Summer Camp

It's February ladies and gentlemen!  We made it through summer camp!

And what a a month it was.  We saw kids come to know Jesus for the first time.  We saw volunteers grow in "the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."  Camp changes lives.  The lives of the campers and the volunteers.

One of the things we were excited about this season was the Patrocinadores program for our volunteers.  Instead of me explaining it in boring words, watch this video and hear from one of our volunteers!

HodgePodge

Ummmm, hello?

Yeah, welcome to Week 4 of Summer Camp, the time of year when we try to accomplish normal life like having a kid in school and do the insanity that is camp!  It's been an interesting season for sure!  Full of a lot of good things, some hard things, some weird things, and some just normal things.  But we are tired and looking forward to next week, when Noah will be home.

So in an effort to get caught up, we're going to do one of those bullet point posts.

• Did I mention we're starting Week 4 of Camp?  We are.  I think I've said this before, but while the camp weeks are shorter and the season itself is shorter, it's harder on our family than Barakel.  I think there are a lot of reasons for this, including: We don't live at camp, I can't just put the kids in the stroller and go into camp, I still have to cook, Forrest has school everyday, and because we have weekends free, there is a temptation to try and do "normal" life too.  We about killed ourselves last January trying to do both.

• Forrest is back at school after  4 week Christmas break.  School + Summer Camp = hard. 

• I made my most expensive language mistake to date.  I thought the robotics class for Forrest was $60 for the semester.  Turns out, it's $60 a MONTH for the semester.  Yeah.  matricula and mensual are very, very different words.

• I got  new to me cast iron skillet and I love it!  I don't know why it took me 10 years to get one.  Anyway, it hangs above my stove and it's lovely. 

• I have been revamping the house.  The playpen is now put away sand the kids table and chairs are in the kitchen.  I bought two end tables from the same family as the skillet and use one for desk type stuff in the kitchen, and we took apart a desk that Noah was "using" and now a bit more space in the living room.  We also turned the kitchen table the other direction and for  40 cents I bought 12 cup hooks and revamped where the mugs and coffee things go.   

• I finally (it only took 3 years to have the mental wherewithal to find the necessary components for this project) made a blackboard!  I love how it turned out and today I am going to make two smaller ones for the bigger boys' rooms.  I might also make one for the garage...you can never have too many blackboards.

• Saturday the boys and Noah had a water balloon fight.  And when I say "the boys" I mean Forrest and Elliot.  Quinn tried playing with some water balloons, but every time
  they broke and he got wet he cried.  He needs a bit more time before he understands this is suppose to be fun.

Staff Photos

A few weeks before Christmas, the Program Department at camp asked me to come take some photos of the camp staff.
 

 

While I was very excited about the opportunity, I was pretty nervous too.  I normally take photos when no one is looking, you know, they are playing, or sleeping or hitting a piñata.

These were suppose to be real portraits of each person, a group shot of each department, and a full staff photo!  Yikes!  Oh, and did I mention these were going to be a Christmas present to each staff person and the group shots were going on the website?  Yeah.

Noah was a big help in just directing everyone so I could focus on the actual taking of photos.  The day and the light couldn't have been more perfect.  And really, I think they turned out pretty well for someone who just sorta guesses at what they are doing.  

Some of the Impact

Well hello. Yeah, it's been a good long while, but there are lots of good long reasons for that.  I will explain.  Later.

But today I wanted to give you a taste of what God is doing in people's lives through Campamento Roblealto.  Check it out and let us know what you think!!



Year end request 2013 from nlkamper on Vimeo.

Cookies and Prayers

This weekend is another planning time for our voluteer directors at camp.  They are working on the program and the Bible Studies for our January camping season.  In order to give them more energy and creativity, I made them a batch of s'more cookies.  Seemed just so very campy, ya know?

Would you pray with us for them this weekend.  For creativity, to listen to what God wants for the program and Bible Studies, for them to understand the weightiness of this task, for unity and understanding.  Thanks guys!!

Bible Studies and Cake

Tonight is sort of the kick off for the January camping season.  Noah will be gone a good chunk of this weekend helping the directors and the other program staff plan the season's theme, picking the verses and begining the process of writing the Bible Studies for the campers.

He is also teaching a workshop on writing the Bible Studies.  Would you pray with us about that?  He's a bit nervous.  Pray that God would speak through the time and that is would all be recieved well.

And for my part, this is what I worked on today for the weekend.  Hot Chocolate Cake for the directors, you know to get them all inspired and excited about the camping season.

A Year Ago

This sorta snuck up on us.  Just yesterday I looked at the date and thought, "huh.  that seems like an important date for some reason...OH!!"  Yeah, we moved here 1 year ago!  Tomorrow marks a year that we have lived in this house.  There is something nice about that.  I realized that since we've been married (10 years) we have lived in 7 different homes.  And over the last 2 1/2 years, we've lived in 5 of those.

Just for fun, take a look at this post, from a year ago.  We had looked at the truck, had seen the house and were getting ready to move in.  And look how little the boys look!! 
Anyway, so Happy 1 year here with Campamento Roblealto!  It's been a full year, full of ups and downs for sure, but we are thankful that God has been with us each step of the way.  

Old Friend, Met New World

When we were at Barakel, we worked with college students.  A lot.  One of these great "kids" was studying at MSU and then went on to get her Masters degree in Texas for bilingual speech therapy.  I know, right?!  How cool is that job?!

Well, Kelli's company just happened to send her to Costa Rica for a three day conference and when she got in country on Tuesday she was able to spend the afternoon and evening with us!  It was so fun!!  We took her to a soda (a little lunch counter sorta restaurant) to give her a taste of comida tipica, then up to camp so she could see the place, and then back to our house for dinner and a couple of compelling rounds of Uno.

It's so fun to see how God brings people back into our life.  And while it was short, it was a fun day, showing one of our friends from one world our new life in this world!

Resting

After two weeks (boy, it felt a lot longer than that!) We took a short vacation to the coast.  My Spanish tutor laughs at me when I tell him we're going to the beach, but not really to the beach, just to a hotel that over looks the beach.  "Gringos, they like to just look at the water."  he says.  Yep.

See there is this lovely little hotel we heard about through friends.  And it's perfect.  It's about an hour and half from our house.  It's small, has kitchens, has a lovely pool, a wonderful view, and well, it's just perfect.

And boy, did we need some time away.  This two weeks was intense, and part of me feels a bit whinny about it.  After all, we did 12 weeks every summer at Barakel, but well, this was just as hard, if not harder.  There are a lot of benefits to living at camp, and we don't here and it just makes it hard.

But this post is not about how hard camp was.  It's about how we were able to get away and enjoy each other and being together as a family.

And aside from the fact that Quinn refused to sleep the whole time we were away, it was great!  The big boys swam 9 hours a day, we brought good food with us and the weather was perfect for swimming (read HOT!)

And now we are rested (sorta ) and reconnected and ready for the next season of ministry. 

The Spring Arbor Team

The last week of June, a group of teens and leaders came to help with the work God is doing at Campamento Roblealto.  We have a lot of groups come, but this one was special to our family because they came from the church that we attended when we were in college.  The Youth Director was a couple of years behind us at Spring Arbor Univeristy and it was soooo very fun to have this group!! 

They came at such a good time for us personally.  There are these ebbs and flows as a missionary family.  Sometimes, things just clip along fine, life is easier, emotions are more stable, and well, things are good.  And then there are times, when things get harder, emotions are all over the place and it can be hard to keep the big picture in mind (for a myriad of reason).  The week the Spring Arbor team came was one of the ebbs for us. 

But what an encouragement they all were.  Not only did they kick butt around camp with the work project, do a fantastic job working with the Project Hope camp, but they played with my big boys, loved on Quinn, and just took time to talk with Noah and I, to ask questions, to pray for us, and haul a suitcase of goodies for us!

The boys and I were able to go in most days to eat a meal with them and two of the girls really took on Forrest and Elliot.  They played with them, helped them with their food, talked with them and just were fantastic!  They made such an impression on the boys, they are still talking about Abby and Kenzie.

One of the days we got to go with them to the Poás Volcano and we were actually able to see the crater for about 10 minutes.  And what fun it was just to hang out and talk with all of them!

Grateful for the time we had with this awesome group!  The boys are asking when we get to visit them all in Michigan!

July Camp

The July camping season started this last week.  Ok, let me back up and explain a couple of things. 

Costa Rican schools start in February.  They run through December, with a break in July (about 2 weeks) and then a longer break in December and January.   So, our big camp season is in January with 4 weeks of camp and then we have 2 weeks in July. 

This meant the long hours we've had before, Noah going in at 5:30 am and not coming home until almost 11 pm.  I will say this, while the camp week was longer at Barakel, we see a lot less of Noah here because we don't live at camp.

But it was a good week.  Noah was able to spend a lot of time with the service kids, the 16 year olds who scrub dishes and toliets, to encourage them, as well as the counselors and other support staff.

As you think of us, pray with us for

• the counselors, as they share the Gospel with the campers
• For the the campers, counselors, and staff to hear the Heart of the Gospel and respond to it (well all need constant reminder of the Gospel)
• For unity amongst the staff
• For our big boys who will be day campers Monday and Tuesday.
• For the boys and I as we do another long week without Noah around much
• For Noah, energy, wisdom and grace as he works with everyone.

Thanks all!!

Oh the Wonders of Transportation

One of the things we've been struggling with is how to get the boys and I to camp more. God called us as a family here and while there is only so much I can do around camp right now, it's good for us to interact with the other staff and volunteers.   At Barakel, we lived right on the property, so it wasn't a big deal to get into camp on a regular basis.  But here,  with one car, this can become a logistical mess, what with naps and all.  I miss the days of being able to throw the kids in the stroller and walk to wherever Noah was.

But over the last couple of weeks, we've been borrowing a friend's car.  And can I just tell ya, WOW!!  What a difference it is making!!  So much so that we've started to pray about getting a second means of transportation for Noah (this friend will eventually need her car back.)

Today was a great example.  Staff training is this weekend.  Last night Noah went in around 4, and stayed the night.  This morning the boys and I got up, got dressed and then headed to camp for a couple of hours.

 We didn't have to stay the whole day.  We were able to see some of the volunteers, say hi, spend a bit of time with Noah and then come home.  Wonderful!  It was good for us to be there, and I think it was good for the volunteers to see the family there.

So, would you pray with us about a second car?  We're thinking we would need somewhere in the ballpark of $4,500 for a beater car.  Yeah, I know, right?  But God can do it!

April Newletter

A Hike

Two weeks ago I (Noah) spent 6 hours on a volcano with Esteban and Gerson, two guys who love the Lord and want to grow more in Him 

Esteban and Gerson on a tree that lays 8 feet above the trail

What an enchanting place, a part of Costa Rica I had never experienced, the ancient forests and strange plants on the side of a volcano! Here is one of the lagunas, where lava at one time erupted

Esteban was our guide as he we tracked a Tapir through the jungle, we were probably 30 yards away from it when he took off his backpack and told me to do the same as he said "it will be easier to move if it charges us." To bad we never got to see it face to face :)
 

 

Here we are at the summit having lunch overlooking the main laguna (below) as a large red falcon flew past us

What we do here is not instantaneous, the changes aren't always seen on the outside of a person, but we know what an impact that one person can have on another when they spend time showing they care and taking the time to invest in them.  This is what God sent us here for, to meet the need and change lives one (or maybe two :) at a time.

Thank you for your prayers and for your financial gifts that keep us going!

Noah for the rest of us

Hodgepodge

It's been a lot of this and that this last week.  Just a bunch of bits and pieces really...

So here you go, in no particular order:

• Today Noah is hiking up a volcano with two of our volunteers.  Yeah, pray for him.  Pray for great conversations with these two guys, that they would be safe, and that he wouldn't be too worn out when he gets home...7 hour hikes are intense, man.

• Today our lawyer meets with the Migration people to get the answer to our petition for residency.  Pray it will be granted!

• Since moving all three boys to different rooms last week, Quinn has slept so.much.better.  Probably should have moved him out of our room 2 months ago. Oh well.  We're thankful for more sleep.

• Although, now that we are sleeping more, my body remembers what it's like and now is asking for more and more.  I am pretty sure I could sleep 12 hours straight for the next week and a half.  Yeah, not going to happen, but a girl can dream, right?

• We need to paint all the bedrooms.  When I asked our landlady if she had paint we could use, her son brought primer over.  You think that will still work for a finished wall look?  I haven't the foggiest...

• After scouring the yard for limóns, and squeezing the ones we found, I look at the juice and realized there were worms swimming in it.  Yeah, that went down the drain...sigh.

• Seems as if we are transitioning to rainy season weather.

• I was explaining to my tutor yesterday about the house I grew up in, and he was amazed at the amount of land my parents own, 10 acres.  He also said no one here would live on that much land by themselves, it would be too dangerous.  And that explains a lot about why people think we are nuts to want to live in the campo (country.)

• Mango Hedgehogs are the boys new favorite way to eat a mango

Summing Up

Hi there!  Remember me, you friendly missionary blogger?  Yeah, it's been a while, I know.  Something about having your computer stolen...

But we aren't going to dwell on that.  Instead, I am going to attempt to catch up on the last few weeks, bullet point style and everything.  So here we go

• Noah's parents came for their first visit and it was great!  We were able to show them how crazy unpredictability life can be here, and also were able to go away for a few days to see the now dominate volcano, Arenal.
• We were robbed, but you knew that already.
• We finished up swimming lessons.  Costa Rican swimming lessons are soooo different!  And hard!  We're just going to put that on the back burner for now.
• We found a home school group that meets every Thursday and it's only about 20 minutes from our house.  The boys have loved it so far, and it's been good for us to get out of the house once a week.
•  Noah started a Bible study with some of volunteers interested in learning more about leadership.  The response was pretty great!  We even had to order more books!
• We were able to get a a new laptop!!  Which is fantastic, but now comes the whole process of learning it and making it our own...blah
• We took another trip to Panama last week.  This time we did it all in one day, crazy, but it's done.  Hopefully we will have our residency by the time these tourist visas expire and then we can get our drivers' licenses.
• A group of faculty and staff from Spring Arbor University (our Alma Mater) were here last week and wanted to have lunch with us!  What fun that was!  They also talked with us about spending some time with the Cross Cultural trip that is coming in January.  How fun!!
• I made a corned beef this year for St. Patrick's day.  While it was a step or two in the right direction for corned beef, it was super spicy from some red pepper flakes.  Will be cutting way back on that.
• Quinn is now crawling like a maniac, pulling up, has two teeth, is babbling like crazy and flat out refuses to eat anything.  Seriously.  Sometime soon I should show you all the video...I really don't know what to do for him.
• We now have a 8 foot aluminum sheeting fence around our back yard.  See the note about the robbery.
• I found whole 16 lb turkeys here for $9!  At Thanksgiving time they are close to $60!  I bought two.  One we will have for Easter.  What?  You don't have turkey at Easter?  And the other I cooked today, will take all the meat of the bones and freeze that.  Maybe I can get one more and do the same and still have room in my freezer...maybe

K kampers Get to be C Campers

Our happy Kampers were so excited this morning about being campers for the first time.  At Roblealto, Day Camp starts at 4 years old, so both Forrest and Elliot get to spend today and tomorrow playing, laughing, singing and learning about Jesus all in the context of camp. 

Pray for them, that God would use this two days in their little hearts to make them more like Him, and that this would be a good time of interacting with kids and counselors in Spanish. 

Without Power (cord)

Just popping in for a minute.  Life is never boring around here, I'll say that!  Last week Thursday, our puppy Minga, managed to chew just the slightest bit on the computer cord to our last functioning computer.  Eeeehumm.  Yeah.  Remember, Noah's computer complete bit the big one about a month ago.

After looking at about 6 stores here and in San Jose, we didn't find a single power cord that fits the computer.  But!!  A friend offered to get us one in the States, and there happend to be a missionary that we know in the States who is coming back to Costa Rica tomorrow.  And another missionary friend who lives close to the first missionary friend is coming to see us on Saturday and she is bringing the new cord with her.  We hope.

I have been able to limp along with our kindle fire, sorta kinda updating facebook (with tons of auto correct nonsense...seriously!  I hate it!), but I can't call the US with our magic jack or skype or really even email effectivly.   Noah has been able to bring his work computer home at night...but ummmm, did I mention, the camp season started Monday.  And if you will remember with me, camp equals crazy work schedule/time without Dad/Husband. Ummmhummm.

So, while I have tons to tell you about making tamales, New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, sledding in Costa Rica and all sorts of other fun stuff...it will all have to wait until I have my computer back. 

In the mean time, leave me a comment and tell me your worse tech related story.

Want to Help Train Leaders?

Last week Noah had a message from a voluteer asking how to go about studying the Bible.  She had only ever read Romans and Psalms.  This hit right at the heart of our calling here, to help equip and train the next generation of Christian leaders here in Costa Rica.

One of the things that Noah will be doing with some of the volunteers next year is a Bible study on leadership.  We found a great resource, a 40 minute inductive bible study guide from Precepts Ministries, and it's even in Spanish! No need for translation work on this one folks!  I can't tell you what a help that is to Noah!

So here's where you get to share in this.  We are in need of 10 of the books for our volunteers who are in leadership.  We have looked and we can't get these books here in Costa Rica.  But, if you want to help us out, you can order a book or two by shopping off our Amazon Wish List.  When you order, they will be sent to a stateside address and then we have someone shipping them to us here in Costa Rica. 

So, if your interested, click on over to the Wish List.  Thanks!! 

Galletas de Navidad

So Wednesday we hosted our first group of volutneers here at our house.  The camp season is coming up and there are some new voluteers who don't really know each other.  They wanted to spend some time together before camp started and we offered our house up for the fun. 

We thought it would be a good idea to have an activity for them, becuase they had only spend about 36 hours with each other.  Sometimes it's good to have your hands busy when working on making friends.  So, being that it's Christmas time, decorating Christmas cookies seemed like a good idea.  Most Ticos don't bake, so Christmas cookies aren't a thing here and they were all excited to try their hand at this North American tradition.

It was fun to watch them figure it all out.  First, they spread the frosting on the cookies like you would butter on bread.  And when they finished decorating, they asked if we needed to cook the cookies again.  Nope, just eat 'em friends!  They thought the Michigan and moose cookies were the funniest. 

After the cookie making, there was some tree climbing for oranges and just general talking and laughing.  And I'll say this, when working with people who love camp, your kids have some great play buddies!  Our kids were loved on, and thoroughly played with!  The volunteers were fighting over who got to hold Quinn.

Supper was taquitos and salsa, fruit and chips.  I was thankful how everyone pitched in and helped clean up.  We were able to spend some time talking with the group, getting to know them, them getting to know us better.

Pray for this group, and the rest of the volunteers as they are preparing for camp in just a few weeks.  Pray that God would use this preparation time to grow them and He would soften the hearts of the campers that are coming.