Brian and I have decided to do a little bit of fundraising using our respective support networks.
A fundraising project we have been given by the missionaries here is to build a concrete wall around the border of the children's homes. Right now there is a flimsy wooden wall that needs to be repaired every year or so because of the excessive rain they get here, rot, and erosion around the posts. This edge of the project is also the border they share with an extremely impoverished community. Literally two feet beyond the nice grassy area that the rescued children play in are the shacks made out of scrap metal that entire families live in, the only separation being a rotting wooden wall. And we know that it isn't usually only poverty all by itself that affects a community. It is usually accompanied by neglect or abuse of children, drug or alcohol use, prostitution, and violent fights over food or possessions using weapons. Many of the children come from that community to attend the project's daycare every day because their parents can't (or just don't) feed, clothe, or even really spend time raising them as they grow up. Every few months the missionaries go into "the farm" as it's called, and check for any new babies or new families with children who need help. Even though it is a community that the project ministers to, it would obviously be beneficial to have a stronger permanent barrier between the type of poverty and danger from which the abandoned children are rescued and the safe and loving environment they now call home. We've divided up the fundraising costs between four people, and I'm responsible for raising $1,200.
The other fundraising project we have is just to cover the costs associated with our math tutoring. We bought 6 review books to help us review the math for the various grade levels and ensure that we're teaching things in the same manner that the schools do. We'll also have substantial costs associated with printing and copying worksheets, review sheets, etc. for the students.
If you have the means to contribute to either our teaching supplies or to the wall I encourage you to pray about it and then act accordingly. I also encourage you to talk with friends or your church about making a contribution now that you know about the need here. The missionaries really want to install the wall at the end of October because there is a big team coming from the U.S. to volunteer in construction and installation will be very labor-intensive. I will keep you updated on the status of funds!
I am really enjoying math tutoring! Last night I was helping two students and I was actually surprised when they said they were tired of sitting – then I checked my watch and realized we’d been going for two hours! I never get bored of it. It is frustrating when they don’t understand but it’s also an interesting challenge to think of a new way to explain it so they will understand. I got annoyed when my students told me that their math teacher at school won’t even repeat herself if they ask her. She won’t even re-explain something! She doesn’t skip a beat when the class is lost and confused.
I think it’s even more exciting than watching a good movie or sporting event, watching the student hesitate over a problem. I can see the wheels turning in their heads, and when they get it right, I want to jump up and give them a high-five. Actually I did that today. I think the students enjoy themselves when I’m so excited to help them. I try to always give them really positive feedback like, “perfecto perfecto!” or “super-inteligente!”. Today I helped a girl who is seriously very bright, and all she needed was a few things clarified and she was off to the races solving trig problems faster than I could. YAY!
Tonight my friend Johanna comes to visit from Honduras! She's a fellow Wisconsinite and Hopkins grad working in a clinic and a jewelry-making business with women with HIV. Commercial: there is a link to her blog on the right! She has to leave the country for a few days and then re-enter through customs every 90 days to renew her visa, just like I have to here. I’m excited to hear more about her experiences and to share with her what we’re doing here.
Hasta pronto!
<3 Julie
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
"Dios es Bueno"
God is good.
My mama tica is very close with her nephew Luis, his wife Cristi, and their 2 year old daughter Valentina. They come over at least once a week for a meal or coffee and my tico parents love to spoil Valentina. The first time they came over was about a week and a half ago, on Thursday of my first week here. We talked about all kinds of things - the U.S., chicken in the oven, engineering, etc. Then my mama tica said in Spanish, "Julie, they don't go to church. What do you think of that?" Um... a little awkward to ask that in front of them. Then she's like "Exhort them, go on!" So we ended up explaining about the church and inviting them. They'd been intimidated in the past by a church with people yelling and falling over all the time. We told them this church isn't as "intense" and that there's no obligation to participate at all. You can just sit there and listen. They agreed to go.
They came to church the following Sunday! Mama tica was a genius and practically stole Valentina and took her to the crying area so Luis and Cristi wouldn't be distracted by anything. The message was exactly what they needed to hear. The topic was silences from God, such as when we pray for something but it doesn't come. After the pastor explained silences from God and God's nature, he explained our nature (sinners), and God's response to that (saving us). He really layed out the Gospel step by step. Even though I'm not usually one for dramas in church, there was a drama illustrating how Jesus took on our sin, died for us, and then rose in victory. It was very powerful. After church we asked Luis and Cristi what they thought of it and they said they loved it! They said the music was beautiful, the message was beautiful, they learned a lot, and they want to keep coming back! yaaaaay.
There was a concert at church this past Sunday afternoon with all kinds of homemade food for sale as a fundraiser for the project. One of the performers was Victor Zuniga and my new favorite song is his song "Dios es Bueno". It's such an 80s dance song! My mama tica bought his CD, so we've been jamming to it while making dinner or cleaning.
At the concert, Mr. Zuniga gave a short message and then had an 'alter call'. Luis was the only one to go up, but he went all the way to the front carrying Valentina and weeping. I hope this is an outward symbol that the Holy Spirit has put true saving faith in his heart. Today mama tica told me she's going to give him a Bible so he can continue to learn about God and water his inner mustard seed. Praise God!
On a completely different note, there are some more Costa Rican-isms that I want to share with you. They store their frying pans in the oven - of course - because they never use it to cook! They believe that rain causes illness. They also believe that if you walk in the house with bare feet you'll get sick. These superstitions are especially irritating to Brian, the Johns Hopkins premed and future doctor. He's like "Of course, bare feet cause illness, because OF COURSE all pathogens enter the body through the skin of the foot!"
Mama tica and I have been powerwalking in the mornings (when I'm not sick). Today was my first day back to walking. We go for a whole hour all around the neighborhood. Costa Rica has a lot more hills than Wisconsin!
We had our first day of math tutoring yesterday and it went pretty well. We're facing up to a pretty awful math education system. My two students are in 8th grade but they couldn't resolve something like 8 - 9 + 5 = ?. They didn't know that 2/2 = 1 and couldn't add simple numbers without their calculator. I made them use their fingers if they had to but they weren't going to rely on that calculator. The "system" must not teach the fundamentals of numbers, the number line, or positive and negative numbers well here. Unfortunately, my students have an algebra exam this week on polynomials. It's frustrating trying to balance preparing them for their exam with filling in the fundamental basics that they lack. Oh, and we also have 13 students total so we can't spend more than a few hours a week with each of them.
I'm excited that we're developing a more fixed schedule and I hope to get back to working construction at the project during the day to complement our afternoons and evenings of tutoring. We're also going to have an English conversation group on Friday nights to help adults learn English and also work in some evangelism while we're at it.
That's all I have for now. Pray for my math students - both that they understand my awkward Spanish explanations and the math concepts that I am trying to teach them!
My mama tica is very close with her nephew Luis, his wife Cristi, and their 2 year old daughter Valentina. They come over at least once a week for a meal or coffee and my tico parents love to spoil Valentina. The first time they came over was about a week and a half ago, on Thursday of my first week here. We talked about all kinds of things - the U.S., chicken in the oven, engineering, etc. Then my mama tica said in Spanish, "Julie, they don't go to church. What do you think of that?" Um... a little awkward to ask that in front of them. Then she's like "Exhort them, go on!" So we ended up explaining about the church and inviting them. They'd been intimidated in the past by a church with people yelling and falling over all the time. We told them this church isn't as "intense" and that there's no obligation to participate at all. You can just sit there and listen. They agreed to go.
They came to church the following Sunday! Mama tica was a genius and practically stole Valentina and took her to the crying area so Luis and Cristi wouldn't be distracted by anything. The message was exactly what they needed to hear. The topic was silences from God, such as when we pray for something but it doesn't come. After the pastor explained silences from God and God's nature, he explained our nature (sinners), and God's response to that (saving us). He really layed out the Gospel step by step. Even though I'm not usually one for dramas in church, there was a drama illustrating how Jesus took on our sin, died for us, and then rose in victory. It was very powerful. After church we asked Luis and Cristi what they thought of it and they said they loved it! They said the music was beautiful, the message was beautiful, they learned a lot, and they want to keep coming back! yaaaaay.
There was a concert at church this past Sunday afternoon with all kinds of homemade food for sale as a fundraiser for the project. One of the performers was Victor Zuniga and my new favorite song is his song "Dios es Bueno". It's such an 80s dance song! My mama tica bought his CD, so we've been jamming to it while making dinner or cleaning.
At the concert, Mr. Zuniga gave a short message and then had an 'alter call'. Luis was the only one to go up, but he went all the way to the front carrying Valentina and weeping. I hope this is an outward symbol that the Holy Spirit has put true saving faith in his heart. Today mama tica told me she's going to give him a Bible so he can continue to learn about God and water his inner mustard seed. Praise God!
On a completely different note, there are some more Costa Rican-isms that I want to share with you. They store their frying pans in the oven - of course - because they never use it to cook! They believe that rain causes illness. They also believe that if you walk in the house with bare feet you'll get sick. These superstitions are especially irritating to Brian, the Johns Hopkins premed and future doctor. He's like "Of course, bare feet cause illness, because OF COURSE all pathogens enter the body through the skin of the foot!"
Mama tica and I have been powerwalking in the mornings (when I'm not sick). Today was my first day back to walking. We go for a whole hour all around the neighborhood. Costa Rica has a lot more hills than Wisconsin!
We had our first day of math tutoring yesterday and it went pretty well. We're facing up to a pretty awful math education system. My two students are in 8th grade but they couldn't resolve something like 8 - 9 + 5 = ?. They didn't know that 2/2 = 1 and couldn't add simple numbers without their calculator. I made them use their fingers if they had to but they weren't going to rely on that calculator. The "system" must not teach the fundamentals of numbers, the number line, or positive and negative numbers well here. Unfortunately, my students have an algebra exam this week on polynomials. It's frustrating trying to balance preparing them for their exam with filling in the fundamental basics that they lack. Oh, and we also have 13 students total so we can't spend more than a few hours a week with each of them.
I'm excited that we're developing a more fixed schedule and I hope to get back to working construction at the project during the day to complement our afternoons and evenings of tutoring. We're also going to have an English conversation group on Friday nights to help adults learn English and also work in some evangelism while we're at it.
That's all I have for now. Pray for my math students - both that they understand my awkward Spanish explanations and the math concepts that I am trying to teach them!
Sunday, October 5, 2008
A Few More Anecdotes
Hi Everyone! Thanks for reading.
First of all, I've been sick the past few days with the flu. Sinuses, headache, sore throat, aches, fever, and pure exhaustion. It's honestly very scary to be sick in another country. I learned all kinds of new words this week:
calentura = fever (mine was 101.1)
gripe = flu
glandulas = glands, like on your neck (mine are HUGE right now)
pastillas = pills
Speaking of pastillas, here you can get some serious drugs at the pharmacy without seeing a doctor. My mama tica went and described my symptoms and brought back some mystery medicine. I was instructed to take one yellow and one blue pill simultaneously every 12 hours. Well regardless, after taking the pills and having mama tica pray over me, my fever had a least subsided a few hours later. I slept all of Friday and have slept a lot since.
One very positive thing that came from being sick was that I discovered the TV in my room has cable, and I get American channels! I didn't even have a TV at college, so I have no idea what to do with my very own cable tv. I found that I get the food network, HGTV, ESPN, ESPN2, FOX, CNN in English and Español, and lots of other interesting channels. Unfortunately the discovery channel is dubbed over in Spanish.
Another interesting anecdote is that since Costa Ricans don't use the oven to cook things other than cake, they're fascinated by oven cooking. Lots of people have been asking me what kinds of things I know how to cook in the oven. My mama tica now tells everyone who visits our house that I'm going to cook "pollo en el orno": Chicken in the oven. I think every day she reminds me that I promised to make chicken in the oven.
Tomorrow is our first day of tutoring math. I'm pretty nervous about communicating geometry and other things in Spanish so the kids can understand.
My friend Johanna, who also went to Hopkins, is working in Honduras right now in an HIV clinic and is visiting here in Wednesday! I can't wait!
I also found out about an opportunity to go to Nicaragua in November. It would be a mission trip with the Costa Rican church to do evangelism and also some vacationing. They said there's an island with a lagoon, two volcanoes, and people who haven't heard about Jesus! It would also be over my birthday, so that might be really exciting. Oh, and also the 13 day trip would cost like $100.
OK I have to go for now but I promise to post about a lot of the God stuff that has been happening lately.
First of all, I've been sick the past few days with the flu. Sinuses, headache, sore throat, aches, fever, and pure exhaustion. It's honestly very scary to be sick in another country. I learned all kinds of new words this week:
calentura = fever (mine was 101.1)
gripe = flu
glandulas = glands, like on your neck (mine are HUGE right now)
pastillas = pills
Speaking of pastillas, here you can get some serious drugs at the pharmacy without seeing a doctor. My mama tica went and described my symptoms and brought back some mystery medicine. I was instructed to take one yellow and one blue pill simultaneously every 12 hours. Well regardless, after taking the pills and having mama tica pray over me, my fever had a least subsided a few hours later. I slept all of Friday and have slept a lot since.
One very positive thing that came from being sick was that I discovered the TV in my room has cable, and I get American channels! I didn't even have a TV at college, so I have no idea what to do with my very own cable tv. I found that I get the food network, HGTV, ESPN, ESPN2, FOX, CNN in English and Español, and lots of other interesting channels. Unfortunately the discovery channel is dubbed over in Spanish.
Another interesting anecdote is that since Costa Ricans don't use the oven to cook things other than cake, they're fascinated by oven cooking. Lots of people have been asking me what kinds of things I know how to cook in the oven. My mama tica now tells everyone who visits our house that I'm going to cook "pollo en el orno": Chicken in the oven. I think every day she reminds me that I promised to make chicken in the oven.
Tomorrow is our first day of tutoring math. I'm pretty nervous about communicating geometry and other things in Spanish so the kids can understand.
My friend Johanna, who also went to Hopkins, is working in Honduras right now in an HIV clinic and is visiting here in Wednesday! I can't wait!
I also found out about an opportunity to go to Nicaragua in November. It would be a mission trip with the Costa Rican church to do evangelism and also some vacationing. They said there's an island with a lagoon, two volcanoes, and people who haven't heard about Jesus! It would also be over my birthday, so that might be really exciting. Oh, and also the 13 day trip would cost like $100.
OK I have to go for now but I promise to post about a lot of the God stuff that has been happening lately.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Big First Week
I promised that I would write a long entry about what I’ve been doing so far, and here it is!
I’m staying with a “tico” (Costa Rican) family. My mama tica’s name is Janira and my papa tico’s name is Fernando. Their English is about as good as the average American’s Spanish: “hello”, “goodbye”, and “no problem”. So from the time I wake up in the morning to the time I go to bed, I’m communicating in Spanish. My tico parents had three children who all died of a degenerative disease of the throat/neck. They have been through some very hard times, but when they pray at mealtimes they have nothing but thanks for God for all He has given them. This is a common theme here: the people have suffered more hardships than anyone I’ve met before, but they’re also more grateful to God and more generous than anyone I’ve met. I think when people live in poverty their desperation for everything in life gives rise to a stronger faith in God and a more accurate understanding of what is really important in life.
The project I work at has three foster homes for abandoned children, a daycare/school for poor children in the community, a church, and an adult education center. They are in the process of building a large multipurpose building which will house professional offices (to provide medical/legal/other services to the community) and an indoor soccer field (the best way to attract anyone here). My job as an intern is to help with teams from the U.S. who come down to volunteer in construction and in the daycare. Right now there is a team here from Tennessee. They arrived Saturday and left early this morning. I worked in construction alongside them, giving them tips and translating directions from the tico workers. Yesterday I had to translate several prayers and parting messages between the ticos and the team. These kinds of translations always make me nervous because there is a lot of meaning behind what the people want to say to each other and I don’t want to mess it up! I’m much more relaxed translating “Katie needs a hammer” or “It’s time for lunch”.
Speaking of lunch, while the teams are here, my mama tica comes to the project every day to make a big lunch for the ticos and the team, about 40 people in total. She is a phenomenal cook! I’m hoping to learn from her while I’m here. Everyone who found out that I get to stay at her house was so jealous. Last night for dinner we ate pan fried fish, yucca root (?), black beans, rice, and a variation on pico de gallo. I haven’t had any frozen food since I’ve been here, and she goes shopping every morning for what she needs for that day. There is freshly chopped cilantro, onion, and garlic in almost everything. I’ve learned to eat what is put in front of me because it’s always good. I heard they eat chicken hearts where one of the other interns stays, but I haven’t encountered anything like that yet.
This seems like a good place to list interesting things about living in Costa Rica. They eat rice and beans with almost every meal. Their dish soap is a crumbly solid and they scrape the sponge across it to use it. They don’t refrigerate eggs, milk, or cheese but nothing spoils. They think it’s freezing here right now because it’s “winter” but it’s really like 75 during the day and 40 something at night. My mama tica is always telling me to put on a sweater. Sounds familiar… (mom). It has rained every day so far. Mornings are cloudless but by 3pm it’s pouring. They very seldom use the oven – everything is cooked on the stove top. Right now even though I’m almost the same longitude as the East coast, we’re on Mountain Time in the U.S. The sun comes up SUPER early and I end up waking up at 5:30 or so because it’s already so bright in my west-facing window. They love American music. I woke up today with one of our neighbors blasting “You Give Love a Bad Name” by Bon Jovi while he washed his car. It must have been a mix CD because the next song was “I’m a Barbie Girl”. I never said they only liked good American music…
The people here worry a lot less than people do in the U.S. They love to laugh and joke and embarrass each other in funny ways. You can almost never get a straight story out of anyone here. Especially the high school and college age boys are much more “squirrely” than Americans. They’re ALL class clowns, they ALL do physical comedy and tackle each other, mimic each other, and pretend that they’re in the video game “Mortal Kombat”. I just know my mom wouldn’t be able to watch them horse around because you really think someone’s going to get hurt. This general attitude is with the adults too. My mama tica actually gets offended when I put on my seatbelt in the car. She’s also so excited that I brought my driver’s license because it means I can legally drive here. I’m not sure if she’s joking when she tells me I’m going to have to drive her around. Sarcasm doesn’t always translate.
I really had a wonderful time with the team from Tennessee. They were from a church called Love and Truth. They were mostly adults: some were carpenters and one was an electrician who helped with the new building. I got to know the women the most. One of them is Kate’s mom. (Kate has been an intern here since January, the last time I was here). Another one also has a daughter who interned at the Project several years ago. They were all so nice to work with, and such hard workers with great attitudes. I learned some new songs with hand motions like “Peach of a Savior” and “The Beaver Dance”. The ticos were especially fascinated by our strange songs. There were also four young girls: two eleven-year-olds, one ten-year-old, and one eighteen-year-old on the team. They made me laugh so much. They always had huge smiles on their faces and called me “Miss Julie” with their southern accents. If they didn’t hear something that I said, they’d say “Ma’am?” They’d always have to get hugs from me in the morning and when their bus dropped me off at my house they’d sing a farewell song to me. The three youngest are on a dance team at the church and they performed for everyone Friday night during the sendoff activity. I am really going to miss the whole team!
This week I’m going to get things organized for tutoring high school students in Math and maybe English. My responsibilities aren’t fully defined for when there are no teams from the U.S. but I’m confident they’ll find something to keep me busy!
Last night Briand and I went to dinner at Jonathan and Amy’s house. They are a missionary couple from the U.S. who previously lived in India as missionaries. They’re really nice and they have the cutest baby ever! They also invited me over every Saturday from now on to watch college football! They’re huge Georgia fans, but I’ll put up with their SEC talk if I get to see and talk football with someone.
I uploaded photos to a picassa album. It is located at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/JulieBlumie/AbrahamProject1?authkey=j2qCDrYLIh0#
Just copy and paste it into your internet browser window thingy. Let me know if it doesn't work and I'll ask someone smart!
That’s all for now! I miss you all and I hope to update again soon, especially about things that God has been showing me and teaching me. Pray that I can be more outgoing and brave with my Spanish.
<3 Julie
I’m staying with a “tico” (Costa Rican) family. My mama tica’s name is Janira and my papa tico’s name is Fernando. Their English is about as good as the average American’s Spanish: “hello”, “goodbye”, and “no problem”. So from the time I wake up in the morning to the time I go to bed, I’m communicating in Spanish. My tico parents had three children who all died of a degenerative disease of the throat/neck. They have been through some very hard times, but when they pray at mealtimes they have nothing but thanks for God for all He has given them. This is a common theme here: the people have suffered more hardships than anyone I’ve met before, but they’re also more grateful to God and more generous than anyone I’ve met. I think when people live in poverty their desperation for everything in life gives rise to a stronger faith in God and a more accurate understanding of what is really important in life.
The project I work at has three foster homes for abandoned children, a daycare/school for poor children in the community, a church, and an adult education center. They are in the process of building a large multipurpose building which will house professional offices (to provide medical/legal/other services to the community) and an indoor soccer field (the best way to attract anyone here). My job as an intern is to help with teams from the U.S. who come down to volunteer in construction and in the daycare. Right now there is a team here from Tennessee. They arrived Saturday and left early this morning. I worked in construction alongside them, giving them tips and translating directions from the tico workers. Yesterday I had to translate several prayers and parting messages between the ticos and the team. These kinds of translations always make me nervous because there is a lot of meaning behind what the people want to say to each other and I don’t want to mess it up! I’m much more relaxed translating “Katie needs a hammer” or “It’s time for lunch”.
Speaking of lunch, while the teams are here, my mama tica comes to the project every day to make a big lunch for the ticos and the team, about 40 people in total. She is a phenomenal cook! I’m hoping to learn from her while I’m here. Everyone who found out that I get to stay at her house was so jealous. Last night for dinner we ate pan fried fish, yucca root (?), black beans, rice, and a variation on pico de gallo. I haven’t had any frozen food since I’ve been here, and she goes shopping every morning for what she needs for that day. There is freshly chopped cilantro, onion, and garlic in almost everything. I’ve learned to eat what is put in front of me because it’s always good. I heard they eat chicken hearts where one of the other interns stays, but I haven’t encountered anything like that yet.
This seems like a good place to list interesting things about living in Costa Rica. They eat rice and beans with almost every meal. Their dish soap is a crumbly solid and they scrape the sponge across it to use it. They don’t refrigerate eggs, milk, or cheese but nothing spoils. They think it’s freezing here right now because it’s “winter” but it’s really like 75 during the day and 40 something at night. My mama tica is always telling me to put on a sweater. Sounds familiar… (mom). It has rained every day so far. Mornings are cloudless but by 3pm it’s pouring. They very seldom use the oven – everything is cooked on the stove top. Right now even though I’m almost the same longitude as the East coast, we’re on Mountain Time in the U.S. The sun comes up SUPER early and I end up waking up at 5:30 or so because it’s already so bright in my west-facing window. They love American music. I woke up today with one of our neighbors blasting “You Give Love a Bad Name” by Bon Jovi while he washed his car. It must have been a mix CD because the next song was “I’m a Barbie Girl”. I never said they only liked good American music…
The people here worry a lot less than people do in the U.S. They love to laugh and joke and embarrass each other in funny ways. You can almost never get a straight story out of anyone here. Especially the high school and college age boys are much more “squirrely” than Americans. They’re ALL class clowns, they ALL do physical comedy and tackle each other, mimic each other, and pretend that they’re in the video game “Mortal Kombat”. I just know my mom wouldn’t be able to watch them horse around because you really think someone’s going to get hurt. This general attitude is with the adults too. My mama tica actually gets offended when I put on my seatbelt in the car. She’s also so excited that I brought my driver’s license because it means I can legally drive here. I’m not sure if she’s joking when she tells me I’m going to have to drive her around. Sarcasm doesn’t always translate.
I really had a wonderful time with the team from Tennessee. They were from a church called Love and Truth. They were mostly adults: some were carpenters and one was an electrician who helped with the new building. I got to know the women the most. One of them is Kate’s mom. (Kate has been an intern here since January, the last time I was here). Another one also has a daughter who interned at the Project several years ago. They were all so nice to work with, and such hard workers with great attitudes. I learned some new songs with hand motions like “Peach of a Savior” and “The Beaver Dance”. The ticos were especially fascinated by our strange songs. There were also four young girls: two eleven-year-olds, one ten-year-old, and one eighteen-year-old on the team. They made me laugh so much. They always had huge smiles on their faces and called me “Miss Julie” with their southern accents. If they didn’t hear something that I said, they’d say “Ma’am?” They’d always have to get hugs from me in the morning and when their bus dropped me off at my house they’d sing a farewell song to me. The three youngest are on a dance team at the church and they performed for everyone Friday night during the sendoff activity. I am really going to miss the whole team!
This week I’m going to get things organized for tutoring high school students in Math and maybe English. My responsibilities aren’t fully defined for when there are no teams from the U.S. but I’m confident they’ll find something to keep me busy!
Last night Briand and I went to dinner at Jonathan and Amy’s house. They are a missionary couple from the U.S. who previously lived in India as missionaries. They’re really nice and they have the cutest baby ever! They also invited me over every Saturday from now on to watch college football! They’re huge Georgia fans, but I’ll put up with their SEC talk if I get to see and talk football with someone.
I uploaded photos to a picassa album. It is located at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/JulieBlumie/AbrahamProject1?authkey=j2qCDrYLIh0#
Just copy and paste it into your internet browser window thingy. Let me know if it doesn't work and I'll ask someone smart!
That’s all for now! I miss you all and I hope to update again soon, especially about things that God has been showing me and teaching me. Pray that I can be more outgoing and brave with my Spanish.
<3 Julie
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Safe, Sound, and Well Fed
Well folks, I made it to Costa Rica safe and sound.
Brian and I got to O’Hare only 45 minutes before our flight’s departure time. I know there is never a “good time” to be late to the airport, but when you’re going international for three months at a time, you can’t afford to miss your flight!
I have almost no time to update, but everything here is going well. My Spanish is improving quickly and I think I might get a tutor for a few hours a week so I can improve even faster. There is a team of volunteers here from Tennessee and one of my jobs is to take care of teams while they’re here. The team is mostly adults but there are three 11-year-old girls who are so much fun! We’re laughing and joking all day on the work site and acting really silly.
I went to church on Sunday and it was great. I love singing and worshiping God in Spanish. I’m always amazed when I remember how many different kinds of people God created and how many different languages sing His praise. There's so much going on in the world that I don't know about!
I miss family and friends but I am already feeling so welcome and loved by the Costa Ricans. I am eating really well too, the food is great!
That’s all for now but I will write a really long entry soon!
Julie
Brian and I got to O’Hare only 45 minutes before our flight’s departure time. I know there is never a “good time” to be late to the airport, but when you’re going international for three months at a time, you can’t afford to miss your flight!
I have almost no time to update, but everything here is going well. My Spanish is improving quickly and I think I might get a tutor for a few hours a week so I can improve even faster. There is a team of volunteers here from Tennessee and one of my jobs is to take care of teams while they’re here. The team is mostly adults but there are three 11-year-old girls who are so much fun! We’re laughing and joking all day on the work site and acting really silly.
I went to church on Sunday and it was great. I love singing and worshiping God in Spanish. I’m always amazed when I remember how many different kinds of people God created and how many different languages sing His praise. There's so much going on in the world that I don't know about!
I miss family and friends but I am already feeling so welcome and loved by the Costa Ricans. I am eating really well too, the food is great!
That’s all for now but I will write a really long entry soon!
Julie
Thursday, September 18, 2008
The time is near
I'm starting to get very nervous about getting everything done. I want to see like 100 people and spend one more fun time with each of them before I leave, but my to-do list is a mile long. But I've been here before. Going off to college and then graduating from college were both so difficult for me. Leaving is always the hardest part. And it's never the places, it's always the people that I hate to leave behind.
I had such a nice time last night playing Spades with my aunts Carol and Laura and my grandma. We laughed and joked and ate candy corn and peanuts mixed together. It's times like that where I just thank God for the wonderful family he has given me. I wish many of them lived in Wisconsin instead of Colorado and Georgia.. you know who you are... because I just love spending time with them!
Yesterday morning I gave the chapel message at my old elementary school! The kindergarteners through fifth graders were there, and I realized it's been 17 years since I was in kindergarten. woah. I told them all about how some children in the world don't have food or clothes, and don't have parents to protect them from bad people in the world. I told them how the Abraham Project in Costa Rica helps children by feeding them, clothing them, educating them, sheltering them, and teaching them about Jesus. I had a slide show of pictures to show them how scrap wood donated to the project is used to make beautiful buildings for the children. The kids seemed to really like it and there were tons of hands up for questions at the end!
After I was done speaking, the principal (my 8th grade algebra teacher) went up and told the kids how my brother Mark had gone on one of the mission trips with me, and how my mom was currently in South Dakota for her 10th time chaparoning the annual 8th grade trip there. He stated that Mark and I had learned to serve others from our mom's example. It's completely true. My mom has always been a fantastic example of service in my life. Whenever I run into people at church, they always tell me "your mom has such a good heart." It's a consensus among her peers and I see it so clearly in her. I always think of Proberbs 31:10-31, "the wife of noble character." Check it out.
Many of my elementary school teachers are still teaching and they all came up to hug me and tell me that they're so proud of what I'm doing. I never thought of what I'm doing as extraordinary or realized what a fantastic part of God's plan for my life this year will be until they made me see it. The whole experience put things into perspective for me. I'm going to be an international missionary. God is going to use me in ways I can't comprehend and He's going to show and teach me amazing things this year. Praise God!
That's all I can think of to write for now. My next post may be my first from Costa Rica!
I had such a nice time last night playing Spades with my aunts Carol and Laura and my grandma. We laughed and joked and ate candy corn and peanuts mixed together. It's times like that where I just thank God for the wonderful family he has given me. I wish many of them lived in Wisconsin instead of Colorado and Georgia.. you know who you are... because I just love spending time with them!
Yesterday morning I gave the chapel message at my old elementary school! The kindergarteners through fifth graders were there, and I realized it's been 17 years since I was in kindergarten. woah. I told them all about how some children in the world don't have food or clothes, and don't have parents to protect them from bad people in the world. I told them how the Abraham Project in Costa Rica helps children by feeding them, clothing them, educating them, sheltering them, and teaching them about Jesus. I had a slide show of pictures to show them how scrap wood donated to the project is used to make beautiful buildings for the children. The kids seemed to really like it and there were tons of hands up for questions at the end!
After I was done speaking, the principal (my 8th grade algebra teacher) went up and told the kids how my brother Mark had gone on one of the mission trips with me, and how my mom was currently in South Dakota for her 10th time chaparoning the annual 8th grade trip there. He stated that Mark and I had learned to serve others from our mom's example. It's completely true. My mom has always been a fantastic example of service in my life. Whenever I run into people at church, they always tell me "your mom has such a good heart." It's a consensus among her peers and I see it so clearly in her. I always think of Proberbs 31:10-31, "the wife of noble character." Check it out.
Many of my elementary school teachers are still teaching and they all came up to hug me and tell me that they're so proud of what I'm doing. I never thought of what I'm doing as extraordinary or realized what a fantastic part of God's plan for my life this year will be until they made me see it. The whole experience put things into perspective for me. I'm going to be an international missionary. God is going to use me in ways I can't comprehend and He's going to show and teach me amazing things this year. Praise God!
That's all I can think of to write for now. My next post may be my first from Costa Rica!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
It's official
Well everyone, it's official. I purchased my flight to Costa Rica last night and got a fabulous deal on it. Brian and I will be flying together on September 20. This is a little later than I'd originally planned, but it will give me extra time to save up money and take care of business in WI.
In addition to some teaching in English and math, we'll be helping to coordinate with short-term mission teams from the U.S. to come down to the project and serve. I'm really looking forward to this portion of my service, not only becasue the people from the U.S. will speak English :) but also because I know that God prepared me for this role. By leading me to organize the mission trip from Hopkins in January, God taught me what goes into planning such a trip and exactly what responsibilities fall on the team leader. I will be a better contact and facilitator for having planned a trip myself.
August 1 is the closing date for the house I grew up in. We've been very busy packing, selling, and moving things to relatives' houses and storage units.
I currently work at a pump manufacturer in Hartland, WI called Hartmann Controls. I'm an engineering intern and I do whatever they ask of me! I've been learning how to put together pumps, how to run some of the different machines, and how to package, label, and ship the pumps. I'm writing "work instructions" (powerpoint files with step by step instructions and pictures) for some of these tasks - so that in busy times they can hire temps to help out.
On Tuesdays I go to a class at Mt Zion Lutheran on apologetics. It's one of my favorite things to learn about because of how trendy it is to be an atheist in academia. Apologetics teaches how to defend the gospel (the death and resurrection of Christ for our sins) against the attacks of the secular and pluralistic world we live in today. The truth is, the historical and archaeological evidence is insurmountable. To deny that Jesus did and said everything in the Bible would require one to deny so much history that by the same arguments persons such as Julius Caesar could also be "proved" not to exist. It's extremely interesting and makes me with I could pull out my copy of "Mere Christianity" right now.
That's all I have for now. I'll update at least once more before I leave for Costa Rica.
Could everyone also please pray for my dad?
Thanks for the love and support!
-Julie
In addition to some teaching in English and math, we'll be helping to coordinate with short-term mission teams from the U.S. to come down to the project and serve. I'm really looking forward to this portion of my service, not only becasue the people from the U.S. will speak English :) but also because I know that God prepared me for this role. By leading me to organize the mission trip from Hopkins in January, God taught me what goes into planning such a trip and exactly what responsibilities fall on the team leader. I will be a better contact and facilitator for having planned a trip myself.
August 1 is the closing date for the house I grew up in. We've been very busy packing, selling, and moving things to relatives' houses and storage units.
I currently work at a pump manufacturer in Hartland, WI called Hartmann Controls. I'm an engineering intern and I do whatever they ask of me! I've been learning how to put together pumps, how to run some of the different machines, and how to package, label, and ship the pumps. I'm writing "work instructions" (powerpoint files with step by step instructions and pictures) for some of these tasks - so that in busy times they can hire temps to help out.
On Tuesdays I go to a class at Mt Zion Lutheran on apologetics. It's one of my favorite things to learn about because of how trendy it is to be an atheist in academia. Apologetics teaches how to defend the gospel (the death and resurrection of Christ for our sins) against the attacks of the secular and pluralistic world we live in today. The truth is, the historical and archaeological evidence is insurmountable. To deny that Jesus did and said everything in the Bible would require one to deny so much history that by the same arguments persons such as Julius Caesar could also be "proved" not to exist. It's extremely interesting and makes me with I could pull out my copy of "Mere Christianity" right now.
That's all I have for now. I'll update at least once more before I leave for Costa Rica.
Could everyone also please pray for my dad?
Thanks for the love and support!
-Julie
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