The Dixon Diary

Transformation

2011-11-15T09:47:00.002-06:00

Trasformation is a buzz word that we use a lot in Students International. We say that we are about seeing people's lives transformed into the likeness of Christ. We want to see this in the lives of the people in the communities we serve, among the outreach participants that come to work with us, and we even say that we need and want this for ourselves. We want to be transformed by Jesus and be like him. We want to be and live like Jesus. We want to love the way he loves and act the way he acts.

But how, exactly?

Yesterday, José brought a song for the worship time at our staff meeting. I can't get the images out of my head.

Déjame hoy besar las heridas de tus manos y tus pies,
las heridas que pecando provoqué.
Déjame reclinar mi mejilla en tus espaldas y llorar
por haberlas lacerado en mi maldad.

No merecía tanto amor.

Translation:
Let me today kiss the wounds on your hands and feet,
the wounds that my sin provoked.
Let me lay my cheek against your back and cry
for having caused the lacerations (in my badness)

I didn't deserve that much love.

I know the crucifixion story, and the Easter story. I've seen the Passion (in oh-so-many forms). It's not like Jesus' woundedness hasn't struck me before in a personal way. But how many times have I had the courage to ask the Lord's permission to kiss the wounds that I caused? Or rub my face in the cuts on his back? That's. . . gross. And weird. And, it would require me to really examine myself and really face my sin, my weakness, my brokenness. Maybe even ask God to tell me the truth about myself. So vulnerable and so, so intimate. And really, very scary, potentially painful.

But, I'm learning more and more that that's where transformation happens. In moments of intimacy with Jesus. Knowing Jesus. Because it isn't just that we wallow in our horridness, or know about God's love. If I really get that close to Jesus, and truly, honestly, grieve my part in those wounds, grieve my inadequacies and my failures, I experience, experience, Jesus' love and grace that I don't deserve. He never turns away a broken heart. And knowing him that way changes me. It transforms me. And I start to become more like him. More able to give grace and love to others who don't deserve it because I have been humbled and healed and have experienced it myself as someone who doesn't deserve it.

Like I said, I can't stop thinking about those images. God, give me the courage to come close to you and let you transform me. I want to know you more. I want to know you more that way, that closely.

Sunday School

2011-11-14T14:30:00.003-06:00

Yesterday we woke up and there was no water in the house. So, Jeff went with Olivia to buy a 5-gallon jug of water at the store. However, the car wouldn't start. Anyway, to make a long story short, by the time Jeff got the car started and got back from the store, it was a little late to try and get ready for church. So we decided to have our own Sunday School.

Here's a cute picture of Jeff reading "You Are Special" to the kids. This is such a great book!

From Sept.-Nov.2011

Psalm 103

2011-11-08T07:30:00.002-06:00

Psalm 103:1-5

1 Let all that I am praise the Lord;
with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.
2 Let all that I am praise the Lord;
may I never forget the good things he does for me.
3 He forgives all my sins
and heals all my diseases.
4 He redeems me from death
and crowns me with love and tender mercies.
5 He fills my life with good things.
My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!

I have been thinking and meditating a lot on these verses lately. Some thoughts swirling around in my head:
*God is praise-worthy, regardless of anything else
*God is good to me, has been good to me, and will continue to be good to me--and that will be true even if God asks us to live in a shack (though I really hope not to be tested in this!) We can all fill in our own 'thing'. . .
*The things God does for me are things that I can always count on--forgiveness, redemption, healing, mercy, etc. They are also things that ONLY God can really do for me. God is my ONLY source for those things that really matter.
*God fills my life with good things; the more that I think about it, the more I think that this primarily means filling my life with more of God. The rest of the good things I desire, or that God desires to give me are secondary to closeness with God.

So, to update you all on our housing situation, we are basically at the following place. We would love a yard. We feel a deep conviction to live within a certain strategic geographical area due to ministry needs (accessibility to staff, teams, banks, stores, buses, etc.). We have considered buying land and building the "ideal" home/office, because nothing we've seen or heard about so far would work. However, this area is quite a bit more expensive and much more 'constructed' than other outlying areas. We need to consider office space for SI. Renting a separate building/space would mean a huge increase in budget for SI. We actually like having the office in or close to our home. We also need to see about qualifying for a loan should the 'perfect' thing become available. Most immediately, we would like to renew the rent contract for our current house--to buy time, or to stay in indefinitely. Minus the yard issue, we believe it is the perfect place for us and SI-CR. God truly handpicked this house for us, without a doubt. Our landlady would like to renew the contract, however is considering how much to increase the rent to account for the rising inflation rates here. So, we are holding our breath, waiting. We are praying that the increase will be affordable, both for us and SI-CR. If not, we have no idea what our next step will be. Please pray with us. And if we end up living in a shack, :), I hope I'll still be able to trust and praise the Lord. Hold me to that, please!

If only. . .

2011-09-27T11:53:00.006-06:00

I started a new Bible Study recently with some women living in the area. It's an English Bible Study, and there are probably multiple reasons why I decided to join it, one being that I was invited and another being that my soul has been longing for something--food, fellowship, roots, something. Anyway, I'm typically hesitant to join groups like these, but it's an eclectic group, and will be interesting; if it simply forces me to take time to reflect and seek God with others, I think it'll be worth it.

Last week, the major theme had to do with our "if only's." You know, the things we think will fulfill us and make us happy, solve our problems. I, personally, have a multitude I could rattle off. But my big one right now is this: if only we had a house with a YARD. Now, I don't think it's bad to hope for things, wish we had things, wish that things were different in our relationships or circumstances, etc. Sometimes God uses those things to work his plans out in our lives. Maybe he even prompts those feelings in us. I recently heard this referred to as "holy discontent." But, ultimately GOD is the only one that can truly fulfill me. God is the only one that can really make me 'happy.' If I am counting on a yard to make me happy, make me content to live in CR indefinitely, or to solve my kids' needs to run off their energy, then I have made this idea of a yard my idol. And idols are dead and powerless. And this is something I need to look at very closely, because the way I see it a yard WOULD solve a lot of issues and would be great for lots of reasons. I could make the Lord a list of all the reasons he should provide us with one (wait, I have done that!) I keep wrestling with God about this. First of all, he provided our current house at just the right moment, and it has been ideal for ministry, guests, housing the SI office, even for our family (really, I have no room to complain!). So, he COULD provide something just as good with a yard, too. Granted, that might mean miraculously creating a new plot of land somewhere (but it could happen). We feel like God has asked us to live in Desamparados, near the bus line, near the language school and host families, near ministry sites, with easy access to teams, staff, etc. This seriously limits the options since, by my estimation, 98% of the land with those specifications is built on already and the rest would require us to win the lottery that we don't play. Sigh. AND, I really do want to be content if God's answer is to stay put. I really do! But that means letting go, sacrificing, trusting, grieving. . . not to mention continuing to find yard alternatives.

I know that within missionary/ministry circles the issue of where to live can be a big deal. How do you balance ministry, family, and longevity? Before kids, it would have been easy to say we could live anywhere. I would have seen it as an adventure to live in a grass hut somewhere, or even in a slum. It might have even felt heroic (sickening, right?). But now, the mother bear instinct has taken over. And a little bit of the desire to have my cake and eat it too. It doesn't help to be wanting a yard and then go to green, open Minnesota where my kids were able to experience the freedom of running around and riding bikes and scooters. On Sunday, after they woke up in their Costa Rican beds, Olivia and Sawyer were both eager to ride their scooters (which I said they could ride around the house), but then quickly gave it up because there wasn't enough room. Trying to remain positive, I told them it was a good opportunity to perfect sharp turns and such. . . they are slowly warming up to the idea.

Have I made it clear that this yard issue is my biggest current "if only" idol?! I'm sure I sound spoiled and ungrateful, but I'm just sharing where I'm at in this. Nobody has to tell me it could be a lot worse! I'm just convicted, don't want it to be an idol, trying to sort it out, wanting to truly hand it over to God and trust his plans (and heart!) for my family. But. it's. so. hard. Please pray for us (and me!) in this. And if you receive any insight you'd like to pass along, feel free.

Meanwhile, we'll keep wrestling, and I think I'll keep going to Bible Study.

Minnesota

2011-09-26T06:56:00.009-06:00

Saturday was a LONG day of travel (3 kids, 3 flights) but everything went as smoothly as it could have, and here we are in San José once again. We had a great 2 weeks in Minnesota, visiting with friends and family, sharing at Rose City Evangelical Free Church, and working out details for the semester program that starts here in January. Since we hadn't been back to the States in almost 2 years, we felt a little strange this time. The roads were so smooth, the traffic scarce, the toilet paper flushable, the Minnesota accent stronger than ever, the carpet soft and the air cold.

Thank you to everyone who hosted us for a meal, met us for coffee, came to the open house, or otherwise made an effort to visit with us. Jeff's mom and my sister even flew in to see us; is that love, or what?! Thanks especially to my parents for allowing us to create chaos in their home for 2 weeks!

Some highlights from our trip:

Rose City Church: One of our supporting churches, Rose City always welcomes us and loves to hear what God is doing in CR. We showed a short video and shared a bit from 1st John (what we've studied this year with teams) and gave an update on ministry sites and the goings-on here. The service was followed by a true Minnesotan potluck, complete with hotdishes and bars. It was good to get back to my roots :)

Grandpa Tic Tac's house: Grandpa has lots of cool cars, kittens, and green space to ride, play with, and explore. We loved the beautiful weather and the kids even got to go fishing for the first time!

Playing outside!! We don't have a yard so Olivia and Sawyer spent a lot of time running and playing in Grandma and Grandpa's yard and driveway. They got scooters and spent about 3 solid days on them!

Riding bikes! Both Olivia and Sawyer mastered bike riding on this trip--also thanks to some outdoor space! Now to find a way to keep practicing. . .

Bonfire and movie in the backyard: Yep, even though it was chilly, we enjoyed the opportunity to roast hot dogs and marshmallows and watched "Rio" on the big screen. It was especially fun since Auntie Kara and Grandma Dixon flew in that day.

Dinners, coffees, gatherings, oh my! We loved getting together with various friends from various parts of our lives. It was fun to catch up a little with you all--though the time was far too short, and the visits are too few. . .

Phipps Inn: Jeff and I escaped for a night, leaving all 3 kids with the grandparents (including a still-nursing Lynnea), to the Stillwater/Hudson area and stayed at the Phipps Inn, an adorable Victorian B&B in Hudson. We would recommend it to anyone! We love the history and small-townness of that part of MN/WI. Beautiful brick buildings and old Victorian neighborhoods; it was fun just wandering around, looking at antiques, exploring the little shops and restaurants--a much needed break.

Children's Museum of MN: One day we went to the Children's Museum with some good friends from CA who were also in the area. The kids all loved it, and so did the grown-ups, I think. We then had a birthday party for Lynnea and a "sleep over".

Shopping: I had to include it. I actually could have shopped more, and enjoyed it more, if we'd had more time. But, it was satisfying to shop and think about how much money we were saving by buying things in the US instead of in Costa Rica. :) High on my list were canned pumpkin, ortega chilies, dried fruits, and cheese. It's the simple things, right?

All in all, it was a great trip. It was great to see those of you we were able to see and wish it could be more often! Thank you to all of you for being faithful long-distance friends and family!

(PS Pictures coming soon. It's taking awhile to get them all into iPhoto)

Sé que eres Dios

2011-08-23T02:15:00.002-06:00

I can't sleep, and I've had this song that we sang in church on Sunday stuck in my head. I don't know if it's in English or not, but thought I'd share the chorus with you.

Aunque se levante y ruja el mar
Volaré sobre la tempestad
Padre, eres Dios sobre el mar
Quieto estaré
Sé que eres Dios

(Even though the sea rises up and roars
I will soar over the storm
Father, you are God over the sea
Quiet I will be
I know that you are God)

"Lives are Changing"

2011-08-16T23:15:00.003-06:00

We are blessed with a great staff that we are privileged to work alongside. Our job is to help place our staff in positions where they are able to succeed and to live out their calling. They then do the work of investing in people's lives, with the hopes of seeing transformation take place. So when I read and hear stories like this one it makes all the long hours and hard work more than worth it. Check it out for yourself: http://costaricaonamission.blogspot.com/

Creativity

2011-07-11T23:01:00.004-06:00

Maybe it's because I'm a teacher, but I value creativity in kids. I believe kids should be allowed to be creative. (Well, okay. I say that, and I do believe it, but I do have to give myself a pep-talk if big messes will be involved. . . ). Anyhoo. I love it when Olivia and Sawyer use their creativity, and I give myself little mommy-gold-stars when they do, especially if they initiated it on their own. . . and especially if there won't be a huge mess to clean up afterwards.

Playing train. They were into this for a looonnnngg time.

From 5 and 7

Then there is Lynnea. Her creativity centers around getting herself anywhere that is UP, and also around getting anything small and dangerous INTO her mouth. I'm hoping to channel that somehow. But for now, at least she's cute. . . and creative--in a determined sort of way.

From 5 and 7

5 and 7

2011-07-11T22:20:00.003-06:00

Sawyer recently turned 5 and Olivia 7, and I think the arrival of these two birthdays for me has been the most shocking! 5 and 7 just seem so old. Saying them makes me feel old. How did this happen right before my eyes? Maybe having the third baby just sort of accentuates how much time has passed since they were her size. So much happens and then I look back and can't sort out the details in the blur; I'm trying to cherish each moment of their development. . . Anyway, I am so thankful for my kiddos, and so delighted with who they are (most of the time!). They are such precious gifts from God. This year, what with the busyness and scheduling of teams, we told Olivia and Sawyer we were going to do small family things for their birthdays. So for Sawyer's special day, we went to see Cars 2, and Olivia's birthday fell on a team beach trip that we were scheduled to go on, so she got to go to the beach and then have pizza with part of the group afterwards.

Sawyer's All Chocolate Heart-Cars Cake

From 5 and 7

Olivia's Strawberry/Vanilla/Chocolate Cake

From 5 and 7

English Class

2011-06-11T14:59:00.003-06:00

I know it was probably a crazy idea, but I agreed to it anyway. And, I am REALLY glad I did, because I'm enjoying it very much! A few weeks ago we started an English class for the ladies of the micro-finance site, that is led by Cindy and Maria. The ladies heard Maria speaking in English awhile back and started insisting that she teach them! With their businesses, English would be a helpful skill, especially for those who plan to sell things to tourists. Maria and Cindy were already swamped with their 3 little groups and all those details, so they asked me if I'd be interested in helping them out. I thought about it, prayed about it, and said yes. We agreed to do 10 classes on Friday mornings. The ladies pay a nominal fee for the class to cover supplies, and we do it in the office. It's a 2 hour class, with cafecito (coffee time) included. Maria, Cindy and the teams help with the class and help watch Lynnea. I give out homework and we have quizzes. It's the real deal! Some of the ladies have never studied English before, so we are starting at the beginning. The first day we got through 1/4 of the lesson plan. But we'll get there. Like I said, it has been really fun for me to teach again, and to teach motivated learners, too! With a 'role' that is so undefined and random sometimes, and a life schedule that is just as much so, it's been nice to have a small thing to plan for, count on, and do well with! We'll see how these 10 weeks go, but if the ladies want to keep going, I just might want to, too.

From English Class

Around Here

2011-06-09T22:34:00.003-06:00

Now that we've been in CR for almost 3 years (Wait! Did I just say 3 years?? How can that be already?!) sometimes I wonder what to write about on this blog. It isn't that things aren't happening. Actually, a lot is happening; there are constant challenges and victories going on with our kids, ministry sites, the communities, our staff, etc. But we've run out of all the incidental things that are easy to write about but used to be novelties--things like riding the buses, buying our groceries, etc. Those are LIFE now. Now we are into the harder things, the deeper levels of culture and culture shock, the harder-to-explain and more-complex issues of ministry, life and spiritual warfare. Sometimes the things I want to write about aren't maybe blog-appropriate. Or, I'm so used to them that I forget they might be interesting to someone else.

So, let me try and fill you in on at least a few things, in no particular order.

In May, we had a staff retreat at the beach. It was wonderful. Our speakers were Nate and Maggie Slabach, from SI-DR. They shared with us about avoiding burn-out in ministry. I'll write another post with more details, but a couple of highlights were the life of Joshua (70 years of effective leadership and virtually no mistakes!) and John 15, the passage about the vine and the branches. Only if we REMAIN connected to the vine will we produce fruit. Cut off, we wither. So simple, yet so easy to forget in the day-to-day. Yep, I definitely want to write more about that later.

We have hosted several groups so far this year, and are actually in the middle of our 'summer' teams season. We're thankful for great groups so far, and pray that they leave changed, with well-watered seeds that will continue growing. We also have 6 amazing interns this summer. They are quite the eclectic little group, but came with hearts to serve and have really jumped in whole-heartedly to their work! I don't think it's far off to say they've been thrown in the fire, but they've really risen to the occasion and had super attitudes in spite of be overwhelmed by culture, language, ministry, etc. We're so thankful for their support during this season!

Our car: our car had been running great, but recently developed a clicking sound and today dumped a lot of anti-freeze on the ceramic-tiled garage floor . . . it's going to the mechanic tomorrow. We're bracing for the worst (replacing/rebuilding the engine) and hoping for the best. Unfortunately, it seems like these things ALWAYS (and, really, I'm not exaggerating) happen at the worst times. We have been trying to raise money for an SI vehicle, but since that hasn't panned out yet, we use our Galloper for transporting students, interns, supplies, etc., not to mention how much we rely on it for daily life. If we don't have a car for awhile it will be a pain in the neck at best. Please pray for some kind of a miracle. . .

This week we hosted Dave Hansen, our SI president, plus Lowell Troyer, director in the DR, and 2 board members, Rod Frese and Tom Babaggian for a few days at our home. It was a good time with lots of laughter; they were able to see what is going on at the sites, and share with and encourage us and our staff. We are so thankful for those guys and all the work they do so that we can be here. It is amazing to have an extended family through SI.

Olivia and Sawyer recently got their 1st trimester grades. Both of them are doing very well in school, thankfully! Olivia's reading in both Spanish and English is really taking off, and that is fun for this teacher to watch!! Sawyer has had a few, ahem, behavior issues (bothering other kids, impulsivity) that led to us meeting with his teacher and the school psych, and now seems to have shaped up-- again, thankfully! While talking with another teacher there about her son w/ similar issues, we joked about how ironic it was to be the moms of those kids! :) Since he is a child with high activity levels, they suggested he be involved in active things after school (agreed). So, in addition to soccer, he recently started tae kwon do. We'll see how it goes. Olivia also added tae kwon do to her extra-curricular activities. She decided basketball wasn't for her, even after sticking it out for the 2 months Mom and Dad insisted on. But tae kwon do seems to be right up her alley, and she was excited that she got to break a board on the first day. Please pray for us as parents to really SEE our kids and KNOW them so that we can parent them as God requires. Pray that their hearts would be soft towards the Lord, and that we would be effective in teaching them about their Father's heart towards them and his desires for them.

Lynnea continues to be a sweet little peanut. She's 8 1/2 months, not quite 17 pounds, and about 28 inches long. She crawls like a sprinter, puts EVERYTHING in her mouth, pulls herself up on anything she can, and is starting to scare us by climbing the steps. She is a sweet-spirited baby, but we have to watch her vigilantly!

Jeff is finishing up his MA program in Intercultural Studies at Fuller Seminary as I write. His final classwork needs to be emailed off tomorrow by midnight!! This will be a HUGE load off his shoulders (and mine, too!). It will enable him to teach in our semester program that starts next January with Fresno Pacific. I don't think either one of us remembers what it was like before he started this program 10 years ago. . . may he finish well!

We are on the hunt for more/new staff members to add to our CR team. We'd like to bolster each site with at least one more staff member, and there are a couple of site ideas we're open to launch if we have the right people to pioneer them. Our staff typically make 2 year commitments and so that means that some of our staff will be deciding whether to go or stay SOON. Plus, we need some administrative and leadership help. So, we're praying for just the right people in all of these roles. There are several North Americans, and even a few Latinos interested, so we'll see. Pray that we'll (and they'll) have wisdom as to whether God is calling them here or not. Also, the process can be lengthy for North Americans to raise support, do language school, etc., so pray for stamina on our part as we wait for God's timing!

Our house/SI office. Any of you who have visited know we love our beautiful house. It has been the perfect home for the SI office, hosting people, etc. However, we're starting to think about whether or not we should stay in it. Our lease will be up in December, and we're assuming that we'd have the option to renew the contract. But rent could rise, or the owner could decide she really wants to sell. Also, the one thing our house lacks is a yard. This is actually not uncommon. Most of the houses in the city have little to no yard. I find it a bit ironic that we are in one of the most beautiful countries in the world yet have to search a bit to enjoy that natural beauty. Anyway, we would REALLY love to have a yard for the kids to play in, and for us to enjoy as well. BUT, there aren't many options around. As leaders/directors, we need to be centrally located, close to main roads, easily accessible, etc., which means we need to stay close to where we are. We've been 'keeping our eyes open' for any houses that might have yards AND still serve SI's needs, too. Not really any leads. There are actually 2 in our neighborhood with potential, but as far as we know, neither are for rent or sale. We've seen a couple of lots, but don't really know if we want to pursue a building project/look for a loan. (Though we do have some good ideas!) Obviously buying a house/lot would have implications for how long we plan to stay in CR, too. Basically, we are coming to a crossroads and want to be prepared to make a good decision. Please pray for us in this!! We are content to be where God wants us. If that means staying in our current home, great. If there is something else out there, we need the Lord to show us. And, if this house isn't even an option come December, well, then we'll really need another plan!

Spiritual Warfare. Since this stuff happens in a realm we can't usually see with our eyes, and there's a lot of mystery surrounding it all anyway, it's hard to know how to write about it. We know there is an enemy out to devour us (1Pet.5:8), but we also know that we serve the GOD who is soooo much bigger and who has already WON this great war we are in, though we are still playing out the details. There have been things going on from time to time that indicate spiritual attacks--and now seems to be one of those times for many of our staff, and the communities we work in. We realize that we have placed ourselves as targets by taking a stand and attempting to push back darkness and bring hope to the communities and students we serve, so it doesn't really surprise us. Please pray for deep spiritual insight into what is going on and how we should be praying/counter-attacking. Pray for protection over our staff, sites, families, students, etc.

And, now I realize how long this is!! Kudos if you made it this far--it's much appreciated, and a bit admired. :) More later!
--Tracey

Church

2011-05-02T23:40:00.002-06:00

Church is a topic that comes up often, so I thought I'd write about it. We are not church-planting missionaries, but instead seek an established church to be involved in. In Costa Rica we have that luxury. So you would think, with all the options, that it would be easy to find a spiritual community of believers with whom to share life. But, it hasn't. And it's been one of the hardest things about trying to plant new roots here. A shared sentiment among our staff is that we miss knowing people and being known. I think it's caused all of us to re-examine the meaning of 'church' as well. But I'm not taking that path in this post.

At first, with limited Spanish, it was obvious that making relationships would be tough, but even still it is hard at times to really connect with people in Spanish. I still wonder if I'm REALLY communicating what I mean to say, and if I'm REALLY understanding the other person. Costa Rica is outwardly a very friendly and hospitable place. But when push comes to shove, it's been really hard to get close to people. People work late, we work crazy schedules, everyone has their family and extended families (which is a good thing, except for us who don't have our families here), and the social circles have been drawn for years--hard to break in. Plus, a lot of outsiders come here for vacations, visits, language school, and then LEAVE. Why would people want to invest in us if they think we're leaving? I think we've finally convinced a few that we're staying. . . but we heavily feel the burden of making the first (and subsequent) moves to get to know others. And, frankly, it can be exhausting; it has made us wonder if it's worth the effort. Then there are the actual churches themselves. Will there be Sunday School (or something) for our kids so that we can listen to a sermon? How long are services? What are expectations for involvement (many churches here are legalistic about coming to every event/prayer meeting scheduled), membership (some are very tied to their denominational roots, and we are not), etc.? Are there anything akin to home groups that we could be involved in? (So far, not really.) And, we don't want people to expect us (as 'gringos' and 'missionaries') to be willing to run everything, either. If 'sabbath' is about rest, sometimes it's more restful, and less stressful, to just stay home.

We have been attending a church for about 2 years that we call "our church." It's a smallish Baptist church a few blocks from our house. It's full of great, very capable people--one reason we liked it; there was no pastor when we first started there, but all the programs were functioning well and they didn't need our help (!). They have a praise band that leads us in a mix of hymns and contemporary worship songs, there is a Sunday School for kids and adults, and prayer meetings during the week. It is very traditional in some things (order of service, "Baptist" governing traditions), progressive in others (women are allowed to preach, they recently started a holistic minsitry, care of the Earth is preached from the pulpit on occasion). There are things we really like and appreciate about the church, and things it lacks that we miss. No such thing as a perfect church, right?

So, while it's been a struggle, we decided to stick it out, hopeful that it'll be worth it in the long run. We know that we need to be connected to the larger body of Christ, that church isn't all about meeting our needs, and that we need to somehow form relationships outside of SI. (We LOVE our staff, and have community there, but we also know the danger exists of becoming ingrown and that outside perspective will help keep us healthy.) I keep thinking, "if they would just start small groups. . ." and someone asked me why we don't start one. The thought has crossed my mind, but leading one more thing seems too big to take on right now. And, maybe small groups don't work here, I don't know. Maybe someday we'll try it and find out. For now, though, we're still hoping for friendships and to find the community we desire through the current available means. Jeff went on the men's retreat, I on the women's retreat. . . we have actually been invited over to a couple of homes for meals, and had a few people to ours. . . I've been trying to get a few phone numbers. . . Lynnea is a natural ice-breaker. . . maybe, just maybe, we are starting to break in. So, please pray for us (and our staff who also struggle with this) that we would have the energy and time to persevere in relationships, and that God would provide the authentic communities we all crave and need.

Spring Newsletter

2011-05-01T13:42:00.006-06:00

No excuses here, but it has been too long since our last post. Here's a start, though I realize most of you have probably seen this already: our spring newsletter. Just click on the title of this post!

Lynnea's Latest Tricks

2011-02-09T21:02:00.002-06:00

Lynnea is now 4 1/2 months, and we are afraid to blink because she is changing so quickly! She rolls from her back to her tummy, but gets frustrated b/c it's hard to get back over. She just learned to grab her feet and put them in her mouth, along with everything else! We are thankful that Lynnea continues to be a fairly mellow little girl and loves to be with people. She's also pretty communicative and lets us know how she feels about things! At her last checkup she weighed about 14.5 pounds and was 26.5 inches--long and lean!

From First Day Tio Conejo PreK 2011

From First Day of First Grade 2011

Sawyer Starts Preschool at Tio Conejo

2011-02-09T20:58:00.002-06:00

Sawyer's big day arrived and he seemed to really like Tio Conejo! Yay! Here's some pictures of his first day. Yes, he was excited. :)

From First Day Tio Conejo PreK 2011

Olivia Starts 1st Grade

2011-02-08T09:47:00.002-06:00

Olivia started 1st grade today at St. Michael School! She was excited and a little bit nervous. I know she's going to do great! Here are a few cute pictures of her in her uniform. Olivia, we pray God's best for you this year, that you will mature and grow in Him, that you will learn as much as you can, make good friends and become more like Jesus!

From First Day of First Grade 2011

Update on School for Sawyer

2011-02-05T23:15:00.006-06:00

Just a quick update for those who have been praying for Sawyer and his schooling this year. (By the way, is it just me, or would I probably not blog about this if I didn't live in another country? Hmm.) Anyway, after much prayer and agonizing (the agonizing was mostly my part!), we decided to enroll him at Tio Conejo, where Olivia was last year for kindergarten. He'll be in a preschool class of 24 kids. I took him to meet his teacher yesterday, and was really impressed. Her name is Milena, and she seems like just what Sawyer needs--someone with patience and experience who can keep his active little mind and body busy! She has a great classroom with lots of space, and TC has an amazing field and playground area. Sawyer's really excited, and I have high hopes that it will be a good year for him. She asked him if he behaves himself well, and he answered very seriously, "A veces" (sometimes)!! She laughed and said that at least he's honest! :)

As a side note, this year, both Olivia and Sawyer will come home after school, instead of going to daycare as they did last year in the afternoons. I've struggled with my role here in Costa Rica and have worn many hats, but one thing that I keep sensing is my kids' need to be at home more and have normalcy--or some form of normalcy! And, since there don't seem to be any good childcare options for Lynnea 'til she's at least a year old, it seems to make sense to be the one home more for all of them. We'll see how the year shapes up. I know I'll still be really busy hosting teams and staff, and I haven't decided exactly what my involvement in sites will be, but I'm trying to be intentional about my time. So much of life here has been learned through trial and error, and this is one more area! Your prayers are appreciated in these things. Often we report on all the exciting SI ministry that's happening, and all that God is doing in the communities we work in, but there's also this reality that we have to create sustainable life patterns in the midst of 'ministry.' And, while we believe whole-heartedly that our family is our first ministry, it is really hard to put that into practice sometimes. So, hopefully the adjusted school schedule will help. Anyway, we feel good about Tio Conejo for Sawyer, so we'll see how it goes! The adventure continues :)
--Tracey

I wonder...

2011-01-25T18:46:00.005-06:00

A few thoughts, questions and musings I have found myself thinking recently.

I wonder what it is like to be 16, live with my boyfriend, his family, and my 7 month old baby...
I wonder what it is like to be 12 and to haul corrugated metal on my back to recycle it so my family can eat...
I wonder what it is like to be a 4 year-old blonde boy and have total strangers rub my head...
I wonder who inflicted the cuts on a teenage girl's wrist and neck...
I wonder why a young boy had his eyebrow split open...
I wonder why he made up an unbelievable story cover it up...
I wonder what it it like to not know where my next meal will come from or if there will be a next meal...
I wonder what it is like to be without hope...
I wonder what people really think of the gringos...
I wonder how to best show Christ's love...
I wonder how to give hope...

One thing I don't wonder is why we are here and why we work where we do.

--Jeff

School for Sawyer???

2011-01-03T21:45:00.004-06:00

In a bit over a month our kids start a new school year. Olivia will be in 1st grade at St. Michael School (continuation of where she went to Kindergarten), and we are undecided about where to send Sawyer. He's been at a great little preschool/daycare run out of our church here and loved it until the last couple of months of the school year. We're not sure what happened, but it made us reconsider our plans for this upcoming season. We are wondering if we should switch him over to Tio Conejo (where O was) for preschool this year. We're not sure if it had to do with a new baby sister, the return of a so-so student teacher, being bored, needing more time/space to run and be active, needing more structure and challenge, simply wanting to be home more, or what--but mornings became TOUGH there at the end. There are so many things we've loved about his little school; it's small, the director is GREAT, they are flexible, have daycare hours, they have computer class, it's close to us, etc. But, we don't know who the teacher will be next year, and because it's small, it's hard to keep people long term. If he goes to Tio Conejo, he'd be in a bigger class (read: more friends his age to motivate him), in a structured, yet hands-on environment with highly experienced teachers, have a huge play area outside, plus the opportunity to play soccer or do tae kwon do (ACTIVE things). (We don't have a yard, remember?) Plus, since we plan to send him there for kindergarten anyway (not a lot of other options), this would give him an extra year to prepare; I know I shared with many of you Olivia's struggles with learning cursive in kinder. . . so what is making us hesitate? Two main things. One: loyalty to the director at his current school. We love her and trust her; Sawyer knows her, and we go to church with her. And, number two: what if Sawyer gets stressed out at Tio Conejo with more expectations put on him? Then again, would it be better to let him struggle academically a bit this year so that next year is easier? Either way, I don't want him to hate school.

We need to make a decision fairly quickly. I keep waiting for writing in the sky or something, but I think we're just going to have to choose, and hope we make the right choice. Sometimes it's hard being a teacher/parent; I can't help but critique schools in general . . . however, I am thankful that we have the option to even put our kids in private school here. I guess this is just one of the situations that makes me miss home. If we were in the states, I'd know what I was looking for in a good school, and chances are there'd be a good public school option in the mix. Just another one of those situations where we're forced to hand our kids over to the Lord and trust that since he brought us here, he's going to provide for them, even in academics.

If you ask why I don't just HOMESCHOOL . . . well, that's another post, or a good long conversation to have over some rich Costa Rican coffee. Let's just say I'm at a point where I'll 'never say never,' but it's not my first choice. We appreciate your prayers and/or insights and/or suggestions in this matter. I'l keep you posted.

December Newsletter

2010-12-28T23:37:00.002-06:00

We hope and pray that you are enjoying a blessed Christmas season with friends and family. To see our latest newsletter click here or past this URL into your address bar: http://tinyurl.com/dixonwinter2010

This One is for the Grandmas

2010-11-13T15:36:00.003-06:00

Grandma Dixon and Grandma 'Doot-doot' bought cute sibling shirts for the kids and we finally had our photo shoot. Let's just say that I know my calling is not to photograph children. . .

From Sib Shirts

Click!

2010-11-06T18:41:00.002-06:00

A little confirmation goes a long way! This week I had a chance to see confirmation first hand. Let me back up a bit. In September we opened the doors of our photography studio. The darkroom was all set, our staff member Dustin was ready to teach, cameras were ready to be used. We just lacked youth from La Capri coming to learn. A month later the darkroom was still ready, Dustin was even more prepared, and the cameras were gathering dust. We (mainly Dustin) continued to advertise and to find ways to make connections with youth to invite them to come. Then one day Dustin arrived at the studio and kids showed up wanting to learn.

So after a week of teaching the basics of how to operate a SLR camera, and about things like focus, aperture, and film speed the day finally arrived to take pictures. So on Tuesday I was privileged to spend the afternoon with Dustin and the kids he had been teaching, walking around La Capri taking pictures. It was amazing to see Dustin interact with these kids, who are on average 11 or 12 years old, teaching them how to take pictures. In a short time this little band of kids and Dustin have developed an obvious mutual admiration for each other and genuinely enjoyed being and learning together.

Each week Dustin will teach different techniques and they will have a different subject matter that they will shoot and discuss. The topic for this week "Trash in our community." The idea is to take pictures that tell a story and communicate something to the viewer. The idea is to not only teach these kids how to take and develop pictures, but also to teach them to think critically and to use their creativity, and ultimately to introduce them to their creator God. So on Tuesday I saw first hand a little confirmation that God is on the move in La Capri.

Here are a few pictures of Dustin and the kids taking the first pictures:

P.S.
If you happen to have a SLR camera in your closet collecting dust and taking up space that you would like to donate let us know as we could use a couple more cameras.

One Month!!

2010-10-27T11:57:00.003-06:00

I can't believe how quickly a month has come and gone! While Jeff has been busy with all things SI, I have been resting and doing all things kid and baby-related. It's been fun to have a newborn again. I'm amazed at how much easier it feels this time around. I can't decide if it's because we finally know what we're doing, because Lynnea is a mellow baby (Thank you, Lord!), or because Olivia and Sawyer are older and more independent--and at school on weekdays. It's probably a combination of all those things. We decided a big factor is how well Lynnea sleeps; she's not sleeping through the night or anything, but she often sleeps in 3-6 hour stretches, which makes a HUGE difference for my life perspective each day! Anyway, she is a sweetheart and a blessing. I think we'll keep her. ;) Here are some current photos:

Silly Girl :)

From Lynnea 10/10

I love this one!

From Lynnea 10/10

Tummy Time

From Lynnea 10/10

Big Sister Olivia is a BIG helper!

From Lynnea 10/10

Lynnea Hope

2010-09-21T15:45:00.002-06:00

Lynnea Hope Dixon arrived this afternoon at 1:17pm. She weighed in at 9ilbs 2 oz and was 21 inches long. Believe it or not this makes her the runt of the family. Both Tracey and Lynnea are doing great!

Cute Little Bunny

2010-09-15T04:43:00.003-06:00

Mother's Day is August 15 in Costa Rica and Sawyer's school put on a special luncheon, complete with a bunny dance, for all the mamas. It was very special, but mostly I wanted to post these adorable pictures of my Big Boy. :)

From Bunny Boy

10 years!

2010-09-15T04:16:00.003-06:00

To celebrate our 10 year anniversary, Jeff and I went to a coffee finca (plantation) not far from San José, call Doka. We stayed at a cute little B&B and did a coffee tour the next day. It was a fun (and much needed!) little getaway. And it was so. . . GREEN and beautiful!

We had dinner at a restaurant overlooking the city

From 10 years together!

Some of the biggest Hydrangeas I've seen are in the mountains of CR

From 10 years together!

Doka sells about 60% of it's beans to Starbucks

From 10 years together!

New Staff and Sites!!

2010-08-31T12:09:00.003-06:00

As we were wrapping up the summer outreaches, we hired Cindy and Luis Diego as the first Tico staff to join SI-CR! We are so excited to have their family join our team. They bring a wealth of training and experience that line up exactly with where we feel God is leading us. They both have hearts to serve and had sensed several nudges (and pushes, they would say!) from the Lord to get more involved in ministry and use their skills and talents for the Kingdom. (I should say, too, that they have both been involved in leadership roles in Los Guido, where they live, already making a BIG difference in their community.) So, they approached us and began the process of applying for full-time staff. Luis Diego took a leap of faith and left a well-paying job, and is now designing and launching a comprehensive sports program for youth in all three of the communities where SI serves. Soccer, of course, is the main sport, but plans include implementation of volleyball and a boy scout like program. Cindy, who was recently made 'presidenta' of a women's business cooperative in Los Guido, is working with Maria (intern applying for staff position, from Nicaragua) to design a micro-finance ministry site for women, that will also spread to all three of "our" communities. The idea is to form small groups of women that will apply for small business loans, to coach them in biblical principles of stewardship and business management, and to support them in practical ways so they can support their families and discover the gifts and callings God has given them.

We are really excited about the way that God brought Cindy and Luis Diego to us, and about the great things God is doing, and will do, through them here in Costa Rica. Please pray for them:

*Against spiritual attack--since beginning the process of joining us, they have experienced spiritual attack like never before, including a physical assault a few weeks ago (Cindy--p.s. she okay and the guys were caught!). They are taking it all as confirmation that they heard the Lord correctly--but please pray for their safety, for their daughter Hannuka (5), that God would guard their hearts, minds and bodies. The darkness does not like the light--and they have chosen to press against darkness, making themselves targets.

*For the launching of their ministry sites. God is opening doors and making connections like crazy--but there are always obstacles and frustrations, too. Pray for a smooth road and the removal of obstacles!

*Support. Right now, Cindy and Luis Diego will receive a salary from SI, but will be working to raise support over the next several months. Pray for this process, that the right people will be excited to join them in this adventure through financial support.

*English. Both Cindy and Luis Diego speak a bit of English, but will be starting classes through a local seminary next month. Please pray that it would come quickly to them--pronunciation is especially difficult for most non-native speakers.

Summer Teams Summary

2010-08-31T11:30:00.002-06:00

How is it that time passes so quickly between blogposts?? Ah, well, anyway, just wanted to give a quick summary of what went on with our teams this summer. We hosted 5 outreaches from the end of May to the beginning of August. We had teams from PA, CA, WA, and VA, plus a few scattered individuals. We had 8 interns that also spanned the globe, including 2 from Nicaragua. Our teams worked hard this year doing several things. Some of the students worked at our new Photography Studio in La Capri, readying it for Dustin Woida to begin teaching classes. Some helped launch the Wood Shop in Los Guido with Jeremy Janzen and worked alongside youth from the community to do simple wood projects. Others supported Krysta Williams at the Tutoring Center with her ongoing tutoring and mentoring of kids from Los Guido. And still others worked with Cailah Pritchard in Las Fuentes doing a myriad of activities in the community including tutoring/games, sports, aerobics for women, and baking for and visiting elderly ladies in the area. It was a busy few months, and we were all thankful to have interns to help with some of the logistics of transportation, translating, and being a bridge for our sites between the community and students. Jeff spent a lot of time running around and making sure things ran smoothly, arranged for logistics, tried to maintain all the office and paperwork that didn't magically disappear like we were hoping :), and even led a construction project at the church where the tutoring center is (they remodeled 2 bathrooms--good thing he helped Uncle Ken do ours in CA a few years ago!). I held down the fort and played hostess to all of our teams during orientation, cultural activities, and when our staff brought their groups over to work on various projects here at the house/office.

Our kids, incidentally, LOVE having teams here, and try to be as involved as possible (read: they made LOTS of new friends. :)) They loved being able to go to the beach a couple of times with teams, to fly kites at Parque la Paz, and have the teams at our house to hang out. We keep telling them that the teams don't come just to play with them. . . I don't know if they believe us, but at least the students serve as good role models for Olivia and Sawyer! And this is important when you have a daughter who is 6 going on 14!

Anyway, our prayers for our teams (students, adults, leaders) are that God would continue the good work he has begun in them (whether before or during their time here). That they will see the world with bigger, more God-like eyes, and that they will allow God to transform them more into the image of Christ and discover more about the true calling he has placed on their lives--to love and follow him, and to serve others in whatever area of life or vocation they may be in (or end up in someday). We pray that they will not wrap their time in CR up in a little box and keep it separate from everything else they do. We pray that it permeates all their families, churches, high schools, universities and job sites--and that they realize they have the same calling in their everyday lives as they did while they were here with us.

Summer Newsletter

2010-08-02T20:05:00.004-06:00

Click on this link to see our latest newsletter: Summer 2010

Random

2010-07-24T13:03:00.002-06:00

Sawyer, sporting his many layers of pjs:

From Fam Pic/Lost Teeth

Olivia, sporting her toothless smile:

From Fam Pic/Lost Teeth

For the Record

2010-07-24T13:00:00.001-06:00

Here's a belly shot from last night after our team banquet: 32 1/2 weeks!

From Fam Pic/Lost Teeth

While the Savior's team was here. . .

2010-07-24T12:51:00.003-06:00

. . . the kids got to spend a lot of time with their friend, Alissa. Here's some cute pictures of their time together:

At the children's museum feeling a simulated earthquake

From Olivia, Sawyer and Alissa

Water Play

From Olivia, Sawyer and Alissa

Pilot Sawyer

From Olivia, Sawyer and Alissa

Watching a Movie

From Olivia, Sawyer and Alissa

As if there wasn't enough going on. . .

2010-07-06T23:07:00.003-06:00

. . .the same day as the McDonald's birthday extravaganza, Olivia was also involved in two events at our church. She was part of a worship dance with a group of girls, and then a parade of nations (the ones represented in the church) to complete a month of focus on missions.

From Olivia's Church Dance and Parade of Nations

See the cute little prairie girl? She was told to wear "traditional" US clothing--whatever that means.

From Olivia's Church Dance and Parade of Nations

BIRTHDAYS!!!!

2010-07-06T22:54:00.004-06:00

Olivia's and Sawyer's birthdays just happen to conflict/coincide with our busiest time of year. This year, a big party seemed way too ambitious to pull off, so we opted for a very Costa Rican birthday at McDonald's (you think I'm joking, but actually parties like this are very popular). I made cupcakes for each of their classes at school the week before (plus a Thomas piñata for Sawyer's class and pizza for Olivia's), and then we invited other friends to celebrate at McDonald's on the Sunday between their actual birthdays. The beauty of doing a party this way is fairly easy to see: there is built-in entertainment, McDonald's provides the cake, the piñata, the food, a staff person to lead a couple of games, and best of all, they set it all up and do all the cleaning up afterwards. Of course, it was crowded and not exactly private, but overall worth every penny. Most importantly, Sawyer and Olivia had fun, and successfully turned 4 and 6, respectively.

Olivia's Tio Conejo Party

From Olivia's Tio Conejo Party

Sawyer's Kid's Academy Party

From Sawyer's Kid's Acadamy Party

And the McDonald's Party

From McDonald's Birthday Party

The Games

From McDonald's Birthday Party

This could be my favorite: Cailah and Olivia dancing b/c they got the 'hot balloon'

From McDonald's Birthday Party

The cakes

From McDonald's Birthday Party

Mordisco!

From McDonald's Birthday Party

And finally, the distribution of the piñata candy

From McDonald's Birthday Party

Birthing Class: Costa Rican Version

2010-07-06T22:02:00.003-06:00

A week and a half ago Jeff and I went to a birthing class at the hospital where we plan to have this baby. Since she is our 3rd, many people (including our doctor) have wondered why we would attend another class. Basically, I had 2 reasons: I wanted to see how different or similar the philosophy of the hospital here was compared to our experiences in the States, and I wanted to hear all the vocabulary in Spanish. Good news: at Clinica Biblica, most of the birthing protocol and techniques are similar to our hospital experiences in Visalia. Though they have an astronomical c-section rate (which I have told my doctor I want ONLY in a true emergency), they do have private labor and delivery rooms, up-to-date medicines and equipment, epidurals, etc., and they do allow women to walk around, use birthing balls, and take showers during labor. They promote breast-feeding, teach kangaroo care, and allow big sibs to visit. Some differences: they give a tuberculosis vaccine at birth (we have been advised both for and against this by medical personnel here), and they will pierce our baby's ears for us if we bring the right earrings (we are thinking of going ahead with this to avoid the millions of boy or girl questions.) There are most likely some other minor differences, but mostly we felt at ease with what to expect. As far as the Spanish, it was comforting to realize we understood most of what they were telling us. So many words are cognates (epidural, forceps) that I think we'll be okay. :)

The other parts of the class were quite an experience as well. First of all, it was set up with linen tablecloths and covers on the chairs, tied with tulle bows; centerpieces, and many vendor samples included. We were served a full breakfast, lunch and cafecito (coffee and snacks). And for the presentations, they had 2 huge mounted flat-screen TVs, plus a full wall that was projected onto. There was a pediatrician that talked to us about baby care (sort of--he wasn't actually all that great), an OB/GYN who talked a little about the physical process of birth, a nutritionist that told us how to feed our babies after the first 6 months of nursing, and a nurse that led us through breathing and relaxation exercises, etc. Plus we watched some birth videos. The best was the dance aerobics instructor who led us in some very entertaining moves at the end of the day. :) I may, or may not, include a picture. . .

We'll see what happens, but so far, we have been really impressed by the staff and care at Clinica Biblica. The other good thing is that it's only about 10 minutes away (in good traffic) should we need to get there in a hurry; since Sawyer was a fast and furious birth (less than 3 hours at 10.5 pounds), we figure we'd better be ready to run at the first sign of contractions this time around--just in case! They can always send us home :)

Jeff, deeply impressed with the decor

From Birthing Class

Quite a spread, X 3

From Birthing Class

Getting ready for relaxation time

From Birthing Class

Okay, okay, I'll put it in! Dance aerobics, obviously. :) At least it's a good 29 week belly shot.

From Birthing Class

The Stairs

2010-06-13T08:15:00.004-06:00

This post is long overdue, but I thought I would post it anyway :). Most of the time my work is behind the scenes in a support role. I get to support our staff at the various ministry sites and get to do a lot of logistical work and coordination for our student teams. In March we had a large spring break outreach of 34 people! Too be honest this was probably too big of an outreach for us. But we have to commit to the size of an outreach almost a year in advance. So at this point in time, as SI-Costa RIca continues to grow and develop, our outreach size is often an educated guess or a prediction of where we think we will be at a certain date. Well let's just say things didn't go as well as anticipated and we had room at our sites for about 20 people. Fortunately we had just rented an old auto shop to turn into a carpentry shop, so we used about 10 people from the team there helping us to scrub walls, put up dry wall, paint, etc. That left us with about 6 people without a site.

In our model of ministry we seek to incorporate the teams into the ongoing regular ministry that our staff are doing with or without teams. Of course having teams here allows us to do some things at the ministry sites that we couldn't do without them, but we do not want to create things to do just for the team, especially if they will not be sustainable.

A month or two before this team was to come Pastor Gilbert mentioned that he was recently told by the city that he needed to improve (read tear out the old and put in new) stairs on the property of the church. Pastor Gilbert is the pastor of the church in Las Fuentes that Cailah partners with in our Social Work site. So I decided that I would work with the 6 without a site to build the stairs at the church. It was a project that needed to be done and it would help further the ministry of one of our ministry sites and key partners.

The only catch would be that I would be leading this project and that I have little construction experience. Fortunately what experience I do have has come in Latin America and working with concrete! Much more fortuitous was that there was a contractor in the church without work who agreed to work with us for the week. Without Eddy we would have had issues!

So the students came and we worked hard and built some stairs. For me the experience was much more significant. As I mentioned I usually do the behind the scenes coordination for our outreaches and our staff do an incredible job of working with the students who come day in and day out while they are here. During this outreach I had the privilege of working all day every day with students. I was reminded of the powerful experience a trip like this is for the students that come. I was able to witness many "ah ha" moments in the lives of the students I was working with and was able to see them interact in a beautiful way with Eddy and the other church members who worked alongside us. I was reminded of the power of what God is doing through us and the privilege it is to work with students and the poor.

These days I often think back to the students I worked with in March and to the other emails and comments from past students as i am swimming in a sea of logistical work and preparation for our summer outreaches. Remembering the impact an outreach had on one student and the impact of a ministry site on one person in the community gives me motivation to make the phone calls, write the schedules, and to do what God has called me to do.

Here are a few photos of the stairs:
The Before

From Las Fuentes Stairs

Getting ready to pour

From Las Fuentes Stairs

The Construction Crew

From Las Fuentes Stairs

The Finished Product

From Las Fuentes Stairs

Psalm 112

2010-05-20T23:11:00.002-06:00

I felt like the Lord gave this Psalm to us today as I was reading, in light of the break-in, hassle, etc.:

Psalm 112

1 Praise the Lord!
How joyful are those who fear the Lord
and delight in obeying his commands.
2 Their children will be successful everywhere;
an entire generation of godly people will be blessed.
3 They themselves will be wealthy,
and their good deeds will last forever.
4 Light shines in the darkness for the godly.
They are generous, compassionate, and righteous.
5 Good comes to those who lend money generously
and conduct their business fairly.
6 Such people will not be overcome by evil.
Those who are righteous will be long remembered.
7 They do not fear bad news;
they confidently trust the Lord to care for them.
8 They are confident and fearless
and can face their foes triumphantly.
9 They share freely and give generously to those in need.
Their good deeds will be remembered forever.
They will have influence and honor.
10 The wicked will see this and be infuriated.
They will grind their teeth in anger;
they will slink away, their hopes thwarted.

Good, eh? God makes all things right in the end, and as many promises of the good to come, I noticed that the troubles are also assumed. But we have a God who fights for us in the middle of those troubles--He is our defender. --Tracey

Making Lemonade

2010-05-18T19:29:00.005-06:00

We have all heard the saying, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." These days we are in the midst of making a big batch of lemonade and day by day our gracious heavenly father is giving us more sugar to use in the mix.

Saturday evening we went out to and early dinner to celebrate both Tracey's and my birthdays with our moms (Yes both Tracey's mom and my mom came for a visit last week). We returned home about 7:30 to discover the door leading from the garage to the house was open and almost all of the downstairs lights were on. Telling everyone to stay in the car I grabbed the most manly weapon I could find, Olivia's Barbie Umbrella, and went through the house making sure no uninvited guests were in it. Thankfully no one was in our home, but neither were our home computer, my work computer, our cameras (we had just purchased a new one to replace the old one), the SI safe (fortunately all that was in it was some personal cash, a couple of credit cards, our social security cards, Califonria Driver's licenses, and a box of checks), a dying portable DVD player, my iPod, Tracey's jewelry box (the biggest loss was Tracey's wedding ring ;(, and a few other small items.

So we started knocking on doors to see if the neighbors saw anything and called the Fuerza Publica (police). No one saw anything that we found that night and the police told us that we needed to go and file a complaint with OIJ (the investigative arm of the police). So I went to file the report while Tracey and the Grandmas put the kids to bed. After filing the report I returned home and we waited for the Crime Scene Inspectors to come. They came and by 10:30 or 11:00 they were done going through the house gathering what evidence they could. Needless to say we had enough figurative lemons to make a pretty big batch of lemonade.

There are also several things to be thankful for with this incident. First we were not home. We don't know if they would have broken in not if we had been, but if we had been home or returned to catch them in the act it could have been bad news. Second they could have taken much more than they did. They left an external hard drive which we used to back-up both computers, so we have all the information that was on them. The did not take any of our phones or printers, the TV, the WII, and a DVD player. They also walked by cash boxes with the cash need to facilitate an outreach (our first team of the summer arrived yesterday).

While the chances of recovering any of our things is slim we have been pleased with the attentiveness of the system here. From the fast response times to the thorough conversation we had with two investigators today (they sat with us for about an hour in our living room while the team had devotions upstairs). We have gotten to know a few of our neighbors since living here, but ones we have barely known have gone out of their way to call or come by to offer to do anything they can to help. And in talking with more of them one person saw the couple that robbed us and the car that they used to haul everything away. There have been a couple of other robberies in our neighborhood and we are discussing organizing in a more formal way some sort of neighborhood watch. So there will be a neighborhood meeting soon (most likely at our house).

Our teammates have also responded in a loving and caring way. Letting us borrow computers offering to help us weld added security features on our house, and most importantly simply being a loving presence during a tough time. Throughout the last couple of days we have not felt alone and have felt carried by the love, concern, and prayers of our team, our families, and our many friends. Thank you!

Please keep praying! Pray for God's peace to reign down on our home and for all fear to be washed away. Pray also for the many processes that we are involved in at the moment (the police investigation, canceling all of the stolen cards, getting new social security cards and driver's licenses, placing fraud alerts on our social security numbers, etc). Pray also for discernment in knowing what additional security measures to take, and as we decide what we need to replace and what is the best way to do so. Pray also for the team that arrived yesterday. Pray that we would be able to devote the needed time and energy to them and that God would move in and through them.

So life has given us a good supply of lemons in the last few days. But we are thankful that God has also supplied us with enough sugar to make some lemonade. Hope your thirsty!

It's a Girl!

2010-04-20T16:14:00.003-06:00

18-19 weeks

We had a doctor's appointment yesterday and found out we are having another daughter! We're all excited; Mommy was sure it was a boy, but is happy to have more pink around. :) We are planning to have the baby at Clinica Biblica, which is a wonderful hospital in San Jose, only a few miles from our house. We are very thankful to have found a good doctor, and to make it even more convenient--his office is right at the hospital. Yesterday they even let us have a brief tour and we were happy to see that the maternity rooms look like everything we would hope for. Apparently CB usually has mothers labor in one room and then moves them to a birthing room, but they are now starting to let labor and birth happen all in the same spot--really hoping they continue that trend! Everyone there has been very knowledgeable and helpful, and we feel very comfortable going there to have a baby. Thanks to everyone who has prayed about all this with us.

Isn't she beautiful?

Spring Newsletter

2010-03-26T12:01:00.001-06:00

Here is a link to view our spring newsletter. If you download the PDF file the picture quality is better. As always you can also access our newsletters with the links on the right. Happy reading!

Spring 2010 Newsletter

What a day!

2010-03-24T08:35:00.002-06:00

There are times that I wonder. I wonder if I will ever have a commanding grip on Spanish, I wonder if we are moving in the right direction, I wonder if we are actually making a difference, I look around the table at a staff meeting and I wonder why I am one of the leaders (along with Tracey) when any of the people around the table are more than capable. I wonder. It is what I do, I analyze things and look at them from a variety of angles. Perhaps I over analyze and then I analyze some more.

It is because of my tendency to wonder and to be perhaps a little harsh on myself that I cherish days like yesterday. As I have done several times before yesterday I spent the day taking someone to visit SI Costa Rica's ministry sites. But yesterday was a little different than previous times. Usually I am showing around fellow North Americans. Often with the hopes that they will bring a team back or somehow be involved in what we are doing. Yesterday I showed around a Tico friend named Jonathan Campos. Jonathan works at a church helping to coordinate their community programs. I was showing him around to help him get a better understanding of who we are and what we do, as well as to spend time talking about ways we can partner together.

I was curious about what he would think. He was very impressed with what we are doing, and had numerous ideas for how we can work together. The church he works at is a large church and is very well connected with various resources in and around San José, and he is excited about connecting us with some of those contacts. It was encouraging to get some feedback from someone outside of SI who thought we were on the right path and who took it a step further wanting to be involved with us.

We ended our time together by visiting a house the church uses to host various community programs in a neighborhood called La Capri. At the moment the church's activities are all in the evenings and on the weekends. He invited us to use the house during the daytime throughout the week. This looks like the neighborhood where Dustin, our newest staff member, will begin to invest his time and where we will launch our next ministry site. We are very excited to expand our partnership with this church and to begin a new site. Please pray with us for guidance in this process. That God would give Jonathan, Dustin, and myself creativity, wisdom, and unity as we design and implement various programs.

So at times I wonder, maybe even doubt, and then God gives me days like yesterday. God spoke to me encouraging my heart to press on. He also told me to turn my wondering into dreaming about what might be and then to use the analytical gifts and skills he has given me to help make those dreams a reality.

Tim

2010-02-21T17:37:00.003-06:00

While we were in Visalia we had the privilege of sharing at Savior's on a Sunday morning. Our thought was to share not so much about what we do, but about what God had been teaching us with the hopes that perhaps God would use it to someone's life. So both Tracey and I prepared to share and felt prepared. Well as I (Jeff) was sharing it felt like I was stumbling over my words, I was struggling to tie my thoughts together and it felt as if it wasn't connecting. When I have the opportunity to speak I often pray that God will push me out of the way and do what he desires. So as a closing song played my prayer was that even though I felt like it hadn't gone as I wanted that God would keep pushing me aside and speak to those that were there.

After the service we had a lot of friends we wanted to connect with as we had not been at Savior's since we moved to Costa Rica. After talking to people for a while I was gathering our things to leave when a guy I had never seen or met before grabbed me and we started to talk. He introduced himself as Tim. I was humbled as he told me that God spoke to him through me and that it was exactly what he needed to hear. He was passionate about how he just wanted to know Jesus better and to follow him. As we talked a couple other people joined us including Mark and Kathleen Condie (Mark is the pastor at Savior's) and he mentioned that he was not saved and didn't feel like he had a relationship with Jesus. But that someday he would. We of course asked him why not today and so Tim committed his life to Jesus that day, confessed his need for a Savior, and his commitment to follow Jesus.

Now I don't know at what point salvation becomes salvific, nor do I necessarily want to know. I don't think it is not a magic formula or necessarily a moment that can be pinpointed. Rather I think it may be more of a process and Tim was definitely in process when our paths crossed that day. And I was privileged to be there at the moment the process took an important step. In talking to him I would have sworn he was a passionate follower of Jesus. He had more passion and life in his eyes than most people I know who have been following Jesus for years. I pray that as Tim's process of getting to know Jesus continues that his passion doesn't wane.

This encounter with Tim is also a perfect illustration of what God has been teaching me. What he cares about is obedience not success. If we are obedient to be about what he calls us to (most importantly to know him) he will take care of the results. Even on a day when it feels like nothing goes as we planned.

Christmas pictures. . .a bit late. . .

2010-02-15T11:47:00.003-06:00

So, I was looking back over our blog and realized we never posted Christmas pictures from our own family Christmas. Maybe that's because we left the country shortly after and we didn't have time, but since I'm on a blogging marathon catch-up, I might as well include Christmas, too.

Starting with our SI Staff Christmas Party

From Christmas 2009

In front of the Christmas tree (can you tell it got pulled over 2x?)

From Christmas 2009

The cast of our church Christmas play, "El Arca de Noe" (Noah's Ark; go figure). Note the cute little donkey trying to be in character. :)

From Christmas 2009

In character again. Can you tell her costume is too small? It was made for a tico-sized 5 year old.

From Christmas 2009

The Christmas Canata I sang in with our church: No Fue Una Noche Mas (Not Another Silent Night is the English version, I think.)

From Christmas 2009

We took a day "off" and headed to Volcán Irrazú.

From Christmas 2009

Olivia LOVES her new bike!

From Christmas 2009

And Sawyer LOVES his new tools!

From Christmas 2009

So, um, Merry Christmas 2009!

And the new school year begins!

2010-02-15T10:54:00.005-06:00

Olivia started Kindergarten last week--I can't believe it!!! And Sawyer began another year of preschool. The typical school year here is from February to mid-December. Olivia loves her school, Tio Conejo, so far, as well as her teacher, Teacher Andrea. Sawyer is a little resistant to going to school in the mornings, but then always seems to have had a good day by the time we pick him up. His teachers said the first day that he seemed to miss having Olivia there, and he keeps telling us he wants to be in "prepa" (kindergarten) like Olivia, and talks about his Tio Conejo. Here are some pictures--I should have taken a picture of all the stuff they needed for school! It amazes me, as a teacher who was not allowed to require even a pencil from my students, how much stuff is left for parents to supply here--aka, everything!

Here's Sawyer on his first day:

From Beach, 1st Day of School, Arca de Noe

And here's Olivia, with Teacher Andrea:

From Beach, 1st Day of School, Arca de Noe

And with classmates:

From Beach, 1st Day of School, Arca de Noe

September 14-ish, 2010

2010-02-15T09:28:00.006-06:00

THAT is the estimated due date for our New Baby!! Dixon Baby #3 is on it's way, and we are all super excited! So far, everything looks great and I am feeling pretty good/tired. . .and very pregnant. Olivia is looking forward to being a big sister again; Sawyer isn't quite sure what to think. He keeps telling us he has babies in his tummy, too, and in his legs. . .and sometimes kitties and puppies. :) We'll see.

It will be interesting having a baby in Costa Rica. Medical care is good, and babies are born every day here (!), so we're not too worried, but we do need to choose wisely and work out all the doctor/hospital details. This baby will be a dual citizen, which we think is pretty neat--gotta figure all that out, too. Anyway, we feel blessed and would appreciate your prayers for this new life, all the transition for our family, and all the birthing/having-a-baby-in-another-country-and-second-language details.

Here's the 9 week ultrasound:

California

2010-02-15T08:55:00.002-06:00

And, finally, we spent our busiest 2 weeks in Visalia, California. And wouldn't you know it--we didn't take any pictures there! Isn't that terrible?! Not that I'm the best photo document-er anyway. . .oh well. If anyone took pictures. . .maybe we can work something out?

A big thank you to Mike and Carol Alipaz for letting us stay with them; it was a blessing to have a home-away-from-home. They also watched Olivia and Sawyer A LOT while we ran around doing all we needed to do. A big thank you, also, to the Savior's home groups, and Carrie Konig for organizing them; they helped purchase MANY of the things on our 'list.' Thanks for being a practical part of our lives in Costa Rica--Olivia and Sawyer are lovin' those fruit snacks and lunch boxes!

So what all did we do in CA? (Warning: this crude summary doesn't begin to do justice to the quality of time spent!) We connected with 3 supporting churches and 2 of their mission boards, and spoke at 2 of those churches, plus Savior's youth group. We had another open house, visited with MANY amazing friends, popped into the SI office, and did a lot of shopping (Thanks Tricia for accompanying me!).

CA was kind of a whirlwind, but it was so wonderful to see everybody. The same can be said of MN and CO. We so love and appreciate each one of you! Your influence on our lives is immeasurable. Thank you to each of you for the part you have played in who we are and who we are becoming. And thanks to all of you who attended one of our open houses, or listened in some other capacity to what we have been up to and what God is doing in Costa Rica. Your prayers, moral, and financial support mean the world to us. Jeff and I both agreed after our trip that we were exhausted from all our travels. But more than that, we were BLESSED and ENCOURAGED so much by each one of you! It's very easy to feel alone out here, and to become discouraged--but you all reminded us of the truth--we are not alone; YOU are connected to us here--and a big part of why we are here, and how we got here! The body of Christ is so mysterious and amazing; thanks for helping us understand it a little better! We love you all!

Colorado

2010-02-13T16:59:00.006-06:00

Our next stop was Colorado, where we also enjoyed family and friends, and temps that were a bit warmer. :)

Tasting Snow

The Dixon Diary

Transformation

Sunday School

Psalm 103

If only. . .

Minnesota

Sé que eres Dios

"Lives are Changing"

Creativity

5 and 7

English Class

Around Here

Church

Spring Newsletter

Lynnea's Latest Tricks

Sawyer Starts Preschool at Tio Conejo

Olivia Starts 1st Grade

Update on School for Sawyer

I wonder...

School for Sawyer???

December Newsletter

This One is for the Grandmas

Click!

One Month!!

Lynnea Hope

Cute Little Bunny

10 years!

New Staff and Sites!!

Summer Teams Summary

Summer Newsletter

Random

For the Record

While the Savior's team was here. . .

As if there wasn't enough going on. . .

BIRTHDAYS!!!!

Birthing Class: Costa Rican Version

The Stairs

Psalm 112

Making Lemonade

It's a Girl!

Spring Newsletter

What a day!

Tim

Christmas pictures. . .a bit late. . .

And the new school year begins!

September 14-ish, 2010

California

Colorado

Minnesota

Way Behind!

Dessert with the Dixons!

In the States/Open Houses

2009 Video

Lucy

The Luxury of Options

Protege

"Just like you, right?"

A Night on the Town (or at least at the mall)

The Brave, The Bold, The Pioneers: aka Our First Summer Teams

New Glasses!

Summer Newsletter

¿Cual es su lucha?

Residentes

"Jesus in my Belly Button"

New School

Happy Birthday Sawyer and Olivia!

VIdeo

Approved!!

First Team in San José

Verde is...

Los Guido. . .aka What Tracey Has Been Up To For the Last Month

Silly Sawyer Pictures

Happy 31st Birthday, Jeff!

Chef Aiyla

El Buen Samaritano/Samaritan's Purse

One Thing

Arenal

Sprng Newsletter

Asociación Estudiantes Internacionales de Costa Rica

Men's Trip