Feliz Navidad!

Newsletter for the Holidays

     It is hard to believe that 2 months have already passed by! We are learning a lot of Spanish, and we are finding as many opportunities as we can to practice what we have learned with the locals also known as Ticos. All our teachers have been so kind and patient, and the entire missionary family has been like our extended family.  Not only are we learning the language, we are also learning how to live in community with different people from different backgrounds. This is a great training ground for what we can expect to encounter on the mission field. 

     In addition to being in school, we are always finding ways to immerse ourselves in the culture. We attended a class trip to Museo de Cultura Popular. This is a museum that shows a traditional Costa Rican home in the old days; a garden that  shows how we can have plants in small patio areas using recyclable items such as juice bottles and tires; a gallery of paper mache masks used for certain Costa Rican traditional holidays; and a tutorial on how to make bread using an old brick oven. 

    We also had a chance to serve with our missionary friends, the Adams family, who works at a local elementary school called Los Cuadros. This school is located in an area that is very close to where there is high occurrence of drug and gang-related activity. We had a chance to help the Adams family teach English to students who are in need to see the love of Jesus and to experience His goodness. 

Photo with all of our teachers

A class presentation about El Salvador

At the Museo de Cultura Popular

With the Adams family

Helping at Los Cuadros

PRAISE REPORTS

1. First, we would like to thank all our new and existing partners for helping us raise our monthly budget this month. We are still looking for monthly partners who would like to join our team!

2. A few weeks ago, we learned that I had two polyps in my endometrium. We suspect that these polyps were causing several symptoms in the past that caused pain and discomfort for several months. We were worried about having the surgery, but all the doctors were very skilled and attentive. The surgery was performed on November 10, and everything went well. I did not feel any pain after the surgery, and the biopsy results came back normal. God is good!

Hospital Clinica Biblica where I had my surgery

3. We had an opportunity to pray for a Christian Tica who owns a restaurant close to our apartment. She had expressed that her business was not doing so good, and was asking God if she should close down her business. After a week, we heard reports that her business is doing so good that the restaurant is always filled with customers all day, and  that they even had to hire a driver to provide delivery services. We give God all the glory for this answered prayer!

Our photo with Glenda, the restaurant owner

    As the weeks go by quickly, we are realizing that this will be our first Thanksgiving and Christmas away from family. Thankfully, we will have  Phil's parents and sister coming to visit us on Christmas day. However, we are sad that we will be far from my mom who is still in California undergoing 16 sessions of radiation. We are believing that God is with her, and that she will be covered in prayer and surrounded with other family members to encourage and support her through this difficult season.

     This coming Thanksgiving, we are remembering all the things that God has given us. What a privilege it is to be here in Costa Rica to learn Spanish. Instead of complaining about the things that we do not have, we want to set our minds on being thankful on the things God has given us. We are thankful that we are here together as one healthy family; we are thankful that we live in a safe and comfortable environment; and we are thankful that we can spend some good quality time with each other. These are things that are blessings from God that cannot be fulfilled by our own strength.

 Happy Thanksgiving and Feliz Navidad to everybody!  

Arriving at Costa Rica

     It is hard to believe that we have already been here for a whole month. This post will include details from the moment we left California; settling in our new apartment; getting to know the city, our trip to Panama, and the beginning of Spanish classes.

THE FLIGHT

     As we said our final goodbyes to Phil's parents, Phil's brother, Pierre kindly offered to drive us to the airport with 8 boxes (aka balikbayan boxes) and 2 luggages. The balikbayan boxes are typically used by Filipinos when travelling abroad due to larger space to pack things minus the heavy weight of a typical luggage.  Each baggage must be no more than 50 lbs. It was very difficult to figure out what to bring due to the limitations on weight requirements. We were so thankful that Pierre took us to the airport because it would have been hard to try to find a shuttle that would be able to carry all our bags.  When we arrived at the airport, we were concerned that we would have to pay a large fee for all our bags. The attendant that weighed our bags said typically we would have to pay $550 for all our baggage, but thankfully, he came back and said that we didn't owe anything and that he took care of it. Wow!!! A sure sign that God is showing us favor for this trip from the very start.

At the airport

     The children did very well on the flight to Costa Rica. We had the red eye flight which helped make sure the kids were asleep through the entire 5hr and 15 minute flight.

     Upon arriving, we retrieved all our bags and were greeted outside the airport by Denny Seler, Director of CINCEL, our language school.  It was about a 20 minute trip to the school, and all the missionaries welcomed us and assisted us to our new apartment.

Our apartment in Costa Rica

      We do not regret packing the 8 boxes and 2 suitcases that I filled with things that we owned such as familar toys, comforters, favorite cups and plates, products and toiletries to help the kids feel at home in a place that is very far away from home...Having uncertainty of what to expect about our living situation, I was pleased to know that our apartments were well stocked with food (thanks to the Ewing Family); fully furnished; no mosquitoes as of yet; weather is cool and pleasant; consistent supply of electricity and water, and most important of all...a clean and secured gated living area! This was an answered prayer where our needs were met and where the conditions far exceeded above and beyond my expectations. As our director,  Denny, says "We are in a CINCEL bubble. Their goal is to make sure the missionaries are comfortable so that all they need to focus on is learning the language. Being able to speak Spanish is highly essential for our ministry in El Salvador." 

We had a comfortable and cozy space inside

     The kids go to school from Monday to Friday, and they love their teacher Cindy, who is also a worship leader at a church that we go to called Dimension Cristiana. This Spanish local church is accustomed to having missionaries attend their services,  and we could really feel the presence of God moving through their worship team and through the pastoral staff. It was comforting to know that even if we only understood 50% of the messages (for now), we still leave the service energized and refreshed.

Celebrating Day for kids at school during the national holiday

Walking around Costa Rica Mall on a rainy day

Shopping at the organic market in Ferria Verde

OUR TRIP TO PANAMA

     After only being in Costa Rica for two weeks, we needed to take a 3 day trip to Panama with the rest of the missionaries to renew our visas. We have scheduled trips every 3 months in the school year to make sure that our visas stay current. The  trip involves a 5 hour bus ride, with 3 separate stops for immigration, baggage checks, and an actual officer that goes on a bus to check each passenger. Each stop could mean long hours waiting in lines in the heat and humidity of Panama.  As a mom with two restless girls, this could have been a nightmare. However, we prayed that the girls would get through this trip without too much complaining. We were so blessed on this trip that the process went by faster than normal. We reached Panama and stayed at the Grand Nacional Hotel. We took advantage of this time to fellowship with the rest of the missionaries and to also spend quality time with Selah and Shiloh. We knew that when we get back to Costa Rica, language school would officially begin!

Immigration and Luggage Check in Panama

At our hotel

Some quality time with the family

LANGUAGE SCHOOL HAS BEGUN

     Phil and I are classmates and the only students in our class. We jokingly call it a "love class". The rest of the missionaries have already been here for either 1 or 2 semesters, and are in more advanced classes. We have 3 classes: Fonetica, Gramatica, and 2 classes of Conversacion. We have amazing and gifted teachers: Señora Yolanda, Señora Libia, and Señorita Mecbel. The funny thing aboout our first day is that I noticed everything I learned in my entire life with regards to Spanish, was all taught in the first day at CINCEL. This meant that the next days were all going to be a whole new ball game!  So much for all those Spanish classes we took in The United States and the Philippines.  In addition, the Spanish here is taught a little different compared to other Spanish speaking countries. For instance, they commonly use the word Ustedes to address most people and they do not use the word Vosotros. Another difference is that they pronounce the letter "Y" and double "ll" as "ja" instead of "ya". For example: a word like quesadilla would sound like que-sa-di-ja..instead of que-sa-deal-liya.

At our love class :)

     The kids are learning phrases, colors, and songs each day. They are doing so great, and we are so excited to see how fast they will pick up the language...maybe even better than Phil and I.

Selah and Shiloh during the first day of school

    We are taking each day one day at a time, and we feel so privileged to have this opportunity to learn Spanish and immerse ourselves in the Spanish culture. Thank you to all our partners for making this possible.

Here is an Important Update of our Ministry Status:

      On the financial side, we are currently 75% funded for our ministry. We have lost a few partners due to health and financial reasons. We are currently seeking new partners who would like to be a part of this ministry to help spread the love of God and give away free dental care to the people of El Salvador. We are asking specifically for 20 people who are willing to commit to $50/month to help us complete our budget. If you have a heart for missions, please consider joining us to make this vision a reality!

        Kindly go to this link to give and support our missions. 

        Many many thanks!!!

        - Phil and Mia Gendreau

Preparing for our Trip to Costa Rica

    The Gendreaus have arrived in Costa Rica. After several months of planning, organizing, and praying, it definitely feels surreal to finally be here. We want to take this opportunity to give all our partners updates on all the details on the preparations for this trip.

     After my last day working at Glidewell on July 16, the process began immediately for our sorting, packing, and de-cluttering.  We needed to distinguish the things we just needed to give away, and to identify which things would go with us on our trip to Costa Rica and to El Salvador. Our flight to Costa Rica was scheduled for September 2nd, but we needed to have our house empty by August 15 to allow our renters to move in. Phil and I also planned our family vacations during the end of August, so we had to arrange our things for all our separate trips prior to the big trip to Costa Rica. 

Selah and Shiloh having fun at our Garage Sale

We will miss our home at Lake Forest, CA

     In the midst of all this preparation,  we found out that  my mom was diagnosed with early stages of breast cancer. This definitely has been a heavy burden on my heart. Not only are we leaving our familes, but it is hard to leave knowing that my mom will be going through a difficult stage in her life. However the surgeon has reassured us that my mom has a good prognosis, and that everything will be ok. 

Our photo with my mom during our visit to Vancouver, Canada

     We are  thankful to our church family and friends for sending us off and for covering us with prayer and encouragement. We realized despite the fears, trials, negative doctor reports, and relational  challenges, we knew that something great was waiting for us here in Central America. 

     After we spent some time saying goodbye to all our family and friends, Phil left to go visit his grandfather and cousins in France, while I took the girls and my mom to visit my oldest brother in Vancouver. Although it was great to visit family, we definitely missed not being together as a family. We were apart for a week, and then we reunited in Dana Point, CA and stayed with Phil's dad who has graciously opened his home to us for a few days. The kids were definitely struggling with all the travelling and different changes. We were very excited to take a family vacation to San Diego. It was nice to just get away and enjoy each other's company after all the stress of finalizing everything for our big trip to Costa Rica. During our family time, we were able to visit some of our partners and friends, and we were also able to go to Sea World and Disneyland. It  was a great mini vacation for Phil and I to just focus on our marriage and spend some quality time with our children before finally leaving for Costa Rica.

          Here are more photos of our last few days with family and friends.

In Vancouver with my mom and relatives

The girls enjoyed our visit

Together again as a family at Dana Point, CA

At Sea World in San Diego

And on our fun-filled family trip to Disneyland

We are just so grateful for all these opportunities to spend time with friends and family. I will be posting more about Costa Rica soon!

Costa Rica Update

Hello Family and Friends!

     It's been a long time since we last gave everyone an update about our journey to El Salvador...I am sure most of you have thought "Are they really going to leave?" Well to tell you the truth, I personally was starting to question if it was ever going to happen. The great news is that we have finally sold our share of the dental practice.  Phil was able to find a worthy successor to take over the position of delivering the highest level of dental care to all his existing and loyal patients. After several attempts to close the deal to sell the practice, Phil met Dr. Pham through a neighbor's manicurist's sister...now doesn't that sound like a true divine appointment? God has a funny way of just bringing the right people in your path. The manicurist mentioned to our neighbor that her sister's husband was interested in purchasing a dental practice in Orange County. When Phil mentioned it to our neighbor that we were still trying to sell the practice,  Voila, truly a match made in heaven! It really helps that Phil has taken time to get to know all of our neighbors personally.  My mom always jokes that Phil is such a social butterfly, he could almost run for President. It seems like God had a special time for us to go, and that day will be on September 2nd. He was showing us how he took care of all the details and that we just needed to wait for His perfect timing.

     The next answered prayer was finding the right people to rent our home. It was not a coincidence for us to meet a lovely family that lives around our community who were searching for a home to rent by the lake, and who were also willing to move in at the right time before we have to leave.  This family were the only people we felt at peace knowing our home will be left in good hands. Selling the practice and finding renters were the 2 major elements that needed to be set in place so that our family can move forward to our next step which is to attend language school in Costa Rica for 8 months.

     What is language school going to be like? Cincel is a school specifically designed for missionaries who are under the Assemblies of God church, to help us learn Spanish and to have the opportunity to immerse ourselves into the Spanish culture. This is an important requirement in our program because it will help us interact with the people of El Salvador, and will also help us adapt easily to the new environment. Although I lived in a third world country for 20 years, it will still be a new culture and new language that will make everything challenging but also exciting. All we are required to do is to go to school Mondays to Fridays to speak, think, and interact in Spanish. 

     There is also the Sojourn Academy, a school designed for children from kindergarten to elementary school, that does an excellent job in assisting in the transition of missionary kids from English to the Spanish language. We have friends who have young children,  who are currently going through the Cincel and Sojourn program. They have had nothing but awesome stories to share about how fast the kids have adapted to the culture. Selah and Shiloh, being younger than the minimum age when we get there, will be at a day care facility in the same campus that Phil and I will be attending.  

Cincel and its graduates
Photos from www.cincel.org

The students at the Sojourn Academy
Photos from the Sojourn Academy Website

     The next few weeks will be focused on packing and sorting things that we will need to bring for our trip. I guess you can say the long anticipation of this trip has now brought an increased excitement to just finally get things moving. Our hearts are prepared, and our hands are ready for the task involved.  Please keep us in your prayers as we settle the final details such as selling our car, making sure my mom will find a good place to settle down, and to make sure we make the best decisions for our future. We would like to thank all our partners for believing in us, and would love to connect with you before we leave for fellowship and prayer.

     Looking forward to starting this chapter of our lives by obeying God's voice and trusting that God is leading us every step of the way!

Costa Rica...here we come!

A Big "Thank You"

    I would just like to share this post from one of the newsletters that we sent out last year, before we even started this blog. It's just our way of thanking those who have supported us and felt that it would be great to include it here again.

     We want to take this time to thank all our prayer and financial partners. In a short period of time, we were able to raise 90% of our goal! Currently, we are still looking for 13 people who can commit to $50/month to help us complete our fundraising for this trip.  We are so grateful to all our partners who have encouraged us through this process.  This amazing response has been an answered prayer that God is blessing this journey.

      

     Our first step to this journey was to complete our Pre-Missionary Training in Springfield, Missouri last June 2014.  Although we were there for only 2 weeks, we were able to connect with other missionary families, and we were also able to create friendships that will last for a very long time.  The training had an incredible program for the kids called” ISMK,” International School for Missionary Kids. The children learned that they are not only “Missionary’s Kids”, but that they are also Missionaries!   We were all excited to be commissioned as official “Missionaries.”  As the Great Commission states in Matthew 27:19 “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”

Our 1st Church Visit

AMIGOSENCRISTO

      We are also thankful to Edward Vega who invited us to speak at their church AmigosEnCristo.  It was a wonderful experience to be a part of a Spanish Christian Church, and also to meet people who were so excited to hear about what our family is doing.  This was definitely a wake- up call for us to start immersing ourselves in the Spanish Language.  Selah is now watching Dora and the “Frozen” movie in Spanish!

MVP'S (MOST VALUABLE PARTNERS)

*JULIAN RUIZ

      Currently, we have our fundraiser shirt program by Booster.com.  The first time we launched the fundraiser, we were able to raise $450.  By popular demand, we decided to re-launch the fundraiser program till August 31, 2014. Our designer, Julian  helped us create shirts that will help “Give Smiles, Change Lives!”  Thank you to all our partners who joined in the “Wear it and Share it” program!

Our fundraiser shirt

*GRACE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL

      We would like to thank Grace Christian School for raising $100 during the Clubhouse Summer Camps and for supporting our family to our trip to El Salvador. During the summer camps, they passed an offering collection for their special mission project,  Phil and Mia Gendreau, Evangelism and Dentistry Missionaries. They asked the kids to look around the house for tubes of toothpaste and dental floss, and to bring a quarter for each one they had. We were so blessed by having our daughter’s school spread the word about our mission trip to El Salvador.

*MEDSEND

      Thank you to MedSend for approving the grant to pay for our student loans! Phil received an email about this while he was at a lecture taught by a professor who is a part of the MedSend board.  God is so good!

      This is the new medical rural clinic where Phil will be serving alongside Dr. Boris, Abbey Richardson, RN, and Tammy, RN.  The building was dedicated on August 22, 2014. Don Triplett, Founder of the King’s Castle Ministries gave an inspiring message during the dedication. The medical building is in the center of an area where there is a great need of medical and dental attention.  The area is surrounded by a city of poor people that have no access to any hospitals or clinics.  We are excited to be there to help these people take care of their physical needs, and to share to them the Good News about Jesus Christ.

Training in Virginia…

   Phil just came back from his dental missionary training in Abingdon,Virginia. The training was held at the Jubilee Retreat Center August 13-17, 2014. He had the privilege to train with around 30 other medical professionals.  He learned many things about how to treat patients in a different country and how to maintain balance with his family at home.  Phil also was able to spend quality time with our Aunt Hazel and Uncle Richard who happens to own a lovely bed and breakfast in Abingdon, Virginia.  

Stay tuned for the next post as we prepare for our trip to Costa Rica...


Your missionaries,
Phil, Mia, Selah, and Shiloh

First Step: Pre-Missionary Training in Springfield, Missouri

     

Our family at Springfield, Missouri

     Our first step to this amazing journey was to complete our Pre-Missionary Training in Springfield, Missouri last June 2014.  Although we were there for only 2 weeks, we were able to connect with other missionary families, and we were also able to create friendships that will last for a very long time.  We were able to spend an  entire week training with all the missionaries from the Latin America/ Caribbean Region. It was vital to meet all these families because these are the same families that would be going to language school with us in Costa Rica.  It was nice to spend some quality time with people that have the same heart to serve Jesus in another country.  There were 100 missionaries from all over the world present during this training. Each day was filled with classes from 9am to 5pm with amazing speakers that focused on different subjects such as adapting to a different culture, raising our children in a different nation, building connection with other missionaries, and knowing how to use available resources for healthcare and financial budgets.  It was very inspiring to be a part of a group of people that all had wonderful testimonies of how the Lord called them to serve on the field. 

We are officially in training

    In addition, the training had an incredible program for the kids called” ISMK,” International School for Missionary Kids. The children learned that they are not only “Missionary’s Kids”, but that they are also considered “Missionaries!”  Selah did so well with this program. As a mom, my biggest fear was that our children would have a hard time dealing with changes.  But one thing that we learned during this whole training is that children are super resilient.  Selah loved her teachers, and she enjoyed participating in all the activities. It impressed me how she handled being away from mommy and daddy for the whole day and not feel any separation anxiety.  This was another God-answered prayer!

Mommy duties in between training sessions.
This is Selah, our eldest and her younger sister Shiloh.

       

Making friends!

Selah enjoyed her time at ISMK

   On the last day of training, we were all excited to be commissioned as official “Missionaries.”  As the Great Commission states in Matthew 27:19 “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”

A map of America.
The rays show different destinations for God's Missionaries.
For our family, it is El Salvador.