All My Love, Gennavieve

This past week, our student group visited Nicaragua and experienced several miracles from our mighty God. The miracles began before we even boarded the bus to depart at 6:30 in the morning. We were all lined up to check into travel and we discovered our professor's passport expired in five months, and the bus company would not permit her to travel across the boarder to Nicaragua. There we were, all packed and ready for our adventure and our own professor could not come. After a few phone calls, some serious prayer, and five hours of hoping things would work out, God miraculously provided her with a new passport. Miracle two came the next day. After a full day of walking in the humid heat, we were all exhausted. I have never experienced such debilitating heat in my life. The humidity makes the whole body sticky and slow. I am typically one to bounce around with mounds of energy; however, the Nicaraguan climate zapped every ounce of energy out of me. We were a sight for so

Today we spend time in San Jose, the capitol of Costa Rica. We saw a noontime show at the national theater. Each day, the theater has a midday performance and several of the local workers stop for their lunch hour to sit and enjoy the theater's delights. Today, we were serenaded by a Glenn Miller style Jazz band. Moonlight Serenade and Chattanooga Choo Choo had me swaying and tapping my feet. Inside the theater, extravagant design and Italian paintings grace the walls. The designers hired an Italian painter to create the theater's appeal. While the painter worked with quality, he never actually visited Costa Rica. As a result, his images are purely drawn from imagination, and the painting has a few unrealistic elements. For example, the coffee plantation is depicted near the sea. However, coffee plants operate in the mountains. One painting shows a man holding a giant bunch of bananas to his chest. In reality, bananas are hooked onto a pole and carried on the back b

Being in Costa Rica shows me how little Spanish I know. I often feel like a child learning to walk when I attempt to speak. I step out with new conversation and then one word and I am on my bum, starting over. It can be extremely frustrating to speak because I want to connect to others but my words limit me. My family helps in incredible ways. Vivi continually points to things in the house, or on the table, whose names I learned and makes me repeat them to her. My family continually shows me patience, grace, and kindness, including me as much as they can. Yet every day possesses challenges because basic conversation takes a great deal of effort. I understand bits and pieces of what I hear, but I miss the quick sayings, specific details, and most jokes. From my perspective, the bits I do pick up make me laugh because I have yet to connect the dots of conversation. For example, on Sunday my family joined another family for late afternoon coffee conversation. The conversation dri

There I sat, textbook open, pens and pencils scattered, notes written, completing my first lesson of Spanish only to be distracted by the slight sound of something hitting the ceiling. I thought perhaps Vivi dropped something upstairs and it echoed to my ears downstairs. I returned to my work, "uno, dos, tres, cuatro--" cut off again by the same sound only, this time, accompanied by a buzzing. Then, I spotted the source. A giant-wait I take that back, a massive bug pathetically drove itself in between wall and door, attempting to reach the source of light, which so beautifully illuminated my homework. My body stiffened, and I tried to relax. I tried to draw my eyes away from this bug, yet each time my eyes returned to my study I pictured the bug flying straight towards me, attacking my face and invading my hair-I have a wild imagination, I know. Needless to say, my eyes could not stop following this bug I discovered. I sat at the table, heaving a sigh I thought, "

Just a few glimpses of my home in Costa Rica. One view from my window. Two photos of my room and the tree can be seen from another view in the window. When my family showed me the room, Vivi (mi hermana nueva en Costa Rica) excitedly pointed out this tree from the window. The roof lies right beneath my window. When the afternoon and evening rain hits, it creates a melody ideal for studying or perfect for a lullaby. Here are some views of the neighborhood. The houses are gated in and the neighborhood has three small parks and lots of foliage. The surrounding area reveal a diverse collection of buildings. We have an ambulance call center behind the residential, perfect for the children who may injure themselves in one of the small parks. A mini super market is just up the hill, owned by a Chinese man. Apparently many "mini supers" have Chinese owners. So, the locals call these marts, "Chino." They are itty bitty and typically have unbeatable deals for

Six months ago, I asked God to grant me an opportunity to learn Spanish outside of the US. Now, here I am walking in awe at God's faithfulness, as I am living and learning in the beautiful land of Costa Rica. I am blessed to be here for two months, staying with a host family and studying in the university. A week before departure, I fought feelings of anxiety and fear towards this trip. Part of me knew how much I was to learn and the adventure in store, yet the other half of me wanted to run and hide from the unknown. I desperately craved my family, the comfort of home, the feeling of breathing deep another day with the people I love most. I feared leaving comfort. I am grateful for the friends and family members who offer prayers in support because I would not be writing these words without their love. My family provided for me to experience this adventure, and I am ever so grateful. Our God is a God who provides. I am reminded of Matthew's gospel, "Ask and it w