My List of Things I Love in Costa Rica

First of all, I should say that we got our internet hooked up at home today!! Now we'll be more connected and hopefully make more regular posts.

I (Angela) was thinking the other day of all the things I miss about home, about Charlottesville, and about life in general in the United States. Suffice it to say, if I made a list of all I miss or all that is hard, it would be a long list. So....I decided to make a list of the things I love here in Costa Rica.

*wearing tank tops and flip flops in January
*walking to and from school everyday with my family
*holding hands with my children as we walk (everywhere, everyday!!!)
*crema dulce in my coffee (there is no half and half here - crema dulce is whipping cream!)
*the satisfaction that comes from understanding and communicating with a native speaker, mas despacio por favor
*the crisp blue sky in the mornings

More pics, more news

The above slideshow has more pics than the ones from the other day. Below is our house, on the corner there, terracotta with black gate.

Yesterday I (Bubba) took ill in the morning during class. Hit me like a freight train. Never got sick per se, but my body felt so fatigued that in the afternoon I stayed in bed until dinner. I am ok now.

Sam remarked yesterday, " I love school." We are grateful for this. Ty is now doing well also but Georgia is still having a hard time in the mornings letting go.

Espanol es bueno. First three days of classes for Angela and I have gone well.

Funny story. I walked to the Costa Rican version of Sam's Club on Wednesday from our home. About two miles. Place called PriceSmart. I bought a membership (in Spanish mind you, lots of "despacio por favor" from me). About half way thru shopping spree, I realized I had to get all this bulk stuff home. Taxis cannot come into lot so it is not as easy as just unloading into a taxi. So, improvising, I tipped a young tico boy uno mil colones ($2) to fetch two industrial strength, large trash bags for me to load up my groceries. I filled em up, and began to walk through the parking lot with two large trash bags, and a box of Fab laundry detergent under one arm. I was able to hail a cab at the highway, but only after much physicial strain, and gringo embarrassment.

More soon. The mountains around us are beautiful. But the city here looks and feels much like what I imagined a developing country to feel like. The sort of exotic places that we think of when we think of Costa Rica are certainly along the coasts. The highest paid jobs in Costa Rica pay about $13,000 per year.

The First Days

Well, alas, this journey has begun. We are here in San Jose, Costa Rica, getting settled. Our language school (Instituto de Lengua Espanola) begins Wednesday Jan 9. Sam, Georgia and Ty begin school tomorrow on Monday.

We have been here one week. The first couple of days for all of us was difficult—leaving Charlottesville and our friends and family left big empty spaces in our hearts. Each day gets easier though as we hold firmly to the belief that God has appointed us to this place and so we would rather be nowhere else.

I should emphasize how difficult it was for all of us those first couple days. I did not want to unpack our things because that meant committing to staying and I was not ready to stay. Tonight as I write, we all feel vastly different, we are experiencing peace and contentment—“fight the good fight” has been our mantra. The difference between now and five days ago is so stark that I believe God has intervened through the prayer of our friends and family to lift those onerous feelings from us.

Funny story: Angela took Ty and Georgia to the panaderia (bakery) yesterday while I cooked dinner and Sam rested. The clerk asked Angela if she wanted her pastries in a bag (bolsa). Angela said, “What? Umm, yes, botella.” The clerk just stared at her with a confused look. She came home and told me the story and asked why the clerk seemed confused. I said, “Honey, that’s because you told him to put the pastries in a bottle (botella)!”

There are no street addresses here. You merely describe where you are in relation to landmarks. So here is how we give our address: San Francisco de dos rios (our neighborhood), Parque Los Sauces (park adjacent to us), La esquina enfrente de Abstacedor (corner opposite the Abastacedor ((store)), La casa con terracotta y verja negra (the house with terra cotta and a black gate).

But if you want to mail us something don’t write the above description on envelope. Send us letters and packages to:

Ken and Angela Massey
Instituto de Lengua Espanola
Apartado 100-2350
San Jose, Costa Rica
America Central

We will post some pics later!

Final Days...here anyway

It is Dec 21, we are 10 days away from our departure to Costa Rica for language school where we will study Spanish for 4 months before moving to Bolivia.

Today Angela and Sam and Georgia said goodbye to their violin teacher. Ty spent his last day at pre-school and said goodbye to his teachers and friends. Last night we said goodbye to a dear friend, Katie Pennock. A week ago I said goodbye to my friend and co-worker of the last 9 years, Debbie Bretches. We are in the stage of final goodbyes and it is not easy. Leaving is not easy. Changing patterns that are engrained into our days is not easy...but it is invigorating.

The nights are cold here now. The lawn outside is usually frost-covered in the morning—and when I step out to breathe the cold on these days I feel a bit more awakened to the world, a bit more alive, my blood starts to flow. This is what I mean by invigorating.

Mid-November

Well, we are now headlong into the last days of leaving. I have resigned and left my job, we have rented our home, we are studying Spanish, we are getting papers sealed and notarized and certified, getting shots, getting sad to leave our friends but encouraged that our friendships will remain strong...at the heart of all this is waiting, waiting to leave, waiting to see God's story for us unravel more...I can think of no better place to be than here waiting, a little insecure, a little scared, but waiting with peace enough to move forward in faith...

BOLIVIA BARN FEST

Benefit for the Massey Family's Mission Work in Bolivia
Nov 17, 6:30pm, Turkey Ridge Farm, Red Hill Road, Albemarle County, Virginia

» Bon Fire and Barn Dance
» Fun Activities for Adults and Children
» Silent Auction Fundraisers, iPod Raffle and More
» Hot Cider, Snacks and Dinner Food for Purchase (pizza chicken plates, and more)
» Music by Blues Soup. Band starts at 7:00pm
» Coolers welcome—bring your beverage of choice

...all in a quintessential Virginia barn setting on a cool autumn evening!

Tickets
$5 per adult, $2 per child (children 5 and under FREE)
Call or email Deb Uttaro for ticket info. Tickets available now and at the door. 434-817-2000, ext 116. duttaro@cjp.com


Directions
From 64
» Take 29S Lynchburg Exit
» Go approx. 6 miles on 29S to Rt. 708/Red Hill Rd.
» At flashing yellow lights turn left
» Go 4.6 miles
» Turkey Ridge sign on left

From Rt. 20
» Go approx. 8 miles from the 64 interchange
» Right onto Rt. 708/Red Hill Rd. towards Walton Middle School
» Go 1 mile
» Turkey Ridge sign on the right

Count Down

Hey everybody, the count down has begun, to both my last day at Carden Jennings (Nov 2) and our departure date to language school (Dec 28).

We are excited, but at times feel overwhelmed.

Here are a few things to pray for:

—That we can rent our home starting Jan 1, 2008.

—Sam has an orthodontic appliance in his mouth now, pray for his comfort and progress.

—That we can cross the finish line soon with support raising. We are at 93% of our monthly need met. Pray for more people to join with us. We have another $300 per month left to raise, and another $7,000 or so for our 1x outgoing costs.

—Angela has what may be kidney stones. Pray they are just that and nothing more. She goes for an X-Ray soon.

—For our good health, and spiritual growth over the next three months.

—God to have mercy on us as we begin to learn Spanish!

Well, it has been a while since we reported in here, that is not an indication however that our spirits are down or we don't have anything to say. In fact, the opposite is true, our spirits are high and we could tell you so much about how we have seen God at work in us and around us.

Our support raising is going very well. We still have not crossed the finish line, but we are getting close. We see God blessing this effort, and feel affirmed that the timing of our departure is right for us. Pray that God will continue to raise up a team of supporters to come around us.

In addition to raising support, I am still working my publishing job, school is in session at home as Angela is teaching Sam and Georgia, Ty is in preschool, we are laying the groundwork for so much transition that will come upon us soon—it is busy but not burdensome.

Our Developing Mission and Vision

Eleven months ago Angela and I, along with seven friends from our church in Charlottesville, took a mission trip to Santa Cruz, Bolivia. During our time in Bolivia we discovered God “pursuing” us, and like so many discoveries in God’s kingdom this one happened in the context of relationships. A friend said to me one evening, “Bubba, you think you could give it all up, ya know, you and Angela and the kids become missionaries?” My initial reaction was to say, “Why are you asking me?” Now, my reaction is to say, “Thank you, God, for using our friends as vessels for your message.”

Eleven months later, our family is actively preparing to move to South America to help build the church in the city of Santa Cruz. We will go as missionaries under the leadership of South America Mission—an agency that has been reaching South Americans with the message of Christ for 90 years. We are excited and feel affirmed in our decision to do this. However, we can only go knowing that you are praying for us and desiring to hear from us as we report back to you regarding God’s work in the lives of the Bolivians whom we will grow to love as we become integrated into their culture and community. So will you pray for us?

Right now we are orienting our lives around a December 2007 departure date, and as you can imagine, there is great preparation that will take place over the next five months. More than anything, we are eager to develop a strategy and vision for how God will use us in Santa Cruz. Our initial community of focus will be the professional class. We also care deeply about the poor and matters of social justice. Could we, then, work to establish a church, founded among the professional class, that grows to care for and embrace the millions who live undignified existences in Bolivian society—like indigenous peoples who live in slums in the city and remote villages in the countryside? Could we be used in this way, to cultivate hearts of compassion and communities oriented around a hope for Shalom?

We hope that our relationships will evolve organically as we live among Bolivians, learn from them, send our children to school with them, and study the Bible with them. We also know that there are great social barriers to overcome in order to be effective. How will we overcome? Who will our new friends be? What activities will be at the center of our relationships? Please pray that we will begin to know more fully God’s plan for our work in Santa Cruz.

In addition to praying for us, will you also consider supporting our work with a financial gift? We are required to reach commitments totaling $4,500 per month before we can leave in December. Of this amount, our family will receive a modest salary with the remaining dollars covering ministry, professional and logistical expenses.
Our work will be done well in South America only if this team of co-laborers comes together around us. Please join us. You are indispensable to our mission.

Yours in Christ,

Bubba and Angela

Santa Cruz, Bolivia

Today it became official. South America Mission commissioned us to be missionaries in Bolivia, specifically to live among Bolivian nationals in the city of Santa Cruz with the hope and aim of growing the church. The task before us is becoming more than just a plan for this chapter of our lives, but a dream that is forming deep within our hearts.

God is good to us. His goodness needs to be shared.