Thursday, May 21, 2009

Pictures from Media Vuelta and Arbolitos


This is the group, those of us who came up from San José
and those who live and minister there.

Horseback is a common means of transportation here.


Boats are another means of transportation
in these small farming communities on the Sarapiquí River.
Here we are going up river to Arbolitos from Media Vuelta.


Here is the Baptist church with whom we were working.


This is a house next to the church which we used.

An couple from the community.


Kids from the community.

There were some howler monkeys in a nearby tree.


All pictures courtesy of Joshua Murphree, © 2009.

Pictures from the coffee plantation and the volcano.

Here are some pictures from my day at Doca and Poás:

This is me at Volcán Poás.


Here I am holding Isaac.


Coffee berries.


Spreading the beans drying out in the sun.


Here I am with Isaac and Ella.
The ox cart on which they are climbing
is a national symbol of Costa Rican culture.



All pictures courtesy of Joshua Murphree. © 2009.

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Update

Here is an overdue update on my life here in Costa Rica:

• My first trimester has ended. I have two more to go. I did well in my classes and can see an improvement in my Spanish. Thank you for your prayers and, please, continue to do so.

• My second trimester has already begun. As for grammar this trimester, I will be focusing on the 16 uses of the subjunctive mood The subjunctive is used much more often in Spanish then in English, making it difficult for English speakers learning Spanish to incorporate it in their conversation. I know the forms and generally how the subjunctive is used, but I hope that this trimester will really help me to solidify it in my thinking and to use it in converstion more easily.

• During the break in between the trimesters, I went on a short mission trip to a small farming town called Media Vuelta out in the jungle on the Sarapiquí River (with crocodiles and alligators). Our primary task for the trip was to help the church do some survey work throughout the community in order to find out who is there and to make connections with the people for relationship building. On Sunday afternoon, we went up the river in a long moter boat to the next community, Arbolitos, and did the same thing there. Pray that the church there will be able to reach these communities with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

• Also during the break, I went with some other IMB students to visit the Doka coffee plantation and Poás Volcano. It was a good day of fun with friends.

• I am continuing my weekly visits to the House of Restoration. There is a lot of turn over there. Every week there are some new people there and others who have left. Often those who leave, do so because they are back on drugs or alcohol. I taught the lesson for the first time this past week, all in Spanish. Please pray that these men would come to know Christ.


For the Glory of His Name and the Furtherance of His Kingdom,

Kenan

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Gallo Pinto

Do you want a little taste of Costa Rica? Here is a recipe for a typical Costa Rican dish. The recipe has been slightly altered due to the availability of the ingredients in the US. You can also play around with my recipe here to suit your own taste.

Typically served for breakfast, Gallo Pinto is a dish usually topped with a dollop of sour cream and served along with eggs and fried sweet plantains. Kids often put ketchup on it. The dish probably originated as a means of using the left over black beans and rice from the previous day. But it is definitely better with fresher ingredients.


1 cup of cooked rice
1 cup of cooked beans, drained
1 small or medium onion, chopped
1 small chopped red sweet pepper
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tbsp of extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (typically Lizano sauce, if you have access to it, use it instead)
2 tsp black pepper (Costa Ricans generally don't use black pepper on anything, but I think it adds to the flavor of this dish, so I included it in my recipe)

Sauté the onion, red pepper, garlic, cilantro in the olive oil for a few minutes. Add in the beans, the Worcestershire, and black pepper. Cook for a few more minutes. Next, add in the cooked rice. Stir it all together, and it's ready to serve. Enjoy!