Birth Stories

So have you noticed that most women, in almost all cultures love a good birth store?  We gravite to them over the course of getting to know each other.  I can remember one time I had a conversation with a Costa Rica lady and a South Korean lady about our labor expereinces.  It's just universal.

We just had our 4th baby, and this time around we opted to stay here in Costa Rica for the birth.  Lucía Joy was born April 6th here in San José. And she has quite the birth story!

Because of past c sections we had scheduled the c section for 39 1/2 weeks, and for a while it looked like we might not make it to that date.  Starting about around 34 weeks, I began to have a lot of contractions. Since I've never gone into labor on my own, this was a bit of a surprise.  My doctor had me come in for monitoring and told me stay off my feet.  And just to make sure I knew he was serious, he added "or you can rest in the hospital for the next couple of weeks."  Yeah, no.

Two days before the scheduled c section I had my last pre natal appointment.  There was a quick ultrasound to make sure baby was doing well and fluid levels were good.  We were given a "Everything looks great!  See you Wednesday!"  and we were off to pick up my mom from the airport (insert a huge sigh of relief that we made it to then without having to use plan B or C or D!)

Wednesday morning we headed to the hospital before dawn. I had joked with my OB that all of my Spanish went to the baby, and he was great about it!  He told the surgical team that while my Spanish is perfect (bwhahah, he was being far to kind and lying!) to use English with me.  Our family doctor was there as well, which was a huge help as he is bilingual and works with missionary families all the time.

In the operating room, it took a while for my husband to be brought in, but he was in time for Lucía's birth.  Except her birth wasn't quite right.  Remember, I couldn't see anything and had a spinal so things were a bit fuzzy, but I remember her not crying.  And not crying and not crying.  I asked again and again if she was ok, and the doctors and my husband did a good job at downplaying what was really going on.  When Lucía was born she wasn't breathing and had no tone or movement.  Her heart was beating, but that was about it.

Our OB told us afterwards that it was a miracle she was alive.  He thinks that early that morning the placenta had started to detach, something they call placenta abruption.  This caused bleeding into the uterus, which meant Lucía was not getting the life support she needed from the placenta anymore.  It also meant that as she swallowed amniotic fluid (something babies do) she was swallowing blood as well.  Most of the time, if a woman has a placenta abruption, she has a lot of abdominal pain and she starts to bleed.  I had none of that.  It wasn't until the doctors started the procedure that they knew anything was wrong.

As soon as Lucía was born, the pediatrician used a CPR mask and bag to breath for her.  She didn't breath on her own for around 7 minutes.  Once she started to breath, the pediatrician brought her to my face so I could touch her and then it was off to the NICU.  She was given oxygen, they put a glucose IV into her belly button, and began to monitor her.  I went to the recovery room and my husband went with Lucía.  He spent a lot of time in the NICU with her, singing and praying.

Because they had her under a plexiglass tent for the oxygen, we weren't able to hold her until the next day at around 1pm.  I think that was one of the longest 30 hours of my life.  And because I was recovering from a c section it was around 5pm the night she was born before I really got to see her when the nurses took me in a wheel chair to the NICU.

The doctors and nurses were amazed at how well Lucía did.  When the OB came to check on me the next day he said "It was only God!  Everything was fine on Monday and had the c section been scheduled for the next day or even a few hours later, she probably would have been a stillborn."  He also told me that he was able to hold it together while he saw patients that day, but when he got home that night he just started crying and praying for us.  He said "sometimes this job is really hard." There is something very nice about having doctors that acknowledge that it was God.

It was interesting, in all of the time of bed rest, a friend of mine said she was praying for God's timing for Lucía's birth, not the doctors.  We started to pray that way too, which is sort of a strange prayer for a planned c section, but my goodness, did God answer!!  That morning when I was getting ready to head to the hospital I asked the Lord for something to get me through the day.  He started to talk to me from Isaiah 43

When you pass through the waters,
    I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
    they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
    you will not be burned;
    the flames will not set you ablaze.

Except I stopped listening as soon as He said "when you pass through the waters, I will be with you." It scared me.  I was afraid of what might be coming.  But He did exactly what He said!  He was right there in the midst of something that could have been so very, very bad.  He kept the waters from overcoming us and Lucía.   He had us surrounded by doctors and nurses who kept Lucía breathing and did what it took to get her stable.

All of Lucía's test have come back saying she is just fine.  She is acting just like any other new born, eating and sleeping like a it's no big deal.  Her name means Light and her little life is already a testament to how great our God is!  We're thankful, very, very thankful!

What about you?  Did you have any of your babies in your host country?  How about in a second language?  Come on, share!  We all love a great birth story!

His Words, Not Mine

We are quickly coming up on our 5th anniversary of living in Costa Rica.  I am not really sure how that happened.  I am pretty sure that it was just last year we were in Language School, stumbling through learning how to live in a new place.  But apparently it really was 5 years ago we packed everything into duffel bags in the belly of a plane and moved here.

I think 5 years ago, I had some pretty naive ideas about language learning.  I know I thought that 5 years in I would be more proficient than I am.  I still struggle to communicate at a heart level with nationals.  Ok, let's be honest, sometimes I struggle to communicate on an informational level.  I am pretty sure that this baby I am carrying right now is sucking all the Spanish out of me through the placenta.  That's a thing, right?

In all seriousness, I am still a foreigner, still  trying to pick up the broad strokes of the language at times.  Anybody else there with me?  I can get really discouraged by that fact.  I am not where I want to be language wise.  It's not for trying.  We've done a year of language school, a couple of years of private tutoring and living away from other expats.  It's just hard and probably will always be a challenge for me for a lot of reasons.  I joke with my tutor that my problem is my mom never spoke to me in Spanish.   Seriously though, I don't have the gift like my husband does.  I also don't have as much interaction in Spanish like he does since I'm home with kids.  I have some learning struggles that make language learning that much harder.  I most likely will always speak with an accent.

God reminded me the other day though that it isn't about me. It's about Him.  Huh.  You would think I might have gotten that lesson by now, but apparently not quite yet.

No, this is about Him.  Like Paul said to the Corinthians

When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.  For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling.  My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words (yeah, maybe more like the vocab of a 4 year old!), but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power,  so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.  1 Corinthians 2:1-5

God chose, in His infinite wisdom to have me born to North American, English speaking parents.  That was His plan.  If He had wanted my primary language to be Spanish, He would have done it.  He wants to work through me in my weakness to demonstrate the Spirit's power.

So for as frustrating as that is, it's comforting.  It means that any good that comes of a conversation with someone, it's because of God, which actually is a pretty great place to be!

How about you? Do you feel discouraged by your language proficiency?  How do you keep sharp in your second or third language?  

New Beginnings for When You Feel Like You've Blown It

New Beginnings...

Seems like we tend to talk about that a lot in January, huh?  Anyone else feel like they already have screwed up 2016?

I know I do.  I am entering the third trimester with baby #4, and I feel every week of it.  I can't seem keep track of everything any more.  I am tired all the time, and well, if we're honest, I am a bit low.  I keep washing the same dishes, why aren't they clean yet?

I feel like I've already blown the new beginning of 2016.  You know, those good intentions and all. We're going to be on top of packing nutritious, yummy lunches.
We're going to have a great after school routine.
We're going to do better at keeping up with the laundry.

Except we haven't.  There have been some days when I've come close, but most days, not so much.   And the really sad part is it's only 21 days into the New Year.

And then the Lord reminded me, "Every morning is a new start. Remember?"

So that's where I'm living. Trying to remember that each morning when I wake up, that yesterday's list should just be thrown away and we start fresh.  To take each day as it comes. To remember that my worth isn't in the check list, but in that I am a daughter of the King.

"Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
    for his compassions never fail. 

 They are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness."

-Lamenatons 3:22-23

How about you?  Where are you living right now?

Peace Offering

You may be done with Thanksgiving and moved on to Christmas already, but we're just sitting down to our big meal today.  Each year we invite our friends over to a very traditional Thanksgiving meal on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  We eat turkey and stuffing and even have The Parade on mute for everyone to watch.  That's always fun to explain to everyone.

 It's been fun to see how our Tico friends have embraced this meal and look forward to it now as much we do. Last year they even started to make traditional dishes to bring, like pumpkin pie!

Over the last couple of years, I've done some studying on peace.  One of the things that caught attention was a sacrifice in the Old Testament called the Peace Offering.  Unlike what you might be thinking, it wasn't to pacify God or to buy Him off. 

Nope, in fact it was an offering of thanksgiving.  It was one of the only offerings that was allowed to be sacrificed any time someone felt like it.  One might offer the sacrifice for the completion of a vow, or out of thankfulness for some gift the Lord gave them.  One might also offer it as a thank offering for the Peace that they had with God.  After the animal was sacrificed, the one offering it ate the meat in community with their friends and family.

This Peace Offering is how I've come to view our Thanksgiving meal.  We very consciously offered all the preparing, planing, time and money as a sacrifice of thanksgiving to God. Let's be honest, that turkey isn't cheap here in the tropics! 

It's a peace offering for the community He has give us.  This community wasn't something that came quickly or easily.  Every year as I look around at the friends who come to eat our weird gringo food and watch this weird parade thing with us, I am so thankful! 

It's also a Peace Offering for the Peace that we have with God. "For He Himself is our Peace."

"So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, 

but you are fellow citizens with the saints, 

and are of God’s household" -Ephesians 2:19

Thankful. Very, very thankful.

Posted by Liz K at 3:24 PM

The Education Question

Oh the education question!

It's a tricky one isn't it?  So many options or none at all depending on where in the world you live. For us, living in close proximity to the capital city of our country, we have a lot of choices.  Not all good choices, but choices none the less.  US schedule expat school, US schedule bilingual school, US schedule Costa Rican school, Costa Rican schedule bilingual school, Costa Rican Spanish only school, Costa Rican public school, Homeschool.  Yikes!

I think when were were trying to decide what to do three years ago, we looked at 6 or 8 different options.  And frankly none were "just right". They all had issues.  From cost, to location, to philosophy.  I ended up talking with another missionary mom who is a little further down the education road with her kids than we were and she gave me some good advice. She said "no option here is perfect and what works one year for one kid, might not work the next year or for any of the other kids." Ok then.

In the end we landed at a bilingual school that runs on the US schedule.  We are one of just a handful of North American families there.  Most of the kids are Costa Rican, but there is a big group of kids from Asia too.

 We picked it for a couple of reasons.  We felt like for our family, it was important to be on the same school calendar so that when we are on Home Assignment, our kids can attend the local public schools (which indeed worked out well this last time!).  This particular school also has a Spanish as a Second Language program, which was a big thing for us!  Both our big boys have been in that program and it's given the boost they need to be up to speed with the Spanish.

It is a private school and so there is the cost.  Sigh.  That gets to me.  But I fall back on the fact that God led us to this school and He will provide.  And He has.  Three years in, while it doesn't look like it should work out on paper, it does, every month.

There are still hard moments.  I often remind myself that since God called our whole family here, that includes our boys.  Part of His plan for their lives is to be bi-cultural.  He is preparing them for what's ahead in their lives and that's exciting!!

What's been the hardest part of the Education Question for your family?  What helped you make your decision?

The Gift of Understanding

There are a couple of sweet dear older missionariy ladies that attend our church.  I've been so touched by the in the last little while.  I make a point to talk to them, and they just get me, ya know?  They are both in their mid 80's and are such a testiment to staying the course and giving yourself to a place for the long haul. 

A couple of Christmases ago, one of them handed me a package.  She moved here to Costa Rica in the 50's with her husband and young kids to help translate the Bible.  She was one of the first people to talk to us when we started to attend church.

When I asked her what it was, she simple said, "well, I guess you'll have to wait until you get home to find out."

The card was so sweet.  It said "I hope this small gift helps you in your ministry to your family."  She knows what it's like to have young kids on the mission field.  She knows what it is like to be far from family, from familiar. She understands that my primary ministry here, there, anywhere, is to my husband and kids and everything else is secondary (something I often have to explain to people).

And what was in the package?  A new washcloth, a new spatula (a nice one too, one that is hard to come by here) and the best part?  A set of hand embroidered tea towels with the days of the week on them.  You know, these

When my husband saw them, he said, "it's from one mom to another."  And that is exactly right.  Sure, we had young kids 50 years apart, but some things never change.  You can always use some pretty things to make the daily washing dishes, cooking, wiping dirty faces just a little nicer.   And there is no way she could have known this, but I have always wanted vintage days of the week towels. 

More than the physical objects, it was a gift of understanding, from one generation to the next.  Understanding the life as a young mom in a strange land. Understanding my primary ministry.  Understanding that washing dishes, cooking meals, making a home is important, necessary, vital.  What a gift!

How about you?

Have you been encouraged by the older missionaries on the field?  Is there a newer missionary you could encourage this week?

Cure for the Food Rut

Happy Saturday! 
I have found myself in a food rut lately.  You know, making the same thing over and over and over and OVER again!  I can tell that we're all burnt out on what I've been making.  Every been there?  Maybe you're there right now.  Well, here's a couple of quick reciepes to get you into a new groove!

First up,
 Power Balls
Now, I know that peanut butter is a luxury in most places, but sometimes a splurge is nice, right?  Right.

Behold the wonder of power balls!

They are a yummy sweet, sorta sticky, chocolately, mostly healthy treat.  And yes, you eat them just like this.

Here's the deal,
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup honey
3 cups oats
1/2 cup flax seed meal
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup of any combination of dried soft fruit and nuts

 Mix it all together and make balls out of the mix.  I used my small cookie scoop and it works well. Stick 'em in the fridge or freezer and enjoy!

And sometimes you just need a good go to dough recipe.  This is our pizza crust recipe, but I use it to make stromboi sometimes too.  Super simple, no need to let rise.

Pizza Crust

Ingredients
1 Tablespoon dry active yeast
1 cup warm water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons oil
1 1/2 cup white all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (you can use 2 1/2 cups white if you want)
2 Tablespoons flax seed meal (optional, but that stuff is so good for you!)

Directions
-Dissolve yeast and sugar in water, set aside
-Mix all other ingredients together, add water and yeast
-Stir until combined
-Knead for 5-7 minutes or until smooth

-Roll out, place on sprayed cookie sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes at 350
-Add toppings, bake again.

Sometimes I will brush the top with olive oil and sprinkle Italian herbs. 

Enjoy!

A Post from the Archives

So, we just moved back to our host country after a 6 month time in the states. What are we suppose to call that time now?  I never know.  Anyway, it was a good time of connecting with supporters, churches, family and friends.

And now we are in the throws of transition. Oh the joys.  I think in some ways, we got lulled into a false sense of security, thinking since we were returning to the same house, it would feel more akin to coming home from vacation, just unpack and go.  But we've hit some bumps, from the oldest down to the youngest.   Such is life!

While I would love to give you something witty and charming and new, I am going to repost the first in a series of articles about moving across the world.  I've been asked 4 times in the last week for my advice on moving, and it seems timely.   Feel free to click through the other articles in the series. Hopefully it will help some of you out! 

So without further ado:  Moving Across the World
So, as I thought about what to share with you all today, I couldn't get away from my moving notebook.

I kept grabbing it and jotting down "boys jeans" or checking the "To Buy in the States" page to see that garage sale had anything we needed.  And as I thought more about what to write, I figure, well, we all have to deal with this right?  I mean, we all seem to live in two or more places and moving a family across the world is simply the reality of missionary life.  And frankly, it can be big and scary and hard to even know were to begin!  I remember thinking "I wish I had seen someone do this before!"  So, in hopes of helping someone, you can watch our family move across the world.  And let me just say as we start out, this is what works for our family.  It may or may not work for you.  That's ok.  Take what you think will be helpful and leave the rest.  Really.

And so, here is "Everything I Know About Moving a Family Across the World".  Well, that title is a bit long.  Let's say instead, "Moving Across the World" or MAW for an even shorter title.

I guess the most logical place to start would be from the beginning, hummm?  Before we were deployed (yes, that is the word our mission uses, hehehe), we were living in a 4 bedroom, 2 bath house with a garage.  We decided early on that there were things we wanted to keep.  You know pieces of family furniture, keepsakes from our childhood and from our boys.  Baby equipment for the next kid.  You get the idea.  For us, what made the most sense was to buy an old storage trailer (we found this beauty on craigslist for about $1400, which from everything we were told, was a steal!)  It's 20 feet long and we keep it next to my parents' barn.
 

We didn't know when exactly we were going to be moving because of funding, but we knew we were leaving.  And we knew that all our junk would not fit in the trailer or come with us.  So, about 8 months before we actually left, I started purging, sorting through our house room by room.  I worked with a couple of thoughts in my mind

1.  Do we love this item?
2.  Could we buy something similar in Costa Rica?
3.  Is it worth it's weight?

If we love something, we kept it.  If we love it and it's worth it's weight, we bring it.  If we love it and it can't come, it stays in the trailer.

If it's not something we love, worth it's weight or we could buy something similar in Costa Rica, we get rid of it.  Maybe we give it to someone who could use it, or we sell it on Craigslist, or we give it to Salvation Army.  But we move it on out!

Now the "is it worth it's weight?" question.  Sigh.  This is probably different for every family.  For use there are somethings that just make life a little brighter. You know, when your whole world is different and you can't read the label for the soap, it's nice to be able to reach for a familiar thing.

 For me, it's my own linens.  And since linens in Costa Rica are terrible, it makes sense to bring them.  I also have a thing for glass jars.  I have a few packed for this next move.  Yes, they are heavy, but I know I am not going to find these particular jars there.  For me it's worth it.  It's going to be different for everyone.

So there you have The Beginning of MAW.  Stay tuned for more thoughts and ideas on this crazy process of being a nomad.

What was/is your thought process on what what things should go and what should stay?  Any tips for making the process easier in the beginning?

Want more MAW?  Check these out
Moving Across the World:  Toys 
Moving Across the World:  Buying and Acquiring 
Moving Across the World: Packing 
Moving Across the World: The Big Day(s)
Moving Across the World:  Helpful This and Thats

Book Review: When Africa Was Home

I'm always on the hunt for great kids' books.  I love finding ones with wonderful illustrations, great stories, clever words and ideas.  I love how books can be such a conversation starter for kids too!

We just were introduced to this great one When Africa was Home by the amazing folks at MTI.  Our boys love it!  I ordered our own copy and they asked me to read it four times the first day we had it.

It's one of the only books I have found written from the perspective of a TCK.  It's about a boy from the United States who spends most of his life in Africa.  When his father's job ends, they have to move back to the US, but for this little guy, the US is not home, Africa is home. 

The illustrations are lovely and while my boys think of Costa Rica as home, they could relate to lines like "How could he climb a mango tree with shoes on?"  It has provided a lot of good moments to talk about what they miss about their host country and how they feel about being in the US right now for home assignment. 

When Africa was Home  is now out of print, but you can find it used on Amazon and Half.com. 

What books have you found to be helpful for your kids as they navigate being a TCK?

 

Books for Missionary Families

You know me, I love sharing practical things that make our life overseas just a bit easier or more familiar.  And boy, do I have a fun resource to share with you today!!

So, one of the things that was hardest for us to leave behind when we moved to Costa Rica was our books.  Oh, sure, we were thrilled when someone gave us a Kindle, but you all know, there is something different about holding the physical book in your hands, the smell, the knowing where something is on a page.

Now that we have a young reader on our hands who is devouring everything we give him, it's become more of a challenge to find quality books that we can afford.  Seriously, books are so expensive in Costa Rica, not to mention the selection of English books is very limited.

Well.  I don't really remember where I found out about Gail and her Kid's Books without Boarders, but can I just tell you, this lady is amazing!!!

She grew up in France as a MK and one of her favorite things was getting new English books.  She and her husband now live in Indiana and she has this fantastic ministry of giving (yes, you read that right, GIVING) books to missionary families!  She does ask that you pay the shipping within the US (she uses media mail, so the cost is very low).

We've gotten several orders from her and she is so fun!  She found out we were from Michigan and when she ran across a book about Michigan, she just included it in our order.  She has a really good selection of books, everything from non fiction to picture books, to quality novels.  There is also a great selection of books that would appeal to families living overseas.  We've gotten several with Latin American themes and one about how sometimes language learning can just be hard.  That one in particular was helpful to read as we struggle through language learning with our kids. 

So seriously, hop on over to Kid's Books without Borders and send Gail an email!  And tell her Liz sent ya.

Kids and Transition

Let's talk kids and transition mmmmk?

We're in the States for the next six month doing that thing that used to be called furlough.  I really am not sure what we are suppose to be calling it now, but whatever.  I just know it means some upheaval in the family, learning and relearning how to live in a different culture and for us a very different climate!

The last time we were in the United States was 2 1/2 years ago.  We were here to finish support raising and to have our third little guy.  Our two big boys weren't in school yet and we had a lot of flexibility.

This time around we have two school aged kids and a 2 1/2 year old.  It's been different to watch the big two kids process being here.  Initially, they talked about Michigan as home, and when people would ask us where we live, they would be quick to say Michigan.  But just last week, that changed.  They started to tell people we are from Costa Rica.  There have been definite moments of sadness and tears over our dog not being with us, over the lack of sun here, of missing our church family and friends.

It's killed me as a mom to see my kids hurting, to watch their upheaval.  I say this so often, but if it was just me in pain, well, whatever.  But when it's your kids...

I don't know about you, but I have to be conscious not to rush my kids through the process.  It's easy to just say "oh honey, it'll be just fine.  We'll be back in just a few months." I want to make it better and see them smiling and enjoying life.  But I think what is the better approach is to come alongside them in the sadness, to hug them, to cry with them, and say "yeah, I miss our dog too." To let them know that it's ok to feel the sadness.  I don't want them to become hardened and calloused. 

In the hopes that this will help someone else, here are few things we've stumbled on that have helped in those hard moments.

• We made a photo book of our life in Costa Rica.  We included photos of our house, their rooms, our pets, yard and friends.

• Everyone in the family got a special t shirt from Costa Rica for Christmas this year.  Many days the boys will say they want to wear it.

• We found that talking about home, remembering the fun parts helps

• Speaking Spanish.  One of our boys declared one night at dinner that it was going to be an all Spanish dinner.  No English allowed!

• Listening to music that we sing at our church in Costa Rica

Now it's your turn!  What nuggets of wisdom do you have as you have walked your kids through transition?  What's been the hardest part of transition for your family?

Strangers in a Strange Land

 While I wrote this last November a lot of it holds true for this year which has again been full of ups and downs! We're thankful that it seems at the end of this year that ups outweigh the downs!  So today we will be sharing a meal with our Tico friends again, as a peace offering to the Lord. 

 

November.  It used to mean cold smacking your nose so hard it hurt, fires in the wood stove, sweaters, and the start of The Holidays. 

Now it means the end of rainy season, the start of the winds and a time that can be filled with a whole lot of missing family and the familiar of the Great Lakes. 

We’ve been in our host country and working with our ministry for just over a year now.  And while this won’t be our first holiday season here, this one seems harder somehow.

Maybe it’s because it’s been a hard year.  There have been many ups and downs in our family life, in the ministry we are working with, in the adjustment to living as foreigners in a strange land.  The other day as I looked at our calendar, trying to get a handle on the what the next month holds, I found myself thinking about another group of foreigners in a strange land. 

There was 102 of them, people who left everything for what they knew to obey God.  They set off on a crazy journey, way, way too late in the year (note: don’t leave England by boat in September of any year.  Not a good plan).  They didn’t get to what would become Massachusetts until November and really didn’t find a place to live until December of 1620.  No food, no shelter, diseases, no understanding of culture (note: don’t steal corn from native burial grounds, just saying.) No language to communicate with the Native Americas.  That first winter 45 of them died. Just under half. 

Then spring came. And with it Samoset, and Squanto and Massosite, all Native Americans who knew English, Squanto even had spent extended time in England.  These men helped the Pilgrims learn their new land.  They taught them what to hunt, how to grow crops that were new to them (note: Tomatoes and potatoes are good.)  And they survived.  They learned how to get along and work side by side with the people they encountered.  They grew food, and built houses, had babies and lived and thrived. 

When the harvest came around in the fall of 1621, the remaining Pilgrims had a three day party and invited their new friends, without whom they would all have been dead.  They thanked God for what He had done to get them through that year.  They also thanked the men and women who taught them how to live in the New World.

I was a bit overwhelmed by the similarities in our stories.  We left everything we knew to obey God.  We set off on our crazy journey in the fall too (note: leaving for Costa Rica in the fall is a good idea.  Ticket prices are a lot cheaper.)  We felt that weird moment somewhere over the ocean, when we realized we didn’t have a house, a car, a phone, or anything more than the suitcases in the belly of the airplane.  We’ve gotten sick this year, a lot.  We had little understanding of the culture (note: asking impatiently for a calendar with important dates for the next year doesn’t go over well.) We have stumbled over the language more times than we can count (note: año and ano are very, very different).  We haven’t died, but some days it feels like parts of us have. 

And then spring came.  And with it a group of people who are nationals, some who speak English and some have even spent extend time in the United States, but more importantly, they know Jesus.  They have shown us so much grace, teaching where to shop (note: try the crazy alien fruits at the market), what to say, how to say it, how to pass the annual car inspection.  And we have survived.  We are still learning how to get along and work side by side with our new friends.  But we are growing, and building friendships and living, and learning to thrive.

So yesterday we shared a very traditional Thanksgiving meal with our new friends.  To thank God for what He had done to get us through this last year and to thank the men and women who have let us into their lives and shown us how to navigate this new land.

Overseas Friendly Desserts

So, it seems like I am making goodies about 4 times a week now to bring places!  And in an attempt to keep things fresh and overseas friendly, I have found two new recipes with which I am in LOVE.  Since I love you all and know that we all could use some inspiration in the kitchen every once and a while, I am passing the goodness on!

First up, it's nearing the apex of cirtus season here in Costa Rica.  There are all shapes and varieties and colors of cirtus.  I am a sucker for anything tart, and this fits the bill!!  I stole this from a friend here who told me it was super easy and I really couldn't mess it up.  She was right!

I give you Límon Curd (or Lemon Curd, or Lime Curd)

Límon Curd
Makes enough curd to fill a large pie plate

8 límons (or lemons or limes), zest and juice
2 cup sugar
8 eggs
pinch salt
10 tablespoons butter

In a small saucepan whisk together lime juice and zest,sugar, eggs, and salt. Turn on the the burner to medium heat and whisk constantly until the mixture comes to a boil. Boil one minute, still stirring and remove from heat. Stir in butter and cool. Pour over graham cracker crust or eat it straight up!  Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to a week.

It's that easy!  I made it twice in one week it was so good!!

Next up, who doesn't love a receipe for the crock pot!?  I know there are times with sketchy power where they aren't the most helpful, but I really have enjoyed becoming good buddies with my crock pot.

This recipe is oh so simple too.  Here goes...

Crockpot Hot Lava Cake
1 c. sugar
1 c. flour
4 T  unsweetened cocoa
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. saltMix these all together.

3/4 c. milk
2 T. butter
1/2 t. vanilla
Mix these all together.  Then mix in with the dry ingredients.  Dump the whole thing in a greased crockpot.

Add a layer of cholcate chips.  About a cup will be enough.

Mix another 3T of cocoa powder with 1 3/4 cup hot water. Pour over top the cake batter and chocolate chips.  Set the crock pot on high for 2 hours. Make sure to watch so the sides don't burn.  After about 2 hours, turn it down to low for another 2 hours.  Enjoy with ice cream or whipped cream, or straight up!


Ok, your turn!  What is your favorite go to overseas friendly dessert recipe?

Mama, We Need You!

Hey you.  Yeah, you there, with the spit up on your shirt, and a baby screaming, while the pot on the stove is boiling over and the 4 year old is throwing a tantrum.  Can I tell you something?  You are needed in your community.  No really, you are.  You are needed in a way your husband can't fill.  Because while he loves you and is a wonderful husband and father, you are a mama.  And there are other mamas that need you!!

Yesterday I spend a few hours with my friend and her 3 year old.  We went to the park, shared some cookies and talked. We talked about raising kids, about life as mamas.  We laughed over the fact that our toddlers call for us at least 400 times a day and we want to change our names to something that sounds NOTHING like mama, mom, mamá, or mamí.

We talked about how the men we love drive us nuts at times  and I was able to share how that can drive us to the Lord, asking for the right words, the right actions to love those men.

As we got in the car to drive home, my friend looked at me and said, "I needed this.  I don't have any other friends who have kids.  None of them understand my life."  Wow!

I really don't know where my friend stands with Jesus right now.  That's ok.  She talking, opening up, something that doesn't happen easily or quickly in this culture. But she is desperate.  And if I am being honest, I was a bit desperate too for mom friends!  Mamas need other mamas. It's a universal thing.  We need to gird each other up in this journey of raising little people to be big people. 

I've shared here before how this first term for us has been incredibly hard.  I have felt it all!  The loneliness, the isolation, the not being able to effectively communicate in a second language, the missing my home culture, the not fitting in, the feeling of constantly banging your head against the wall as you try to work with a ministry that doesn't want what they asked you to do.  All of it!  I could write a book, I probably will one day. 

But one of the big things I was reminded of it that even in the loneliness, even in the insecurity about language, take the first step.  Talk to that other mama at the park, or at church, or in your neighborhood.  Chances are pretty good that she needs a friend too.  She might not speak your first langauge, but you can fumble you way through your second and laugh together at the mistakes.  She will understand your care and your friendship.  And you her's.  In the midst of the mess, and weariness of raising small people, you can be there for each other.

So mama, you are needed. God sent you to the time and place you're in to shine His Grace.  Go forth and Shine!!!

New Word

A few weeks ago we found a smokin' deal on a used trampoline here in Costa Rica.  And by smokin' I mean 1/4 the price of a new one here.  We went in on it with our neighbors (they have a little boy too) and my boys can't scarf thier breakfasts fast enough in the morning to get out and jump.

The other day I overheard one of them saying something about a brincaline.  I burst out lauging.  Here in Costa Rica, the word we use for jump is brincar.  So, Brincar + Trampoline = Brincaline. 

I love bilingual kids!

What is the best bilingual story you have?

Mangos and More Mangos

It's mango season again folks!  Well, we're at the tail end of it here in Costa Rica, but maybe you still have time to enjoy some of the mango goodness!   Remember this mango pie recipe?  Last year I tried making mango sauce (like apple sauce) and mango juice and neither went over well enough to justify all the work involved.  

 

And let's just take a moment here to discuss the spelling of the this word.  I have looked and looked for the correct spelling of mangos, err mangoes?  Apparently if you are using US English, it's mangos, and if you are using British English it's mangoes.  Now that we have our "History of the English Language" lesson out of the way, let's get on to the food!

This year, my mom was here because I decided surgery would be a fun thing, and she suggested mango butter, as in like apple butter.

We did a trial run in the crockpot and it went over so well, I bought 18 kilos of mangos on the way back from the beach and made some more, because the Northerner in me just won't believe that there is always fresh fruit here.  Must.Can.All.The.Fruit.

So here's the drill.
Enough ripe mangos, peeled and sliced to fill your crockpot
Cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla to taste

Peel and cut mangos.  Run through the blender so you get rid of the stringiness.  Pour puree into crockpot with lid on.  Set to high until the puree starts to bubble.  Add in spices and leave the lid off.  Continue to stir.  Reduce for about 8-10 hours or until the desired consistency.  Ladle into hot jars and process in a water bath for 15 minutes.  Try to keep your family out of it.

Adding to My List of Accomplishment: Emergency Surgery

Well.  I was suppose to share with you guys a few weeks ago and then I decided that emergency surgery in my second language would be a fun thing to add to my list of accomplishments.  Sorry to cut out on you like that!

It was weird, one day I felt fine, was going about my business of cleaning up from the Easter Holiday and then next I was curled up on the floor in pain.  My husband finally said, "We are going to the doctor.  Get in the car!"  Even on the way there I started to feel a little better and kept saying, "it's probably nothing.  We should just go home."  Am I the only one who does that?

We are blessed with a completely bilingual doctor who has a heart for missionaries and does a fantastic job of walking us through the medical care here.  While he was trying to figure out what was going on, he finally looked at me and said, "did you tell anyone here you were in this much pain?"  "No."  "Ok, we are heading to ER."
 

The clever thing about the doctor's offices here in Costa Rica is that they are in the hospital.  So, when the doctor said "We are heading to ER" that meant going down an elevator and around the corner.  Which was good, because I was in a lot of pain. You know the scale deal, 1 to 10?  Probably around a 8.  Sorta like labor, but no break in between contractions.

They had the typical hard time of finding a vein for an IV, but in just about a half hour, they wheeled me down the hall to radiology and I had an ultrasound to figure out exactly what was going on.  The same ultrasound doctor we had with our last baby came in and gave us much less exciting news.  Instead of discovering we were going to have a baby boy, we found out I had a giant cyst, well, two giant cysts (that actually turned out to be one big huge one that had twisted twice...but I am getting ahead of myself.)  After I learned the new vocabulary word "quiste," we also learned that I was going to be having surgery that night.  As in just a few hours.

When we thought I was just going to hang out in the ER for a few hours, we had called friends that lived close to the hospital to come take our two littlest for the day (we live about 10 miles from the hospital, but it takes 45 minutes to get there).  So, at the point we learned I as going to have surgery, they were already with there.  Those same friends picked our oldest up from school, and took care of all the boys for the next three days.  Can you say AMAZING friends?  Yeah, all at the drop of a hat.

The hospital we were at is one of the best in Central America, Clinica Biblica.  People actually come here for medical tourism and a lot of the staff has some English.  And yes, the nurses still wear the cute little nursing hats here.  The surgery was successful and they got that nasty thing out.  Also, my Spanish is much better under the influence of pain killers!  I got to spend two days in the hospital. 

Meanwhile, we had tons of support!  People jumped right in to take care of the boys, to bring meals, to get groceries, to take care of our dog, to help our families in the States know what was going on (yeah, that is a whole story in and of itself! Stupid internet!) My mom was able to come down for about a week and a half to help!  Amazing!

The pathology report came back and everything is fine, for which we are thankful! What a wild few weeks! 

But all this brings up some questions, some we had thought about ahead of time and some we hadn't.  It might be good for you to think through some of these in case you are in the same situation!

• Where would you go to take care of minor medical issues?
• Where would you go for major medical issues?
• What language is the medical care in?  How comfortable do you feel in that language?  Is there anyone who could help you navigate in an emergency?
• What would happen with your kids/pets? 
• How would you communicate with family/supporters in your passport country?
• How does your medical insurance work in your country of service? 
• Does your mission provide any support/services for emergencies?

Alright, your turn.  What is your best story of medical care overseas?

Traveling with Littles: My Best Tips

We are actually winging our way to the States today!  It's been a year and a half since we've stepped foot on US soil (well, we did go to the embassy at some point this last year...does that count?  Or is that just a urban legend?)  We are going for a two week time with family and we are thrilled!

Anyway, as I was packing, I felt myself fall into a normal groove.  You know what I mean.  This packing thing is so natural now.  And I have needed something natural and normal this last couple of weeks.  We've been in the mists of a hurricane with ministry stuff, and while everything is completely out of control and nothing is nailed down and the winds are hollowing around me, at least I can put things in suitcases and organize backpacks.

That got me thinking about my List of Things that Work when Traveling with Kids.

Ok, so in no particular order, here's what works for our family when traveling by plane.

• Stroller.  Yes, my boys are getting big, but we're still taking our double stroller.  This maybe one of the last trips for the double.  But it works well when little legs get tired.

• Empty water bottles/sippy cup.  Since you can't bring a water bottles full through security any more, we bring empty ones and then fill them up.  We've even had it where the flight attendants fill them up with juice on the plane.  And I mean FILL them.  All the way.

• Backpacks.  I know this may not work for everyone, but for us it does.  I keep them light because there are times when the little people get tired.  This time, here's what's in each kids' backpack.  And each boy has patches from every country they have traveled to.  We love the LL Bean ones (I buy them used on Ebay.) They are sturdy and have taken a beating and still are great!

1.  Colored pencil roll                                     

2. New Lego minfig. My boys are obsessed!

3.  Large popsicle sticks.  You can make just 

about anything with these                      

4. Large dot stickers. To make faces, to stick 

on Dad, to use as tape                             

5.  Pipe cleaners.  Theses things are amazing!

         They are lightweight take up almost no room 

      and provide endless hours of entertainment

6.  Headphones and mp3 player loaded           

with audio books                                

7.  Large drawing pad.  I love how these are   

 such a common thing here in Costa Rica

8.  2 books with multiple stories                     

•  A lightweight piece of fabric or blanket to sit on in the airport picnic style.    This is nice for baby to lay on and get some wiggles out, and for bigger people to sit on too.  We actually look for spots that have lots of floor space to help us stretch out.  You can also put your stroller at an angle and sorta create a space for your family. 

•  Limit the blankets/stuffed animals/lovies.  My boys want to have a blanket, stuffed animal and....and...and...nope.  Sorry.  One thing man.

• Snacks.  Need I say more?  I try to pick snacks that won't spoil and that are bit different from our normal routine.

•  Audio stuff.   Remember item #6 in the backpack?  Books on Tape...errrrrrr mp3?  I think they are called Audio books now.  Anyway.  You can sometimes get these from your "local" library's website.  Yeah, go grab your library card out of that drawer from last time you were stateside!  Or email your sister and beg for her card number, because yes, you can access a lot of libraries digital stuff from overseas! Sweet!  Also, include a pair of kid friendly headphones.  Our boys have these. (Thank you Grandma and Grandpa!)  They are great because they actually stay on and don't hurt their ears and they are pretty rugged.  I just made these drawstring bags for them for their backpacks so they can keep the headphones and the player together.

• Don't use up everything all at once.  Ration, people.  Don't let them break out everything the second they get to the airport.  Take your time.

Ok, so your turn.  What is your best tip for traveling with kids?  Share the love sistas!