Well, I’ve been here for exactly one week now. I’ve gotten into somewhat of a groove and am fitting in quite nicely. I have several jobs that I am responsible for. I get to the center early in the morning, around 6:00. I eat breakfast with them which consists of rice and beans. After breakfast is bible study. One thing that I told my wife on the phone today was that no matter what language you speak, James 3 is James 3. I am thankful for the intense bible study that I have partaken in over the last two years because it has been a great way to communicate.
Last night we had a three ladies from a church we attend on Sunday nights come and share and conduct a bible study. They all were either addicts or wives of addicts. A friend of mine, Jose, who is in the program told a story during the meeting about how he and I went out to visit his mother, and on the way home, one of his old buddies came along and offered him some drugs. He said that if I had not been there, he would have used. I was able to understand enough Spanish to know that he was telling the story that had happened earlier that day, so I turned to the passage in Ecclesiastes where it talks about two being better than one because they’re stronger together, and I read it to Jose and then he read it to the others (in Spanish). So, I have found that reading the Spanish Bible is one of the best ways to communicate when your language skills are still trying to catch up.
I clean the streets three times a week. This was my first job assignment. I work with the guys, alongside, being an example. I have begun to understand the saying, go out and preach the gospel and only use words when you have to. There are many who are used to the typical American tourists. You should see some of the looks I get when they see me picking up trash on the roads, from ticos and tourists alike.
The guys are extremely kind to me and help me tremendously with my Spanish. It works both ways because it is a great skill for them to know English, so it’s mutually beneficial. I have played soccer with them on two occasions; I thank the Lord for the miracle He has performed on my knee to allow me to run and play soccer once again. It has been many years since I’ve played soccer, and the guys are impressed with my capability; of course I played tico style, without any shoes, ouch.
I am very thankful to my parents who purchased the Rosetta Stone Spanish software for me because it has helped me and is helping me tremendously. Oscar is the man in the program who speaks the best English. I meet with him every day to do a Bible Study/English and Spanish class. We help each other out with the languages, and in turn, he teaches an English class once a week to the men in the program and others in the community who want to learn. John, the guy who came down here with me is helping teach that class on Tuesday nights, my day off.
I am just getting situated, I just made my first phone call today to my wife Eileen, and will talk to her once a week. Internet is very up and down, and there are many of you who have emailed me who I would love to get back to you, but simply can’t right now due to time and internet access constraints. Maybe once I get internet when I come back down here in July or August I’ll be able to keep in better contact. Even these blogs, I’m going to write once a week on a word document and send them to my wife who will post them.
The second night I was here, I got some big encouragement by getting to see a glimpse of what God has in store for this association. There is a group of guys who come two to three times a year to sport fish here (btw, this town is the best place in the world for sail fish, marlin, and all sport fishing), and one of the guys is a general contractor big wig in Florida. He read the book Second Half and decided he wanted to start investing in eternal things. He said that if we got another property, which we’re working on, that he would love to come down and build a building for us. That’s the long story short. It is great to see all the support that this association has in it’s very early stages, it is less than a year old.
This is absolutely the most gorgeous place I have been of its kind. Monkeys in the trees as common as robins, birds of paradise, flowers, lizards, snakes, palms, mountains, beaches; it is a blessing from the Lord. Even the locals, who I thought would be desensitized to the beauty, comment on how beautiful everything is all the time. It is an event that attracts tourists and locals alike: watching the sunset every night.
Our living conditions are very nice, compared to here. I have my own room with a fan; John and I share a bathroom. We have a little kitchenette/living room too which is very nice, but somewhat expensive. Virtually no ticos have air-condition, at least I don’t know of anyone. I am surprised that the ticos continually repeat, “hace calor,” which means, “it’s hot out,” I don’t know, I guess I just thought they would have got used to it by now.
Thanks Chris for the email, I appreciate it, you too Johnny, I’ll continue to pray for you and your family. I’ll see you all in June sometime. Thanks to Wheeler Mission and the
Another thanks to The Community Church of Murphy’s Landing for their support. Thank you
O yeah! My wife will be coming to visit for a week April 6th – 14th. Fantastico!
If you all have any questions, please email me/my wife at jaredandeileen@gmail.com and I’ll try to answer the questions in the next blog post. Because, I’m sure that I’m forgetting some important things that you all would like to know about. Faith, hope and love.
Love, jaredpc
1 comment:
Mark 7:37 "he has done everything well." amen
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