We went to Panama and re-stamped our passports for another 90 days here. A sweet sister drove down with us to show us the ropes. We are about an hour and a half away from Panama. So we drove down there in the morning and were in line by 8:45. We paid our exit tax of $7 per person at the Banco National and then went to the next building to get stamped out of Costa Rica. Once we got stamped out of Costa Rica we got back into our car and drove down the street to the Panama Immigration office. This area is okay to drive in because its actually still Costa Rica..its weird. We stamped into Panama and then the wait is on. We walked over to McDonalds and the little shopping center while we waited out our time. Technically they can require that you are in Panama for 72 hours before allowing you to stamp back out but here they fine if you stay a minimum of 3 hours. So out of Panama we stamped and then drove back over to the Costa Rica office and stamped back in. YAY! So this is a bit of a hassle because to enter Panama they require that you have a confirmed plane ticket from Panama back to your country of origin within 180 days from entering, $500 US cash or a bank statement proving you have that much money, and patience because its a pain!!! We just brought our credit card statement showing our available balance and they were fine with that. Fortunately Orbits has a no fee 24 hour cancelation policy so we were able to book our tickets that morning and cancel them that night with no fee. On return into Costa Rica they require proof of exit. For this we used a bus ticket we bought before we moved here. It's good for 1 year and its from San Jose to Panama City and its free to change the dates anytime within that one year. That part was just a phone call so all in all it went pretty smoothly We even met a missionary brother at the immigration area doing informal witnessing. He had a tract sticking up in his pocket. The only thing you could see was the question, it seemed like a great conversation starter! It was so nice to meet him! He even spoke a little bit of english:) Here are a few pictures from that day:
We ran into some friends at a witnessing cart in the City Mall area. These friends were from Panama.
They let us in!!!! As usual Asher is THRILLED to be having his photo taken :)
We live very close to Playa Tortuga which is one of the many places in Costa Rica that turtles migrate to to have their babies. We were so excited to check out the turtle reserve for a little school field trip. That day they happened to have some babies hatch! Here are some photos of us watching the release of Olive Ridley babies!!!!
The 1st picture is of all of the volunteers and the kids. These volunteers sleep in a make shift base camp to protect the turtle eggs from poachers.
SO FUN!!!!!!!
Theocratically we are also busy. Tyler gave his first bible reading and I finally joined the school as a house holder. My first part will be in December so I have a little time still. Most of our service is in spanish so I don't have any incredible experiences yet, but soon! We are adjusting really well. I'm so proud of my kids they have been so great. They don't complain {that much} about anything. They must be travelers at heart. We live much simpler now and on much less but they don't seem to care. The only real obstacle has been learning spanish. Of course it seems overwhelming for them at times { I feel the same way} so I feel like when they tell us their frustrations we can say that we REALLY understand.
I have learned many things so far from this experience. The first: You have to stay positive! Focus on the benefits of whatever you are doing. There are so many potential studies in spanish here that they are turned away simply due to lack of people to study with them. Those are our future studies:) We are supporting a congregation and that is huge! These are some of the things I tell the kids..and myself when I'm frustrated. Being out of your comfort zone is a little bit of an exciting feeling. Like you don't know if your more scared or excited.
Second: Take it one day at a time. Like the bible says, tomorrow has its own anxieties. So true! You will take the joy out of today by focusing on tomorrow.
Something else I have learned is that my husband is really brave.
{ Don't tell him, he doesn't read my blog! LoL}
When I think about everything he gave up it really makes me appreciate him. Men, family heads, have a lot to shoulder, supporting their families. He gave up a job he loved and was really good at to come to a place where he didn't speak the language, with no real prospects for work in the future, all to expand his service to Jehovah and be with us more. I never would have been brave enough to do that. Sometimes I get nervous just going into town because I don't speak very much spanish. He doesn't. He doesn't worry too much about the future and I envy that. That is exactly why I am trying so hard to do step number one{above}. He has been so adaptable and I know that's why the kids are doing so great!
Many people have asked me what is difficult or different than I thought it would be. I have never really wanted to answer that. I always want to be encouraging and say, "Oh nothing! Life is peachy keen! It's so great!!!"....but seriously..like anything in life, Satan is always there to push you down. Some dear friends gave us some wonderful advice before we left and shared good and bad experiences with us and that has helped us so much! More than I can express! It prepared us for the things we might face so that we weren't blind sided or discouraged. Almost everyone who has asked me this question has done so because they were contemplated a move themselves. Being prepared is crucial. So now I can finally tell you what is hard about living here..
My best friend had her first baby and I missed it. That was my first real emotional moment here. It's hard leaving people, leaving behind the comfort of close friends. Those relationships take time to build and the thought of starting over with new people can be scary. Life continues after you leave. Lives continue to change the same as if you were still there. Seriously..Time is a thief!:) If I told you that it didn't completely break my heart to miss that moment I would be a big liar and my pants might catch on fire:) That is the hardest part about moving. I can handle the language, the heat and the weird food, even the bugs. But it's the people. They are the most important thing. I didn't appreciate them all fully until they weren't right there, a car ride away. I didn't allow myself to dwell on it before my move. So many people have impacted my life especially my many friends in the Firgrove congregation. I miss them. But don't worry! It doesn't last. It comes and goes and you never really lose them. My advice, be sad a little, throw yourself a little pity party and then move on..quickly. We are one huge extended family and we are connected no matter how far apart we are:)
Here she is!!! Maisie Lillian Grace Amos:)
On the flip side: The great things about living here are too many to list! So here are a few more pictures of what we have been up to:
Tyler rigged up his motorcycle to be surf/beach ready. It actually works really well and saves on gas when he solo surfs.
Asher got an electric guitar and has been relearning as part of school. He missed playing so much and really loves it. He is taking online lessons. Our gardner was outside working and heard Asher playing and decided to come in and do a little La Bamba jam session to show him how it was done:)
Peyton and his buddy Fritz! Fritz is from Denmark and was baptized years ago but became inactive for many many years. When he moved to Costa Rica to retire the brothers found him and he became reactivated! His wife is VERY opposed but he still continues on in his spiritual routine and was just appointed as a ministerial servant. He is one of the sweetest brothers I have every met. So kind and humble. You have to hear his story if you visit!
Asher was in a little incident in service this week. A brother was mapping territory and ..oops! His rig tipped right over. No one was hurt.
Believe me folks it is not as it appears in magazines!
Talk to you again soon!!! :)
