We only have two weeks left before Graduation Day! As this important day fast approaches, we face bittersweet emotions. Although we are very excited to see our family and friends back in California, we are also sad to leave a country that has grown very close to our hearts. We also need to stop by California to fix all our paperwork and important documents to prepare for our 2 year journey to El Salvador. Costa Rica will leave an unforgettable mark in our lives that we will cherish forever.
From the moment we arrived up to this very moment, we have felt the warmth and acceptance of the Costa Ricans. A fellow missionary asked me the other day, "What is it about Costa Rica that I will miss?" I responded to her that I will miss the community that we experienced here at CINCEL. The friends that we have gained through language school have become almost like family to us. It is not always easy to find a community where everyone gets along, but with the staff and fellow missionaries here at CINCEL, we have found a community that is filled with harmony, servanthood, friendship, and love. With fervent prayer, we have prayed for a community that would help each other through cultural integration and the obstacles of language learning. God has provided grandparents, uncles, aunts, sisters, and brothers for our children that have been a huge blessing to help them transition through this big change. Some say it takes a village to raise your kids, and we have found that to be true here in Costa Rica. Without this community, adjusting into a different culture would have been very difficult.
Coming from a crazy lifestyle where Phil and I worked crazy hours, it was very hard to spend quality time with each other. Living in Costa Rica for the last 8 months has allowed us to learn Spanish; to appreciate the Latin American culture; and to value the precious time that we got to spend with each other throughout this entire journey which is so far from over. As our season at CINCEL draws to an end, we still have to prepare ourselves for the real mission ahead which is our trip to El Salvador this May 2016. Although we have learned the Costa Rican culture, it will be a completely different experience trying to learn the Salvadorian culture.
Despite the differences between these countries, it was important that we learned an important foundation of cultural integration which is to Listen, Observe, and Apply. We learned to listen to how the locals speak; we learned to observe the locals customs and traditions; and we learned to apply the lessons that we learned in class.
The key to adapting to this culture was to be intentional about hanging out with people who only speak Spanish. Even if we knew they could speak and understand English, we still chose to speak to the locals in Spanish. We are so thankful to the Costa Rican families that we have met, and so amazed by how gracious and patient they have been to help us understand their culture. In addition to learning their culture, we have also learned to adapt and humble ourselves to the concepts that we thought we already knew, and to accept that we are still constantly learning and understanding new things every day that can never be taught in a classroom or a textbook. Living life amongst the Latin American people is the best classroom we could ever have.
An important lesson we have learned from this entire experience is that our family can be content in any circumstance. The Bible says in Philippians 4:12-13, "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength."
Before we left for Costa Rica, I personally thought that I would not be able to get through this with our girls. Phil has been a rock and a pillar of faith throughout this entire experience. Although Phil and I had so much disunity about coming here, I am happy to announce that God can change hearts. The real testimony behind all this is that God is able to bring unity in marriages, in friendships, and in church communities, if and only if we choose to seek His will ahead of our own will, and to trust that God is in perfect control. The moment we surrender and release our dreams and desires to Him, we will then only experience complete freedom and peace.
Despite all the amazing breakthroughs, we ask for your continued support and prayers for the following:
1. Open doors for a safe and comfortable home in El Salvador.
2. Wisdom on which school to choose for our children.
3. Continuous monthly support for our term in El Salvador till 2018.
4. Opportunities to share the Gospel and help those who are in need.
5. Protection from any sickness or health issues.
6. Supernatural comprehension of the Spanish language.
Thank you to all our partners. We are humbled by how God has provided for us to finish language school and proceed to serve in El Salvador this coming May.
We will post a final update on our final exams, also known as ECOS. This is a test to measure how much we have learned in the past 8 months here at CINCEL. We take our studies very seriously because we know that this is an important tool to communicate with the people from El Salvador. We are far from becoming fluent, but we have come a long way from where we started, and we are forever grateful for that! Looking forward to seeing you all soon!
Blessings,
The Gendreaus -Phil, Mia, Selah, and Shiloh
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| At Punta Leona, Costa Rica |
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