Well, the adventure has begun. I am writing this from the front room of our rented home here in Ojochal. All I have to do to remind myself where I am is to lift my gaze from the screen to the backyard. I've already taken lots of pictures and will post all that I think will give you a good concept of where we are and to what we are up! (For my English friends!)
First, let me regress a bit. Our last formal service as a Sr. Pastor was on September 25th. We had family in attendance as well as guests from each of the six churches I have pastored in these 42 years. What a blessing! The service as well as the "honor" was much more than I had anticipated. The church presented us with a generous financial gift. In addition, the folks who were present contributed another $1,500 love offering! So amazing! Honestly, considering the difficulty of the economy and the ongoing financial needs of the church, we were not expecting anything except the joyful presence of our family and friends. The gifts more than took care of our family reunion back in Branson, MO. To all who were there and to all who contributed...Thank You very, very much.
Following the final service, we were head over heals involved in wrapping up the packing. Since we were moving to a foreign country it was necessary for us to keep a manifest list of all the boxes and then to place a value on the contents for customs purposes. A great group of friends gathered in on Sept. 28th to load the forty foot container. We knew that we had plenty of space, especially since we had sold so much stuff. Making a long story short, we drove the last "piece" into the container our, Isuzu Rodeo, at about noon. It took us another 45 minutes or so to tie things down, but by about 1:00 PM, the container was on its way to the railroad station to be shipped to Long Beach, CA, and from there to Costa Rica. We will be reunited with our "stuff" on about the 30th of this month!
The next stage of our journey led us to Branson, MO, for our family reunion. It was a great time. I've heard of Branson for many years but this was my first opportunity to be there. The highlight, of course, was the family. There are five of us Smith kids and we were all present along with our spouses. We saw the Oakridge Boys, the Bald Knobbers and Pearce Arrow. We enjoyed great meals together and lots of laughter and love. Bruce and Caye are arranging the next reunion in 2013. Hey, there is nothing like family!
We arrived back in Longview to have a few days in our hotel, and then Ron & Sherry Worthington opened their home for us for the last couple days before the flight to CR. Being in their home allowed us to spread everything out and then pack it into appropriate weights and combinations. Thanks, Ron and Sherry!
We owe a deep debt of gratitude to Tom and Olevia Kinsey for allowing us to use their pickup for ALL the time we were without a car. Pastor Chuck Dunnavant drove us to the airport.
As an aside, we had time in our hotel with the new Longview interim pastor and wife, Rick and Bonnie Ryding. What a lovely couple, and, I believe with all my heart, the perfect match for Longview Nazarene!
Just a moment for a disclaimer...I will do my best to be more brief in future blogs! Too much has happened since I last wrote. Thus, this long epistle!
We departed from the Portland airport at about 5:45 PM on Sunday evening, October 16th. (Oh, and I should tell you that I had my head shaved on the Saturday before we left.) Colleen's Dr. was very helpful in getting our Schnoodle classified as an "Emotional Support Dog!" As a result, Colleen was able keep Lillie with her on the entire trip. I need to say that it was a lot of fun having the dog with us and it was fun to share her with lots of different people!
We traveled "1st Class" all the way from Portland to Liberia, CR. That is an amazing miracle, especially since we were traveling through the night...Las Vegas, Miami and then finally to Liberia. We made Liberia our destination because we heard that the customs personnel there were more lenient/understanding of people traveling with dogs. They were. Moreover, customs was a breeze. The only thing we lost was a bag of popping corn that we had purchased from a Mennonite store in Iowa. Shucks!
From the Liberia airport we made our way to Thrifty car rental and then to San Jose. Folks, I gotta say, that was one of the most nerve-racking trips of my life. There are very few street signs in CR. We were scheduled to meet some friends at a particular place in San Jose but the problem was that I did not know exactly how to get to the agreed-upon location and then didn't know how I was going to contact them when we did finally arrive! Makes me nervous just telling you this.
Well, the good news is that we "miraculously" took the first exit into Santa Ana (where our hotel was located and where Josh and I had previously stayed) and within a minute passed by a place that I recognized from that stay. My heart was thrilled and my blood pressure took a healthy dive. Within another five minutes or so, we were at our hotel and didn't even need our friends to come and lead us to it! Honest, I give God praise for what may seem like a little miracle to some, but to me was HUGE!!!
Okay, I will try to wrap this up quickly. (Those of you who know me didn't even flinch when I said that!) Anyway, we had a great night's sleep and then a full day on Tuesday registering at the American Embassy, getting finger-printed at the Police Station and creating a "Power of Attorney" document at an Attorney's office. Our good friends helping us become residents (more about them in a future blog) told us since we had gotten so much done that we were free to go to our home in SW CR. We had thought the process could take as much as two and one half days. One day and we were done. Praise the Good Lord.
Our last challenge in San Jose was to return our rental car and obtain another one that could be taken to Uvita, CR. Thrifty does not have an office there. National does. So, our challenge for the day was to get to the Thrifty office, around the corner to National and then off to Ojochal. Sounds easy, doesn't it? It wasn't. But, we made it and arrived on Ojochal at about 4:30 PM on Wednesday (19th). What a joy to be back with Josh, Jamie and Alexandria! Jamie had a delicious meal of potato salad (Costa Rican style with beets and other unique contents) and a native dish...Arroz Com Pollo. Fun to hold hands with the fam and give God "Thanks!" for a safe trip and for the privilege of being together in Costa Rica.
There is so much more. We'll just call the rest of this...optional reading. On Thursday morning Josh and I drove up to our property where contractor, Jose, and his crew are building our home. Things are going well there, but since it is the rainy season everything is muddy and wet. Feel free to add Jose to your prayer list. He and his wife, Maria, are wonderful Catholic Christians. We have really fallen in love with them. Pray for their protection and efficiency!
Yesterday afternoon we spent an hour in the ocean. Again, what fun! I am eager to learn how to fish from the beach and from rock jettys. Today Josh and I had a meeting with, Gary, the main contractor for all the building on Osa Mountain Village. Then back home to post my first blog from Costa Rica! Right now, Colleen is very Costa Rican comfortably dressed. Jamie is doing some pool maintenance and sun tanning. Josh is working. Alex is trying to coax Lillie into the pool. I'm finnishing up a blog. Hey, retirement life is great!
Wrapping this up on a very personal note. I am so pleased, actually more than I can possibly say, that my Good Friend, Jesus, has been in the leadership position in my life since 1965! I'm thinking right now about some famous words from Psalm 23, (Message translation) 1 A David psalm. GOD, my shepherd! I don't need a thing. 2 You have bedded me down in lush meadows, you find me quiet pools to drink from. 3 True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction. 4 Even when the way goes through Death Valley, I'm not afraid when you walk at my side. Your trusty shepherd's crook makes me feel secure. 5 You serve me a six-course dinner right in front of my enemies. You revive my drooping head; my cup brims with blessing. 6 Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life. I'm back home in the house of GOD for the rest of my life.
Gracious! Those words say it a lot better than I can!
Love To You All!
Friend,
Wes
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