Transition

We're half way through the transition from language school in Costa Rica to our full-time appointment in Peru. We’re currently in the states, so we can ship our belonging to Peru. I've attached a photo of our luggage in the airport. (O.K., that's not our luggage--but it's close!) I thank God that our container shipment of furniture has gone out well and will arrive in Peru 2 or 3 weeks after we do. We've visited family in Cincinnati and Cleveland, and are currently in Gatlinburg, Tennessee (spending time with Bill's sister's family from Atlanta). Getting to see your family after a year overseas is beautiful and fills you with the knowledge that you are loved and wanted, but it is always tinged with the knowledge that your departure is imminent.

We are six days away from Peru. We land at 11:40 PM on Jan 5. We're all excited to get there, but trying not to be so excited that we miss what we're experiencing right now.

Some prayer requests:

1. Safe passage for us and our stuff.

2. Saying our goodbye's all over again.

3. God's provision and wisdom regarding where to live in Lima.

4. Favor with customs.

5. Approval of our visa applications.

¡Ya terminé!

¡Ya terminé!

That's Spanish for "I'm done!" Today, we'll go through the graduation service for our year at language school. Wow, what a year! The last two weeks, I've been in nervous breakdown mode. Preparing our final projects and taking tests, while trying to pack, has been one little nervous breakdown after another. It's good to know that, no matter how many little nervous breakdowns we have, God is still in control! We have a lot of questions yet to answer regarding where we'll live and what we'll drive when we get to Peru, but those things are all in God's hands. For now, Lena and I are rejoicing that we're graduating and that we know how to say goodbye (in Spanish) to our friends here. And when my nerves rise up within me, I keep saying (nervously, but by faith), "God has it all under his control!"

Some prayer requests that are a little urgent:

1) We haven't received our visas from Peru yet. It would be good if we received them before we leave Costa Rica on Monday, Dec 17.

2) Shipping our stuff to Peru--there are many details yet to be confirmed.

3) All the travel that will take place over the next three weeks--flying to the states, traveling in the states, flying to Peru and knowing where to go once we get there.

Those are just a few of the things for which I have to say, "Be still my soul!"

Latin America ChildCare Kids

These pictures are from one of the Latin America ChildCare (LACC) schools I've visited in Costa Rica. The teacher pictured here is an LACC grad, who returned to teach.


This is a picture of the community that the school is located in. The picture below is the inside of the school. You can see that it is a heaven for the kids within a really rough neighborhood. Those two gringo kids are pretty good looking too!

Bothered

You know how some actors are really good at playing the bad guy (i.e., James Woods). We might say something like, "They picked that actor because he likes playing the bad guy." That's the kind of conversation we had recently. Except, when you speak two languages it's easy to get your languages confused. The word "moleste" in Spanish, means "bothered" or "bugged" in English. So, even though it sounds just like "molested," it is not what it sounds like. Recently, we were all watching T.V. and there was a girl on the screen who looked bothered--a little bit angry. Consequently, Colton said something like, "Boy, they must have picked her because she likes looking molested."

There was a moment of silence, then I said, "I think you mean she likes looking bothered."

Ah, we make those kind of mistakes in Spanish every day!

Questions about a missionary's life

Our good friend Jonette McMasters leads the BGMC (Boys and Girls Missionary Crusade) group at Akron-Springfield A/G. She's teaching the kids to have a heart for missions. We are grateful for Jonette's friendship, support and the legacy she's building in the kids. (Thanks Jonette!) In order to educate them about missions, the kids wrote some questions to Lena. Here are a couple of her answers:

What is Costa Rica like?

Costa Rica is a really lovely place to learn Spanish. We live in San Jose, which is about halfway up the mountains, and it is almost always in the 60s y 70s. We can drive 2-5 hours to the beach once in a while, but most of the time we stay here and do our homework! We live in the city, so we don’t get to see all the cool animals who live in the jungle much, but that is pretty normal for a Costa Rican, because they don’t normally have the money to travel and see their beautiful country the way we do! Most Costa Rican people don’t earn as much in a week as a poor American does in a month, and cars are way more expensive here. We take taxis everywhere, and they mostly don’t have seat belts, so that was a big thing to get used to—not being able to put my kids in car seats. I pray a lot more now when we go somewhere as a family!

They eat a LOT of rice and black beans here, and I have been perfecting my version of it. Why? It is really cheap to eat rice and beans—and many Costa Ricans eat it for every meal and only get meat once or twice a month. And Costa Rica is one of the richest Latin American countries.

Would we rather be missionaries or billionaires?

Missionaries! I think it is more fun.

What made us want to be missionaries?

When God calls someone to be a missionary, He lets them know! He speaks to your heart and is very patient. Every person’s story is different, but we felt the call in our hearts first, and had it confirmed many, many times, in ways that were little miracles in our lives. It was a very exciting time. God wanting us to be missionaries made us want to be missionaries.

Do missionaries get killed telling people about the Lord?

This is definitely something that everyone who decides to become a missionary has to think about. It is true that people sometimes give their lives for the gospel, but more of them die because of difficult or unsafe conditions in the places they live. The biggest risk for us in Peru will be the traffic. There are very many car accidents in Peru, and we will have to be very careful. The air is really dirty there, too, because the air isn’t able to go over the mountains, and the pollution stays in the city. Sometimes we will go to the jungle, and that will have other risks, but most of our time will be in the city. We will need your prayers for our protection from thieves, too, as this is another real danger.

(The picture at the top is of our family in a traditional Costa Rican cart. The picture at the bottom is one I took on a city street in Lima. You can see how compromised the air quality is. Perhaps even more dangerous, though, is the taxi. It's a 3-wheeled motorcycle with a tent on the back!)

What's that smell?

I'd be the first to admit that a men's bathroom might need an air freshener, but strawberries and cream is not a fragrance I associate with the bathroom. Nonetheless, this is the fragrance that sits atop the urinal in the men's bathroom of our language school. This is an example of culture shock. Culture shock is what happens when you spend all day asking, “Why do they do it that way?” Culture shock leaves you wondering if you'll ever be able to embrace it or if, as a missionary, you’ll just endure it. I have experiences of this nature every day--experiences that seem incongruent with my north American sensibilities. This is especially the case with fragrances. Latinos love strong fragrances. They wear a lot of cologne and buy cleaning products that smell more like bubble gum or flowers than bleach. Being North American, I want my bathroom to smell sanitized. I want a bathroom that smells like harsh chemicals. Latinos want everything to smell beautiful. Neither preference has any effect on the actual cleanliness of the toilet.

Just as I was contemplating culture shock and my inability to embrace a strawberries and cream bathroom, in walked one of my professors (Alex Garro). His expression said it all—it wasn’t culture shock and Latinos don’t like strawberry scented urinals! It just happened to be the air freshener that was around when the air needed freshening. Mmmmmm, that smells sweet.

Note: Alex’s expression is a reenactment. No actual bathroom usage was taking place during the photo journalistic phase of this blog entry.

How we are

We're at an interesting place in this process, we're able to communicate (which makes life much easier), but we're also aware that another huge move is only 6 weeks away. As such, on the outside, we're happy and content; while on the inside, we're fairly anxious. I’ve observed how all of us missionaries have responded to culture shock, and I've concluded that it is a horrible experience no matter how prepared you think you are. Anger, anxiety, depression, low self esteem and negative interpretation are the daily fare here--and they're confounded by the late night hours spent doing homework. After 9 months in Costa Rica, we're beginning to feel more comfortable. But, it is a short lived comfort, since we’re moving to Peru in January. I no longer think it will be a smooth and easy transition. I suspect that we’ll have a repeat of some of the same emotional and physical responses. It's ironic to feel stress when the weather is so nice. I've learned here that being a missionary in a lovely place is still very stressful. No matter how beautiful the place, the missionaries still pay the price of being far from family and friends. You can't quickly replace friendships that were forged over 20 years. So, beautiful weather aside, being a missionary is emotionally costly. If we didn't have a personal relationship with the living God, then it wouldn't be worth it. But, since our call to Peru has been so miraculously confirmed, then we have to believe that these light and momentary troubles will produce eternal fruit!

On the bright side, I preached my first Spanish sermon for the students and staff this past week and it went so well that I was invited to preach at a church this Sunday. Just before I went up to preach this past week, I became emotionally overwhelmed. The reality of fulfilling our call felt very near. We received the call to Peru four years ago. Preaching in Spanish became a realization of the nearness of fulfilling that call. By grace, it was a great experience.

(The picture, above, was taken just after my first Spanish sermon (this week). I'm chatting with one of our professors, Rosita. Lena is behind me, chatting with our friend and fellow missionary, Sherri Mattix.)

How much can you do in a year?

People write and ask, "Are you still in Costa Rica or are you in Peru? We’re still in Costa Rica, learning Spanish and practicing ministry in a "latin" context. We are scheduled to leave here on December 17. We’ll be in Cincinnati and Cleveland for the Christmas holidays and to ship our belongings to Peru. We fly out on January 5. We flew here on January 3, last year. So, it’s almost exactly one year from our departure from Cincinnati, to our arrival in Peru. I’m not sure why that’s significant, but it feels somehow significant. Whether a year is a long time or a short time depends on your context. To Americans, a year sounds like a significant chunk of time. To cultures outside the states, North Americans appear to be overly aware of (some would say obsessed with) calenders and clocks. If your having fun, a year goes by really fast. If your studying for a Spanish test, a year seems like a long time. We've been hear for 9 1/2 months. Since we're eager to fulfill our call to Peru, being in Costa Rica has (at times) felt like waiting in an airport for a connecting flight. When you're eager, waiting is hard. Sometimes, like when you're waiting in an airport, it feels like nothing significant is taking place. When you're learning a language and a new culture, changes come painfully slowly. But, over time, little changes add up to a lot. Consequently, in the midst of my own feelings of frustration, I’m also aware of many changes that are taking place; e.g., the ability to speak Spanish. There are plenty of days (most of them, to be honest) when I’m exhausted by all the work and I wonder when the process of metamorphosis will end (or at least slow down).

So, what does 9 1/2 months of language and missions training produce? Well, if you're Lena, you come out sounding like a native. If you're a 46 year old white guy, people say things like, "Don't worry--lots of guys your age struggle!" I’m able to have long conversations in Spanish, go to the store without problems and even have a "firm discussion" with the manager of a store over why he's not allowed to charge me twice for the same purchase. So, I can do a lot, but I can't function as well in Spanish as I can in English--or even Pig Latin. I’m not yet able to understand the evening news in Spanish or to read a book any more difficult than First Grade.

One of the greatest strains of being here is leaving a vocation where you were confident and appreciated, to come to a place where you are incompetent and unknown. But I am well aware of the fact that no one is unknown to God, nor incompetent; and, as Paul said, these light and momentary troubles are nothing compared to the glory that awaits us. (2 Corinthians 4:17) For us, that means both heaven and a glorious work in Peru “which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Eph 2:10) All in all, I feel like one of the most blessed people alive. I get the chance to go on an adventure with Jesus, wait in the airport for a year, learn a new language, feel like a nobody and carry the Gospel to a whole new people group. Que Bueno!

Family Vacation

My sister and brother-in-law (Leisa & Tim Johnson) joined us for a week of vacation. We visited the Poas Volcano (with the 2nd largest crater in the world), the La Paz waterfalls and the Manuel Antonio National Park. We saw monkeys, sloths and Lizards. The sights were wonderful, but nothing compares to having those you love near enough to hug!

Toucan Sam 2

Here's the still shot of my interview with Toucan Sam. See the video and story of our interview below.

My interview with Toucan Sam

I met Toucan Sam--the toucan from the Fruit Loops commercials. He's retired now, except for a few publicity shots and ribbon cutting ceremonies at strip malls. He lives in a retirement jungle here in Costa Rica, along with Tony the Tiger, the Twix Rabit and the Frog from Super Golden Suger Crips. Sam has been divorced and remarried 10 times. His current marriage appears to be rocky. I tried to interview him, but he kept arguing with his wife. Here's the footage from our time together.

La Negrita

August 2 is a national holiday in Costa Rica. It's the day of the Costa Rican patron saint: La Negrita (the little black one). Each year, as many as a million people walk hundreds of miles to beg for the statue's blessing. Wednesday night, I went to the main street of town and watched as thousands walked by. When the crowds reach the front of the cathedral that houses the statue, the crawl on their knees before the statue. The story is interesting and is repeated in other parts of Latin America.

On August 2, 1635, a woman found a small, black stone carving of Mary holding the baby Jesus on top of another stone. She took it home and hid it in a basket. The next day she found a black carving of a snake in the same spot. She took it home and, when she went to put it in the basket with the statue of Mary, found the original statue missing. The next day she found the statue of Mary back on the rock. She took it home and found the statue of the snake missing. After this happened a few more times, it was concluded that Mary wanted a Cathedral built on the spot. So, the cathedral of "the Virgin of the Angels," was built and now houses the statue. There is a small stream nearby which is believed to have healing powers. In 1824, the Costa Rican government declared the statue to be the patron saint of Costa Rica.

It's important to note that the idol is in the center front of the church. The church, even though Catholic, does not revolve around the image or story of Jesus. The church revolves around the adoration of a small stone statue. When I ask Costa Ricans if the statue is Mary or what the meaning of the statue is, they don't know. Latin culture is far less interested in making things make sense than North American culture. They don't care that their patron saint was never actually a person, since Mary is not the patron saint. Rather, the little black statue "La Nagrita" is the patron saint.

The fact that over a million people endure difficulty to beg a stone statue for a blessing is evidence of spiritual hunger. It is continued evidence of the need to bring a message of power and hope to this hungry people.

What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people. Therefore come out from them and be separate,” says the Lord. “Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters,” says the Lord Almighty. 2Co 6:16-18

Who's in charge?

Abi and I like to sit on our hammock and talk about life. Recently, I asked her if she had names for her toes. She said no, so I suggested some names for her toes--Bob, Frita, Leonard, etc.

She said, "No Daddy, they're our family!"

"Oh, so am I the big toe?"

"No, that's Mommy!"

Abigail

Abi is by far the cutest missionary on the Shrader team. She'll turn 3 in a few weeks. Three is one of my favorite ages because kids say ridiculous and cute things. Since she's not three yet, she's just now starting to say funny things. Before now, she's made up for her tiny vocabulary with a mighty attitude. It's clear that Abi and Will have an edge on the rest of us with regard to learning Spanish. Tonight, Abi said to me (in Spanish), "You're Daddy! Papa and Daddy. And, Mommy is Mama and Mommy!" Lena laughed and said, "I wondered how long it would take her to figure out that she's speaking two languages."

Covetousness is like an itchy welt

Covetousness is like the type of mosquito bite that leaves a huge welt and itches for days. We don't have a car in Costa Rica. We walk or take taxis, which makes our experience much closer to that of the average Costa Rican. Most of the time it's no problem, but it does require one to think and plan ahead. I've always loved cars and have owned one or more for the past 30 years--until we arrived in Costa Rica. So, for the fun of it, we rented a car this past weekend. Since there are 6 in our family, we needed something more than a small sedan. The nice minivans were all rented, so we ended up in a 2002 Kia Joice. It's the size of a Toyota Corolla with seating for 7. It was an old, run-down, undependable rental car--and I loved it! When it was time to turn it in, it hurt. Having the car for two days gave me a taste for car freedom. It whet my appetite for more. Now I'm left with the nasty, itchy welt that I mentioned before. In a few days, the welt will disappear and the itch will fade away. There's a reason why the Lord forbids covetousness in his list of the big 10--it robs one of joy and clouds your vision from seeing all the wonderful gifts you already have.

Journey to Granada Nicaragua

Every 90 days, we have to cross the border in order to renew our visas for Costa Rica. This month, we visited Granada Nicaragua. It was my favorite town, so far, in Central America. It had the rustic charm of a Spanish outpost from 200 years ago. It also had a discotech playing Mexican polka music late into the night. Charm and polka--it doesn't get any better than that! There's a huge lake near Granada, with 2 Volcanoes in the lake. For a much better view of the pictures, along with my comments about each, please visit: http://picasaweb.google.com/BillandLenaPics/GranadaNicaragua

Some Rough Days

Last Sunday was Father's Day. It was the anniversary of the last conversation I had with my dad. I couldn't be with him on that Father's Day, because we were preaching in a town on the western border of Kentucky. We took the camper with us, which was our final camping trip. I remember only snippets of that final conversation with my father. Mostly, we talked about camping and the importance of problem solving in life. Dad was alert and in a good mood. I cried at the end of the conversation, because it was so sweet and so uncommon given his failing health. I told him that we'd be back home on Tuesday night and that I'd be over on Wednesday morning to give him his Father's Day gift. My father died that Wednesday morning before I made it to their house.

Father's Day, one year later, I find myself in a mall in Costa Rica. Colton's birthday was on Monday and we were desperately trying to find him a pair of "Heelys"--those shoes with the wheels in the heals. All the stores in Costa Rica are sold out of his size. I found myself getting more and more upset. We reached the end of our search and I sat down on a bench in despair. Lena asked me what I wanted and I burst into tears. I wanted my dad. The following 24 hours (i.e., Colton's birthday) were pretty rough. I couldn't stop crying. It's very hard to sit in a grammar class conjugating verbs when you're fighting back tears. People would ask how my Father's Day was and I responded by crying. It was a rough day. And, to make matters worse, I felt the need to be chipper and enthusiastic for my son.

We spent the rest of that afternoon looking for Heelys, which we never found. We ended up eating a very late dinner at Tony Romas (the rib joint). The food was great, but our entire meal was absconded by Mormon missionaries who were trying to witness to us. As such, Colton's 10th birthday is not one that will be remembered fondly, but may afford us a few laughs in the future. Colton will be able to say, "That was the day dad drove around the city crying, looking for shoes that I never got, capped off by a Mormon who ignored all our social cues."

Tomorrow is the anniversary of my Dad's passing. I feel sad about it, but at the same time, I suspect that there's a strong chance it'll be an improvement.

Please pray for my mom, myself, Lena and the kids, and my siblings. We all feel the loss of my father deeply.

Gestational Homesickness

We're at the half-way point of our time here and I have to admit that we're experiencing a lot of longing. One one hand we're definitely homesick--longing for familiar friends and flavors. On the other hand, we're Peru-sick--longing for the next step in God's awesome adventure. I recently e-mailed a friend in Peru about these emotions, saying that it feels like being stuck in an airport for a year, waiting for a connecting flight. I try to keep in mind that it’s like being a baby in gestation. As much as the mother wants the baby to pop out early, it is far better if the gestation time is completed. Please pray for us, for the grace to enjoy where the Lord has us for today, while looking forward to the promises and mission that lies ahead.

Family Update & learning Spanish

To my blog-reading buddies and buddettes, my apology for the delay in updates. I've decided that it's easy to see where I am with Spanish, based upon my blog posts. Since the last update was three weeks ago, it's safe to say that I'm in the thick of it.

Good news: Hannah and Colton passed onto their respective grades (7th & 4th) and are now on summer break. The really good news is that they still go to school! They do get home an hour earlier and their classes don't give homework. It's like attending an academic summer camp. Their classes include science (mostly fun experiments), drama and (of course) Spanish. Recently, Colton confessed that Spanish is his favorite subject. That's a big jump from his previous favorites: Gym and recess. Today I was very proud when one of our Spanish teachers said that Colton asked her a question yesterday (in Spanish) and understood her answer. The irony is that this professor speaks perfect English. Don't tell Colton.

My favorite receipt

This is a receipt from a public bathroom. It didn't surprise me that we'd have to pay to use the bathroom, what surprised me was the receptionist who, in very official fashion, tabulated our payment in a log-book then handed me a receipt. Apparently 53,254 people have used that bathroom before us--which might explain why it lacked an apparatus for flushing. Willy left some very flushable materials. So, I had to explain, in my broken Spanish, that there was no way to flush the toilet. The attractive attended smiled and said she'd take care of it. I'd say that she earned her 25 cents.