Tico Tuesday, July 25th

Happy Annexation of Guanacaste Day!

Today is a national holiday celebrating the annexation of the northwestern province of Guanacaste. Much of the cultural richness of Costa Rica comes from Guanacaste, so the whole country celebrates with enthusiasm, wearing white shirts and a blue or red handkerchief around the neck or the traditional flowing skirts and boat neck white blouses. Four line poems known as bombas (the word also for bomb and balloon) and other poems are commonly invented or recited on this day as well.
To celebrate, I joined a small group many of my friends are in on an excursion into the mountains. We visited a restaurant that does business for local missions. It is run by a church located further back on the property that does a number of things to bless the members of its community. This church and restaurant (and mini grocery store, center for the elderly, vegetable garden, etc.) is located very close to the Poás volcano, which has been so active lately the national park that contains it has been closed indefinitely. Poás is the most accessible active volcano to the Central Valley, making it a huge tourist destination. And with it being closed, a number of nearby businesses have been suffering or forced to close. So, since Rudy has been good friends with the pastor of that church since before my church was born, he has been encouraging everyone from our church to go and support this restaurant. I look forward to returning with my small group!
May we use the blessings God has given us to be a blessing to others this week and always! Thank you for being a blessing to me!
Carrie

Tico Tuesday, July 18th

Tuesday greetings from Costa Rica once again!

It is good to be back in Costa Rica, but I did have such an amazing time in the States it wasn't as easy as usual to switch back and forth between cultures. I shared at a Sunday School class at my church in Maine, and answering all the questions the kids asked me about Costa Rica really helped me realize just what a different world it is here. It is a joy to serve here, even though it's definitely challenging. Yet I know that every place has its own challenges.
One thing that made it really good to be back here was to see one of my small groups take over Jholy, the evangelistic theater my church runs, for the week. There is a new show at Jholy every week, and this past week they did it all, and they did a great job! I had to be at church Saturday night, but I arrived just in time to catch the second act. I am so proud of this group! Usually it is a challenge to get groups to do some kind of evangelistic activity-- and this group hit it out of the park! Those who didn't act helped with the set, lights, selling snacks, photography, etc. Everyone got involved! And yes, as you can see in the picture, this is a not-so-small group. Conversations are happening about that... :-)
I praise God for all he is doing in the small groups at my church here and thank him for his presence with me everywhere I go. Thank you so much for keeping me in your prayers. They really do make a difference! I am so grateful to have you journeying along beside me.
May you sense God's presence with you this week!
Carrie

Tico Tuesday, July 11th

California Greetings to you all!
I am currently at a small group strategic planning conference called Accelerate! that is put on by Saddleback Church. I am learning a lot and really enjoying the planning sessions they give us, as well as getting to know the other people here and how small groups are done at their churches. I'm also getting a lot of the questions I had about small groups answered, which is really, really great. This is a wonderfully productive time, and I'm excited to go back to Costa Rica and start implementing new ideas and action steps.  Thank you so much for all of you who are praying for me specifically while I'm here. Please keep it up!

Quintessential Maine

As I mentioned in my Chronicle, this trip to the States has been one of the best ever. I ended up having a mini reunion with several of my good friends from InterVarsity in college. I hadn't seen some of them in about 10 years! But it was SO GOOD to be together again and share a little bit of what's happened in our lives. It was so special and I am in awe of God's faithfulness and so grateful for all he's done. Not to say life has been easy for any of us, but God is faithful and with us through it all. I can't describe how much it meant to me nor how good for my soul it was to see these friends. What a wonderful gift!
And then I had a week of glorious summer in Maine. It was rich. I saw a few different people and loved getting to share and catch up with people at my church there. But the best part was getting to do life with my parents (including biking, hiking, going to the beach, etc. with my mom) and having some time to just slow down and watch the boats in the harbor, listen to live music on a wharf, play games, and just talk and be together. This trip has been a much needed time of refreshment, rest, and fun (and getting a boost with small groups and all sorts of ideas about church life!). I am very thankful for it. I will be diving in head first when I return to Costa Rica, so please be praying for me as I do so. There are some big things coming up quite soon: including the ministry fair, the next small group training retreat, the next series, etc.
Thank you so much for your prayers, encouragement, and support! May God bless you and refresh you with rich times with him and with others!
Carrie