Monday, September 30, 2013

CINCEL

OK,

Can I pretend that I haven't ignored the blog the last 6 months?

Life was really crazy, and we were all stretched thin.

So much has happened in the last 6 months.  .  .

The girls finished their first year of school here in San Jose.



We officially became residents of Costa Rica.



The girls started their new school 6 weeks after finishing the old one
(is it just me or did ya'll see the difference in Maggi, good grief. . . .)

We received our driver's license.

and. . .

WE GRADUATED FROM LANGUAGE SCHOOL. .


Words on the page, or a blog, or even spoken can not begin to explain, how each of those things were major milestones in our lives.

I think that is why I haven't written anything down, I just did not have the words to begin to explain how we were living out our life here.

When they give you that test to assess your stress level, well lets just say, we "aced" that test.

The language school we attended here in San Jose, Costa Rica is called CINCEL.  It is where any missionary from the Assemblies of God will go for language studies if they are going to a Central or South American country, or a special assignment that requires Spanish.

CINCEL is short for the Center for Cultural Research and Language Studies.
If you translate the word from Spanish, it is chisel.

Chisel.

That is a perfect description of how our last year has been.
we have been chiseled.

and it has been painful.
and we wanted to quit.
and we cried.
and we studied.
and we humiliated our self trying to speak.

We were slowly being chipped.  carved.  simply put chiseled.

chiseled.

I just couldn't find the strength to share my experience on line.

When we agreed to go. . . at all cost, I don't think we knew exactly what that meant.

Let me point out, that I don't compare myself to people who have paid with their lives, their family.

I don't think we  (except my girls) are extraordinary people.
We have always said, we are just an ordinary family going where He leads.

But when you are being chiseled, and you see the parts that are falling off, you find your self surprised as you watch the process.
Some parts we saw "fall" are parts we thought were essential.  (I am a nurse, so to me, it is like in the middle of a procedure and the surgeon "nicks" an artery")
And to be honest, we felt like we were "bleeding out".

When we were being chiseled we, at times, had "open wounds".

But He kept chiseling.

and we kept moving forward.

I am not so foolish to believe that the "chiseling" is finished.  That does not stop because you get a diploma from a language school.  (but just for the record, I have one)


but, for us, we feel we have reached a milestone.

When we (David and I)  take a moment to look at the big picture, the big project, the "sculpture", we get very emotional.  Even as I type, I get teary. . .

What we couldn't see each day, or each "loss" looks beautiful now.
Even unfinished.

We have overcome very personal attacks, loss of control, defeat, sadness, anger, discouragement, and the list goes on.  Chiseled.

HOWEVER, I wouldn't change it.  Not one stroke of the chisel. We are stronger, our faith is deeper, our commitment is more fierce, our love for each other more bonded.  We trust the Lord more, we want to give more, go more, be more.  We want to be found faithful, obedient, and humble servants.

Thank you so much for sharing this journey with us.  Thank you for the encouragement, the prayers, the packages, the letters, the extra money, the calls, the faith you put in us.  Thank you for loving us, during the process.  Thank you for believing in the "rookie missionaries".

Our prayer for you is that during your CINCEL experience, when you are being chiseled to something that is unrecognizable, know that you are not alone.  We are partners together.

We are honored to be with you, as you are with us, for the "before" the "during" and we will together want to be found faithful for "after" . . .throughout the chiseling process.