Today Suzy asked me, "What are we gonna do for Kaia's 1 year old birthday?" It's still a few months away, but it brought my mind zooming to Ecuador. That's only a few months away, too! Having been here in Costa Rica for about 5 months now, it's hard sometimes to remove ourselves from this current existence and imagine what life will be like in December.
I will say, doing this FARO program (click here to read more about what that entails) has begun to give me a glimpse into what life may look like in Ecuador. For the past 2 weeks I've literally gone out every day to talk with Costa Ricans. During the week it's with people who live or work in this community, and on the weekends we've spoken with people for hours (literally hours) at church ministry opportunities or with church friends.
Its been great! It's draining at times and there are frustrating parts as well, but overall it has been enjoyable just to sit and visit with people. I'm spending quality time with these individuals, building a relationship, and having opportunities to discuss life, culture, and things of importance. This is hopefully what life will look like in Ecuador as well.
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| A home in Calacalí, just a few doors down from El Refugio |
Another question Suzy brought up today while walking home from church was, "What do you think our home will be like in Ecuador?" It was fun for a minute to daydream about having our own space again-- a permanent space that we can decorate, settle into, and really call 'home!' Again, my mind went zooming to Ecuador... and I realized it's not all that far away. We don't have a 'home' lined up yet, and we'll be arriving in less than three months!
A lot of you asked us when we were meeting with you where we planned to live. That hasn't changed-- we plan to live in the town of Calacalí, where El Refugio is located. We want to live among the people we're serving and building relationships with. The one discouraging thing is that Calacalí is a small, rural town, so it may be difficult to find a place to rent. Therefore, will you join us in prayer? We know God goes before us and we trust that He will provide the perfect place for us to live-- but we want to be diligent in praying that the details would all come together and that we would indeed find the most ideal house to call home.
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| The staff at El Refugio |
Would you continue to pray with us regarding the following things:
- That our Spanish speaking skills would continue to improve and that we would be able to represent ourselves and Christ well through the words that we speak
- That God would be preparing the hearts of the individuals we'll be starting relationships with in the town of Calacalí
- That God would continue to protect us physically and keep us safe from danger
- For the ministry currently happening at El Refugio in Ecuador as well as through the entire Youth World team that we'll be joining
Blessings to you this week! May you be encouraged in your faith and filled with the peace of Jesus Christ, our Savior!
-jim
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| Mount Cotopaxi, Ecuador |
Blessings on both of you as you work on jamming as much Spanish in as possible! Remember that a lot of what you are learning now will come to mind as you minister! You may not even be able to say it right yet, but when the need comes GOD will bring the right words to mind! Blessings in JESUS!
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