The Andrew Family blog comes to life (again!)

Well folks...my time as a blogger was short-lived.  I started this blog back in 2014 before we moved to Jaco to enter missionary life. And well...I managed to write 3 blog posts and quit. Sooooo....it's time to resurrect the blog.

We have now been in ministry here in Playa Jaco, Costa Rica for 3 years. My how the time flies. My hope in reviving this blog is to help you all get a glimpse into what it looks like for us living here as full time missionaries.

We are regular people. With regular problems and challenges. We homeschool. We speak Spanish. We engage in organic and "programmed" ministry. But we always have one goal in mind. Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ and making disciples.

So I hope you stay tuned. I cannot guarantee that each blog post will be mind blowing. But I hope it's at least somewhat interesting and encouraging!

God Bless!

Laura

And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses,with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong. - II Corinthians 12:9-10

Do you ever feel like you keep hearing the same message over and over from different places?  You might hear something in a church service. Or on a radio show. Or from a friend. Or in your Bible study time. Or in a song. Or from all of these places almost simultaneously.

When that happens I tend to listen. I usually suspect that God is trying to tell me something. Maybe it's something He tried to whisper in my ear. But when I didn't take note right away He had to get a little louder. And yet I still ignored Him. So then He has to BLAST it!! That's how I feel about this verse. It's on my mind everyday...all day. 

So what exactly is He trying to tell me? I think we all apply this verse differently to the circumstances in our lives. But the message is the same. 

For me....my flesh wants to have it all together. To be Super Mom. To have the perfect house, perfectly organized and decorated according to the latest trends on Pinterest. To be the perfect Christian woman and leader. Deep down I want to be someone who people admire. But I think He's trying to tell me that it's okay to feel weak, and insufficient, and overwhelmed at times.  Because He's my All-Sufficient. Because in my weakness I must lean into Him for strength. Because if I truly did have it all together I wouldn't need Him.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we're called to look at life through a different paradigm. Just look at the Sermon on the Mount.

• Blessed are the poor in spirit...

• Blessed are those who mourn...

• Blessed are the gentle...

• Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness...

• Blessed are the merciful...

• Blessed are the pure in heart...

• Blessed are the peacemakers..

• Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness...

• Blessed are you when men cast insults at you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, ON ACCOUNT OF ME...

Jesus is urging commanding, us to live a life contrary to the cultural, societal and political norms of this world. The world tells us that we are to be strong, independent, self-sufficient, resourceful, and unrelenting in our search for personal happiness. Just look at our completely egocentric culture! It's all about doing whatever we want to find "happiness" in this life. Now don't start sending me hate mail because you think I said everyone shouldn't be happy. That's not what I'm trying to say. But Jesus says the traits of a truly blessed person are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, self-control. And you can't have those if you only ever aim to please yourself.

Ironically Jesus wants us to embrace our hopelessness apart from Him! To remember that we'll NEVER be good enough to earn our way to heaven. To wholeheartedly believe that without the atoning blood of Jesus Christ we are nothing and will spend an eternity apart from Him.  And that's what I must remember every day as a follower of Jesus Christ. That living in my own power sets me outside of God's grace. That I must constantly acknowledge my dependence on Him so that His power can be perfected in my weakness.

Carmageddon 2014

Having been born and raised in the South, I am no stranger to city/state-crippling ice storms. However, yesterday will go down in my book as one of the most remarkable storms I've ever seen in my 34 years. We all heard the meteorologist reports for the last few days warning us of the possible winter weather. Unfortunately we've all heard "wolf" cried in Atlanta so many times we often don't take Glenn Burns and his cohorts very seriously. Plus, the storm was predicted to hit further south so we were even more sure it wouldn't affect us.

And then it hit......I am so thankful that my employers had the foresight to close our offices at 1:00. I headed home (north) without any delays. My friend working downtown Atlanta was not so lucky. Here's a view from his office. I'm pretty sure he, and several other people I know, spent the night in their offices.

My dad fell prey to the storm as well. He was headed home from a job in Atlanta and left there around 12:50 pm. He walked in the door at home (an 18 mile trip) at 1:00 am.  12 hours to go 18 miles. Unreal.

So as I lay in bed last night, trying to unwind from an exciting day, I was praying for many of my friends who had loved ones stranded on the highways. Children who were stranded at their schools and on buses overnight. Husbands who had not been heard from for hours. For the couple who had to deliver a baby on the side of I-285 with the help of a police officer. My mind felt like we were in the middle of complete and utter chaos. Totally out of control. And then I heard Him say..."Even in this seeming chaos, I'm still in control". When fear and anxiety strike us during stressful situations, do we really believe that God is in control? If not, we are guilty of the sin of unbelief. So many times we actually believe that the circumstances of this world and the plans of the evil one are more powerful than the God we call Abba, Father. The Maker and Creator of the universe has got it all under control.  We should remind ourselves of this more often.  As I sit here and look out the windows of my home today at the beauty of the fallen snow I can't help but be awed by God's creation. Maybe we should all remember that song we used to sing when we were kids..."He's got the whole world in His hands, He's got the whole world in His hands, He's got the whole world in His hands, He's got the whole world in His hands."

The heavens declare the glory of God,

and the sky above proclaims His handiwork. - Psalm 19:1

Where do we even begin?????

So after much prayer and seeking wise counsel, we have decided to answer "YES" to God's call on our lives into full-time ministry. Our family of four is embarking on a new adventure into full-time missions in Jaco', Costa Rica. Many people we tell often smirk and chuckle thinking we're going to be living the high life in a tropical paradise. The reality is quite different. We'll be selling everything we own, packing our few belongings and uprooting our quiet suburban life for a land, culture, and language virtually unknown to us. We will be transplanting our family into an area of the world that is full of darkness and despair. A town that many are now calling the sex-tourism capital of the western hemisphere...where children and women are quietly bought and sold in the shadows. A place where the only hope of light and life is Jesus.

Sounds exciting doesn't it?

The truth is I'm really excited about the ministry part. What I'm dreading is the moving part. And the "sellingeverythingweownsowecanpackeverythinginsuitcases" part. Or maybe we'll just pack a small crate. I don't know. All I do know is that we have a lovely suburban home with tons of stuff. Not much of it is very fancy...but there's a lot of it. We anticipate moving by the end of this year.

So my question is.....where do we start? I've done a little googling of blogs and articles to read up on "How to sell everything you own and move". It's quite surprising the number of related articles you'll find. So I will begin by taking an inventory of each room and making a list of "Sell Now" and "Sell Later".  Stay tuned for information on how to buy our "stuff" if you're local.