Water = Life

¹¹ “Sir,” the Samaritan woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? ¹² Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”
 ¹³ Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, ¹⁴ but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
 ¹⁵ The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”
-  John 4:11-15


God uses water many times in his Word to us.  He tells us that we will only be satisfied when we drink from Him.  Even so, the Samaritan woman seems to miss Jesus's point again saying, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water."  Often, when the lost's physical need for water is not satisfied, it can be very difficult to hear the words we are so desperately preaching.  


On Monday, June 13th, Josh embarks on a 9-hour bus ride to Managua, Nicaragua and another 2-3 hour ride to the province of Chinandega, Nicaragua to meet with descendants of the Miskito indians and Food for the Hungry, a Christian non-profit organization ministering to the community of Bayardo Arce.  Bayardo Arce is located on the outskirts of the city of Chinandega.  Most homes are constructed from scrap wood, cardboard and plastic with an outdoor latrine.  Families run small business ventures selling tortillas, fruit, water or other small items in the streets of the city to earn $2 - $3 per day, which is less than half of the cost of food to feed a family.  Rice, beans, and corn tortillas are the dietary staples, along with very limited amounts of fruits and vegetables because of the expense.  Regardless of the season, whether dry or rainy, the community's general health is poor due to poor hygiene, dust and dampness, or standing water that breeds mosquitoes.  They are connected to a municipal water system, with limited distribution spigots and no sewer system.  A nearby public health post has inadequate facilities for primary care or health promotion.  Common illnesses include malaria, dengue fever, anemia, malnutrition, respiratory infections and parasites.  Most of the school aged children attend one of two public schools (primary or secondary) located within 2 kilometers of the community for morning or afternoon classes. Because of economic needs of the family, some adolescents are required to skip school and help support the family. 


Critical issues in Bayardo Arce include the following:
The health of community members is generally poor because of the living standards of the community. The streets are very dirty and there are many mosquitos. Many people suffer from Malaria and Dengue fever. There are also many people that suffer from parasitic infections because of a lack of basic hygiene.  Many children especially suffer from malnutrition because they are not receiving basic nutrients in the food that they eat. Most families eat rice and beans but never any fruits, vegetables or meat.  About 50% of the community is unemployed and those that are employed are still barely able to provide a stable wage for their household.  There is not much emphasis on children's education in the community.  


This visit to the community is meant to be an exploratory trip to meet the people of this community and understand their needs as they pertain to the lack of consistent, clean water supply and a system to effectively and safely handle their excrement, wastewater, and trash.  This project is being pursued as a means to increase the overall health of the community in hopes that it will increase overall school attendance of the children of that community.  In ministering to the needs of the children, the hope is that this will open the door to Gospel to be heard.  Josh will be in Nicaragua until Thursday, June 16th.  Please join us in prayer for his safe travel, effective ministry, and soft-hearted reception of the community to our help in securing safe water for them to drink, a way to handle their waste, and ultimately the acceptance of the Jesus-founded love we hope to share through this project!  


Pray with us that the people of Chinandega would drink from well of Living Water!

6.10.2011

Well, this has been a trying and long week, but the Lord has been faithful to give strength, encouragement and we've found perseverance in Him.  This has been a week of negociating our way through the bureaucracy that is the Costa Rican government.  Although I've come to love this country, I try to have as little contact as possible with red tape and waiting lines.  Monday, I took a two hour bus ride to San Jose to get my driver's license renewed and a two-hour ride back. Then, Tuesday night, we decided the best way to approach figuring out the process for renewing our cedulas (residency) was to actually GO to Immigracion in San Jose.  Once we got there, we found out we actually couldn't renew it at Immigration...go figure.  They recently changed the process to where you can only renew them in select banks throughout Costa Rica.  So, just by chance, we decided to walk into the biggest bank in Costa Rica, the one in downtown San Jose to ask questions about the process and required paperwork.  First blessing was that there was only one other customer there so we went almost right up to the desk which is very unusual.  The young woman at the desk, Aura (and who I could also call an angel), walked us through the process and paperwork needed.  When we asked if she could help us make an appointment, she kindly took out her personal dayplanner and penciled us in for 2 DAYS LATER!!!  Normally you call a phone number to make an appointment, and we've heard the wait can be up to 6 months.  We walked out of that office feeling as though the Lord pulled off something that we could never do ourselves.  So, as of 11 a.m. today, we are legal to be in Costa Rica for 2 more years as residents.  It's very exciting, and I cannot be more grateful for the Lord's provision and gift of encouragement through the young lady at the bank.  So, needless to say after more than 10 hours on a bus this week, Josh and I are going to try to relax at home tonight!

On a side note, this is the newest addition and newest temporary addition to our family.  The bigger "puppy" is Duke.  He is a 6-month old great dane and he belongs to us.  He's sweet, super tranquilo and a perfect addition to our family...and a daddy's boy!  The little puppy is a great dane mix that we are dog-sitting for a month.  

The government strikes again....

It seems that it is the season of renewals, and I don't mean just spiritual ones.  As we just passed our 2-year anniversary of living in Costa Rica, we have alot of our legal documents needing to be renewed....more specifically our driver's licenses and our residency.  So, the past two weeks have been full of trips to the capital, San Jose, and errands hither and yonder trying to both figure out what we need and actually complete it.  As of yet, I personally have been extremely unsuccessful.  For our residency, we have to pay into the national healthcare on a voluntary basis which is a reduced rate compared to what Costa Ricans pay as we already have personal international health insurance that covers us both in Costa Rica and the U.S.  BUT, in order to pay into what is known as the "caja", we needed a certified copy of our marriage certificate as we are actually enrolling under Josh's name, not individually.  So, two weeks ago, I spent an entire day at immigration in San Jose trying to make a certified copy of the marriage certificate in our file.  I left with several certified papers in my hand, but guess what...not our marriage certificate.  It was starting to rain as I was receiving the paperwork and I had taken the scooter to San Jose.  So, foolishly, I ran to the scooter to get my rain gear on without looking at the paperwork.  Finally I was able to obtain our marriage certificate, and Josh and I spent an entire day at the Caja here in Atenas getting singed up.  Now we just have to make an appointment to meet with the people at immigration to actually complete our renewal.  Josh and I also went to San Jose this past week to renew our driver's licenses.  Only Josh was able to renew his since I needed an updated medical exam and he had just completed one in the weeks before.  So, tomorrow I have the plan of getting to the doctor's office at 7 a.m. when they open, getting a medical exam and taking the bus into San Jose to hopefully wait in line for less than an hour and a half to renew my license.  I do see the light at the end of the tunnel, and am trying to have patience in it.  It's a lesson in remembering to take each day at a time, not getting stressed at lack of efficiency, but enjoying the life we have here in Costa Rica...even on my third trip to San Jose in two weeks:)

June 6, 2011

I feel as though I reached some kind of new home-making goal today.  I made my first loaf of homemade bread.  Okay, well maybe it was in a bread maker but still made the house smell incredible.  One of the families in our office is leaving the field after 9 years, and selling almost everything.  Once I heard they were selling things, I had my eye on the bread maker.  So many times, I've gone over to their house to meet with the wife, and my friend, and walked into the house to the smell of baking bread.  It brings good memories of our times together and reminds me of the example she set for me as a wife, mother and missionary.  Today I attempted to make rosemary bread...without rosemary.  It still tasted pretty good, but I definitely want to try it again when I DO have rosemary and not just leftover Italian seasonings.  One things I've found out since the having the bread maker is there's a difference between "bread" flour and the regular flour that I use.  I'm not sure if I successfully bought bread flour as the bag doesn't specifically say "bread" flour or doesn't distinguish itself from any other flour other than to say for "pan, galletas y reposteria" which means "bread, cookies and pastries".  I took a chance.  I still have no idea if it's bread flour, but the bread turned out a really nice density and fluffiness.  Is that a word?  fluffiness?  I look forward to many more times of filling my house with the delicious smell of freshly baked bread.