Our New Normal

We have been here almost a month and we are finally in a permanent house. It's been since June 1st that we've been transitory and it feels good to be home. We rented a large condo in a gated neighborhood with a large park down the street. Our contract is for 10 months.  It makes me nervous to live in a neighborhood so close to everyone. We don't really fit in anywhere, which is why we've always been more comfortable outside civilization. We thought we were strange in the US, but here we are completely mind blowing. However, it was fairly obvious to us this is where the Lord wants us. We looked all over and found nothing else. This was the only place that came close to meeting our needs, but it is very comfortable for us. We realize that we are here to learn Spanish and to serve. The Church is the ideal place to do both. The closer we are to the church the more we can do.  Between seminary/Spanish lessons and youth night on Wendesdays, the kids need to be at the church every evening Tuesday thru Friday. It is nice to be close enough to do that easily and to interact with members as much as possible. 

The house rents for $1000/month which is half of what we were paying for our airbnb. The catch is that it's completely unfurnished. We spent the last few days gathering the absolute necesities (beds, fridge, stove, kitchen items). It's a bit of a pain, but we should come out way ahead in the end. We've trolled the Costa Rican Craigslist, OXL and facebook marketplace for the larger items, bit the bullet and bought a new couch and bed. Ethan and Sean got new mattresses and we found a bunch of cots at PriceSmart (the international version of Costco). And then spent the rest at Walmart: bedding, kitchen things, plastic chairs, etc. Our new mantra is, "Can we get away without it?"

Once we signed the contract on our house, I was able to get our church records officially moved. By Thursday both Seth and I were asked to serve in callings in which we will be sustained this Sunday. On Wednesday night--when I accompanied Jenna to YW--I was asked to serve as a counselor in the Primary. I was a little surprised at being called as a counselor, as the President doesn't speak any English and my Spanish is still pretty slow (I was really hoping for a primary class!). I can understand a lot, but speaking is still difficult. (However I have noticed that at church, I understand about 80%, whereas on the street it's more like 50%). I came home with the same feeling I have every time I interact with members, but much more: I need to bring my Spanish up to par ASAP. The faster I can reach fluency, the more I can do to help. And they are desparate for the help we can give. 

Then Seth met with the bishop on Thursday where he was asked to serve as Young Men's President. He reminded the bishop that he doesn't speak hardly any Spanish. Yep. So Seth came home with the same feeling. We need to do something. We are looking into Language Schools nearby. Most of them specialize in teaching tourists and so they have intense programs by the week, with the ideal length being 4 weeks long. 

We attended the temple last week and finally met some other Americans. Probably half of the temple workers are Senior missionary couples called from the States, I asked one Elder, did you speak Spanish before you came? Nope! He said he served as a young missionary in Argentina, but had long lost the ability to speak. He is able to converse fairly well after a year, but his wife has simply memorized the ordinances in Spanish and cannot speak much beyond that. It was inspiring to see these older couples who could easily just enjoy thier retirement be willing and happy to learn another language and live in another country. They have eachother. And they live in a complex right across the street from the temple, so they are being taken care of. 

We are finding our place and the Lord is taking care of us too. It's a struggle and an adventure.  God is just getting started writing the story He has planned for us. We know that all of it will work toward His glory and our benefit if we just give it enough time.