December 27, 2006
As I write this blog, I am on my way home from a trip to Florida with my family for Christmas. Because my grandparents and my mom’s family live down in Florida, we try to get there each Christmas. It is about a 17 hour car ride which can be tiring but also fun since all of my immediate family is together. Our time in Florida was definitely a lot of fun – lots of games of Rook, Settler’s, Pepper, Capture the Flag, volleyball, basketball, and soccer. In the knick of time my cousins, siblings, and I finished a 1000 piece puzzle in keeping with our Christmas tradition. There was good fellowship and laughter. Eleven of the cousins went to the movies one evening and endured an agonizing drive through a parking garage with a 6’2’’ clearance in a van that is probably 6’4’’. We thought of paying extra people to ride with us out of the garage to make the van sink down a little more. Thankfully there was no contact with the roof.
I returned to the States on December 17th and quickly settled into a busy 3 weeks of trying to visit with friends and make various appointments. There was a bit of culture shock in coming back, but not too much. The hardest part was discovering that my mom had purchased cushions for the dining room chairs and I had spent the last 2 weeks anticipating starting a water fight with my family by putting water on the hardwood chairs and having one of them sit in it. I was disappointed to say the least. Today I was eating lunch with my family and cousins before we began the return trip to PA and I was discussing a camp in Michigan called Amigo Center with my sister. At that moment the water brought me another glass of sweet tea and without thinking I said “Gracias!” My family all looked at me and laughed. I was actually excited that I could return to Spanish so quickly without having to think. Here in the States I am not having a lot of opportunity to practice Spanish and I hope that I do not forget what I spent the last 4 months learning.
The last few weeks of language school were perhaps some of the more challenging because it became harder to focus as the end of the trimester drew near. Although a lot of classes went on excursions or played football during the last week of classes, my class kept studying Subjunctive verbs up until the very end.
I did have a few adventures in the last few weeks in Costa Rica. I organized a group of students to go visit a nearby Volcano, only I chose the worst day weather wise. December is supposed to be the beginning of the summer and dry season I Costa Rica, but not this year. Up at the crater the temperature was probably in the mid-50’s and at first there was a steady sprinkle and lots of fog. The fog did part for about a minute, allowing us to see the green water in the crater. As we were all trying to warm up and dry off in the unheated snack shop, it began to pour. That squelched the hope that a few of us still had of doing a bit of hiking. The snack shop itself reminded me of a ski lodge where persons would stop for coffee or hot chocolate before continuing on with their skiing. Unfortunately we were experiencing torrential downpour and not a blizzard. I have decided that maybe I will let someone else organize the next trip since trying to make a decision that will make 13 people happy is not my favorite.
The second weekend of December I went to camp one last time for this year and helped at the climbing wall. The program director had just finished building a new high ropes element which involves a little free fall before swinging on a cable. We were able to try it out that Sunday and though my stomach did a little jump, I swung without screaming. I have decided that a bigger challenge for me than heights is that of screaming, and the next activity I do, I need to scream.
In December I went to one last youth worship service at a local church and it ended up being a good time of hearing from the Lord as well as worshipping Him. We were singing a song about “at the cross … gently broken … I surrender.” My first thought was, how can brokenness ever be gentle? I then had an image come to me of a clay pot that was broken, with a few cracks running through it. But there was a light inside of the pot and everywhere that there was a crack, light shone through. Next to it was another pot, unbroken or marred, also with a light. From this pot the light shone forth only at the mouth. I was gently reminded that in my brokenness and weaknesses, Christ can shine through and sometimes be more evident than when I am at my best.

Pictures from La Cumbre camp

Climbing Center and High Ropes Course

Events of the past week

November 26, 2006

This past week has been an interesting one in that a lot of firsts have happened for me. On Saturday, November 18 I experienced my first "major" earthquake. The news channel said that it was a 4.6. I was in an Internet Cafe and thought that a very large truck was going by until there came a second rumble. No one in the cafe appeared too concerned though my friend saw the buildings across the street moving and was ready to exit the building.
This past Wednesday I thought that I was experiencing fall weather because the temperatures were in the low 50's during the day. I was so excited to be wearing a fleece for most of the day. I think that weather triggered a bit of homesickness though because I knew that the leaves changing colors and then snow should follow such weather.
On Thursday was my first Thanksgiving away from the family and Pennsylvania. I certainly was not without things to do. It was odd to have classes that day but since it is not a holiday here there was no reason to have the day off. We got out of school early and then I headed to a turkey dinner with some others from my mission. There were several Ticos there from the camp that I volunteer with so it was neat to be able to practice Spanish while celebrating Thanksgiving. Mid-afternoon I moved on to my second party which was games and dessert at a missionary family's house. I stayed there until early evening when I stopped at one last party/turkey dinner. Needless to say I did not eat much there. Once again though I was able to use my Spanish. Although I did miss being with my family I did enjoy the day.
This weekend I have been babysitting two girls whose parents are away from the weekend. They are older, ages 12 & 7 so it has not been too hard but I have definitely been busy. I am used to having a little more time to myself but it is good.
So those are a few events from the week. Nothing too exciting but that is okay.

The story of the climb

November 17, 2006

A week has passed now since I first left on the adventure of climbing Mt. Chirripo. Chirripo is the tallest mountain in Costa Rica, measuring approximately 12, 530 ft. I had never actually climbed at such altitudes before, but I was up to the challenge (or so I hoped).

A group of 4 (2 students, Lance and Matt, from my school and then Janelle, who I had met through the camp I volunteer at) of us left Thursday after school and took a 4 hour bus ride, followed by a 45 minute taxi ride to the town of San Gerardo de Rivas. The taxi driver told us that he could not make it up the road to the hotel so we were dropped off by a restaurant. The lady there mentioned that she could call our hotel and have someone pick us up, but the taxi driver said it was only 1 km away so we decided to walk. (The lady said it was 2 km). The road split almost immediately but because the driver had said to go straight, we did not bother to read the signs. After about 30 minutes of walking uphill (and it was not nearly as cold as I had expected), we decided to ask for directions. Some people out on their porch kindly pointed us back down the hill to the road we had ignored on the right. It was probably about 8:00PM at this point (it gets dark at 5:30 down here) but no one seemed too upset or discouraged by the news. The hardest part was sheepishly returning to the restaurant and asking if we could call the hotel because none of us wanted to walk another 2 km uphill. I am sure that the lady and everyone else there got a good laugh at us.

Once at the hotel we ate dinner and then headed to bed because we had an early morning ahead. Friday morning we were up and eating breakfast by 5:00AM. We began our climb shortly after 6:00, and once again I was surprised at how warm and humid it was. In February and March there can be ice on the mountain. At this point we were still at a low altitude of a little less than 5000ft. For the next 8 ½ hours we climbed steadily uphill. There were breaks of course, but it was a hard climb. My lungs are definitely not used to such heights. Along the way we met quite a few other North Americans. Mid-afternoon we arrived at the shelter at 11,132ft and were excited to see that it was not as rustic as we expected. There were real toilets and individual rooms (not one huge room for everyone).

After eating and visiting with people, we headed to bed around 7:30PM because the plan was to get up at 3:00AM so that we could be hiking to the peak of Chirripo in time to see the sunrise from the top. The plan did not work quite as we hoped in that the climb took longer than expected but it was still neat to see the sun rising across the paramo (moor). I loved the opportunity to hike in the early morning while it was still dark. The stars shone brilliantly overhead, with the shooting stars being clearly evident when they zipped across the sky. Light from the moon made it almost unnecessary to use headlamps. Just the day before or so I had read Psalm 89:15 which says, “Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O Lord.” This verse came to my mind as I walked that morning in the dim light of my headlamp. At times we were rather spread out on the trail and so I was walking alone. My prayer was that I would remember at all times to walk in the light of God’s presence and not in the light of anyone or anything else. When we stopped every now and then to rest or take off the jackets, I loved the utter silence that filled the plain.

From the top of Chirripo we were able to see the Pacific Ocean and had it not been so cloudy we also could have seen the Atlantic. By 7:30AM we were headed down from the peak and 3 of us decided to explore some other peaks. I found it interesting that when you looked across the plains or at the distant mountains, the land looked rather brown and barren. But when you were down in the plain, you found yourself amidst many bright colored flowers. I was challenged to remember that sometimes I look at people from a distance and perhaps judge them to be boring or whatever, yet if I would get to know them and see what is inside I would see the handiwork of God.

We ended up back at the shelter by noon and spent the rest of the afternoon there playing cards, visiting with people, and relaxing. A heavy rainstorm passed by which made staying inside very nice. Inside the shelter the temperature was about 14Celcius which I loved. It was great to be able to use gloves, fleece, and a hat again. By late afternoon I was ready to get outside again so I wandered off in search of some waterfalls in spite of the drizzle and cool temperatures. I glimpsed a bit of the colors splashed across the sky as the sun set on the other side of the one mountain. Again the stillness was beautiful.

We had another early night and my friend, Matt, and I got up early again to hike the second tallest peak. This climb was harder than Chirripo though it was shorter. I think that I was more tired and it was a steady uphill for most of the climb. Matt taught me the “rest step” which was good except that it required patience because you had to pause in between each movement of the feet. This pause was of course the very thing that allowed me to experience a bit of rest, but all too often I am too impatient to slow down though in the end I would be much better off doing so. I know that God has some lessons for me in that analogy too. As soon as we descended from the second mountain, all four of us packed our bags and began the final descent at 6:45AM. I found that the climb down was almost more challenging for me because I kept slipping thanks to the mud and poor traction of my boots (and maybe my walking habits, I am not sure). We made it down the mountain in about 4 ½ hours and my knees were definitely feeling the effects of the descent. After eating a real lunch and cleaning up at the hotel, we crowded into a “7 person” taxi with a group of girls who was also headed to the bus station. None of us thought that the taxi looked like it would comfortably fit 7 people but the driver assured us that it would. And in the end it was not so bad.

Once at the bus station we discovered that the first opportunity for getting seats was not until 5:30PM about 3 hours from when we arrived at the station. Janelle had to get back early so she took an earlier bus without a seat but the rest of us did not fancy the idea of standing for 4 hours on the bus. We passed most of the 3 hours of waiting in McDonald’s which is a bit anti-climatic after spending 3 days in the mountains in God’s creation. I was thankful for shelter and a seat though. On the bus ride home I was able to talk some in Spanish with a 12 year old girl across the aisle. I was also entertained by watching how the bus driver managed to pass a whole line of cars on curvy roads.

On Monday I headed back to classes quite sore and a little tired from the weekend, yet very thankful that I had had the opportunity to hike. I loved the challenge and the opportunity to be out of the city again. I think that I can never get enough of exploring God’s creation.

More photos from Chirripo

(The lodge is in the background)

(The purple flower is a lupine)

Here are a few more photos from Chirripo since the other entry is already large.

Photos at Chirripo

The photo below and the group photo are from the top of Chirripo. The other is from the climb, around 3200 msnm.

Insight from the Dogs

October 29, 2006
I want to share something that God has been teaching me this past week, both from Scripture and from one of the dogs at my house. I am not actually all that fond of dogs unless they are small and very clean. Well, I was sitting on the back porch trying to journal and prepare for a Bible Study for next week and the older dog, Duerca, came, put her front paws up on my chair, and with imploring eyes begged me to give her some attention. I finally looked at her and because of the look in her eyes, petted her a while. That “while” ended the moment I got a whiff of her breath. Uugh!! I remembered why I do not like dogs (that and getting my clothes dirty because of their dirty paws). Well, Duerca was not going to give up and she kept going back and forth from one side of the chair to the other, hoping that the other side might bring more success. Finally she wandered off and left me in peace. It was only a couple of minutes later though that she was back and begging. This time she only tried once and when I did not give her attention she left for good.
What does all of this mean? Well, I was challenged when I realized how much God wants my attention and my love. He is waiting for me to respond to His love and engage more fully with Him. What about the stinky breath and dirty paws? There is nothing ugly about God but there is pain and a price that comes with loving Him. I will be hurt and rejected at times by other people. I will have to step into challenging situations. I may experience loneliness and persecution as I follow His love and His call. When I ignore God’s beckoning call to love Him more and to listen to Him, that voice gets quieter and quieter just as Duerca did not try as long the second time to get my attention. God is still there waiting and beckoning, but I cannot hear Him.
I began to realize once again that God is reminding me that I need to be filled with His love and compassion. As I was reading Acts 3 the next day, I was impressed with how Peter and John looked “straight at” the beggar. Most people probably turned their eyes as they walked by, even if they did give him money. That is my tendency when I see a beggar. When you look straight at someone, you can see their pain and are more compelled to react. God is calling me to risk loving the unlovable and to be filled with compassion.

Weekend at Manuel Antonio

October 18, 2006

This past weekend I took a trip to a beach and National Park about 3 hours from San Jose with a group of girls from the school. Thankfully the place that we booked for lodging ended up being a nice place. It was a short trip but a good break from being in the city. I loved the National Park where Iguanas darted across the path two feet from you and monkeys fought with each other a stone’s throw away. I did actually get in the ocean too in spite of all of the warnings we received during orientation of riptides, jellyfish, and sting rays. The waves were not in the least bit tranquil but a friend taught me to dive into them instead of ride them out and in the middle of the wave there is a bit more peace. One of my favorite parts of the weekend was sitting on the beach Sunday morning with one of the girls while reading from the Psalms about God’s power and purposes and their greatness in comparison to that of the ocean with its mighty waves and breakers.

Cows at the camp

(From a September weekend)


The humorous story of the weekend -- well, the cows tend to wander wherever they want around the camp and on Sat. morning I went out the back gate to go down to the creek for some time with God. The grass and ground were very wet so I tried to step on rocks in an effort to keep my non-waterproof shoes dry. Well, it just so happened that the one "rock" I stepped on was not a "rock". It was a very fresh cow patty. I was utterly disgusted but was able to wipe my shoe off pretty well since the grass was so wet. I continued on and neared the creek. Once again I used rocks to avoid the mud and water, and yes, once again I misinterpreted what a rock was, this time with the other shoe. I could not believe it. I decided that I was going to cry if I stepped on one more cow patty. I had had better luck in the dark. I decided that their had to be an analogy in this mess. I was reminded (b/c it is a theme in my life right now) that I have to keep my eyes on Jesus to make sure that I am stepping in ways that are solid. Last week my eyes seemed to be on myself and my circumstances and so the week did not go so well. Fortunately the weekend improved after the cow patty incidence.