide comfort.

GIVE
Donations are needed for immediate crisis relief needs and long-term recovery efforts. Please donate online or send checks to:
EFCA
Earthquake Relief 21709-3970
901 E 78th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55420

SERVE
Once a base of operations is established, volunteers will be needed (internships, short-term and long-term service teams). If you or your church are interested in serving in Haiti, contact the EFCA TouchGlobal Crisis Response office at crisisresponse@efca.org or call (985) 893-0218 ext 7.


PRAY
We praise God that church planter Pastor Absalon and his wife are alive. Pray for the leaders and members of the EFC church plant in Haiti as they serve in the midst of this crisis. Please pray for:
- the people of Haiti as they experience loss, pain and death.
- the Crisis Response team as they determine how God would have the EFCA respond.
Pray that God would move in this crisis and that people would come to know and trust Him.
Pray for Brian as he travels to Miami and beyond, and for peace as Cathi and the children remain in Costa Rica serving in various ministries and completing homeschool as part of their routine.

2010: What Will It Hold?

It has been a little longer since I've blogged, but during the "downtime" when the clinic is closed, many missionaries are enjoying family being around or leaving for elsewhere, and the homeschool books are shelved, and the mess from Christmas has been cleaned up while I was nowhere in sight(thanks to my family for such a gift, and Ilsias, who found the extras we all missed), I've been praying, thinking, and trying to formulate my goals for 2010.

ReachGlobal personnel fondly know them as KRA's, but they are more than just resolutions that last for a short period amount of time--they are carefully planned and desired outcomes in specifed areas of my life- ministry, personal health, relationships/family life, etc. Such planning allows one to glance at a weekly/monthly calendar and determine if time was/will be spent intentionally so that measurable progress may be noted and, if not, these may be adjusted. These are taking a little longer this year, as I plan to distribute them to several trusted leaders (including my hubby!) and friends to be held to higher accountability, so as to purpose toward measurable results that bring glory to God!

A pastor recently brought this home as he described the events of Exodus 16-17, in which the Israelites were whining and complaining about their situation when the Lord was providing what they needed exactly when they were in need of it. God has designed each of us for a purpose and will use us in spite of ourselves. In carefully studying our habits, thoughts, and using information to formulate a plan to seek results, we maximize our efforts, and can more easily seek God's purposes in our lives. Certainly unplanned opportunities will arise beyond our imagination and some of our planned goals may elude us, but by methodically pursuing God's best for me-surely 2010 will be more than I envisioned--for me, and those around me.

In my mind's eye...

My interaction with urban ministries began at Wheaton College when I grabbed a pre-packed sack lunch from SAGA, hopped into a comfortable twelve passenger van  and headed to inner-city Chicago on Saturday mornings to befriend and disciple girls. These mornings integrated Biblical teaching with cool craft projects and games, offered nutritious snacks and impromptu tutoring. Back on campus, my semester’s reading list included Ron Sider’s Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger. 

Working as an emergency room nurse further introduced me to the plight of the urban poor who were seeking health care in a large hospital in downtown Houston, Texas. Occasional opportunities provided by our local church in Charlotte, NC, took our family from the suburbs to soup kitchens, inner city neighborhoods, and urban ministry centers which facilitated outreach as well.

It took a series of unforeseen events last month, however, for me to walk the streets of San Jose in the footsteps of those who rely on public transportation (and their own feet) and sit shoulder to shoulder with the urban poor on crowded buses. In the early morning light, I walked over the sleeping homeless, inhaling the odor of rotting garbage, diesel fumes, and the fetid breath of beggars. The quiet stillness of my ten-block journey between bus stops allowed me to take it all in, but it has taken much of this holiday season to process this up-close-and-personal urban interaction, yet I still cannot describe the effect it has had on my heart and soul.

 The return walk between distant bus stops was an assault to the senses-- crowded sidewalks bustling with people, street vendors loudly hawking their wares, and even more polluted air and unpleasant odors mingled with the greasy odor of fast food and roasting nuts and coffee. The commercialism of Christmas no longer captivates my attention, and my eyes and heart are open and seeking to love as Christ would love—not by cultivating dependencies, but by showing mercy and offering dignity and the Gospel to the unfortunate, to the urban poor and refugees in the clinical setting, and to the individual sharing the seat on an overcrowded bus. Or wherever my footsteps take me.    

 

Looking on the Bright Side.....

It has been a rough twenty(when I looked on the calendar I couldn’t believe it had only been 20)days but despite some pretty discouraging circumstances, we’ve chosen to look on the bright side, and keep on with our family and ministry responsibilities….here’s a brief summary, not for the faint of heart!

Day 1-Slow leak in tire-no big deal, add air and hope for the best.

Day 2- Hot water heater not acting right, breaker flips whenever in use, must have that looked at…

Day 3-Tire checked for screw or other problem—given clean bill of health, still looks low….

Day 4- Hot water heater melted with charred insides—not functional after repairman takes parts out to replace-not a problem, have a showerhead hot water heater in a drafty shower in a non-used maid’s quarters…cost to replace $650

Day 5- Flat tire, found by guard in furniture store parking lot while purchasing mattresses for our newest missionaries arriving Dec. 11^th…guard points out where tire repair place is, 20 minutes later, tire is fixed-$3.

Day 6-Tropical storm brewing….TONS of rain….inside warm and dry…praying that the now hurricane Ida doesn’t hit New Orleans(we heart New Orleans!)

Day 7- Brian and Ben are almost home…trying to cheer up by making homemade ice cream—expensive large bag of cream into bowl, completely spoiled…roasted broccoli and cauliflower with almonds will have to do tonight…

Day 8-Finished painting Brian’s office (shh, it’s a surprise, Anna and Mommy deserve lunch out—Gate wide open, some animal or vegetation blown by the wind, CLOSES GATE on R side of car, nicks right upper rear window---and GLASS crumbles into a million pieces….no one is hurt, we clean up the mess and eat hummus and crackers for lunch—all that is in the pantry

Day 9-Ben and Brian return home….yes, a little consolation and 20 hours before Brian heads to RG meetings…missionary loans us a car for the weekend, groceries in house, bills paid, happy kids…

Day 10-Borrowed car gets returned. Rain continues off and on—

Day 11- Make effort to take taxi to gymnastics—Anna practices for 30 minutes, then tears up and says she feels like she’s getting sick—after walking several blocks, a taxi eventually picks us up—Anna falls asleep immediately and we get her home and into bed

Day 12-Anna is really sick—high fever, headache, achy body—no other symptoms…but I’m not, and can tell that this is either a tough virus or eeeewww….the flu(whatever type, doesn’t matter—just has to run it’s course)

Day 13- Rain continues and in addition to Anna’s continued fever, there is a flood in the kitchen…Ilsias and I use the rotorooter plumbing tool and try and get the clog—doesn’t completely work, and the additional rain continues to back the sewage into the kitchen—100% sulfuric acid and buckets of hot water eventually work

Day 14- Anna’s still sick, I’m exhausted from no sleep and every 4 hour Tylenol offerings…but fellow missionaries bring provisions and now I get 6 -8 hours sleep

Day 15-Car taken to get measured for possible replacement window, on arrival to driveway, torrents of red transmission fluid spews all over driveway and street in front of house…car to be towed, and transmission not gone, just pieces needed to stop leak?

Day 16- Clinic day in Carpio-- Earthquake—5.0, 33 miles as the crow flies from our home—minimal cracks in wall, no reports of loss of life or property—just strange and unnerving after the last week in our home…

Day 17-Last weird symptoms of Anna’s influenza like illness(CDC term, when not tested for swine flu or seasonal flu etc)causes itchy rash…thank goodness Denise Lewis sent me plenty of Children’s Benadryl—not sold in this country

Day 18-Anna is fever-free, still no workable car…Reachglobal missionaries lend us a different car so we can get to church and Ben can serve on the audio-visual team(and I have a BUTTERBALL Thanksgiving turkey—hopefully enough for 14-16 hungry people)!

Day 19- New hot water heater purchased and installed and we have ….HOT WATER, just in time for missionary guests arriving this week and no need for a tow truck…Mechanic in driveway fixing transmission under my portico—with his kids watching and learning! Window on order, not as pretty as the old one, but the car won’t get wet!

Day 20- Even in these difficult circumstances, and our limited budget(especially this month), I take newborn diapers and diaper cream, and various other necessary items to a family of 3 -expecting number 4 this week, living in a corrugated tin home with an outdoor potty(no plumbing) 200 yards up the hill from our home…and in the midst of it all, I know I can be THANKFUL for you, our supporters, our friends and family, and we are resolved to stay and use the gifts and talents God has given our family in serving in Latin America! What a praise—in the midst of hardship, I don’t want to return home(truly not of myself, I’ll tell ya!)

Contrasting Communities

Television has an interesting way of portraying life in other countries. My husband and I are frequently asked about living and retiring in Costa Rica because cable television shows indicate that living abroad in San Jose, Costa Rica is paradise. In fact, it was ranked number one in the Happy Planet Index (2009), and was reported to have a life expectancy second only to Canada, and the highest life satisfaction of all countries. Much of my ministry life in San Jose, however, is spent among the urban poor, in two barrios, Rio Azul and La Carpio, two areas that contrast sharply to the picture painted by world journalists. The average monthly income in this community of 40,000 inhabitants is less than $225 USD, while inflation hovers around 10.9% or more. In these areas, corrugated tin and scrap-metal shanties crowd the pothole-laden streets, and both areas receive tonnage of San Jose garbage daily. Odors mix in the air and one realizes that the needs are great, despite attempts of local government and non-profit organizations in addressing health, nutrition, public safety and societal issues. Last Friday, as I practiced the art of midwifery in a community clinic, I was overwhelmed as a young woman took off a handcrafted beaded necklace and placed it in my hands, covering my hands with her work-worn ones. Giving me this item cost her much. Later, during my long commute, I secretly wept and prayed for the indigent women and children in Costa Rica, and my small role in helping to alleviate their suffering. Despite the public image that La Carpio receives as a crime-ridden squatters’ community, there is heart buried deep in community calloused by social injustice, and the love of Christ can bring forth joy, healing and hope from urban poverty.

Ninety minutes across town, I was invited to a Iadies’ neighborhood Bible study where we spent several hours in a low-income neighborhood studying the Bible and singing praises with women who walk closely with Him despite poverty, diabetes, blindness, and age. Experiencing such joy reminds me that remaining in Christ as in the analogy of the vine and branches, will produce fruit despite the tempests of life. Missionaries in earlier decades( 70’s and 80’s) planted the seeds in this community and firm, unshakable roots have dug deep. My prayer is that wherever my family and I roam, that seeds will be planted, and even though we may not see full branches and beautiful fruit during our time here, that God, the cultivator and Master gardener will reap a plentiful harvest in years to come throughout Latin America and the world.