Ups and Downs

Life is full of ups and downs.  Our “down” starts at 7 a.m. with our 20 min. downhill walk to the language school.  The sun is usually shining and we are full of energy after a good night’s rest and a cooked breakfast.  But after 4 hours of classes in a language we don’t yet understand and another hour or two of doing homework while waiting for our son’s classes to end, the trip back up the hill at 2:30 is a different story.  Also, by that time it is almost always raining.  Even with an umbrella, we can arrive home soaked through and through.  Is God with us just in the morning when the walk is relatively easy or is he also with us during the parts of class when we have no idea what is going on?  Is he with us when the incline is steep and the storms are threatening? (See Ps. 139)

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Lost ball finds opportunity

Ben and Dave were “having a catch” as we say in Philly.  Unfortunately, a wild pitch landed the ball in a neighbor’s driveway (behind a locked gate).  Tapping keys on the gate and calling out “Hola” did not bring any results. However, an hour or so later, Dave saw someone coming out of the house, so he went over to introduce himself. It turned out to be a great opportunity to get acquainted with the neighbor (and also get the ball back).  We were especially grateful for this contact as we’ve met very few of our neighbors in the month that we have been here.

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More of God’s mysterious ways

Naturally, we have been juggling a lot of details since our arrival here: getting a household set up in a new country, still wrapping up the sale of our house in the States, adjusting to being students again 20 – 30 years after our college/seminary days.  So we’re trying to be patient with ourselves when a few details slip through the cracks.  Sometimes it is more difficult than others. 

Last week, for example, when Dave went grocery shopping with me, he went to the ATM first to make a withdrawal.  The ATM is not in the grocery store, but is in the same shopping center.  When we checked out, we paid with a different card than the one Dave used at the ATM.  The cashier inadvertantly failed to return the card at the end of the transaction, and neither Dave nor I noticed.  We were out of the store and well on our way, when we heard someone behind us.  It was the cashier returning our card.  Amazing!  But that’s not all.  Several days later we realized that our other card was missing.  After searching through pockets, bookbags, closets, and various hiding places, we concluded that Dave must have left it in the ATM machine.  We learned, though a series of phone calls, that the bank does not return cards left in machines.  In spite of this info and the fact that it was now one week later, we returned to the ATM.  Of course, the card was nowhere to be found.  We decided to ask at the grocery store anyway.  The security guard, who thankfully spoke a little English, spoke to the woman at the concession stand, who directed us to the manager of the store.  She asked my husband’s name and then immediately took us to a desk, opened the drawer, and pulled out his card!  Apparently, some honest soul retrieved it from the ATM and took it to the grocery store.  This in a city where we’ve been warned over and over about theft.  We’ll be giving our business to that grocery store! 

Even though we asked people to pray that the card would be found, we barely had a mustard seed of faith that it would happen.  And yet, God made it clear to us again that he is taking care of us here.

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God’s mysterious ways in Costa Rica

We hadn’t even been in Costa Rica 24 hours before we saw evidence of God at work.  After a series of difficult good-byes to friends and family in the States, arriving late at night in an unfamiliar country and sleeping in a house devoid of familiar possessions, our son was eager to meet up with the only other people we knew in Costa Rica.  We had met this family at a three week training course in Colorado just this past summer and were happy to learn they would also be attending the Spanish Language Institute in San Jose, arriving one day prior to us.  The problem was that we came a week before orientation began, and we had no contact information for our friends.  So when we ran into the Janzens that first morning in a huge department store, we knew God had answered our prayers.  How exciting to see those familiar faces.  Thank you, God, for caring about our son.

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Welcome!

The yellow and white house in San Jose

The Millers are moving into the modern age with a blog!

Our house in Costa Rica. The address? La farmacia San Franciso de Dos Rios, tres cuadras este, una cuadra sur, dos y media cuadras este, casa amarilla.

 

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