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The Random Family

November 10th, 2014 1 comment
The Random Family

The Random Family

What exactly do you mean by, “The Random Family?” Good question – I’m so glad you asked! Me explico – Let me explain. We have had 3 people living with us for quite a few months. Because of the dynamics of the group, we have different dinner times, but typically we share breakfast and morning devotions. We are living in community, as Les and I continue to gear up for VAYA, starting in January 2015 (almost here!). Together, we form a very diverse “family.” You see, there is something in us all that longs for family. We have a longing for this that God built into us. And so, Les is the Dad, I am the Mom, we have Tito, Amy and Dayis. We are in a large house, but can frequently be found together in the small office. Additionally, we have a whole host of other people who come to various things at our house; everything from morning devotions, to English tutoring, to mentoring to weekly Vineyard prayer meetings to monthly Vineyard (Viña) Spanish worship nights. We’re not dormitory residents, we’re a family. It’s not always easy, but it is often entertaining!

We are not people from similar backgrounds – you couldn’t get much more diverse. Two of us are Spanish speakers with English as a second language and 3 of us are English speakers, with Spanish as a 2nd language. David, who is the Assistant Pastor now is often found at our house -for worship team music practice, meals, movies and just plain life.

Together, we form a family – it’s just a very “random” family, so named by Amy, a missionary from S. Dakota serving in the Los Anonos community. But because of our language challenges, we often speak Spanglish – the Ticos are trying to improve their English and we Gringos are trying to improve our Spanish. And it can be crazy! So following is a snippet of a recent conversation. I have not changed the names to protect anyone.

I was making Sopa Negra (a yummy black bean soup, served with minced onions, cilantro, grated cheese, Costa Rica sour cream which just tastes better and finally, hard boiled eggs). Que rico! (delicious!)

Diana to Amy, “You can help me peel the eggs, it’s almost ready.” We finished and Amy served first.
Dayis: “No! hay cáscara!
Me: – wait Amy, she thinks there’s shell in your soup. (Note: Amy speaks Spanish, but it just wasn’t registering.)
Dayis: “No! cáscara!”
Me: yes, shell (i.e. eggshell)
Dayis: Diana, do you know what cáscara is?
Me: yes, shell.
David: yes, it’s shelf
Me: no, not shelf, shell.
David: Shelf?
Me: no, David, it’s shell – with an “L.” Shelf is like un estante (shelf in Spanish)
David: oh, shelf?
Me: no! shellllll
David: oh, shell

Yup – I canot tell you how many times a day we have this type of discussion. Tito wasn’t home, but when he is, he joins in as well – even if he’s calling the word out from another room.  The more the merrier!  So, we switch back and forth, from language to language, trying spelling in one language and then the other … charades … whatever works!

It’s funny, we laugh, we get frustrated and when it happens throughout our day, we just get plain tired! We rub against each other, we have presonality conflicts, confrontations, forgiveness and even when angry, we love and care about each other. We’re a random family. Add into that a heaping dose of spiritual warfare that is continual when you serve here as a missionary, as we engage with friends in the community and come against the enemy and sometimes our random family has to combat even crazier things, like the most deadly snake in Costa Rica, which Tito

Deadly Terciopelo Snake

Deadly Terciopelo Snake

found outside our kitchen during weekly Viña (Vineyard) prayer time. The snake, a Terciopelo (a type of fer-de-lance or bothrops asper) is not normally found at our altitude and when it is, it’s by the river … not in someone’s house up a hill!  This was the day after getting stung by a venomous caterpillar (which I’m still reacting to on my leg and fingers),

Spiky Black Venemous Caterpillar

Spiky Black Venemous Caterpillar

while praying in someone’s house in the community. You see, we’d been coming against a spirit of death and a spirit of depression.

Together, we form “The Random Family.”

Please keep praying for us, for our protection, for next steps and for VAYA and for breakthroughs in the community. We really do rely on everyone’s prayers!

As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.

~ Proverbs 27: 17