It's now been nearly three months since we returned to the US. They say that when missionaries return to their home countries it's common to go through culture shock all over again. It's actually called re-entry shock. After spending years getting used to the culture in which they served, a missionary returns to his home country and finds it's not the same place he left. This results in an enormous amount of stress.
It's not really any one big thing. It is a huge accumulation of little ones. Here's a sampling:
The first couple of times I walked into Wal-Mart to Christmas shop, I was so overwhelmed that I simply walked around the store for a while and left. Wal-Mart arrived in Costa Rica shortly before we moved away, but it did not offer nearly the mind-boggling selection that it does in the US.
I went to a nearby grocery store, Tom Thumb, a couple of days after we got here to pick up some orange juice. There were about 15 types of orange juice in two different places in the store, and it took me about 20 minutes to pick one. When I got in, Martha asked me what had taken so long and I was a little embarrassed to say it took me all that time just to figure out what orange juice to buy.
Then there was the self check out at Kroger. In Costa Rica you have to open a carton of ice cream before buying it to make sure someone hasn't scooped a chunk out of it and closed it back up. Imagine what would happen if you had a self check out there! It took several trips to Kroger to finally work up the courage to try it. When I did, I kept putting the groceries too close to the bags and messing it up, and a young lady had to come over and help me, but she was very patient and I got through it humbled but unscathed.
My first couple of trips to the grocery store I kept handing my debit card to the cashier instead of running it through myself. In Costa Rica, you hand the card to the cashier and they'll ask you for ID if you don't include it with the card.
There are times when you have to show your ID in the US, however. Like when the police pull you over. One evening I tried to make an illegal turn without realizing it. Seeing what I was about to do, a policeman turned on the flashing red and blue lights of his squad car to warn me away. What did I do? I ignored him and made the turn anyway. I wasn't trying to flout the laws or defy the police. It's because in Costa Rica the cops drive along with their lights on all the time and it doesn't mean anything. I had forgotten that it does mean something here! Well, after he pulled me I explained everything to him and he believed me when I showed him my Costa Rica license and he let me go.
And that's a another thing. I'm not used to being believed. In Costa Rica it's no big deal to lie. Just something everyone does to save face, or make a little money, or play the system, so no one believes what anyone else says! One evening I went to Kroger to return a can of Lifesavers that was missing a role when I bought it. I was a little sheepish about taking them back because I thought sure the Kroger workers would think I was trying to get something for nothing. Instead, they took my word for it, returned my money, and let me keep the can of Lifesavers minus one pack! Then on my birthday I went to Denny's to get a free birthday breakfast Slam. On the way, I realized that all I had was my Costa Rica license which I still hadn't changed over for a Texas license. I was sure they'd ask for a second ID, and wished I had remembered my passport. When I got there they didn't ask for any ID at all and took my word for it. I even offered to show my ID, and they said not to worry about it.
It was nice to get a free meal, because Martha and I are working part-time at the church here and are still without full-time work. The first time I ventured into job hunting, I started with the want ads in the local paper. Just one problem. They don't run want ads in the papers anymore. There's a notice that says go to Monster.com.
These are just a few examples of how returning to my own country has been overwhelming, embarrassing, and stressful. I won't even get into learning to use a smart phone!
Still, it's good to be back in the USA.
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Monday, October 1, 2012
A Death-Bed Wedding, a New Believer
A man named Rafael was dying of kidney failure. His son Jimmy has been
coming to our services in the Costa Rican slum of Tejarcillos. Our local ministry leaders
have gotten good at preaching, teaching, and doing pastoral visits, but this one
was a little more difficult.
On the way to Rafael's house, I came the closest yet to being mugged there in the 'hood. As our leaders Fran and Ileana and I turned the corner down a dirt path to Rafael's house, two young men were standing there watching us. One of them said to the other within earshot of us, "I'll bet that Gringo has money (meaning 'let's go take it from him')." The other one said, "No, I know him. He works over on that corner." And they left us alone.
It was a Tuesday evening. We went to try to encourage Rafael, who clearly did not want to die yet. He was, I believe, 52. We prayed for healing and reminded him that life and death are both in the hands of the Lord. And for the believer, they're both good options (Philippians 1:21)! Rafael had accepted Christ about four months earlier. The conversation turned to his so-called wife Maria and it came up that they had never actually gotten married. Our ministry leader Ileana asked them if they would like to get married, and, if so, would I be willing to marry them on the spot? Now Costa Rica does not recognize Protestant weddings at all, much less an impromptu, ad hoc one in a shack. So it wouldn't be legal, but they would finally say their vows before God. I tried to put them off for a day, since it had been years since I had done a wedding, and had never done one in Spanish. Since we didn't know how much longer Rafael would live, Ileana said, no, it would have to be right then and I would have to remember the ceremony and do it as best I could, even if I had to say the words in English.
So I relented and said there was one condition. Rafael would have to ask
for Maria's hand and she would have to accept. Rafael asked, and Maria said
that, yes, she had always wanted to be properly married after being together
for 28 years. So they gathered the extended family together from around the
neighborhood, and I muddled through the ceremony in Spanish before pronouncing them
husband and wife.
On the way to Rafael's house, I came the closest yet to being mugged there in the 'hood. As our leaders Fran and Ileana and I turned the corner down a dirt path to Rafael's house, two young men were standing there watching us. One of them said to the other within earshot of us, "I'll bet that Gringo has money (meaning 'let's go take it from him')." The other one said, "No, I know him. He works over on that corner." And they left us alone.
It was a Tuesday evening. We went to try to encourage Rafael, who clearly did not want to die yet. He was, I believe, 52. We prayed for healing and reminded him that life and death are both in the hands of the Lord. And for the believer, they're both good options (Philippians 1:21)! Rafael had accepted Christ about four months earlier. The conversation turned to his so-called wife Maria and it came up that they had never actually gotten married. Our ministry leader Ileana asked them if they would like to get married, and, if so, would I be willing to marry them on the spot? Now Costa Rica does not recognize Protestant weddings at all, much less an impromptu, ad hoc one in a shack. So it wouldn't be legal, but they would finally say their vows before God. I tried to put them off for a day, since it had been years since I had done a wedding, and had never done one in Spanish. Since we didn't know how much longer Rafael would live, Ileana said, no, it would have to be right then and I would have to remember the ceremony and do it as best I could, even if I had to say the words in English.
The following Tuesday I was at the house of our leaders, Fran and Ileana.
We went from there to visit Rafael and the family. Fran and Ileana asked me to do the
talking and bring an evangelistic message to the family. I hate it when they ask
me to do stuff "off the cuff" without time to prepare or even think about what
I'm going to say. But God is always faithful. The thief on the cross, who
repented in the last hours of his life, came to mind, and I shared the story and
its implications with the family. Rafael, who was no longer lucid, reminded me
of the penitent thief since he had trusted in Christ at the end of his life. Rafael's other son, Esteban, gave his life to
Christ that night.
Two days later Rafael died. He now awaits Esteban, Jimmy, and Maria in heaven. Fran and Ileana are now following up with the family and taking them through a discipleship program.
The other bigs news is that, after nearly 13 years here, our family will be moving back to the US in December. More on that next time...
Friday, July 6, 2012
Spirit of Fear? Not from God!
As I read over the last blog entry, it seems apparent in retrospect that I was being tormented by spirits of fear. I had almost panicked when I was alone on the beach with the homeless man, and then was plagued by irrational fears while camping alone. Both situations called for prudence, but, looking back, there was no reason for fear, let alone panic. I have never been a fearful or panicky person. I believe there were demons involved because the fears seemed to have had a definite beginning and end.
It seemed to have begun last November when a murder took place about 200 yards from me in Tejarcillos. From that time on, I seemed to lose my nerve and became increasingly fearful, culminating with my experience camping on the beach. It ended when I took authority over them, first on the beach, and more fully with a pastor in California. I have not been bothered by fear since then, even when working in Tejarcillos and driving through Northern Mexico.
I fully realize that some will read this and decide that I have finally flipped my wig. What's a seminary educated, life-long Presbyterian doing talking about being tormented by demons in this day and age? The fears could easily be explained as a mild form of post traumatic stress, or at least that all the years of violence and flying bullets in Tejarcillos had taken their toll on me, right?
So before continuing with my story, let me begin to make a case for the existence of such beings.
First there is personal experience. Martha came back from Ethiopia less than two weeks ago and told me about helping drive a demon out of a man there. Martha writes, "It was as if he was levitating - his legs were curled behind him and his upper body was raising up with a strength that was not his own - even with four men trying to hold him down. His physical strength could not have been his own power/doing as it defied his physical "position" (legs under him) and also his size." When it was over, the demons were gone and the man freed. The remedy? Taking authority over the spirits in the name of Jesus and making them leave. Combined with my victory over fear and hearing the stories of others, I've found that battles with the demonic are really not that unusual.
Second, it has been revealed to us in Scripture. The Bible is unequivocal in its teaching that Satan and demons exist and are arrayed against us. Scripture is really one long spiritual war beginning with the serpent in Genesis and ending with the lake of fire in Revelation. If you want to argue that demons don't exist, you'll have a hard time doing it from Scripture.
Thirdly, it can be deduced from reason. Science points to a Creator. If there is a Creator there is a world beyond. If the Creator is a spirit, there could be other spirits. Do you believe in any spirits at all (such as angels or departed souls)? If so, then why should we assume that they are all benevolent? If there are evil people, should we be surprised that there would be evil spirits? If we took a poll, we would probably find that 90% of the world takes such spirits' existence for granted. If you polled the world's missionaries you'd probably find the number to be 99.9%.
It's mainly just us enlightened Westerners that have a hard time with the idea. We have made extraordinary advances with science including the apparent recent discovery of the so-called God particle. But can we really claim to know any more about the world beyond us than the writers of the Bible? Science points straight to an Intelligent Designer, but can tell us nothing about the unseen world. For that information, we depend on revelation.
Charles Kraft is an ex-missionary to Africa and professor at Fuller Seminary. He's the one whose conference I attended in California. Kraft observes that Westerners tend to believe that every effect has only a single cause. My fears were caused by emotional trauma. Kraft writes in Confronting Powerless Christianity that "if a demon is present, there are two causes. Demons cannot be present unless they have something to cling to. They are like rats and rats cannot exist unless they have garbage to feed on. With demons the garbage is usually emotional or spiritual damage...so with demonization, dual causation exists." So I conclude that a spirit of fear began to cling to my emotional trauma.
The great news is that freeing me of fear was only one of many things that God would work in me on the trip. I look forward to telling you about it!
It seemed to have begun last November when a murder took place about 200 yards from me in Tejarcillos. From that time on, I seemed to lose my nerve and became increasingly fearful, culminating with my experience camping on the beach. It ended when I took authority over them, first on the beach, and more fully with a pastor in California. I have not been bothered by fear since then, even when working in Tejarcillos and driving through Northern Mexico.
I fully realize that some will read this and decide that I have finally flipped my wig. What's a seminary educated, life-long Presbyterian doing talking about being tormented by demons in this day and age? The fears could easily be explained as a mild form of post traumatic stress, or at least that all the years of violence and flying bullets in Tejarcillos had taken their toll on me, right?
So before continuing with my story, let me begin to make a case for the existence of such beings.
First there is personal experience. Martha came back from Ethiopia less than two weeks ago and told me about helping drive a demon out of a man there. Martha writes, "It was as if he was levitating - his legs were curled behind him and his upper body was raising up with a strength that was not his own - even with four men trying to hold him down. His physical strength could not have been his own power/doing as it defied his physical "position" (legs under him) and also his size." When it was over, the demons were gone and the man freed. The remedy? Taking authority over the spirits in the name of Jesus and making them leave. Combined with my victory over fear and hearing the stories of others, I've found that battles with the demonic are really not that unusual.
Second, it has been revealed to us in Scripture. The Bible is unequivocal in its teaching that Satan and demons exist and are arrayed against us. Scripture is really one long spiritual war beginning with the serpent in Genesis and ending with the lake of fire in Revelation. If you want to argue that demons don't exist, you'll have a hard time doing it from Scripture.
Thirdly, it can be deduced from reason. Science points to a Creator. If there is a Creator there is a world beyond. If the Creator is a spirit, there could be other spirits. Do you believe in any spirits at all (such as angels or departed souls)? If so, then why should we assume that they are all benevolent? If there are evil people, should we be surprised that there would be evil spirits? If we took a poll, we would probably find that 90% of the world takes such spirits' existence for granted. If you polled the world's missionaries you'd probably find the number to be 99.9%.
It's mainly just us enlightened Westerners that have a hard time with the idea. We have made extraordinary advances with science including the apparent recent discovery of the so-called God particle. But can we really claim to know any more about the world beyond us than the writers of the Bible? Science points straight to an Intelligent Designer, but can tell us nothing about the unseen world. For that information, we depend on revelation.
Charles Kraft is an ex-missionary to Africa and professor at Fuller Seminary. He's the one whose conference I attended in California. Kraft observes that Westerners tend to believe that every effect has only a single cause. My fears were caused by emotional trauma. Kraft writes in Confronting Powerless Christianity that "if a demon is present, there are two causes. Demons cannot be present unless they have something to cling to. They are like rats and rats cannot exist unless they have garbage to feed on. With demons the garbage is usually emotional or spiritual damage...so with demonization, dual causation exists." So I conclude that a spirit of fear began to cling to my emotional trauma.
The great news is that freeing me of fear was only one of many things that God would work in me on the trip. I look forward to telling you about it!
Friday, May 25, 2012
My Drive to LA and Back
I did it for reasons known and unknown. I felt like I had lost my way spiritually and needed time alone with God. I wanted to attend a conference by spiritual warfare guru Charles Kraft. While there I would spend time with a pastor who I hoped could help me get untracked in my spiritual life. Some folks who care about me said I was crazy and foolish to drive a car through Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Mexico and back. I kept my plans a secret from my parents, who I knew would worry themselves to death, but they found out anyway. When it was all over, God had kept me safe and sound with no major incidents. I got the time with God that I needed, got refocused spiritually, and learned a lot about spiritual warfare that I can now put into effect in my life and ministry.
The ministry in Tejarcillos is nearly ready to hand off completely to the local leaders. The ministry center is 95% finished. Right now we are just working out details with the municipality's construction standards. I help out with English, children's ministry, and am leading the youth ministry at the moment. The one thing that our leaders lack and that I want to help teach them before handing off the ministry is this: we need to do more to combat the spiritual forces arrayed against us and the people of Tejarcillos.
The time I took to make the trip was well worth it, and I hope to move more fully into the area of spiritual warfare by organizing prayer meetings together with other ministries there in the neighborhood.
I hope to unpack (no pun intended!) my trip on this blog a little at a time, sharing what happened and what I learned.
I almost made a terrible mistake by leaving without getting permission to leave the country with my car (Costa Rica is not as free a country as you might think). Yes, you have to get the government's permission to leave with your own car! If I had gotten to the border of Nicaragua without permission I would have been sent back home. As it turned out, each country in turn required some sort of permission and background check to enter and leave with the car except for the US.
I left on a Wednesday afternoon after getting all the documents I needed and dealing with some ministry matters. I got to a beach called Puntarenas just as the sun was about to set and pitched a tent on the beach. Here in Costa Rica, anyone can camp on the beach within 50 meters of high tide.
I woke up the next day and there was a guy sitting on a log nearby. We chatted briefly and it turned out he was homeless. I started to break down the tent and realized we were the only two people anywhere on the beach and almost panicked when I realized he could easily pull a weapon on me. Instead of folding the tent, I balled it up hastily and threw it into the pickup truck. Then he approached me. As it turned out, he was hungry and asked me for some food. I gave him some food I had packed and he was very happy with it and went on his way.
Then I drove about three hours up the road to a town called La Cruz, just this side of the Nicaraguan border. I camped for two nights at one of the most breathtakingly beautiful beaches I have ever seen, Playa Rajada. We had camped there ten years earlier with the English speaking youth group we had worked with.
I managed to get the truck hopelessly stuck in the sand. It's pretty much a deserted beach and I had to wait for some guys to arrive to watch the sunset and drink beer. They happened to have a Land Rover and pulled me out.
While peaceful and beautiful, my time at Playa Rajada reminded me just a little of what Jesus went through in the desert. At times at night when I was the only person on the beach, I felt tormented by something beyond myself telling me that something terrible was going to happen to me. I spoke to the "something(s)" out loud in the name of Jesus, which helped, but they never seemed very far away.
Rather than bring back pleasant memories of camping there years earlier, I was plagued by painful memories of conflicts within that youth ministry which had been ignited by circumstances beyond my control. It was one of many hurts in my life that needed to be healed, and which God lovingly lifted from me on the trip. But it didn't happen right then...
The ministry in Tejarcillos is nearly ready to hand off completely to the local leaders. The ministry center is 95% finished. Right now we are just working out details with the municipality's construction standards. I help out with English, children's ministry, and am leading the youth ministry at the moment. The one thing that our leaders lack and that I want to help teach them before handing off the ministry is this: we need to do more to combat the spiritual forces arrayed against us and the people of Tejarcillos.
The time I took to make the trip was well worth it, and I hope to move more fully into the area of spiritual warfare by organizing prayer meetings together with other ministries there in the neighborhood.
I hope to unpack (no pun intended!) my trip on this blog a little at a time, sharing what happened and what I learned.
I almost made a terrible mistake by leaving without getting permission to leave the country with my car (Costa Rica is not as free a country as you might think). Yes, you have to get the government's permission to leave with your own car! If I had gotten to the border of Nicaragua without permission I would have been sent back home. As it turned out, each country in turn required some sort of permission and background check to enter and leave with the car except for the US.
I left on a Wednesday afternoon after getting all the documents I needed and dealing with some ministry matters. I got to a beach called Puntarenas just as the sun was about to set and pitched a tent on the beach. Here in Costa Rica, anyone can camp on the beach within 50 meters of high tide.
I woke up the next day and there was a guy sitting on a log nearby. We chatted briefly and it turned out he was homeless. I started to break down the tent and realized we were the only two people anywhere on the beach and almost panicked when I realized he could easily pull a weapon on me. Instead of folding the tent, I balled it up hastily and threw it into the pickup truck. Then he approached me. As it turned out, he was hungry and asked me for some food. I gave him some food I had packed and he was very happy with it and went on his way.
Then I drove about three hours up the road to a town called La Cruz, just this side of the Nicaraguan border. I camped for two nights at one of the most breathtakingly beautiful beaches I have ever seen, Playa Rajada. We had camped there ten years earlier with the English speaking youth group we had worked with.
I managed to get the truck hopelessly stuck in the sand. It's pretty much a deserted beach and I had to wait for some guys to arrive to watch the sunset and drink beer. They happened to have a Land Rover and pulled me out.
While peaceful and beautiful, my time at Playa Rajada reminded me just a little of what Jesus went through in the desert. At times at night when I was the only person on the beach, I felt tormented by something beyond myself telling me that something terrible was going to happen to me. I spoke to the "something(s)" out loud in the name of Jesus, which helped, but they never seemed very far away.
Rather than bring back pleasant memories of camping there years earlier, I was plagued by painful memories of conflicts within that youth ministry which had been ignited by circumstances beyond my control. It was one of many hurts in my life that needed to be healed, and which God lovingly lifted from me on the trip. But it didn't happen right then...
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
More Costa Rica/US Comparisons
In the last blog entry, I showed several areas in which the US is, well, superior to Costa Rica, in my view. Now I'd like to share some ways in which the Ticos show their superiority.
People vs. Schedule
Doctors in the States often set limits like, for example, that you can only go in with two complaints per visit. That way the doctor can keep folks moving through and people don't have to cool their heels all day in the waiting room. We even knew a doctor who would only examine four moles at a time. So if you had twenty moles that needed checking you'd have to make five appointments!
Here, you'd better bring a long book for your doctor's visits. Sometimes you'll get in and out quickly, but don't count on it. The doctors here will take all the time you need. They'll give you a detailed answer to each of your questions. When he or she is done answering your questions, you'll be asked about how each member of your family is doing, and you might even hear some gossip on the patient that was in before you! It doesn't matter how many people are waiting outside.
If you're visiting a Tico family on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, you'd better plan on staying till sundown. You'll come across as abrupt otherwise. And if you're the host, your Tico visitors would be shocked to find out you were expecting them to leave three hours earlier.
Peace vs. War
Ecclesiastes 3:8 tells us there is a time for war and a time for peace. I fear that the US has at times gone to war when it was still the time for peace. I can say with certainty that Costa Rica will never make that mistake. Why? Because it has no military.
As we speak, Nicaragua is occupying a swath of land that, until recently, was nearly universally recognized as Costa Rica's. What's Costa Rica doing about it? The only thing it can do--taking it to various international governing bodies.
The advantages of having no military are that taxes stay relatively low, and there is enough money to fund a number of social programs like public health care and higher education.
Children: High Priority vs. Low Priority
If you get on the bus with a small child and the bus is full, don't worry--someone will give up their seat for you.
If you're in a mile-long line at the airport and you have a small child, you don't have to lament the long wait you have coming. Your little one is your ticket to the front of the line.
If a stranger stops on the sidewalk and gives little Junior a pat on the head as you pass, you needn't feel threatened. It's only because children are loved and cherished here.
If you don't keep up on your child support, the cops will promptly hunt you down and put you in jail. It's about the only thing here that can be described as "prompt."
Abortion is illegal here. We don't hear the horror stories of terrible things supposedly happening in places where abortion isn't "safe and legal."
It's humbling to see that there's so much we Americans can learn from others!
People vs. Schedule
Doctors in the States often set limits like, for example, that you can only go in with two complaints per visit. That way the doctor can keep folks moving through and people don't have to cool their heels all day in the waiting room. We even knew a doctor who would only examine four moles at a time. So if you had twenty moles that needed checking you'd have to make five appointments!
Here, you'd better bring a long book for your doctor's visits. Sometimes you'll get in and out quickly, but don't count on it. The doctors here will take all the time you need. They'll give you a detailed answer to each of your questions. When he or she is done answering your questions, you'll be asked about how each member of your family is doing, and you might even hear some gossip on the patient that was in before you! It doesn't matter how many people are waiting outside.
If you're visiting a Tico family on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, you'd better plan on staying till sundown. You'll come across as abrupt otherwise. And if you're the host, your Tico visitors would be shocked to find out you were expecting them to leave three hours earlier.
Peace vs. War
Ecclesiastes 3:8 tells us there is a time for war and a time for peace. I fear that the US has at times gone to war when it was still the time for peace. I can say with certainty that Costa Rica will never make that mistake. Why? Because it has no military.
As we speak, Nicaragua is occupying a swath of land that, until recently, was nearly universally recognized as Costa Rica's. What's Costa Rica doing about it? The only thing it can do--taking it to various international governing bodies.
The advantages of having no military are that taxes stay relatively low, and there is enough money to fund a number of social programs like public health care and higher education.
Children: High Priority vs. Low Priority
If you get on the bus with a small child and the bus is full, don't worry--someone will give up their seat for you.
If you're in a mile-long line at the airport and you have a small child, you don't have to lament the long wait you have coming. Your little one is your ticket to the front of the line.
If a stranger stops on the sidewalk and gives little Junior a pat on the head as you pass, you needn't feel threatened. It's only because children are loved and cherished here.
If you don't keep up on your child support, the cops will promptly hunt you down and put you in jail. It's about the only thing here that can be described as "prompt."
Abortion is illegal here. We don't hear the horror stories of terrible things supposedly happening in places where abortion isn't "safe and legal."
It's humbling to see that there's so much we Americans can learn from others!
Thursday, February 2, 2012
The US and Costa Rica: A Frank Comparison
We've spent the last two months in Dallas recovering from burnout and we go back to Costa Rica this Monday (I'll grab about four hours of sleep after the Super Bowl and we head out at about 3:30 a.m.). I thought you might be interested in some of my observations about the differences between the US and Costa Rica during our time here.
But first, let's rewind to the year 2000. At an orientation session a veteran missionary of 25 years of service handed us a paper with his observations contrasting the work ethics of Americans and Costa Ricans. We were asked for our thoughts about the contrasts. Something stood out for me immediately, but I did not say so because I was chicken--afraid to offend the man who would eventually become my boss. What jumped out at me from the page was that every observation he made about the American work ethic was positive, while every comment on the Costa Rica work ethic was negative.
I've seen a number of missionaries grow jaded and bitter with their years of service, and, to be perfectly honest, I came back for these two months because I was becoming that way myself. Other missonaries have historically sought to undermine and even destroy the cultures of the people they wanted to reach with the Gospel because they saw their own cultures as superior. Therefore the people could only benefit from a new culture. This is often derided as a tragic byproduct of the era of Western Imperialism. But, again, I believe that those missionaries meant well, and simply could not conceive of any other solution.
So I thought I would share some contrasts that I've observed during my time here of our two cultures. You'll find that, yes, the US wins and Costa Rica loses in each camparison. The lesson here, however, is that the solution is not an attitude of superiority and condescension, but of humility, love, patience and perseverance. When I find I've run out of these qualities, I need take a break, get with God, and go back as He leads.
Clean vs. Dirty
During our time in the US, we've seen very little litter. People hold on to their trash until they find a trash can. I even saw folks following their dogs around with pooper scoopers!
A couple of years ago I had a couple of hours to kill in the city of Limon, Costa Rica. I walked through the entire downtown section of the city (about ten square blocks). There was garbage everywhere. I found two trash cans in the entire downtown. They were about ten feet apart in a small park. If you take a bus from downtown San Jose to any other location, you can look out the windows and see the streets lined with litter. Cross any bridge and you'll see junk and garbage clogging the waterway below. If someone has a candy wrapper or empty bottle and there's not a trash can within reach, it is perfectly acceptable to throw it on the ground.
Trust vs. Suspicion
Here in Dallas, Martha had bought a large container of Lifesavers. When she opened the container, there was a pack of Lifesavers missing. I went back to Kroger, but it was evening and Customer Service was closed. I went to a cashier and explained the situation, a little embarrassed because I was afraid she'd think I had stolen the pack and now was trying to rip off the store. Instead, she let me keep the pack and reimbursed me for the entire purchase. Why? Because Americans trust each other. In Costa Rica the process would be much more complicated and the likely result would be that they'd say we should have checked the container before we bought it since lifting items from their containers is a common practice. In Costa Rica I always open an ice cream container to make sure no one has eaten out of it. I have bought ice cream (and know others who have too) and opened it when I got home and it had a hole where someone had scooped a chunk out with either a hand or a spoon.
In Costa Rica when you go to Walmart and other large stores, they give you a plastic card when you enter the parking lot in your car. You cannot leave with your car without returning the card to the guard. This is to prevent folks from walking in, breaking into your car and driving away in it. Here in the US I have never seen this system used. Why? Because here people are more trusting. And why are we Americans more trusting? Because, as a rule, we're more trustworthy.
Can Do vs. Fatalism
The missionary I mentioned earlier is also an inventor. Costa Rica gets a lot of rain (the tourist brochures don't tell you it rains every day for eight months of the year!). Out in the countryside a lot of people grow beans. Every year, the farmers lose a third of their bean crops to the heavy rains. This missionary invented a bean dryer so the farmers could increase their yield by 33%. How would you like it if your boss told you he or she would give you a 33% raise for a 10% increase in work? The bean dryer never caught on. The reason seemed to be a deeply ingrained fatalism that told the farmers they were interfering with God's will by trying to salvage their beans.
Working in the slums we have seen two kids graduate high school and go on to school in nearly twelve years. High school and college cost a couple of hundred dollars for fees and expenses per semester. There's no doubt that this is still lot of money to folks who are poor, but most Costa Rican families can do it if they are willing to sacrifice and prioritize. Instead, it breaks ours hearts to see kids turn 14 or 15, get pregnant, quit school, get minimum wage jobs (about two dollars an hour), and continue in the cycle of poverty. Nearly everyone we know has chosen this option, but to them it's not an option--it's just fate.
So what keeps us going? Just like we see on every page of the Bible God calling out a remnant of folks who want to be different--to be His people-- we see Him doing the same thing in Costa Rica in the slums, the prisons, and the city streets. In my less-than-finest moments I have seen myself as superior. When that happens, God gives me a reality check and reminds me that I'm guilty of many of the things I condemn in others. Then He tells me that whatever advantages I enjoy as an American are by His grace: "America, America, God shed His grace on thee." And finally, that one reason we are there is to humbly and lovingly share cultural insights like the ones I've mentioned here that are part and parcel of our American-ness. Which brings me back to the Gospel.
I believe that our country is so great because of its Judeo-Christian (that is, Biblical) underpinnings. And, I believe that both the material wealth and spiritual riches we enjoy are to be used to bless the rest of the world with God's love. As the Good News of Jesus takes root in places like Costa Rica, then we will see Christ transforming culture.
But first, let's rewind to the year 2000. At an orientation session a veteran missionary of 25 years of service handed us a paper with his observations contrasting the work ethics of Americans and Costa Ricans. We were asked for our thoughts about the contrasts. Something stood out for me immediately, but I did not say so because I was chicken--afraid to offend the man who would eventually become my boss. What jumped out at me from the page was that every observation he made about the American work ethic was positive, while every comment on the Costa Rica work ethic was negative.
I've seen a number of missionaries grow jaded and bitter with their years of service, and, to be perfectly honest, I came back for these two months because I was becoming that way myself. Other missonaries have historically sought to undermine and even destroy the cultures of the people they wanted to reach with the Gospel because they saw their own cultures as superior. Therefore the people could only benefit from a new culture. This is often derided as a tragic byproduct of the era of Western Imperialism. But, again, I believe that those missionaries meant well, and simply could not conceive of any other solution.
So I thought I would share some contrasts that I've observed during my time here of our two cultures. You'll find that, yes, the US wins and Costa Rica loses in each camparison. The lesson here, however, is that the solution is not an attitude of superiority and condescension, but of humility, love, patience and perseverance. When I find I've run out of these qualities, I need take a break, get with God, and go back as He leads.
Clean vs. Dirty
During our time in the US, we've seen very little litter. People hold on to their trash until they find a trash can. I even saw folks following their dogs around with pooper scoopers!
A couple of years ago I had a couple of hours to kill in the city of Limon, Costa Rica. I walked through the entire downtown section of the city (about ten square blocks). There was garbage everywhere. I found two trash cans in the entire downtown. They were about ten feet apart in a small park. If you take a bus from downtown San Jose to any other location, you can look out the windows and see the streets lined with litter. Cross any bridge and you'll see junk and garbage clogging the waterway below. If someone has a candy wrapper or empty bottle and there's not a trash can within reach, it is perfectly acceptable to throw it on the ground.
Trust vs. Suspicion
Here in Dallas, Martha had bought a large container of Lifesavers. When she opened the container, there was a pack of Lifesavers missing. I went back to Kroger, but it was evening and Customer Service was closed. I went to a cashier and explained the situation, a little embarrassed because I was afraid she'd think I had stolen the pack and now was trying to rip off the store. Instead, she let me keep the pack and reimbursed me for the entire purchase. Why? Because Americans trust each other. In Costa Rica the process would be much more complicated and the likely result would be that they'd say we should have checked the container before we bought it since lifting items from their containers is a common practice. In Costa Rica I always open an ice cream container to make sure no one has eaten out of it. I have bought ice cream (and know others who have too) and opened it when I got home and it had a hole where someone had scooped a chunk out with either a hand or a spoon.
In Costa Rica when you go to Walmart and other large stores, they give you a plastic card when you enter the parking lot in your car. You cannot leave with your car without returning the card to the guard. This is to prevent folks from walking in, breaking into your car and driving away in it. Here in the US I have never seen this system used. Why? Because here people are more trusting. And why are we Americans more trusting? Because, as a rule, we're more trustworthy.
Can Do vs. Fatalism
The missionary I mentioned earlier is also an inventor. Costa Rica gets a lot of rain (the tourist brochures don't tell you it rains every day for eight months of the year!). Out in the countryside a lot of people grow beans. Every year, the farmers lose a third of their bean crops to the heavy rains. This missionary invented a bean dryer so the farmers could increase their yield by 33%. How would you like it if your boss told you he or she would give you a 33% raise for a 10% increase in work? The bean dryer never caught on. The reason seemed to be a deeply ingrained fatalism that told the farmers they were interfering with God's will by trying to salvage their beans.
Working in the slums we have seen two kids graduate high school and go on to school in nearly twelve years. High school and college cost a couple of hundred dollars for fees and expenses per semester. There's no doubt that this is still lot of money to folks who are poor, but most Costa Rican families can do it if they are willing to sacrifice and prioritize. Instead, it breaks ours hearts to see kids turn 14 or 15, get pregnant, quit school, get minimum wage jobs (about two dollars an hour), and continue in the cycle of poverty. Nearly everyone we know has chosen this option, but to them it's not an option--it's just fate.
So what keeps us going? Just like we see on every page of the Bible God calling out a remnant of folks who want to be different--to be His people-- we see Him doing the same thing in Costa Rica in the slums, the prisons, and the city streets. In my less-than-finest moments I have seen myself as superior. When that happens, God gives me a reality check and reminds me that I'm guilty of many of the things I condemn in others. Then He tells me that whatever advantages I enjoy as an American are by His grace: "America, America, God shed His grace on thee." And finally, that one reason we are there is to humbly and lovingly share cultural insights like the ones I've mentioned here that are part and parcel of our American-ness. Which brings me back to the Gospel.
I believe that our country is so great because of its Judeo-Christian (that is, Biblical) underpinnings. And, I believe that both the material wealth and spiritual riches we enjoy are to be used to bless the rest of the world with God's love. As the Good News of Jesus takes root in places like Costa Rica, then we will see Christ transforming culture.
Monday, December 26, 2011
The Year in Review
It was an eventful year for us in Costa Rica--so eventful, in fact, that we're now in Dallas on a two-month break due to burnout! A supporting church in Dallas, Highland Park Presbyterian, has a house across the street for its missionaries to stay in when stateside, so we're taking advantage of the opportunity.
The year 2011 began with us receiving $5700 in seed money from the church here in Dallas for a construction project in Tejarcillos. More gifts from other churches and individuals would follow. We're still not finished--the cost overruns have been mind-boggling--but we do have a functioning facility for the ministry now.
A local couple named Fran and Ileana has been working with us for about six years now. Under their leadership the children's program had grown from 15 to about 50 kids. Tejarcillos is a tough place to do ministry. For a while there was a gang of teenage thugs that would wait for folks at the bus stop in front of Fran and Ileana's house and rob them when they got off the bus. When the gang was out, parents kept their children home from the kids' club. Folks would call the police, but they seldom responded. Eventually, the cops started cracking down and the gang became less brazen.
Two weeks before we came to Dallas, I was leading the adults' Bible study at the ministry center when we heard what sounded like firecrackers outside. We hoped that's what the sound was, but in vain. Another young man had been gunned down in the heart of the neighborhood. When we had our kids' program three nights later, half of the children stayed home due to the parents' fear of flying bullets.
But the news is far from all bad.
The kids' program had outgrown the space we had built for them on Fran and Ileana's back patio, and something had to be done to accomodate them. No matter how inadequate the facilities were, they just kept on coming! So we finally decided to gut the existing house, build an upstairs for the family to live in, and use the entire downstairs for the ministry.
Fran, Ileana, and their two daughters Naomi and Fiorela moved out to the back patio (it was walled and covered) in April and lived there until September while we built the upstairs. The second floor is almost finished now, and the downstairs is gradually becoming a kid-friendly ministry center.
We're down to $150 in the construction fund and hope to raise more funds and start putting the finishing touches together in March.
This was actually the second construction project we had undertaken in less than six months.
Fran's mother Norma had been in poor health and had to go live with with them. They had already taken in granddaughter Alexa, so Norma had to share a small bedroom with her, Naomi and Fiorela. First Presbyterian Church of DeLand, Florida provided the funds to build a bedroom for Norma. This was a powerful testimony to Norma of God's love and it opened the door for Ileana to lead her to Christ. The last month of Norma's life showed a marked change in her. She went to be with the Lord in January.
But the first month of 2011 left us no inkling of the workload that Martha would face...
Buen Pastor women's prison was literally falliong off a cliff, so they moved several hundred women to other prisons while they built new facilities. Martha and co-leader Barbara continued to have Celebrate Recovery classes at Buen Pastor with the women who remained. Meanwhile...
Several of the women landed at a prison called La Reforma over an hour away from our house. They asked the prison to provide a Celebrate Recovery program for them, so Martha ended up taking Celebrate Recovery to both prisons. At La Reforma, Martha co-leads Celebrate with an inmate from South Africa named Loriette. Loriette completed the program at the other prioson and is a changed woman.
2011 also saw two prison riots. Martha had the opportunity to counsel some of the women in the aftermath. One riot ensued when the roommate of one of the women in the program died due to gross negligence on the part of the prison staff.
But Martha's work didn't just double with the prison transfers. She also continued to support and mentor women who were given "half time release."
One of these women was Dana from Romania. When an inmate has served half her sentence, she becomes eligible to go live and work with a family in order to reintegrate gradually into society.
But...
the program is subject to abuse...
Dana went to a family that had her sharing a bedroom with a man and working in their restaurant thirteen hours a day, seven days a week. Martha and I went to meet with the Romanian consul (there's no Romanian embassy in Costa Rica; a local Costa rican businessman serves as consul), who promiosed to recify the situation. Dana endured two more months of exploitation by her "host family" before the consul hired her on as an administrator for his own family's farm.
Dana is thrinving in her new situation and is now supporting and helping care for other inmates at the prison.
Dana, however, was just one of many folks we tried to help in 2011 whose survival depended on being exploited.
The Nexus group faithfully made its rounds ministering to prostitutes on Wednesdays throughout the year. Most of them seemed genuinely glad to see us. Some walked the other way or said they were too busy to talk. Every night was an adventure. The year ended with a Christmas banquet for them at the church offices. We had already come to Dallas, however, and so could not attend.
Caleb turned 14 and made good grades at the rigorous Collegio Metodista (Methodist School). He served in student government and takes guitar and tuba. He attended two youth groups weekly, one in English and one in Spanish, plus a weekly Bible study. He overtook his dad in height this year.
Joseph turned six this past year. He has a knack for reading and art. A painting of his, called "El Aquario" (The Aquarium) was chosen to represent his school in a city-wide art show in October.
Martha and I tried to take a date on Mondays whenever possible. I got certified in scuba and we're now both Open Water divers.
Martha enjoyed good health and had no new signs of cancer.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow! May you have a happy and blessed new year!
The year 2011 began with us receiving $5700 in seed money from the church here in Dallas for a construction project in Tejarcillos. More gifts from other churches and individuals would follow. We're still not finished--the cost overruns have been mind-boggling--but we do have a functioning facility for the ministry now.
A local couple named Fran and Ileana has been working with us for about six years now. Under their leadership the children's program had grown from 15 to about 50 kids. Tejarcillos is a tough place to do ministry. For a while there was a gang of teenage thugs that would wait for folks at the bus stop in front of Fran and Ileana's house and rob them when they got off the bus. When the gang was out, parents kept their children home from the kids' club. Folks would call the police, but they seldom responded. Eventually, the cops started cracking down and the gang became less brazen.
Two weeks before we came to Dallas, I was leading the adults' Bible study at the ministry center when we heard what sounded like firecrackers outside. We hoped that's what the sound was, but in vain. Another young man had been gunned down in the heart of the neighborhood. When we had our kids' program three nights later, half of the children stayed home due to the parents' fear of flying bullets.
But the news is far from all bad.
The kids' program had outgrown the space we had built for them on Fran and Ileana's back patio, and something had to be done to accomodate them. No matter how inadequate the facilities were, they just kept on coming! So we finally decided to gut the existing house, build an upstairs for the family to live in, and use the entire downstairs for the ministry.
Fran, Ileana, and their two daughters Naomi and Fiorela moved out to the back patio (it was walled and covered) in April and lived there until September while we built the upstairs. The second floor is almost finished now, and the downstairs is gradually becoming a kid-friendly ministry center.
We're down to $150 in the construction fund and hope to raise more funds and start putting the finishing touches together in March.
This was actually the second construction project we had undertaken in less than six months.
Fran's mother Norma had been in poor health and had to go live with with them. They had already taken in granddaughter Alexa, so Norma had to share a small bedroom with her, Naomi and Fiorela. First Presbyterian Church of DeLand, Florida provided the funds to build a bedroom for Norma. This was a powerful testimony to Norma of God's love and it opened the door for Ileana to lead her to Christ. The last month of Norma's life showed a marked change in her. She went to be with the Lord in January.
But the first month of 2011 left us no inkling of the workload that Martha would face...
Buen Pastor women's prison was literally falliong off a cliff, so they moved several hundred women to other prisons while they built new facilities. Martha and co-leader Barbara continued to have Celebrate Recovery classes at Buen Pastor with the women who remained. Meanwhile...
Several of the women landed at a prison called La Reforma over an hour away from our house. They asked the prison to provide a Celebrate Recovery program for them, so Martha ended up taking Celebrate Recovery to both prisons. At La Reforma, Martha co-leads Celebrate with an inmate from South Africa named Loriette. Loriette completed the program at the other prioson and is a changed woman.
2011 also saw two prison riots. Martha had the opportunity to counsel some of the women in the aftermath. One riot ensued when the roommate of one of the women in the program died due to gross negligence on the part of the prison staff.
But Martha's work didn't just double with the prison transfers. She also continued to support and mentor women who were given "half time release."
One of these women was Dana from Romania. When an inmate has served half her sentence, she becomes eligible to go live and work with a family in order to reintegrate gradually into society.
But...
the program is subject to abuse...
Dana went to a family that had her sharing a bedroom with a man and working in their restaurant thirteen hours a day, seven days a week. Martha and I went to meet with the Romanian consul (there's no Romanian embassy in Costa Rica; a local Costa rican businessman serves as consul), who promiosed to recify the situation. Dana endured two more months of exploitation by her "host family" before the consul hired her on as an administrator for his own family's farm.
Dana is thrinving in her new situation and is now supporting and helping care for other inmates at the prison.
Dana, however, was just one of many folks we tried to help in 2011 whose survival depended on being exploited.
The Nexus group faithfully made its rounds ministering to prostitutes on Wednesdays throughout the year. Most of them seemed genuinely glad to see us. Some walked the other way or said they were too busy to talk. Every night was an adventure. The year ended with a Christmas banquet for them at the church offices. We had already come to Dallas, however, and so could not attend.
Caleb turned 14 and made good grades at the rigorous Collegio Metodista (Methodist School). He served in student government and takes guitar and tuba. He attended two youth groups weekly, one in English and one in Spanish, plus a weekly Bible study. He overtook his dad in height this year.
Joseph turned six this past year. He has a knack for reading and art. A painting of his, called "El Aquario" (The Aquarium) was chosen to represent his school in a city-wide art show in October.
Martha and I tried to take a date on Mondays whenever possible. I got certified in scuba and we're now both Open Water divers.
Martha enjoyed good health and had no new signs of cancer.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow! May you have a happy and blessed new year!
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