Wandering Thoughts

2010-10-24T13:35:00.000-07:00

A Big Transition

After a very long time of not updating the blog there is quite a bit to write about. Since the last post Maria Augusta and I were married in January, in July we came to the US, and after visiting family, churches, and supporters for a month we moved to the Twin Cities area in August. We are now somewhat settled in and are learning plenty in our cross-cultural transition.

Many have asked us why we moved to the Twin Cities area. The "it sounded like a good idea" excuse doesn't cut it for most so I'll try and explain. Our main reason for coming to the US was so that I could study. That said we also wanted a metropolitan and multicultural area in which to settle.

Several years ago I lived in this area while working and attending bible school. I have several friends here yet and Minneapolis and St. Paul definitely fits the bill of being multicultural. Add to that a number of solid colleges and universities and a decent economic base and you have the basic reasons we decide to settle here.

Since then we found out that this area is the eighth largest concentration of Hispanic population in the US with more than 200,000 Hispanics in the city metropolis. This also happens to be one of the highest densities of Ecuadorians in the US; estimates from five years ago put the population between 10,000 and 15,000. As a result there is even an Ecuadorian consulate here which will facilitate any paperwork we need to do in the future.

The decision to move here is one that God has confirmed to us through a variety of ways including by providing a church family and growing group of friends. Guess we'll see what else He has for us in the coming months and years.

2009-09-15T18:19:00.000-07:00

There are a few things in life that really change things… I mean like the entire direction of your life. One motivational speaker I once heard says that you will be the same person you are now in five years except for the books you read and the people you meet. Well, there is one person I have met here in Ecuador that has changed my life in a significant way. Her name is Maria Augusta Echeverria although she will often introduce herself as Agus.

Agus works as part of La Red Juvenil, roughly translated as The Youth Network, training, networking, and supporting those who work with and pastor youth. Since graduating with a degree in theology she has been part of this ministry which is one of the five branches of Youth World, or Mundo Juvenil, El Refugio being another of those. Obviously we met as a result of that connection. Agus patiently invited me to one event after another for about six months before I accepted an invitation, that just so happened to be her birthday party at her parent’s home last year. Although we did things together here and there it wasn’t until she moved to Quito to live with one of the El Refugio staff members in January of 2009 that we really began to spend time together on a consistent basis.

And then there was the night where things clicked, 14 February. We had gone out with several friends and there I realized that I actually had more than a small interest in this woman. The next day we went to a park to talk things over and there we decided that we were officially a couple.

Just over six months later I asked her parents for permission to marry their daughter and a few weeks later we celebrated that fact with dinner and a carriage ride in the historic district of Quito.

We plan to be married the 16^th of January here on the outskirts of Quito. From there we will continue to serve in our respective ministries, hopefully being people that influence the direction of the lives of others for Christ, both individually and as a couple.

2009-05-24T17:44:00.000-07:00

A day in the life…

Recently my days have become quite an interesting mix. Here for instance is the rundown for Friday 15 May:

Greet the workers in the morning, make sure everyone knows what they are doing.
Ask Andres to help bring down recently cut poles (trees) with the tractor.
(Andres tells me we are out of diesel for the tractor)
Remind Enrique to give antibiotic injection to the dog.
Set a few cabinets in the apartment.
Run into town to get the remaining bath tile we need for the shower.
First stop – machinist to drop off a part to be modified for our compactor
Second stop – to another ministry (Extreme Response) to drop off extra conduit we had on hand.
Third stop – tile shop that winds up being too expensive
Fourth stop – hardware store to buy a range hood
Fifth stop – a tile store I had scouted the day before. Success! left with tile and grout.
Gave Enrique money to get diesel and gas from the gas station with a reminder to get a receipt.
Lunch with a few team members in Calacalí. Saw on the news that the first case of swine flu, or H1N1 whatever, was confirmed in Ecuador.
Answer a few emails on some legal and finance issues.
Finish details on the cabinets set in the morning.
Talk over details of having our trails cut with a neighboring missionary.
Pay workers.
Talk over details of Holger’s house project with him.
Check in with a man who had come to purchase alfalfa from us.
Take care of receipts and cash I wound up with.

Clean up to go to a birthday party of a Youth World team member. I was pretty tired but it was fun.

Hasta la proxima...

~MWL

2008-07-23T06:26:00.000-07:00

El Reto -

The weekend of the 12th we hosted an adventure race at El Refugio in partnership with an organization called Proyecto Aventura. They generally host three shorter races a year (about 30 km each) and then the Huaraisinchi (about 300 km). The shorter races consist of running, biking, and orienteering.

The event went well with our biggest concern being parking. Racers made it off alright, the first checkpoint was at the top of our property, 1300 ft. (400m) above the starting line. Teams in the elite category made it up in about 25 minutes. After descending they grabbed their bikes to re-ascend by a different route before finding a few orienteering points again on foot.

There are a few details here in Spanish, a few photos here.

2008-07-10T22:15:00.000-07:00

Transition and third culture living –

The main thrust of the retreat we hosted for a group of missionary kids last week was how to navigate the many transitions of third culture living. Third culture kids are those whose parents are from one culture yet are living in a second country/culture. They in essence wind up being part of their original culture and their host culture(s) yet are rarely fully integrated into either one, thus the formation of a third culture due to influences from various people and places. The themes presented were Reconciliation (mending relationships), Affirmation (thanking and encouraging those who impact your life), Farewells (healthy goodbyes, good closure), and Thinking Ahead (proper expectations, anticipating realities). Through all of these we were reminded that God’s standard is that of love (1 Cor. 13) and it doesn’t change no matter who we are.

So what is it these kids like about going home on furlough? Root beer, Dr. Pepper, free refills, friends, Wal-mart.
And not so much? Not fitting in, prayer cards from six years ago, and speaking at churches.

They stopped on the church theme for awhile, mainly bringing up the questions and comments: “I changed your diapers when you were little.”
“We have your picture on our fridge.”
“Do you live in a grass hut?”
“Do you ride an elephant to school?”
“Do you have electricity?”
“Poor dears”
and not least “Aren’t you glad to be home?”
That last question once again sparked discussion as for nearly all these kids they are more at home in their host country than they are in North America.

I greatly enjoyed facilitating activities for these young people and I’m sure I learned more from them than they did from me. Not that they don’t face challenges but their global vision gives them great potential to be world changers.

2008-07-10T22:10:00.000-07:00

Word association: Riot –

What do you think of when you hear the word riot? Last week I had the opportunity to facilitate for a group of missionary kids. It was eye opening. Those of us facilitating sat in on many of their other sessions in order to be able to use our activities to reinforce the lessons they were learning daily. The retreat leader was a former missionary kid and was able to speak from experience on many issues that third culture kids face. One thing she did was have the kids say what came to mind when she mentioned the word riot. Here are a few of their responses:
Rocks
Burning tires
Roadblocks
Lockdown
Travel restrictions
Emergency food supplies
Change of president

To say that these kids have lived a different reality than their North American counterparts is an understatement. It took a few days for them to open up to those of us who don’t fully share their experience but I was very grateful for the chance to get to know a few of them. While they are often put on a pedestal for wrong reasons these kids do have an incredible opportunity to impact the world.

2008-07-10T22:00:00.000-07:00

Rumiñahui -

So the Geneva Youth team left on a Tuesday evening and with only two days until our next group several of us wanted a little escape. What more restful activity than seven and a half hour, 8.95 mile hike, 2900 ft. up, 2900 ft. down, topping out at 15,550 ft. ? Perhaps you can think of a few but we had a great time and God showed us some breathtaking panoramas and sights. A few pictures here.

2008-07-10T21:33:00.000-07:00

Geneva Youth –

Our work projects continued with the Geneva Youth team: forty eight high schoolers and their leaders who upheld their reputation with us for hard work and great attitudes. The main project they worked on was pouring cement for our new shop/maintenance area. They also cleaned our irrigation pool, hauled brush, worked on our roads, and built areas, trails, and rails for low ropes activities. A VBS they held onsite drew 150 kids the second day. An overnight trip to the jungle was a good time to connect with more of the youth. We stopped at the MAF hangar where Nate Saint flew out of, hiked in the jungle, rode downriver in leaky dugout canoes, and had a baptismal service at a waterfall. Good times.

2008-06-15T14:33:00.000-07:00

Summer Work Teams –

The time has arrived. School’s out and in addition to retreats we host short term missions teams from North America. Our first team, from Geneva, IL, just left leaving in its wake a pile of completed projects. An overnight trip down to the jungle/cloudforest gave the group a chance to see a bit more of Ecuador and interact with a community through an open gym night and visit an orphanage in Latacunga.

2008-06-15T14:29:00.000-07:00

The 5th & 6th of June we hosted our largest overnight group ever. Over 120 people from Boehringer-Ingelheim pharmaceuticals stayed at El Refugio as part of a team building/survival experience in partnership with DeSempre, a corporate team building and leadership development company here in Ecuador. Each of the El Refugio staff was paired with a facilitator from DeSempre to assist in whatever logistic and safety issues might arise. The team I was with worked very well together and readily achieved the goals set before them in the activities. As part of the survival experience each group was given a live chicken though of the eight groups only one decided to make the chicken part of the menu. Overall the time went well.

2008-06-15T14:25:00.000-07:00

Taking advantage of a few days of downtime at El Refugio in the latter part of May, a few of us hiked from El Tambo out to Antisana. The hike went well, we took our time over two days, six miles, and several thousand feet of elevation of change to meet up with a few others for a summit attempt of Antisana. We had beautiful weather the morning of our climb which made for an amazing panorama on the summit.. Photos here.

2008-02-02T20:58:00.000-08:00

Youth World Annual Meetings -

This past week held four days of meeting together as a mission. Each of the five ministry areas had the opportunity to share what went on in the past year as well as plans for the future. It was a good time of reflection and renewal. Tim Barnes, former vice-president of International Teams (IT) was with us sharing from Matthew 5-7 and among other things covered the core values of IT. I have posted those below, great reminders.
So all in all it was a good week though kind of long for those of us used to being physically active every day. I had also forgotten what it was like to get stuck in traffic on a daily commute, it takes about an hour to get into our office in Quito, half that with no traffic.

IT Core Values

We identify with the lostness of the world. We ourselves are utterly lost apart from the grace of Jesus.

Faith is more than a decision. Christ’s call of “follow me” means transformed people building transforming communities.

We want to build deep and long term. We want to be there before and long after the big campaign rolls through town.

We are relational and strategic, living among those we serve.

God values one person. We value one person. Without limit. We will go to extraordinary measures to bring the present and future hope of God’s kingdom to each one.

We believe the church is God’s agent to reach the world. Really. Therefore, we are profoundly committed to the local church in its mission.

We are an interdenominational Christian, evangelical ministry, living out worship and service to God from our wide range of backgrounds and styles.

Expressive worship of the living God is humanity’s highest calling and ultimate end. We do it with joy, as often as we can.

God is both dangerous and good. Following him is a risk-taking adventure, dependent on a miraculous God.

Missions belongs to the whole world. We believe in people coming from everywhere, going to everywhere.

Fail Forward. We all fail. Our success is not based on avoiding failure, but on facing our mistakes and learning from them.

2008-01-14T17:43:00.000-08:00

There's been plenty of wandering over the past few months, just not a lot of posted thoughts. In reviewing the last few months I found a couple items I wrote up that didn't make it here, you'll find them below. This year one of my goals is to post more consistently, we’ll see how it goes...thus far it's been a full year.

~MWL

2008-01-14T17:18:00.000-08:00

The New Year!

Happy New Year to all! December 31 was an enjoyable end to an incredible year. A group of twelve of us, including two friends from Romania who have been staying with me, summitted Gua Gua Pichincha. Gua Gua is an active volcano that sits right above Quito and tops out at 15, 620 ft. It is only about an hours’ hike from where you park at the refuge.

I spent the evening with a family in San Antonio where we set off fireworks and burned the old man, the old year personified in a life-sized doll stuffed with paper and a few extra surprises. This tradition is coupled with men dressing up as the widow of the old year, stopping people in the street (cars included) and demanding money before they let you pass. Yes, rather scary. They have no hesitations with closing down main streets so getting around is a little difficult that evening.

2008-01-14T16:36:00.000-08:00

Our employee Christmas party. (14 Dec. 2007) We worked a half day this Friday then had lunch together with the seven or so employees who worked at El Refugio over the past year and their families. They all received a gift basket along with their Christmas bonuses and divided the remains of the pig between them. There was nothing left of him.

Roasting the pig at 4 am.

A few of the families enjoying dinner.

2008-01-14T16:34:00.000-08:00

Huairasinchi

I wrote this up the day most of us got back (4 Nov. 2007). It took two more days for the rest to make it back to Quito. No injuries apart from a few scrapes and blisters but some very tired team members.

The experiences of the past few days are ones that I am having a hard to fitting into words. They encompassed hundreds of kilometers, involved landscapes whose dimensions and beauty defy capture and description, and involved hundreds of lives, many of them indelibly marked.

Those indelibly marked include a handful of young people in their teens and twenty’s whom El Refugio has been training over the past six months to run control points for this race. These young people are Christians who have demonstrated a strong desire to learn more of God’s creation and the skills needed to survive in and enjoy those places less frequented by humans. The group ranged from those who hold leadership positions in their churches to some who would be considered at-risk youth.

The race began from Cotopaxi national park touching 15,450 ft. before wrapping and winding down to the jungle ending at 5,000 ft., 200 kilometers later. Challenges included rain, snow, cold, and altitude. One of my companions stated that he never would have imagined that he would have the chance to be up that high and that close to the mountain. In spite of the discomfort he was amazed by the landscape and God answered his request for snow our second morning. Later, as we spent most of a day driving from one location to another he confessed he had always stayed at home and was getting to know much more of his country than he had before. Several of the others also had their first experience with snow and were also overwhelmed by the settings God fashioned for them whether by sunlight or starlight.

This morning we had the joy of meeting an elderly Christian gentleman who gave us a history of how the truth of God’s word came to the small town we stayed in despite much persecution and how that from there it had spread to many surrounding towns. His passion to see Jesus preached as the Way, the Truth, and the Life was very evident. The importance of this message and the impermanence of life were driven home as he told us with tears that a mudslide had killed a very close friend of his along with three others this morning due to the heavy rains last night.

It was fitting that these young people hear and see that God’s people are at work even in remote parts of their country. During our debrief last night they shared how even in the little interaction they had with the race teams they desired to share their love for God even in small ways like a “God bless you” as the teams departed. The desire to serve in whatever way possible and do every task with excellence I believe also was a visible difference.

The challenges of the race are not yet over though the last team crossed the finish line this morning about 9:00 am. While writing this I received a text message that one of our checkpoint teams is still on its way out of the jungle. The team on a point closer than them walked 12 hours to get out. After that it’s a 4-5 hour drive back to Quito.

2008-01-14T16:27:00.000-08:00

Cotopaxi –

Several weeks ago (26, 27 Oct. 2007) I had the opportunity to lead a group on a summit bid of Cotopaxi, the second highest mountain in Ecuador. I was discussing going rock climbing with a friend who is the assistant program director at El Refugio when he mentioned that a friend/guest of his who had come down to help with the Huairasinchi adventure race really wanted to climb Cotopaxi. Thus the plan was born.

Like nearly all the groups that climb Cotopaxi we stayed at the refuge, arriving about 4:00 pm. After supper we attempted to sleep, for the most part with little success. Though I had slept at 13,000 ft. a few weeks before, 15,900 ft. proved to be a bit much and I would awaken every 15 minutes or so nearly gasping for breath.

At 11:00 pm the alarm went off. The mix of emotions at that moment is interesting – you’re grateful that the torturous sleep is over yet filled with fear and anticipation of the climb. Part of you wants to go, the other part knows it’s going to be painful and would rather stay where it is. We began to layer up, much more comfortable doing that in the refuge than in a tent, your fingers actually work when tying your boots. By 12:25 am after eating a quick breakfast we shouldered our packs and began winding our way up the mountain under a full moon. Apart from route-finding here and there we walked without using our headlamps. An hour or so up we donned crampons, tied into a rope, and started up the glacier ice axes in hand. The horizon expanded as our elevation increased, revealing the surrounding peaks. Not a cloud to be seen.

We moved slowly. I tried to find a consistent pace that all could maintain but it was difficult. The cold of the dawn penetrated my limbs. Pain seared through my feet several times as my toes unthawed. Occasional stops for water, rest, a snack. Still we moved up.

The warmth of the sun was a welcome feeling when we finally crested a ridge that allowed its rays to penetrate our layered clothing. Hours had passed since dawn, the cone shaped shadow of the mountain stretched below us. The moon that had cast shadows only a few hours before sat as a faint spec in the blue expanse of the sky.

The expanse of the mountain remained a challenge, every ridge looked to be the last, every crest revealed another. Finally at 9:40 am we ran out of glacier with nothing left to climb. Puffy clouds had rolled in to dot the landscape below us, the taller mountains poked through. A few photos, a few moments taking in the wondrous expanse of the landscape, a brief puff of smoke from a distant volcano reminding us of the potential activity of the gaping crater next to us, and we headed down.

Going down can be fun, this time it wasn’t. The snow had become a sticky glop that stuck to the bottom of our crampons and prevented the points from doing their job of keeping us on the mountain. Despite efforts to maintain contact with the mountain several members would fall dropping the others into arrest on their ice axes. We became quite good at this technique by the time we reached the base of the mountain, tired, hungry, and ready to go home.

As we made it to the car and began to drive out of the park that skirts the giant volcanic dome of Cotopaxi, the clouds and icy precipitation cleared enough to give a spectacular view of the mountain. I mentally reviewed the experience and was awed to have been permitted a view from the top, from the other side, the one that many might want but few are willing to pay the price for.

2007-10-31T08:26:00.000-07:00

A busy month including a work team from Michigan, drivers training, and summitting Cotopaxi. At the moment most of us are headed to help with the logistics of the Huairasinchi adventure race which begins tomorrow morning. 300 km (200 miles) of running, biking, and kayaking. More when I return.

~MWL

2007-10-01T21:04:00.000-07:00

Huarasinchi

This weekend I tagged along on a campout designed to give more outdoor experience to a group of Ecuadorian young adults who will run the control points of the Huarasinchi adventure race this November. The idea is to pair them with one other more experienced individual who is bi-lingual (English/Spanish).

From El Refugio we headed over through the town of San Antonio which boasts the Mitad del Mundo monument which nearly every tourist visits and then around the back side of the Pululahua Crater reserve. After passing through a very dusty mining area we parked at the home of an elderly couple and hiked up the hillside. The group I was with for the day received training in LNT (Leave No Trace), cooking with camp stoves, and how to set up a survival shelter made out of a tarp. Meanwhile those who had been through the training already were camped at the top of the hill in the middle of a corn field and several of us joined them after sending the others off to spend the night under their tarps.

The evening was quite enjoyable, spaghetti for supper, great conversation. A fair amount of stars shown through scattered clouds with a bright moon and it wasn’t all that cold. It was the first time I’ve camped in Ecuador that I didn’t have to worry about snow blowing in my tent every time I opened the door and I could put my sunscreen on in the morning without thawing it out first. This was due to the fact that we were camped at 10,000 ft. instead of 15,000 ft. Quite enjoyable actually, breathing is a lot easier.

It was interesting to hear from the participants their various reasons for wanting to be a part of the race support team. For many it is a chance to learn more of the outdoors. One young man specifically mentioned that he was there to experience God’s creation away from the Playstation, something many in Quito never do. Contrasting this was another man in his mid to late twenties who grew up in the country but now teaches at a technical high school. He brought to our attention the tremendous amount of work it takes to plant by hand the corn that surrounded us. While he said he couldn’t escape that fact he wanted to experience the outdoors “from the other side,” to enjoy it. From the responses we have a great team whose members are open to what God wants to show them. Can't wait to see what happens.

~MWL

2007-10-01T20:51:00.000-07:00

PTC

A little update on our main project at the moment, the Professional Training Center. This building will be used mainly for leadership training in various capacities and is coming about in partnership with Leader Mundial. They had the money, we had the property. Our current goal is to ensure that the building is complete for use in February for the global leadership conference. Last year saw about 30 organizational leaders from 9 countries.

This past week we finished the roof tile which was an enjoyable chore. The preparation for that point however was quite a process. Roof decking is tongue and groove that will be seen from the inside. Then the purloins had to be laid, wet eucalyptus that wasn’t the greatest to work with. We also capped the overhangs with a form of fascia to keep the decking in good order. Anyway, all that has been about two weeks in taking shape amidst everything else going on around here.

~MWL

2007-10-01T20:45:00.000-07:00

A little bit of life –

So last week I had this craving for rice and beans. Very crazy. More specifically the craving was for gallo pinto, a typical food from Costa Rica. Perhaps it was the conversation a few days before with someone visiting from the Latin America IT office (in Costa Rica) and several others who had spent time there, not sure. Nevertheless, that night I made gallo pinto minus the cilantro (which I didn’t have on hand) along with fried eggs and platanos maduros (mature plantains). Great stuff.

That was a good ending to an interesting week. While it had its good points, like nearly finishing the roof on the PTC (more on that later) and getting signed up for the driver’s ed class I have to take, there were a few negatives. Mainly, while trying to use my ATM card the machine took it. That in itself wasn’t a bad thing, actually it may have been a good thing as it caused me to review my bank records. In doing so I realized that someone had used my card, or number, twice on the east coast of the US the day before. That realization brought about a call to cancel my card at 1 am and the following morning a few calls to inform my bank and ask for a new card. They were extremely helpful. I’m afraid that is part of the adventure of living here in Ecuador and very likely to happen again.

2007-10-01T20:39:00.000-07:00

How’s Life?

A few weeks ago at our staff meeting we had a visitor named Jim Burns who has been a friend of Youth World for quite some time. Returning from a youth workers convention in Argentina he stopped with his wife to visit friends in Quito, many of them from Youth World. He brought a great challenge from Heb. 12:1-2 and shared the questions below as a means of evaluating how life is going and what needs to change.

- Is it working? Is life working?

- Am I focused?

- What do I need to do to sustain my life, family, health, and ministry over the long haul? (How am I doing? What’s holding me back?)

- Is my character submitted to Christ?

- Am I living a life of integrity?

- Is my pace of life sustainable?

- Is my heart for God shrinking or growing?

- What areas of my life do I need the courage to change? (What’s holding me back?)

- Do I have enough replenishing relationships? Do I invest in these relationships?

- Do I like the person I am becoming?

- Is the work of God I’m doing destroying the work of God in me?

- Am I giving my family only my emotional scraps?

~MWL

2007-10-01T20:27:00.000-07:00

Climbing -

A few excursions thus far. Three of us went to Imbabura and summitted as a trainer peak before an attempt on Cayambe. Yes, I say attempt as we made it to the base camp and no further. Strong winds and lightning made us decide to abandon the attempt and the usual midnight departure. The tent I was in suffered bent poles and the next morning it took us over an hour to dig the tents out of the snow. The trip did serve however to expose our two Ecuadorian interns to snow and glacier travel. That was cool to see as neither of them had ever experienced snow before despite the fact they regularly see it on clear days from their homes.

~MWL

2007-08-23T21:47:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am in Ecuador. No, it’s not hot, at least not at the moment.

My first week in Ecuador has flown by, nothing new there. I am settled into a two bedroom apartment on the property of El Refugio. This makes the morning commute a 15 second walk around the corner, no complaints there. My vehicle is insured and I am learning my way about the labyrinth of Quito, at least they have street names which is more than I can say for San Jose.

At the moment I am sitting next to my house’s only source of heat, a heater that runs on a 6 or 7 gallon propane cylinder. A few minutes ago I stepped outside to look around, I could see my breath, probably somewhere about 50 degrees, probably upper 40’s. The scattered clouds slowly passed over the moon’s crescent which well defined the ridgeline 1700 ft. above me. The neighborhood dogs are restless tonight, barking incessantly.

My house and its adjoining buildings make up one side of a triangle shaped garden. In the garden are a number of fruit trees, mainly lemons, and some vegetables. The edge to the left is defined by a 20 ft. high hedge, the edge to the right is as well, or was I should say, until we knocked a hole in it last year in order to put a 30’ x 50’ building there. That building, which we call the Professional Training Center, is our current large project. Two days ago we finished forming and pouring the bond beam to tie the block walls together. Next week we’re hoping to have a roof on it.

In shopping for household items I have thus far been shocked at how much more is available and how much prices have come down in the past two years. The Spanish is coming back little by little, my interactions with Ecuadorians are thoroughly enjoyed on my part, probably not always on theirs. Being able to communicate with people, the workers especially is a wonderful thing, I look forward to building deeper relationships with them.

Photos are in the works.

~MWL

2007-08-01T12:26:00.000-07:00

One cannot stay on the summit forever –
One has to come down again.
So why bother in the first place? Just this.

What is above knows what is below –
But what is below does not know what is above.

One climbs, one sees –
One descends and sees no longer –
But one has seen!

There is an art of conducting one’s self in
The lower regions by the memory of
What one saw higher up.

When one can no longer see,
One does at least still know.

René Daumal

2007-07-25T14:29:00.000-07:00

The summer has been quite busy. While I am visiting friends in Minneapolis most of my family is scattered across the western states, at camp in WA, backpacking in WY, or fighting fires in NV. At right is a photo of a hand crew in northern Nevada where my brother is working for the next few weeks. More photos and information here. Despite the heat and hard work he is enjoying the experience.

~MWL

2007-07-25T14:21:00.000-07:00

Here's a photo of one of my projects while home, a deck on my parent's house. Fortunately the bugs haven't been bad this summer so it is a great place to sit and is in the shade by about five in the afternoon.

~MWL

2007-04-28T07:49:00.000-07:00

Tuesday afternoon I made it back to the United States and landed in Michigan late that night. I must say it is good to be back!

Impressions thus far:

wide beautiful roads (yes Michiganders, I'm talkin' 'bout your roads)
tranquil driving
not having to evaluate everything I'm carrying to see if I can live without it if I'm robbed (though the mental process still happens)
the peaceful stillness of the forest
how little has changed

~MWL

2007-04-28T07:17:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I made my last visit to La Carpio, a shanty town or precario near San Jose occupied mostly by Nicaraguans, many of them illegal immigrants. Though I hesitate to use the comparison, Nicaraguans are to Costa Ricans what Mexicans are to many citizens of the the United States. Many consider them to be a nuisance that doesn't belong, prejudice runs strong, the jokes are often cruel. As those that immigrate to the States these people come in search of a better life, sometimes in search of life itself. A poor existence is better than none.

Every time I visit I am struck by the conditions that these people live with but this time moreso. We walked around the block this time, through the dirt streets muddy from the unseasonably early rains. Carefully we picked our way down to the river where we saw the houses in the photo. The kids of course swarmed out of the houses to cheerfully greet us, the surrounding doesn't seem to affect them so much. They have fun in the mud and in the river, despite the raw sewage the river washes away.

That afternoon the kids had fun playing games and were also presented with the challenge to be missionaries themselves, to share the words of Jesus wherever they are. Some of these kids are going to cover quite a few miles in there lives, wandering from country to country, job to job. Perhaps they can grasp the concept to bring life in Christ with them on those journeys. What is hardship and pain for most people is considered everyday life for these kids. Maybe there's a few things I need to learn from them.

~MWL

2007-02-15T14:41:00.000-08:00

Today I visited Hogar Luz which started out as a home for children with special needs but has grown with the children they had until they now have older adults as well. They have about forty some people, the youngest of which is about 3, the oldest somewhere around late forties.

Situated southeast of San Jose on more or less the foothill of Volcan Irazu, the home is well designed in the open architecture typical of this area. We found the residents in the patio, the porch/yard area, enjoying a beautiful afternoon. One little boy, Adam, pursued us in his wheelchair and I had the chance to take him out and play for a bit. Aged four, he is scheduled for his second surgery to correct spinal issues on the 18th of this month and will be in a full torso cast for three months. That will be hard for him to take as he enjoys being able to move around, something many at the home are not able to do.

We went with a couple who needed to scout the place for an upcoming service day for their youth-group. I had visited the place at Christmas but wanted to learn more about how they run things, are funded, etc. Having two siblings with special needs I have a more personal interest in such places, though they are still mentally and emotionally hard places to visit.

A pastor, also a licensed psychologist, who was also with us and whose church is quite involved at the home said, “Whenever I have a lot of problems, I come here for a while.”

It is definitely a place that demonstrates God’s love and yeah, it changes your focus in life.

- MWL

2007-02-14T10:18:00.000-08:00

Last week Monday and Tuesday afternoons I tagged along with the directors of La Cumbre, the camp I've been helping at, to visit a few camp/adventure locations. Monday we visited a place called Fossil Land that bills itself as an educational adventure place. Rappelling, camping, caving, paintball, gym soccer, and hiking are some of the activities they have. Interesting place, carismatic owner with a pretty big vision.

Tuesday we visited Roble Alto, one of the first and largest christian camps in Costa Rica. It was interesting to see the difference that location makes in what the camp offers and also how the established networks, coupled with the directors' approach, forms and shapes the overall development.

~MWL

2007-01-31T07:36:00.000-08:00

A few comments on living in Costa Rica. One part of daily life that is different from living in the States is the constant preoccupation with security. It defines much of life in many ways that I take for granted while in Michigan.

Below is a picture of the entry to the home where I live. There are two gates, one door, an extra lock for the evening, and another interior door that locks from the inside. Each of these has a different key and the locks are double-throw. There are bars that surround the house and others that cover every window. As one of my teachers said, we basically live in jails.

Is all this necessary? I personally know several people who have been broken into over the five months I’ve been here, and I know of several other occurrences. Among these was a house around the corner that had all the appliances and electronic devices stolen. People who leave on vacation often find someone to stay in their house while gone. Two days ago the pulperia or neighborhood grocery store which is two doors (about 30 ft.) down was robbed. All of this in spite of the security precautions.

When walking anywhere it is necessary to be aware of what is going on, who is around, what they are doing. Petty theft is very common. Both my Tica mom and sister had their purses slit while in San Jose, done during a distraction with an umbrella. Often tourists are more of a target than Ticos.

In the country areas security is not as tight; often times there are no gates or bars on the windows. One can relax a little more. Over the course of several weeks it is amazing to note how much stress builds up when you are constantly on your guard.

Just some observations on life, something I live with, not really something I can do anything about.

2006-09-18T17:29:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was the Independence Day celebration in Costa Rica; the first holiday since my arrival the 28th of August. As a result we had off of school and the teachers were kind enough to leave us devoid of homework.

Thursday evening I attended a celebration at the local elementary school with my Tico “parents,” their two married daughters, and the grandkids. They had the traditional runners come in to the assembly with a torch symbolizing the spread of freedom down Central America from Guatemala. The stationary torch took off more than anticipated and nearly caught the ceiling of the assembly room on fire, nice touch.

We proceeded outside as a fila or parade and circled the school in a large procession lit by faroles, personal lanterns made out of paper, cardboard, holding a candle. Remember these are elementary school kids holding these lanterns. I kept having visions of what kids in the States would do with such things. Somehow the whole thing went off without incident, no burns, and no fires.

Friday several of us students converged on the bus station downtown and took a bus to Jaco, the nearest beach. Jaco is by all definitions a party town. One has only to walk around town and without even asking offers abound for nearly every illegal substance known to mankind. A friend from school, Lance, and I found a place to stay after checking out the beach. Not the cleanest or most pristine beach by any means, dirty sand, gravelly in places. The waves are large enough to surf at times and the town is a surfers’ hangout.

Despite some rather noisy neighbors we slept fitfully and awoke early to an aguacerro or thundershower. We pushed back our planned early start, slept in, and took the 11 am bus up to Parque Nacional Carara. What would have been a half hour ride on the bus directo was an hour on the collectivo (self-explanatory, it stops everywhere to pick up anyone, a good thing if that’s what you need, a pain if it’s not).

The ranger was quite friendly and explained the various parts of the park to us, mostly in English. We chose an 8-9 kilometer hike along a river through more open jungle and declined the rubber boots available for rent after being assured that the fer-de-lance snakes (pit vipers, poisonous) were not normally found on trail.

I believe the most dangerous part of the hike was the 2 kilometers down the road to get to the trail. Driving in Costa Rica is one of those “cultural experiences.” Though I was taught in mission training that cultural differences are “not right or wrong, just different;” many would disagree when it comes to traffic. Nevertheless, we were soon tromping merrily down the trail, or should I say squishing our way. The puddles often engulfed the entire trail; streams ran across or down it. This was generally not a problem except I was a bit apprehensive in crossing large murky puddles, wondering what lurked beneath the surface.

Our first encounter with an animal was an agouti in the undergrowth. Part of the rodent family, they are about the size of a rabbit and apart from insects have an equivalent diet. Further down the trail something in a tree knocked twigs loose on us and we stopped to investigate. According to my wildlife book it is called a Tayra, a creature resembling an otter, part of the raccoon family, that climbs trees and is mostly carnivorous. It didn’t take to kindly to our presence, scampering about the tree and hissing at us. This was not conducive to a clear photo, hence the lack of one.

No more encounters with animals until we reached the end of the road and started back. We dug out our pack covers and I my rain jacket as the rain came, right on the daily schedule for this time of year. Perhaps it was the rain that caused the monkeys to move about but halfway back we found them running about in the trees above us. The white-faced capuchin monkeys were great fun and we could have stood there for hours. They, along with the scarlet macaws we encountered a few moments later are members of the endangered species list.

Before this hike I must confess I wasn’t all that impressed with Costa Rica. They have jungles, yes; but so does Ecuador, beaches, the same. Mountains also, but Ecuador’s are larger. It is typical that a person in a new culture makes comparison to their primary culture, much to the chagrin of others, but I find myself making constant comparison to Ecuador. Anyway, this hike began the road to recovery, maybe I should say to appreciation. Here we were in a small, not so well known, national park; only one or two kilometers from the main road and it was like something from a National Geographic special. That’s cool.

Actually, the beginning of hope for this country living up to its reputation began for me the night before, talking with a muchacho at a tourism booth in Jaco. He described the Osa peninsula in southern Costa Rica and showed me an article in which National Geographic described this region as the most biologically intense place on the planet: over 400,000 acres with more biodiversity than anywhere else on earth. Yah, gotta go there.

So we made our way back to the ranger station, washed our feet off and caught the next bus after a five minute wait by the road; another collectivo but you can’t argue with the convenience. Well, except that we stood up almost the entire 2 ½ hours back. It’s all part of the adventure right? One that makes me look forward to exploring more. In the mean time there’s more Spanish to learn.

2006-08-22T20:36:00.000-07:00

In an attempt to find out how this works I guess I have to write something. Currently, I am in Calacali, Ecuador at a training and retreat center. Monday I head out for language school in Costa Rica. Many people have told me of Costa Rica's beauty and with my interest piqued I hope to explore a good deal of it during my eight month stay. The primary purpose of my time in Costa Rica is to acquire the language to the greatest extent of fluency I can muster.

More Later

~MWL