Loving Life, Loving People & Loving God!

Well, here it is...April 19th and all is well.  I'm sitting in the waiting area of the Firestone Tire Store here in Uvita, Costa Rica.  Yesterday it seemed like a good thing to stop by and see if they could rotate and re-balance the tires on our Isuzu Rodeo.  That turned into a significant project.  We are now up to rotating, re-balancing, aligning, and replacing the front bearings and other little parts.  What started out with an estimate of $30.00 is now very close to $250.00.  My friend, Mo, from our church stopped by for few minutes yesterday while they were giving me the news.  Mo is good with mechanics and assured me that they are shooting straight.  The way I look at it is that I would far rather receive this kind of information now in order to prevent a future problem.  Once you venture off the main roads around here the going gets rough and tough.  So, I'm pretty pleased that they made the discovery.  AND, I must say, $250.00 is way better than $2,500.00!!!

It has been waaaaay to long since I have written for my blog.  One of my major passages was Easter.  This was my first Easter in Costa Rica and my first in all my 64 years to spend by myself.  Here are a few words I wrote on Easter Sunday evening:

It is Sunday evening.  Easter Sunday evening to be precise.  This has been THE most unusual Easter in my memory.  One reason is because I am...home alone.  (Well, not quite.  Our schnoodle, Lillie, is here with me.)  But the fact of the matter is, other than Lillie, this has been my very first solo Good Friday and Easter.  Josh, Jamie & Alex moved back to the States nearly two weeks ago.  A few days after they left, Colleen also departed for a 6 week visit with her sister and other friends.

Our church here had no Good Friday service.  That has been one of my favorites over the years.  Always fulfilling to gather with the saints and give thanks for the Ultimate Gift!  This morning was strange in some ways.  Attendance at our church was...down.  It is a small church and when I say down I mean down by 20% from our regular Sundays.  One reason for the lower attendance has some to do with with way Costa Ricans celebrate Easter.  It is a MAJOR holiday.  Massive numbers of people make it a week-long occasion.  The beaches, and highways, are shoulder-to-shoulder.  One couple in our church had over 50 family members and friends camping on their property.  Other people have similar situations, so many of them feel like they must stay with their family and miss church.  I, on the other hand, would approach it from a totally different standpoint.  I'd say, "If you are going to camp out in my yard, you better get your behinds up and go to church with me to worship the Total Reason for this celebration.  Otherwise, the rent is $25.00 per person, per night!"  I'm thinking attendance would increase!!!  Ha! But I must say that we had a wonderful service.  Several people came forward at the end of the service for special prayer.  I had met and invited a new family to come to church with me.  They showed!  And, they really seemed to enjoy the service and meeting our people.  After church I drove a teen home and have spent the rest of the day reading and resting. 

Okay, today it is my goal to give some more "inside scoop" on life in Costa Rica.  By the way, what is on my mind is going to take up a fair amount of writing space.  Please notice the large print.  I do that primarily for myself.  My vision is good, but even better if the print is large!  And, it is more comfortable, less exhausting for my eyes.  Just saying, the large print makes the artical appear longer than it is!

So, get ready for some pretty fast transition from one subject to another!

Retirement in Costa Rica, so far, has been very much inline with Ephesians 3:20, "...immeasurably more than I ask or imagine!" My weight is down rather substantially.  When I left the States I weighed in at 208 lbs.  This morning the scale quoted me at 185.  I've not seen that level since early marriage!  Also, my blood pressure is down to the point where I've discontinued my bp medicine, and, because of diminished foot pain, I have cut back on Neurontin from 1200 milligrams per day to 600 per day.  Sleeping has become rather predictable.  Before arriving in Costa Rica it was common for me to go to sleep at 11-12 PM, then wake up for 2-3 hours and then go back to sleep until 6-7 AM.  Here, it is not unusual to be asleep by 9:00 PM and sleep through until 5:00 AM.  The changes have been amazing.

Lillie and I walk from 3-5 miles per day.  That, I'm convinced, has contributed to the weight loss and bp control and is getting me ready for a Grand Canyon hike in October (with Dave & Linda McClung and possibly my brother, Bruce, and also possibly with Josh & Jamie)!  The heat and humidity here always make that walk a drenching experience.

So, along with what I've already mentioned, I wanted to take some time and space today to talk about some things that are really special about Costa Rica.  The following are people, things that have stolen my  heart.

1. The People!  The fact of the matter is that God has provided very special friends wherever we have been.  One of my little exercises today was to take some time to remember and pray for our friends over the years.  Here, however, there is something very unique about the friendship aspect.  First, all the gringos (mostly North Americans) are so far away from home that it is essential that we enthusiastically befriend each other.  The same sort of thing happened in Alaska.  We were all a long ways away from our family and we really did/do need each other!  Additionally, here we have found the ticos (locals) to be happy and very loving.  Amazingly so.  I spent time with O'ger and Liz this afternoon, a lovely Tico couple!  What fun to sit on their porch and listen to their dreams.  By the way, they were raising a parrot that got ejected from its nest when the tree in which the nest was located fell over.  I say "were" because their cat now has parrot breath.  Such stories I would never have heard in the USA! 

2. The Coast Highway (Hy 34).  This isn't necessarily in order of importance, but I am SO thankful for the highway between here and San Jose (the airport!).  It really is amazingly smooth and comfortable.  We can make it to the airport in about 3 & 1/2 - 4 hours and we rather enjoy making the trip!  We travel through miles of palm groves and see lots of life that is unusual and different.  The palm workers still use lots of teams of oxen to pull the carts.  One river we cross is called "Crocodile River."  The crocs are huge!  How they reach that large size without a migration of wildebeasts is a mystery to me.  The ocean beach area is spectacular and we have discovered one of Costa Rica's best values in the Jaco Beach area...Chocobananas for only $1.00!  Shhhh.  Don't tell people about this bargain.  The owners would probably get wind of this and raise the price!

3. Our Builders.  Jose and Maria Godinez have been one of God's good gifts to us.  We were told that using a local/tico builder would cause nightmares.  Well, the opposite has been the case.  Jose goes well beyond the 2nd mile to make sure everything is in order.  Here is a recent picture.  We had suggested to Jose that it would be good to have a graveled area where we could park the car close to the house.  The retaining walls, planters, and cement parking was what he came up with.  The cost for this "add on" was very reasonable, just over $6,000.00.  We think it would have been well over $20,000.00 in the States.

4. Osa Mountain Village.  That is the name of the development where our home has been built.  You really should take a good look at it by checking out www.osamountainvillage.net.  Josh has done a great job of sharing the highlights.  Last week, the CEO of the Village took me on a tour of the improvements.  It is simply amazing.  Since Osa Mountain Village is billed as a luxury, self-sustaining community I'm sure it would come as no surprise to you that there is a nice recreation area (pool, ping pong, sun tanning, etc.) and a nice refreshment area and restaurant.  What really is surprising is all the work they have put into the organic, self-sustaining aspect.  Jim Gale, the CEO, took me to the agricultural area where there are large tilapia ponds, goat facilities (milk & cheese), chicken enclosures and free range territory, along with acres and acres of fruit and vegetable production.  As residents of Osa Mountain Village we share in all the bounty we can use for only $150.00 per month.  That is amazing.

Let me add some to this (This blog is a work in progress.  Started over two weeks ago.  Writing in the Firestone store as I said earlier.)  Talking with two folks from Canada who paid nearly $150,000 for 3/4 acre.  We paid $124,000 for 1.25 acres and have the added blessing of participating in their communal food system.  SO thankful to be here.

5. Osa Moutain Canopy Tour and Butterfly Paradise.  The Canopy Tour is an eleven zip line event, wrapping up at the Blue Morpho Cafe just down from our home.  It has been fun to meet several of the groups as they wrap up their tour and see the joy on their faces.  A man told me this past Saturday morning that this was their 4th time to do the zip line.  He said they love it so much that whenever family and/or friends come to town that they always have to do the Canopy Tour! 

The Butterfly Paradise is just across the road from our home.  David and Jarvia have done and awesome job of building and supplying the Butterfly Paradise!  It is truly one of the most spectacular sights you will ever see.  In an enclosed umbrella of netting, hundreds of butterflys roam freely.  Recently I watched as two blue morphos landed on a lady at the same time.  There is really nothing quite like the Butterfly Paradise experience!

6. Our Church.  Our church is named "The Church of the Coast" and is one of the most unusual and most enthusiastic gatherings of believers you could imagine.  The church is made up of 1/2 ticos and 1/2 gringos.  Each service is fully translated into Spanish and English.  Though we average around 50 in weekly attendance, the church has the feel of a church that is actually much larger with the possibility of substantial growth.  Paster Payton McKeever is our pastor and we love him and his wife, Julie. They have two children, Brooks (13) and Megan (5).  Most of you know that my history of ministry has been totally wrapped up in the Church of the Nazarene.  This is my first departure.  I'm hoping in God's time and in God's way to be involved in a church plant for the Church of the Nazarene as we go along, but am in no hurry.

7. The Climate.  To be honest, we struggled with the heat and humidity on the coast.  To conserve electricity, we slept with fanS directed on us every night.  Temps in the day time often hovered around 85 degrees, with the humidity coming in at 120%.  Just kidding on the humidity, but not much.  Since we've moved to the higher elevation of our home, those statistics have been changed considerably.  Being close to 2000 ft. elevation gifts us with much cooler temps.  It is common to be 10 degrees cooler than on the coast and the breeze makes it seem even  cooler.  I find it amazing that in a tropical setting we have such a comfortable climate.  Last night I slept with the window open and covered by a quilt!  How nice!

We are headed into the rainy season.  Day before yesterday it rained most of the day.  Our landscape workers worked straight through the day!  Yesterday and today have been sunny and bright and very comfortable.

One thing that is a bargain here is labor.  I had a lady come in to do cleaning at the home we are moving out of and paid her the going rate of $4.00 per hour.  Outdoor maintainence people can be hired for $3-$4.00 per hour.  Product is expensive.  Labor is not.  To tell you the truth, I wonder how Costa Ricans can make it on the low wages.  They pay the same for life's essentials as everyone else.  My practice and intent is to be as generous as possible without upsetting the cultural applecart!

Well, folks, that is enough for this time.

Oh, I need to say that I've been following the trip of a couple College buddies who were traveling from the southern-most tip of South America to Oklahoma City (Doug Eaton) and Kansas City (Brad Moore).  It was fun, an honor and privilege to intersect with them just a few miles of south of where we were living to enjoy a meal and a time of fellowship with them!

If you plan on being in Costa Rica, please let me know.  I will do my best to come and see you.  One of  these days pretty soon I will have us situated so we can entertain visitors!  Looking forward to having you come by and see us!

Have a super day.

Friend,

Wes

An Hour With Dean Hellenga!

I met Dean (and Bette) Hellenga in about 1976, or so, when they came down from Alaska to Marysville, CA, for Dean's mother's funeral.  We got to know each other much better when I had the privilege to be his/their pastor in Anchorage, AK, from 1982-1987.  Dean was an ordained Nazarene pastor, but that really wasn't his forte.  He was a teacher his students loved and he was an outdoorsman with a great love for nature and and great knack for story-telling.

One time at our Alaska District Church of the Nazarene Jr. Camp, he took us out to an area where there was plenty of room and told us to spend whatever time we needed to record what was going on in our circle.  At first we thought he was off his bonker, but he spent time with each of us and pretty soon we began to see what we had never seen...bugs, plants, little critters, worms, clouds, birds, again, way more than any of us had every seen before.

That's the Dean Hellenga who spent time with me today.

One time on the Resurrection Trail on the Kenai Penninsula, Dean and 15 or 16 of us were camped out by a lake.  The strangest thing happened.  Across the Lake a cow moose came down into the water to what we thought was to consume some lake cabbage or other water delicacies.  All of the sudden she erupted into a frenzy of bucking and kicking and snorting.  All of us, except Dean, leaned backwards with the hope that the cow would not come our direction.  Dean watched and munched on a stem of some wild oat plant and thought.  Pretty soon he ventured, "I'm guessing the cow had a calf and the calf was killed by a grizzly bear and when her udder hit the cold icey water, she remembered and, thus, the eruption."

What a great story!  Early the next morning I heard a voice outside my tent, "Pastor, you need to come see this."  In a minute I was outside my tent and with Dean as we headed just a few yards from where we all were camping.  I did notice that Dean kept his hand on his long-barrelled 345 magnum revolver.  We walked over to a mound.  "Grizzly bear cache," Dean whispered while watching all around.  With a stick in his hand opposite his revolver, he moved some grass and sticks back and flipped out a piece of bone and after a few seconds of silence, "Shoulder bone from a moose calf."

That's the Dean Hellenga who was with me today.

But, I have to tell you that the day got off to a fabulous, unusual, start.  Heading down the hill from our place in our Isuzu Rodeo, I came around a corner and, low and behold, there was the most beautiful Blue Morpho butterfly flying right in front of me.  Have had that happen before.  This one moved to the driver's side and flew exactly one foot away from me for several yards before veering off to the left.  Amazing!  I honestly felt like I was in an ultra-light filming a goose in flight!

Then, I dropped the car off to have new brakes installed and walked a mile to the entrance of a Costa Rican National Park.  Since I didn't want to pay the $6.00 entrance fee, I decided to go over and look into a river flowing into the park to see if I could see anything unusual.

That's when Dean came for a visit.  (Don't go overboard with this too much.  I do not believe in communicating with the dead.  It was just a Dean Hellenga setting and a Dean Hellenga moment.  That's all!)

There was a nice rock on the edge of the river with some nice roots from a nearby tree that made for a very comfortable place for me to relax.  I heard Dean say, "Now, just measure out a piece and give it your full attention.  See what you will see and listen for what you wouldn't hear if you didn't take the time.

Okay.

Here's my list.

A man came through the jungle on the other side of the river.  He had a little dog with him and he had a large gunny sack full of something over his shoulder.  He waded into the river and came across.  The little dog swam.  When he got to me, in broken English he said, "Be careful.  Alligators."  I was.  Didn't see any!  Thank goodness!

After a few minutes, movement to my left capture my attention.  With God as my  witness, it was one of those lizards that walk on water.  He started at the far side of the river and walked all the way (30 feet, or so) across!

In the river in front of me, there were large schools of a bottom-feeding fish.  They had small mouths with tannish colored lips.  Their eyes were dark and large and there was a large blue dot right in front of the dorsal fin.

There was movement again off to the left.  This time it was in the trees above the river.  Something was making its way through the jungle.  When I saw it, I could hardly believe my eyes, a Costa Rican Squirrel Monkey!  He leaped from a tree limb on the far side of the river to one stretched out from my side of the river in one fell swoop and was back up in the canopy in an instant and out of sight.

A red dog came from behind me to get a drink in the river.  I don't think he ever knew I was in his vicinity.

Soon my focus was drawn to a strange fish.  This one, and his buddies, scoured the surface for food.  Talk about funny looking!  Their eyes seemed to be on top of their heads.  Not sure.  Going to have to look it up, but I'm pretty sure I've seen them on National Geographic.  They are the ones that search for insects on leaves in the bushes just above the water's edge and then blow a stream of water to knock the insect off the leaf.

Then a very large iguana came down from an arching limb stretched out across the river.  He seemed like he was just warming up for the day.  When he got out of the tree, he rooted around in some scraggly area at the base of the tree and it looked to me that he was having luck finding food.  Later, when I left, he let me get to within 6 feet before he disappeared into the hollow of that same tree!

This is probably enough.  But, I should say the birds put on a special show.  Two more water walkers came across the river.  A white egret and several other shorebirds made appearances.  At one moment I was surrounded by 5 or 6 little multi-colored lizards. 

Most all of this had to do with sitting quietly for over an hour.  Me and Dean!

And, me without my camera!

Friend,

Wes

One Month in Ecuador!

Now I’ll tell you the honest truth!  (Don’t you just love it when someone opens a subject in that way!?  What other kind of truth is there?)  Well, anyway, I just want you all to know something.  I could live in Ecuador for the rest of my life with no problem at all.  But first I need to get a few things off my chest.

Our apartment is has been nearly perfectly situated.  We are within one half mile of a Super Maxi, a grocery store that rivals any of the nicest grocery stores in the States.  One of the 3 rivers that run through Cuenca is less than a quarter mile away.  A huge “Farmer’s Market” is just over one half mile away.  What’s not to love?

I will tell you what’s not to love.  The beds in this apartment are as hard as rocks.  Those of you who know me know that I have little excess fat on my body, especially my hips.  Bony hips and hard beds are totally incompatible.  I have spent every single night in this apartment like a chicken on a rotisserie.  Though I’ve never been known as a sound sleeper, a hard bed has detracted from the overall pleasure of this trip.

Another thing to get off my chest is that Ecuadorians, at least here in Cuenca, are far more comfortable with noise than I am.  From the first night we arrived and all the way through we have been “serenaded” with fireworks, the honking of innumerable auto horns (mostly taxis) and those intolerable loud-mufflered cars.  You Nazarenes will know what I mean.  I’m saved and sanctified and on my way to heaven, but at times I have had this vision of a shoulder mounted anti-aircraft ballistic launcher and I have fantasized about incinerating those [expletive deleted…insert your own word/s here] noisy cars.

Super-collide a hard bed and noise and you have the perfect combination of pain, misery and agony on me! (For you ‘Hee-Haw’ fans!)

Enough of that, but I do want to thank you all for providing this therapy session for me!

The other side of this coin is really packed with a lot of fun, excitement and good memories.  There is no place quite like Ecuador.  Cuenca, where we’ve been these nearly five weeks, is located at about 8,200 feet above sea level.  The culture here revolves around the ancient presence of Spanish conquerors in the sixteen hundreds, the colorful flamboyance of indigenous “country folks” and the straight-forward young and dynamic culture that is the essence of entrepreneurship.  Not kidding you, it really seems like the small business to people population is exactly 1:1!  Nearly all of the downtown streets are wall-to-wall businesses.

We’ve had reason to access healthcare here in Ecuador.  Jamie had some digestive problems and needed to see a doctor.  Alexandria experienced what turned out to be gastritis and needed very specialized care.  Folks, I wish every person in the whole world could experience what we have in this regard.  The doctors we’ve encountered have all made themselves available around the clock by giving us their home phone and cell numbers.  Josh and Jamie “just happened” upon a doctor who, it turned out, was the Chief of Staff at one of the Cuenca hospitals.

Dr. visits were very professional and the fees ranged from $20 to $30.00.  Alex needed some specialty care.  Two doctors and an anesthesiologist came in on Saturday morning to perform an endoscopy.  The cost…$150.00.  The facilities are, for the most part, state-of-the-art and clean as a whistle!  We are deeply grateful for the healthcare here in Ecuador!

My personal interest in Ecuador has centered on trying to figure out if I could be helpful to a group of people, in a Christian/spiritual sense.  While there are at least a couple major evangelical churches in the city, it is quite apparent that there is significant opportunity here for a guy like me to have a ministry!  Along with the local population that “seems” quite religious (although I'm told church attendance is extremely low), there is a growing expat population that is obviously searching for Christian spiritual connections.

In fact, the first expat I met is a guy my age who is the son of a pastor from Texas.  He is separated some from his spiritual roots and expressed strong desire for friendship.  Another couple we met was from, of all places, Long Creek, Oregon.  That was one fun friendship encounter.  You could have knocked Jamie over with a straw.  Jamie was born into the Long Creek community and was raised there until she was 5 years old!  What are the odds?

My growing awareness is that English speaking expats from primarily North America are spreading out around the world.  It warms the cockles of my heart to think and believe that they will both find each other and local Christians and develop friendships and fellowship.  It is a growing thought in my mind that ministry in this regard is a major new possibility.

Not only have I been interested in Christian ministry here, but I have had a great time looking in on the local “Farmer’s Market” and hiking the area. 

Just today, I made the decision to try to scale a nearby mountain (impressive hill, at least!).  I mentioned that Cuenca is located at the 8,200 ft. level.  There is no doubt that I hiked another thousand feet above that!  Remarkable things were happening up there! There is more construction than you can shake a stick at!  The recession does not seem to have hit Ecuador.  I’m told that with the return of Ecuadorians from North America and the influx of expats that the economy here is in a definite boom cycle!

One of the things that really stood out on my trip to the top of the mountain today was the obvious clash between the old and the new.  There were scores of building projects in process.  In several cases there were brand new building projects situated exactly  next door to old-style mud brick homes.  In one such case, an elderly lady was out in front of her home feeding her puppies.  She graciously allowed me to photograph her. 

Just down the road from her home, the local school was dismissing.  Many of the kids were eager to have their picture taken.  Wishing like crazy that I was fluent in Spanish.

Right in the area of the school was the café where I stopped for lunch.  I’m positive that the ladies in the café were surprised to have a tall, skinny gringo stop in!  They served me a large bowl of soup, a plate of rice, pork and avocado, and a fried banana, all for only $2.50!  They also served a drink that I didn’t feel comfortable with.

Yesterday I hiked upstream on a nearby river and marveled at the pristine beauty of that setting.  At one point, I encountered several families doing their laundry on the bank of the river.  They saw me photographing them and seemed quite comfortable.  One young boy was playing with his baby sister on the grass.  In my “sign language” sort of way, I asked him if I could take the baby’s picture.  Not only did he give permission, but he was eager to steal a bit of the show himself!

On up the river, I encountered a dead cow in the middle of the river.  Ergh.  Couldn’t help but think of all the people downstream washing their clothes in the same river!

Then it was on to the “Farmer’s Market.”  Folks, I know of no other cultural experience that measures up to the trip to this market.  I’ve visited the market several times, but this time I approached the market from a different direction.  It seemed to me that in my first few visits to the markets that the people were a bit leery of a gringo coming in and taking pics.  Each time I have returned, I’ve gotten more smiles and even more openness to my taking pictures.  The variety of goods, the sights and smells are amazing.



Just have to say that I love Ecuador and hope to return in the future.  We have to complete and sell our home in Costa Rica first, and then we will make some decisions about where to spend the next several years.  It is our hearts’ desire to be in a place where our influence for Christ can be maximized!

God Bless You All!!!

Wes

Just had to add a pic of something I will REALLY miss about Ecuador.  Shrimp are to be had in abundance down here!

The Inside Story...

The target of this blog is...honesty and full disclosure.

But, first of all, just let me say that one of the "funnest" sporting experiences of my life happened yesterday when Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos defeated the Pittsburg Steelers in the wild card play off game.  AND, the fact that Tim threw for 316 years in passing, just delights me to no end!  Jokingly, I have predicted that he will have 320 yards against New England this coming Saturday (as in Ephesians 3:20 "God is able to do immeasurably more than we imagine!")  My  conviction is that Christianity needs a role model who will remain above the false-iscity of big time popularity.  A couple days ago I was concentrating on Mark 4 and these words stood out, Mar 4:18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19  but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. My prayer for Tim Tebow is that he will remain true to his testimony and that he will not be overcome by what I would call...the craziness of celebrity.



...................

In regards to "honesty," I just want to say that I'm convinced that this is a significant season in my life.  After serving as a pastor for over 40 years, I'm sincerely seeking for a new place and a new purpose within the context of retirement.  It amazes me that we (the Smiths) are totally comfortable with the label, "expat."  Our loyalty and kinship with the United States is strong, but, honestly, I am now driven by the goal of finding the place where Colleen and I can both maximize our retirement financially and where our faith in Jesus Christ can make the greatest difference.

So, I want to talk to/with you all about this journey.

Conversations about Costa Rica first appeared on our radar screen about 2 years ago.  At first our response was something like, "Yeh, sounds interesting, but probably could never happen."  The lynchpin in the entire conversation as far as I was concerned was Colleen.  My intent in all of our nearly 38 years of marriage has been to maximize her life and to assist her in every way possible to open doors of opportunity and fulfillment for her.  Such a move in our lives would never be possible without her agreement and participation.

Well, wonder of wonders, Colleen was not put off by the idea and actually verbalized interest and openness.  Her interest opened doors of exploration for me and the rest of the family.  But this is a good place to say that the cost of this transition has been far greater for Colleen than for any other family member (Josh, Jamie, Alex and me).  Her gigantic sacrifice was to be willing to give up on the part of her life that was nearer and dearer than I can explain or comprehend. 

Colleen had two horses and a goat that she gave up.  This was one of the areas of her life that I fully supported...we had built a major 40' x 60' barn (half of which was devoted to her animals), plumbed the barn with water, built a nice tack room and bath stall, fenced and cross fenced the paddock and pasture and further invested in training and the best health products available for her animals.

From my standpoint, the transition to the "expat" life began with significate dialogue with the Longview Church of the Nazarene Church Board, beginning in February of 2011, and culminated with my retirement on September 25, 2011.  Again, honestly, my participation in ministry had become, searching for the best word here, confusing.  I have always had a desire to lead the local church into the greatest influence for Christ in whatever community I was serving, and, to tell you the truth in my opinion, my effectiveness was suffering.  I can easily say that these months of being out of the pastorate have been healing and restorative for me. 

By the way, I am in the process of writing an "e-book."  The working title so far is, "Wesley on the Chuch of the Nazarene (Wesley Smith, that is!)"  My unique experience as a pastor, I'm pretty sure, gives me the credibility to say some things to and about the church that could be helpful to the denomination.  I am one of the few people I know who has pastored in both large and small church settings.  Not saying when the book will appear, but I'm making good progress.

Anyway, as our retirement discussions and decisions progressed, Colleen and I began a significant and severe separation from many of the material things we had accumulated over the years.  We, along with Josh and Jamie, conducted two major barn/garage sales and watched as the accumulations of 37+ years drove away in other people's cars and pickups.  Our home miraculously sold when a couple appeared in our driveway to look over our place.  They were immediately convinced our place was what they wanted and made a cash offer that we accepted within 48 hours.  Our realtor called it a "God Thing!" and informed us that our home was one of three homes in its price category that had sold within the previous 12 months in Cowlitz county.

It really is impossible to describe what it was like to have to give up things that to some extent had become a significant piece of our identity.  I had inherited my dad's rolltop desk.  He purchased it in 1947 from the estate of an attorney in DeSmit, South Dakota.  After lots of discussions and prayer, I passed that desk to my nephew, Lincoln Smith, who lives in San Diego and is a student at Point Loma Nazarene University.  Lincoln is preparing to be a Missionary Doctor, so the desk stays in "ministry!"  That is just one example of the difficulty of seeing treasured things disappear.

Dad Smith's (H. LaVern) Roll Top Desk from 1947.

We've been away from our American home and hearth for about 3 and 1/2 months now.  And, I want to say a few things about the "expat" life.

Colleen and I both feel strongly that we have cut the ties with our former way of life.  We are no longer homeowners with an intent to kick back and retire in a familiar setting.  Our talks along this line have reached very definite conclusions.  No turning back.  We believe the rest of our physical future lies outside the United States.

Okay. It is important to say about the expat life is that it is not for everyone.  I think the cost of making the move to another country would be prohibitive for many people.  It seems clear to me that many people would not be interested in the expat life simply because of their family connections.  Then there are those folks who fear change and the unknown.  There are probably other reasons that people shouldn't consider cutting the ties.  I have full understanding for those who cannot consider life outside the USA.

On the other hand, we are constantly running into realities that make the expat lifestyle more compelling!  Much of the rationale for living outside the USA revolves around the cost of living.  I am writing this from Cuenca, Ecuador, and the cost of living is simply amazing here.  Gasoline sells for $1.25 per gallon for regular ($1.05, diesel).  We have driven a VW Jetta diesel for the past five years that averaged around 42-45 miles per gallon.  This is like a throwback to many years gone by.  I cannot give you the exact reason gas is so cheap here, but it has something to do with Ecuador being an oil-rich nation and the government has made the decision to control the price in order to benefit the citizens.

We can take a taxi to nearly any part of the city for $2.00.  I had my very first experience riding a city bus a couple days ago.  We traveled to the end of route 8 that took us to one part of the city, picked up bus 7 that took us to another part of the city (mall), and then bus 13 brought us pretty close to home...for only 75 cents!  That amazes me!  By the way, senior citizens in Ecuador are quite treasured.  They receive sales tax back on a monthly basis.  They travel public transportation for 1/2 price (12.5 cents instead of 25 cents). They received free medical care and free medicines. Unrelated to the government, seniors can travel internationally for 1/2 regular fare with the three major airlines in the country.  I'm not totally informed about this last benefit, but will tell you more when I know more.

We are living for this month of January on the top floor of a four story building.  The rent for the month is $700.00.  Month!  This includes utilities and having a maid come in for six hours twice a week.  We are enjoying this home, but should we decide to re-locate to Ecuador, we would prefer to live on an acre or so.  Colleen would love to re-connect with her horse hobby.  Home prices vary, but a comfortable apartment/condominium can be had from $50K (one bedroom, one bath) to a comfortable medium of $150,000K (3 bedrooms, 3 baths), to just about any other price.  I recently looked at an ad for a mega-home priced at $2.5 million!

Typical high rise apartment/home high rise in Cuenca, Ecuador

We have found the Ecuadorians to be beautiful and friendly people!  There is, at least, no visible sign around of the illegal drug cartels.  This is a very peaceful county and, I'm convinced, a country that wants a good and prosperous future.  Colleen and I talked yesterday about the absence of vice in this city. 

Nice lady on the street who let me take her/their picture.

 

I wish you all could see the major Farmer's Markets that exist around town.  We have one about 1/2 mile from where we live.  It is a sprawling gathering of marketeers from all aspects of what it takes to make such a market!  Many of the people represent the old Ecuadorian culture and wear the outfits that make them unique!  The colors are fabulous!

Unbelievable variety and supply of fresh fruits and veggies in the local Farmer's Market.

Can you imagine tomatoes at 4 lbs. for one dollar?  I mean gorgeous, firm, red, just right tomatoes!  Can you imagine 3-4 large avocados for one dollar?  Pasta is 2 lbs for fifty cents.  Though, I tried the pasta from the market and didn't enjoy it.  The array of fruits and vegetables is mind boggling.  The seafood section is amazing.  It does have a bit of an odor (Alex took one walk through.  That was enough for her.), but the selection is out of this world.  In the meat market, you can purchase just about any piece of meat you can imagine.  Several aisles have cooked food.  Several of the aisles have raw meat.  Beyond the typical farmer's market items, various other products are for sale.  I'm not good at this kind of measurement, but I would guess that the market must cover close to 5 acres. (Basing that on the size of our 5 acres in Castle Rock.)

Imagine 5 acres, or so, of this kind of produce!

Again, I do not have the exact details, but you can deposit your money in Ecuadorian banks and receive 10.5% interest.  The interest rate is based on leaving it on deposit for one year.  There is a 20% penalty for early withdrawels.  Hm.  That would bring the interest rate down to 8%, or so.  How does even 8% sound in comparison with what is being paid in your bank?  My bank in the USA is currently paying about 1/2%.

I will give you more about ministry in my next blog.  Missionary Dwight Rich, Regional Director for the North Andean Region, Church of the Nazarene is planning a trip to Cuenca to see us while we are here.  SO looking forward to meeting him!

Trust you all are doing well.  If you have even the slightest interest in the expat life, please be in touch.  We only have around three months of answers!  But we would love to share what we have learned with you!

Time to go take my  walk.  Josh and I walked briskly for 5 miles yesterday.  I've probably done more walking in our 10 days here than I have in any other 10 period in my life.  Good stuff!

I do encourage you to check out www.nazarenesabroad.com to read another recent blog.

Much Love,

Wes Smith
www.nazarenesabroad.com
www.osamountainvillage.net
www.adventurewithwes.blogspot.com

Early Fishing In Costa Rica

One of my great hopes and longings for retirement is that successful fishing, and catching, will be standard operating experience!  This has been a common thread throughout my life and I am not eager for it to come to a close any time soon!  My earliest memories of fishing are in South Dakota where on unique occasions my father would set the Smith kids up with cane poles, hooks and bobber to catch fish in the “dams” on the ranches that surrounded our little town of White River.

I graduated to making fishing a personal experience when we moved to Moravia, Iowa.  Farm ponds dotted the countryside and you can believe that Terry Prough and I knew where we could catch bass, bluegills, bullheads and crappies on a moment’s notice.  Our best fishing days were any day (except Sunday) through the summer, but at the end and beginning of the school year our day for fishing was…Saturday!  It was nothing to roll out of bed before sunup in order to be on the bank of our targeted pond by daybreak.  It is one of life’s great mysteries, “What makes it easy for a kid to get up early to go fishing when every other day it is nearly impossible to get a kid out of bed for nearly any other reason?”

Some of my best fishing was during our five years in Alaska.  One day I fished in a city park in Soldotna during a pink salmon run.  With the Good Lord as my witness at one point I made 13 casts and 13 catches.  That’s a good day for any fisherman!  One year right after our church’s annual District Assembly, Gene Bryner and Dr. Gordon Whetmore and I fished the Cook Inlet.  We limited out on both King Salmon and Halibut.  My prize of that day was a 43 lb. King!

More recently, three years ago or so, Dean and Colleen Heath and Colleen and I enjoyed a week of luxury in Rick and Roxanne Robinson’s Hawaii home.  Rick arranged for us to have a day fishing for tuna.  We fished from daybreak until mid- afternoon before the action happened, but when it did it was like thunder and lightning combined!  It took about forty five minutes for me to land a one hundred and twenty one (121!) pound Ahi Tuna.

Just saying…I really love to fish, and, have had some success!

You may have read an earlier blog where I told of my  first Costa Rica fishing trip.  What was supposed to be a blissful one-day fishing experience turned into an amazing nightmare!  Our little boat was cast about on the gray Pacific like a cat playing with a helpless mouse.  I did something hard for me to be proud of.  I voted with the majority…to abort the trip and head for land.

My next Costa Rica fishing experience happened just down the road on a river very close to where we currently live.  This needn’t be too lengthy of an account, but in my few minutes of fishing from the bank, I had a classic encounter with…fear!  After a handful of casts, my lure got hooked on the bottom.  Lures are hard to come by down here, so I waded out knee deep and gave deeper thought to going the rest of the way to retrieve it.  Thought better and returned home to find another lure.  Upon returning I made a few more casts and then moved upstream.  The tide was coming in and what appeared to be a driftwood log surfaced maybe 15 feet in front of me.  My next thought was, “That’s not a log.  It has knarly bumps and a long nose and eyes.”  Yep.  That was my first encounter with a Costa Rican crocodile that was at least ten feet long!  The fear hit me pretty hard when my mind skipped back to wading out knee deep earlier in order to retrieve my lure.

This past Tuesday Josh and I spent an entire afternoon fishing from a charter boat.  Nothing dramatic.  I did have two great strikes, but didn’t land either.

Jamie’s parents are visiting with us and Pat really loves to fish, so we’ve been out twice.  I took him over to where the croc made his appearance.  We made several casts from a safe distance and saw two more crocodiles, one big one!

Christmas eve, we went to an area where a river dumps into the ocean.  Pat decided to fish the surf.  I was drawn upstream.  Fishing is pretty serious for me and often draws me beyond the familiar.  After a good hour of casting into the mangroves lining the shores of the river, a native Costa Rican came fishing his way back to where I was.  He could speak pretty good English and gave me some good tips about fishing for Snook.  The better advice was, “You be careful fishing back in here.  There is a very large resident croc!  Pay attention!”

Okay, so I’m alive and in good condition.  Pat and I hope to fish again this afternoon.  No fish yet, but I hope to give you a good report soon.

Ten Significant Differences...

Important Announcement...check out our new web site (after reading this blog, of course) www.nazarenesabroad.com  

Having lived abroad already for two magnificent months has created some profound responses in my psyche (not a common word with me!).  First, both Colleen and I are feeling strongly about and conversing about our commitment to this “expat” life. We love it!  I suppose that it is possible for us to change at some point in the future, but we both feel strongly that this lifestyle is what we want for the rest, the homestretch, of our lives!  That is rather amazing considering the fact that up until two years ago, retirement in our minds was totally assumed to be on our little “farm” located just outside of Castle Rock, WA. 

Our new home (under construction) in Osa Mountain Village (www.osamountainvillage.net)

With that in mind, I wanted to invite you to share some of our two-month journey.  Colleen and I have spent time talking about the differences between the expat life and life in the United States.  Here is our current “Top Ten” list:

1.     The travel system.  In the US we never gave a second thought to traveling from point “A” to point “B.”  Signage was an assumption and road conditions were, in retrospect, fabulous.  Here, folks, travel is an, uh, adventure!  There are no, or very few, actual addresses.  My first experience in driving in Costa Rica caused me more stress than I can ever remember experiencing over one challenge.  Just saying that we have taken travel for granted.  No more!

Our Costa Rica car, purchased in the States and shipped here.  2000 Isuzu Rodeo. It stays clean for at least a few hours after I wash it, as long as it is parked in the driveway!

2.     The way people get around here.  We see five distinct modes of travel: car, motorcycle, bicycle, public transportation, and, walking.  This probably deserves an entire blog, but the motorcycle, bicycle and walkers get around with little or no regard to the weather or light conditions.  Just last evening we were coming home from a restaurant in the pitch dark.  I’d say hundreds of people were walking along the highway because of a free outdoor Christmas concert.

 

3.     Animals on the loose.  It’s just the way life is here.  “Survival of the fittest” is a good way to describe the system!  I doubt very many pet animals die of old age around here.

 

4.     Diet.  The diet here is limited for several reasons.  One way to describe it is that when Alex came home (to Longview, WA) from spending three months with Josh here in Costa Rica, I had the privilege of walking into Winco (large grocery store chain) with her.  I intentionally walked a few steps behind her.  She was truly in awe as she wandered around looking at all the varieties of various products.  She turned to me and said, “Papa, this is SO much different than Costa Rica!”  The neat thing is that we have plenty, not just the huge shopping buffet offered in the US!

 

5.     Spending.  Would you believe that I still have some of the money in my wallet that came into the country with me two months ago?!  It is honestly more difficult to spend money down here.  Outside of the few large cities, shopping, as we have known it, simply does not exist.  I consider this a good thing!

 

6.     Leisure.  Now, I’m retired so the routine I have lived by for so long is pretty much a thing of the past, but our leisure is little influenced by the traditional Hollywood entertainment media.  We pick up our news via the internet, making it easier to filter what we see and hear.  That is amazing for this news junkie who pretty much had to have his daily dose!  Much of our family time revolves around swimming, walking, eating and enjoying nature around us…together!

Alex and her friend, Eden.

Mr. & Mrs. Iguana in the palm tree on the other side of our swimming pool.

7.     Language.  It just seems plain rude to me that the folks down here have not taken the time to learn our language.  Oh, wait.  We are the couple who said in the past, “If you are going to live in the US, learn the language!”  Turnabout is fair play I’d say!  Colleen and I “shook on it” last evening, committing ourselves to spending an hour a day learning Spanish.

 

8.      Church.  It’s not different in message or in focus, but much different than what we have grown accustomed.  I have attended two all-Spanish services.  That’s tough for me at this point.  The church we have enjoyed, and become a part of, translates every part of the service.  Though this church has been in existence for about five years, we feel like we have gotten in on the ground floor some something very exciting and dynamic!

 

9.     Heat. Costa Rica is a tropical country so it just makes sense that we would have to deal with heat.  We are currently living at coast elevation and temps in the low to mid-80’s is not unusual.  The pool is ALWAYS the exact right temperature.  Colleen has developed the habit of carrying an umbrella and a fan!

 

10. Bugs. We’ve been told that our bodies will develop a resistance to the histamines of the various biting, stinging bugs within about two years!  Live and learn!  A few days ago, a yard worker was here.  His work stirred up a bumper crop of biting bugs.  I was “rewarded” with between 15 and 20 new bites.  Next time he is here I will keep myself well-sprayed!

 

My intent is to…tell the truth.  The truth is that we love this season in our lives and believe that God has gifted us with this very unique privilege!  To broaden that out a bit…our current piece of heaven is realistically interspersed with bits of hades!  This would be a good time to re-read Genesis 3!

 

Much Love,

 

Wes & Colleen (www.nazarenesabroad.com)