A Few Pictures

Me with Carmen and Lorena, my favorite ladies at the Refuge in Carpio.



A few of the kids at the Refuge playing with newspaper scraps.



The aftermath



More of the kids at the Refuge

Week Full of Firsts

So Saturday I headed into Carpio around lunchtime. Normally, once we get into Carpio the bus isn't very full, but today there were a ton of people the whole way. It threw me off and apparently the chofer (bus driver) too. We made a stop about 4 stops before the last one (my stop), and as the driver begins to take off, I hear a thump. I hear thumps all the time because there's always stuff in the street and the Carpio drivers are known for being the worst (a Tico told me so it has to be true). So I didn't think anything about it until everyone starts screaming "Dios mio" and rushing to the window. I stayed seated until a lady starts screaming at me that we hit a kid. I didn't really want to look, seeing as I have a sensitive stomach but I was the only one still seated. Thankfully I couldn't see because there were so many people. So I got off the bus and walked the rest of the way. I found out it wasn't the driver's fault and as far as I know the kid lived.

Ok, on to less depressing firsts.

Friday I went solo to San Jose. I didn't know if was possible to feel anymore independent after going alone to a foreign, non-English speaking country, traveling solo on the bus most days, etc. But my trip to the city made me feel more independent than ever. I just walked around, went into different stores, the market and made some purchases with no incidents. I can't wait to go back.

I normally don't talk on the bus, ever, and if I do it's only in Spanish. Well Thursday I asked an old lady next to me a question to make sure I had gotten on the right bus (many look the same but don't go to the same place). After she told me, she proceeded to tell me her whole life story for the rest of the ride. I think old woman chatty cathy just needed someone to talk to. I was just glad she wasn't looking for advice.

I am in no way being mean when I say this, but I have made friends with the sketchy pot head that lives three houses up. I mean, we aren't going to have dinner together, but he is super friendly and we always talk in passing. The way I see it, it's a sort of security system; he has a lot of sketchy druggie friends but because he likes me he won't let anything happen to me. (They have a field for smoking pot 200 ft from my house, so there are always people creeping around my neighborhood.)

I am super annoyed with gringos that talk to the people here in English. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that many of them don't speak English. They shouldn't have to, it's their country. You came to their country!! At least try to speak their language, its the least you can do.

Sunday we went to the local San Jose team (Saprissa) soccer game. I now think you haven't lived until you go to a Latin American soccer game. And it's best when you are the only gringa surrounded by hundreds of locals. This experience deserves its own blog later.

I have to write daily journals for school and I was told they just need to see that I was getting enough "cultural interaction". I don't think I could have anymore - I have had more culture than most people have in a year.

Hope you all have a great week.

"But he said to me, 'my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." -2 Corinthians 12:9-10

I've learned more life lessons here than I ever could in class

Sunday was the presidential elections and I went with the family to go vote. It was super insane. Luckily their polling place is right up the street. But Johnathan held onto me the whole time. I think he was afraid I would wander off or get kidnapped in the massive crowds. Costa Ricans elected their first female president. She won by a decent margin.

Monday and Tuesday it rained for the first time since I've been down here (aka 3 weeks).

I've been helping the cooks at the Refuge make lunch but lately we haven't had running water in our building (making cooking real difficult) so we have to go down to another building and carry huge things of water up too many stairs. But o well. It's character building.

I have small fingerprint size bruises and a knot on my arm from kids that don't know their own strength. But they scream my name from the time I walk into club until we leave so it's worth it.

The kids started school Wednesday. Yay! But they only go 3 hours at a time and all the kids' class times are different. (Costa Rica is the longest running democracy in Central America but their school system is inept).

Tomorrow I'm going into San Jose with my best friends from Carpio. I might take my camera but I'm not making promises. They just gave me the title of tica (what they call native Costa Ricans) yesterday so I don't want to look like a tourist. I'm super pumped. I'm also excited to be going with only adults. Not that I don't love kids, but trying to weave through crowds holding the hands of a tired and cranky 5 and 8 year old gets exhausting quick. All you parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles can understand. And if you say you can't you are either a saint or lying :).

Last night during dinner I saw the cat (I dislike cats, sorry) scurrying across the floor like a maniac then quickly realized when I saw it in her mouth that she'd found her protein for dinner, aka cockroach. I wasn't going to say anything but the rest of the family quickly noticed and began to watch, but they wouldn't let me look. I wouldn't put my feet down until I was sure the roach was dead.

Today when I was walking from the bus stop to home some of the kids were just getting out of school and I saw several of the kids from Club. It was the first time I saw them around the neighborhood. It was super exciting.

So you know when kids try to color or draw on their own and it often leaves much to be desired and up to the imagination and you nonetheless tell them that its awesome? Well today we made little monkeys out of pipe cleaners at club in Carpio. I have made over three types of pipe cleaner animals with the kids in Pavas and I normally end up doing everything for the kids. But yesterday was different. I helped a couple kids with the first monkey then they did the second completely unassisted except for when I had to glue the eyes on. These kids brought their creations to me with such pride. Some of their monkeys just looked like mangled pipe cleaners but I sincerely thought they were beautiful because these kids had given their all to build them. For the first time ever I could honestly tell these children I thought their work was great. I felt the pride a parent must feel when a kid tries their hardest. It was a good feeling.

That's it for now, I try to pick out the most interesting things to tell you all. Hopefully you all aren't bored yet. If so, then there's probably no hope for the rest of the posts.

I love you all dearly,
La

"And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love may have power together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge- that you may be filled to the measure of all fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us" -Ephesians 3:17-20

Love Like Crazy

I haven't really been in the mood to write, and I'm still really not. But alas, sometimes we do things we don't want to.

- It is currently so hot I think I might melt soon. I know yall don't really want to hear it, because it's been so cold, but we have no air and even with all the windows and doors open there is still not much relief.

- Everything isn't bigger in Texas. The cockroaches are without a doubt bigger here and run rampant.

- There was a huge fire this morning up the street that affected over 45 families. The dangerous thing is that all these homes have bars, and they are all touching so it spreads faster than you can put it out.

- Johnathan, the oldest son, is pretty much my best friend. He always keeps an eye on me and comes and checks on me. He always sits by me, puts his hand on my shoulder, and gives me hugs. He also brings a pack of cookies for me for the long trip home after church. He doesn't know how much this comforts me to have someone always watching out for me when I'm without all of y'all and all the familiar things of home. I'm so thankful for him.

- I'm having a great time here, but it's sometimes difficult when you know your life at home is going on (changing) without you. But I don't expect any less.

- Some say that distance makes the heart grow fonder, but it's not exactly productive for relationships. They can take their distance and I'll take my heart that is already pretty fond. But you do what you can with the cards you are dealt. I still have no doubt I am supposed to be here now.


This week I have experienced the intense love of the women I work with, not only for the girls at the Refuge but everyone they encounter. These women shed a lot of sweat and many tears in an attempt to help these young girls make something of themselves. They truly have the heart of Jesus. It's super refreshing and inspiring. Everyday I pray that I'm filled with the Love of God and have his compassionate heart for all I encounter. These women are positively affecting these girls, not just now but in the future, more than they will ever know.

I have no idea what the future holds or where I'll be in the next 6 months. But what I do know is that I want to be filled with the love that only comes from God. I want to positively impact everyone I encounter by sharing a love that is without judgment, expectations, conditions, or anything else that so often hinders our relationships with others, and others' relationships with their Loving Creator.

I want to love people with everything I have, so much that it hurts.

Lauren