Where is our Treasure?

When we left Virginia's house we just continued down the same road her house was on, down to the bottom of the valley. There were only a few more homes farther down the hill from Virginia's because as we found out later this road was only here for the Electric companies access. As John described, the road ended and we parked next to a very old bridge. It was not really safe for vehicle traffic, so we walked. We could see as soon as we crossed the bridge that the housing conditions had changed from minimal to barely having a roof over your head. I must admit, I expected much worse based on the information that we had. One of these people had come to Virginia asking for cardboard or anything that they could use for shelter. So I had expected to find even worse conditions than we found. As I mentioned previously we had made plans to put together some portable roofing material for those that needed it. So as you can see from the pictures, they had rusted out corrugated tin on the roof but it was better than plastic. So, from first glance, it looked like roofing would not be the biggest need here.

Lead Me, Guide Me – Part 2

As we left Virginia’s house, we didn’t know where we were going or what to expect. It turned out to be a short trip. A quick half mile drive (maybe less) and we were there. We parked on the street that appeared to end at a bend in the river.

There was a narrow one-lane bridge going across the river to our left. Kathia informed us that a little girl had recently fallen out of the tree next to this bridge and broken many of the bones below her waist. This was a rather unsettling way to begin our first visit to a squatters village. To ensure our minds were properly aligned, we huddled up next to our cars and had a moment of prayer before crossing the bridge

Lord Give Me Neither Poverty Nor Riches

One of the verses that comes to mind when I think about what happened to us while we were in Costa Rica is this.

Isa 42:16. And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.

We have explained to everyone the sequence of events that led up to this point and I still get goose bumps thinking about how God works in our lives. Our plans made sure we made it to Costa Rica but from that point all those plans went awry. But he took our misfortune and turned it into a blessing. He took this group of blind people with good intentions and showed us a better path. He showed us possibilities and gave us hope in a very powerful way. He led us down paths that we did not know. He made a seemingly complicated task simple. He just laid it all out there right in front of us ready for us to grab hold.

Lead Me, Guide Me - Part 1

Jeremiah 10:23 - O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.

This verse is so loaded with meaning. But its meaning is so much clearer when you are in a difficult situation. We were reminded so many times during our trip that the Lord is faithful and that he is a very present help in trouble. But it wasn’t necessarily our trouble that was used to remind us of this.

When we arrived in the town of Atenas we settled into our accommodations and went out to find something to eat and explore the town. Atenas had not been on our original list of places to visit so we knew nothing about it. (Actually there were a lot of things that were not a part of “our plan”.)

Searching for Words

I know several of you are anxiously waiting for us to post more about our trip. We will be posting about our experience at "The River" next. I speak for all of us when I say we are having a terrible time remembering the experience and actually relaying it in words. It was life-changing, I think, for all of us. We want you to feel what we felt and see what our eyes saw. So, please pray that God will guide our words when we write this next post, so that each of you will benefit from what He taught us in those precious moments that were guided by him.
Written by Kalina and edited by David

Arenal

You can do a Google image search on the "Arenal Volcano" and find some pretty spectacular pictures. I would know because I have many of them on my computer (at home, at work) and on my phone. I've been staring at these pictures for months as we planned the trip to Costa Rica. I've read about this volcano and the 4 other "active" volcanoes in Costa Rica...a lot. I've got the pictures and I've learned all sorts of interesting things. I know that this tiny little country sits atop the Pacific Ring of Fire, which means that it is not at all uncommon for super-heated rocks to go flying out of the earth. I know that Arenal has been consistently active since 1968 when this great chimney of the earth blew its top. I know that there are about 100 other volcanoes scattered around the country. And I know that the people of Costa Rica are apparently so fascinated with these things that they make paved roads so people can drive right up to them, they have even made some of them wheelchair accessible and installed viewing decks around the cratered tops of others. They like their volcanoes.

Looking for a City

This is a first for me in many ways. For anyone who knows me, you know that up until this point I have been a non existent part of the online community. I have strongly resisted participating in Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, etc. I have had no urge to unleash my private life upon the digital masses. Of course my wife has been a part of the online social network for a while. It allows her to stay connected to people and through her I have been updated on the latest news such as it is. So you may ask why now? Why jump into a blog of all places? Well if you have been keeping up to date with the blog then you have an idea of what has been happening in our lives. God has been changing us and leading us in directions we did not plan for. Of course it should be noted that he has always been there leading us and shaping us. We have just finally realized it and we are trying to cooperate instead of fight against it. It continues to amaze me how much different our lives have become once we started to give up control and allow ourselves to be led. So the reason I am sitting here now telling you these things is not because of my desire to join the online social landscape. I am here because I have things to tell you that are important. I hope that through the process of our journey that you can realize that God will lead us and shape us into the kind of person he wants us to be. But you have to be a willing participant. Nothing that we can tell you is anything new but it is all in your perception. God has used events and relationships in our lives to change us, just as he does for all of us. We are dramatically changing our lives so that we can follow the path that we believe God has set before us. We are only at the beginning and only God knows where this path will lead in the end. It is scary in a lot of ways but also comforting. Comforting to know that God is in control and that he will be with us. Romans 8:31 and Philippians 4:13 come to mind. Well I have rambled long enough let me get to the topic at hand.