L'abri

I’ve experienced a bit of a climate change. While I can’t say I’ve learned to love the cold, I do have a new appreciation for wool socks, giant sweaters, and hot water bottles. (If you don’t know what those are, do some research. They are amazing!) Even though it has been quite a bit cooler here than I’m accustomed to, I’ve still been able to get outside and go for long walks through the beautiful English countryside. And while the landscape is nothing like that of Costa Rica, having the time and space to process my last 3 years there has been so helpful. If you want to learn more about L’abri or see how beautiful the house in the spring time, check out their website here.

England + Last Newsletter

You may be thoroughly confused by the title of this post. "Doesn't Krysta's family live in California? What is she doing in England?" To find out and hear a little bit more about my last few days in Costa Rica you'll have to read my last newsletter. If you didn't get it via email, follow the link below.

Last Newsletter from Costa Rica


And yes, my family does live in California, where we shared a great couple weeks together over Christmas break. It wasn't nearly enough time, so it's nice knowing that after this stint in the UK I'll be Stateside for awhile and able to spend more time with them.

One of the few photos with majority of my family. We were all together for over a week, which was amazing! But it's really hard to get 14 people together to take a picture.

Passing the Torch

Saying goodbye to the ones you love is never easy, but the heart receives a calming peace when you know you are leaving them in good hands, with someone who will grow to love them just as much as you do.

I'm so thankful José and I had these last three months to work together and ease the transition. He's a quick learner. Amazingly he has soaked up all the routines, expectations, and procedures established to help the Center run smoothly. The learning process also allowed the kids to take more ownership over the Center as they were responsible for teaching José how the store works, the library system, and their unique set of rules for playing Scrabble.

Yes, there were tears as I hugged my kids goodbye at the cafecito, but at the same time, I'm excited to come back and visit and see how things have grown. It's incredible to see all that God has done through these past three years and I know he's going to do great things through José and Tara's time there.

Everyone hanging inside the Center at the End of the Year Cafecito


It was so encouraging having many of the moms come. They were all so grateful for role we've played in their kids lives.


Cata was a huge help setting up and monitoring the cookie supply



Estefani and Reyneir, a couple of our first students in the Center


It's a little hard to see in this picture, but José is teaching the kids a bunch of games with the sidewalk chalk. He's great about jumping right in playing with them! I know he's going to really share his heart with them.

Last Week.

Here are few of the highlights from this last week in the Tutoring Center. It was a great week to wrap up the year. We had cafecito on Saturday and invited all the parents and students. It was a big success, but I'll write more about that later. For now enjoy a view pictures from the special events of the week.

Las Viejitas with the aprons I had made for them by a couple of the ladies in our micro-financing site. They turned out super cute and the girls loved them! They were so funny; they didn't want to get them dirty despite me explaining a million times that was their purpose.


The girls decided they wanted to be in charge of making our last breakfast. Each of them brought something to contribute, and Tracey and I learned how to make some Costa Rican treats.


Our very healthy spread: muñuelos (think dense funnel cake) "sweet meatballs" (popcorn balls), chocolate cake, and fruit with yogurt


Later that same day we made the sugariest, sugar cookies I've ever had.




The kids loved them, of course!




We finished out the week making Christmas cards as gifts to give to our families.

From highlights

It was a super fun week full of lots of memory making events!!!

Beach Trip!!!

Last weekend was our final Girls’ Group trip. Per the girls' request, we went to the beach and experienced one of the most gorgeous days I’ve ever had at the beach! There weren’t too many people, the waves weren’t too strong, and it was sunny with a slight breeze all day. It was incredible! The girls spent the whole day taking in all the beach had to offer-- rolling in the waves as they crashed on the shore, floating on the boogie boards, sunbathing on the rocks, and even trying to make friends with the Jr. high boys surfing right by us. (Oh yes, we are teenagers now!) We rounded out the day with a stop off at McDonalds for Happy Meals and all the soda they could drink. The last 20 minutes of the ride home I was pretty sure my eardrums were going to explode due to all the giddy hyperness, but thankfully we all made it home safely.

Stopping at the crocodile bridge along the way.




This was one of the favorite activities of the day--sitting on the shore waiting for the waves to crash on them and send them tumbling in the whitewash.


Pamela after being tossed by a wave. (This is one of my favorite pictures from the day)


A brief moment of both Tracey and I sitting on the shore. Lynnea fit right in with the "big girls".


Alicia, Debby, and Shaudin


Sunbathers


Sunbathers after they rolled around in the sand. It took them FOREVER to rinse all that sand off, but they had fun!


Our gorgeous beach!


It was a great day with lots of fun memories made that we will continue to share, even from a distance.

Graduation!!!

On Tuesday we celebrated 9 of our students graduating from 6th grade with a special lunch in the SI office. We briefly contemplated making homemade pizzas, but quickly decided they would appreciate Pizza Hut just as much, if not more.

Graduating from 6th grade is quite an accomplishment. For some of these kids, they already have significantly more schooling than either of their parents. And everyone of them is already in rolled for high school starting in February. ( We don’t have jr. high here, just elementary school and then high school) I’m so proud of these kids and all of their hard work. Some of them I’ve been working with since they were in 4th grade and it is INCREDIBLE to see how far they’ve come!!!



(L to R) Carlos, Estefani, Cata, Genesis, Yurly, Debby, Shaudin. And yes, this is the best picture we got of the whole event.

Sharing Life

How do you tell the community you’ve worked with for almost 3 years, that it’s come time for you to leave? Even the word “leave” sounds so harsh. Last Friday I sat in circle with my girls needing to do just that.

They were being rambunctious young teenagers as usual, but my heart was heavy with what I knew I had to share with them. Once they all calmed down a bit, we went around the circle sharing our favorite part of Girls Group. I was completely caught of guard by their responses. It wasn’t the trips to the beach or waterfalls. It wasn’t all the crafts and fun projects we done. It wasn’t even the baking (though many did mention the importance of chocolate in all our gatherings). For every single one of them, their favorite aspect of Girls’ Group was having a place to come and hangout, make new friends, talk about what’s going on in their lives, and really be listened too. One of the biggest complaints I hear from my girls, is that no one really listens to them, except for at Girls’ Group. They understand their moms are really busy working hard to take care of their families, but they just want to be heard, to know that their feelings matter, and to have the support of an adult they trust.

As I reflected on the girls’ responses, I was reminded that the most valuable resource we have is time. And taking the time to sit with someone and really listen to them, is often much more “effective” than just coming in with a well designed program or a slew of expertise. Yes, the girls have learned a lot through the programing we’ve done in Girls’ Group and they LOVE all of the outings. But at the end of our season together, I know the piece that has made the most impact and encouraged the most growth in these girls, is taking the time to sit, hear their stories, laugh and cry with them, sing Alicia Keys and Avril Lavigne at the top of our lungs, and occasionally use direct conversations to give them the guidance they need. In short, taking the time to really invest in their lives and be a steady presence they know they can count on. To me, this what I think of when the Bible talks about sharing our lives and discipling others.

Even though I feel heart-broken over leaving my girls, I know that they will be okay. God knew about this transition long before I did and had the next team warming up. The girls already love Tracey and they had a great time with Rose at the Waterfall gardens. I know once Tara is here, they’ll be excited to hangout with her too.

On Friday, we cried together a lot. But we also laughed too, and spent a long time recalling all the great memories we’ve shared. At the end of the day we agreed to make the most of these last few weeks we have together and make as many great memories as we can! (And eat as much chocolate as possible)

In these last few weeks, I don't want to be rushed or selfish with my time. I want to be conscious of those around me and really appreciate what we have to share. I know I won't be ready to leave in a month and don't want to miss a moment between now and then.


Sharing Chocolate Gravy for breakfast with my mom and Tracey