Our Costa Rican Family

I can´t not write about our incredible Costa Rican host Maritza. She´s a grandma.... mother... sister... and great cook, of rice and beans. Our amazing time in Costa Rica was very much thanks to her. She had a little upstairs bedroom for us to share. Each day she cooked us Gallo Pinto for breakfast and had dinner ready for us when we´d gotten home from work. We got to have a key and so it felt like we lived there too. During our month in San Jose we got to know most of her family. It was such a privilege.

Judith, one of her daughters, lives down the road from Maritza. Her and her husband hosted the youth bible studies in their home. Each week we´d go over there and join the group. Even though there was the language barrier we felt like brothers and sisters in Christ. It´s so cool how we can have family thousands of miles away... all around the globe. One of the highlights for me was a night where the theme was on surrendering to Jesus. I´d been reading in Philippians and Ephesians. Basically, I really got the sense of how we can only do things in through the power of God. He prepares the way. He gives us the wisdom and strength. It´s nothing of us, only Him. It´s so encouraging that God can use even the weakest person to work through. I´d been thinking about how privileged we are to have God work through us. How unworthy we are. So I was thinking about that and then at the bible study one of the guys started playing a song on his guitar. I only understood a little but it was exactly on those lines. Basically we have to lay ourselves on the altar... and let God do the working. It was like God was talking just to me. Telling me that he wanted me to lay all my ambitions, hopes, and plans on the alter. I feel so blessed to have gotten to know Judith and her family. She has two little boys and because it´s so hard to make ends meet she sells bread in the neighbourhood. We got to help her a few nights with the bread packing.

Sofia is Maritza´s other daughter. She is the hardest worker I know. Charissa and I both agreed we can never complain about being overworked ever again. She works two jobs (Cook and Bar tender).... 17 hour shifts every day, except Sunday. She runs on like no sleep at all. One of her Sundays off she wanted to take us to the beach. That meant waking up at 6:00, even though she hadn´t got home from work till 3:00am the last night. The drive to the beach was quite the ride. She drank 2 Red Bull´s after a coffee.... I don´t blame her. Charissa and I couldn´t believe how cheerful she was on so little sleep. There were a few scary moments... running red lights and nearly going off the road... but we forgave her of course. :) Once she drove through the biggest puddle ever... I was alseep at the time... but when the spray came through the window I was wide awake. We got soaked.

Saying good bye to the family was so sad. Hispanic people are very emotional.... and it´s rubbed off on us too. (It´s funny how every channel on the TV involves crying... getting angry... more crying... hugging.... more crying... Spanish soap operas.) Maritza cooked us a good bye breakfast... all the family was there.... and everyone was crying. Maritza told us she didn´t know what she´d do with herself when we were gone. Awww... We didn´t want to leave. But I´m sure we´ll see them again. They said they definitely want to come visit us. It´ll take them ages to save up, but Charissa and I plan on starting a piggy bank to help them come.