Going Back in Time

We're in the "dog days" of summer here in the South. Not a whole lot going on so I am finding myself looking at pictures of my children and thinking back to those very physically tiring days of being a mom to two young ones. These were emotional days also as we left the United States and went to Costa Rica to language school in preparation for missionary life in Guatemala.
We flew to San Jose, Costa Rica in December, 1986. It was right after Christmas and was even more emotionally wrenching leaving our families and home at that time of year. But we were very excited and knew this was the right thing to do...obeying the Lord to be used for a purpose. There are many images that come to mind when I think about Costa Rica. The buses that we rode on (we had no car), the taxis when we couldn't find a bus. The fact that there were no addresses...we just told the drivers where the destination was near (a store, gas station, plaza) etc. I remember having to adjust to the altitude there and having ear infection after ear infection as did our baby girl. The sights and smells of the market are there in my memory also as we'd go do our "barefoot" learning...going out into the marketplace where no one spoke English and doing our shopping. One had to speak Spanish whether it was correct or not. There are memories of getaways to the rainforest, to the beaches, to nice hotels to get some gringo food. The churches there were so welcoming to us and we funded nursery equipment several times. We wanted the children there to have what they needed but, believe me, it was for my sake also.
Our children were well cared for in the "kinder" as we went to Spanish classes daily. I can still feel the floor and bed shake and the gates rattle as we would barely wake up during the temblores (earthquake tremors)during the nights.
Costa Rica was beautiful...beaches, valleys, mountains, rainforest, orchids that grew wild everywhere, friendly people, and a wonderful beginning to our years as missionaries.