Each month I schedule a personal retreat day to pray, think, reprioritize and refuel. Today I am in the mountains of San Ramon de Tres Rios.
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Archive | October, 2009
Morning coffee view
7 Oct
Sipping coffee with Cathi watching the clouds roll by and waving to the neighbors who are curious about the gringos.
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Preparing for our first Latin wedding
5 Oct
I’ve been asked to perform a wedding ceremony (in Spanish!) this December for a young couple who love each other dearly and are facing a challenging start to their marriage. Although I have known Michael for a couple of years, this was the first time we have met his fiance’. For some reason she wanted to meet us before the wedding! Maybe she wanted to make sure we could actually communicate in Spanish. So remember me on December 19 when I have to speak extemporaneously in a language that still is a work in progress.
Anna learning to drive
4 Oct
It may just be a remote control car, but her driving style makes me nervous!
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Tico leaders…waiting for coffee
4 Oct
This is a group of key church leaders in Costa Rica. Really.
Our home tends to be a gathering place for working out plans and setting direction for future work. As long as there is coffee, there is time to talk. Left to right: Tony – President of the Evangelical Free Church of Costa Rica, Ernesto – Leader and trainer of youth leaders, Jose – Director of church leadership development across denominations, Cali – a gifted teacher with a heart for youth.
My office is just inside this large window which has a beautiful view but also looks out onto the street. So the guys know when I’m in and we often find ourselves talking leadership development, team management and doctrine. Makes for a good mix!
Bugs aplenty
2 Oct
One advantage of living here is the incredible variety of bugs we encounter. This little critter showed upper today and provided some entertainment for Anna and Oreo our dog.
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Are busy women, wives or moms ever really alone?
1 OctI have made my personal goals (referred to as Key Result Areas(KRAs) by our mission organization) simple, concrete and, until today, have avoided those which I know would be beneficial, although unattainable. One such KRA, the monthly personal retreat day (known henceforth as a PRD) could not occur without sacrifice or intentionality. How could a busy woman, wife, mom, volunteer, chauffeur, you get the picture- take time away from such duties and focus on God, re-evaluate priorities, goals, and ignore sustenance while seeking God on a normal weekday morning/afternoon? After spending the last five hours intentionally chatting and listening to God, I realized how much more productive and functional each one of us would be if we were to begin by scheduling these half-day portions of solitude.
Although my first actual PRD began with two children, my wonderful spouse, and a guest in my house, I recognized that even a favorite corner of the house, with the door closed could allow me to focus intently on God until they vacated the premises. Moments after the family left , I realized that the peace was too deafening, so I turned on some soft (ok, maybe for some of you, more than upbeat praise music) for background noise. Time flew faster than I knew possible and I gained insight, was able to pray uninterruptedly (you know how moms pray while driving, and multitasking) while listening intently for God’s voice in the stillness.
Halfway through my time alone with the Lord, the construction noise on the other side of our concrete wall was no longer keeping time with the soft music so I walked up the hill behind our home, inhaled clean crisp air, and gazed at tropical beauty all around me. As I had fasted during lunch, and my attention and mind was fading, I greeted several local pulperia owners before I found my desired pick-me-up…a frosty Coca-Cola Zero. I headed home, sought several favorite non-fiction Christian books, prayed intentional prayers for my spouse, family, and myself, while listening to the soothing rain on our metal roof ( the construction was rained out!).
And yes, now that the house is teaming with activity, I am thankful for the blessing of time alone with God, and am looking so forward to my next PRD in November. Dear friends, family, and fellow missionaries, take time to do this—it is more that I thought it’d be—and friendlier on the budget than a day at the spa! Guess I’ll add a quarterly PRD to my KRA’s now—and I hope to surpass that timetable!
TeamDuggan 
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