Two Weeks and Counting

 We have arrived!!!  Frankly it couldn’t have gone much more smoothly. Two weeks ago on Friday morning we flew from Seatac to JFK, spent the night and Saturday we flew to Liberia Costa Rica.  Now there were a few bumps along the way and some of those more literal bumps helped tip our over stacked cart of 17 suitcases, sending bags skidding through JFK, but a few bumps aside we happily arrived in Costa Rica.  Navigating Liberia airport was significantly easier than JFK and people were far more helpful.  We quickly made it through customs and took a shuttle to pick up our Alamo rent a car.  It proved to be quite good that we had secured the largest rental vehicle offered, and once our 17 bags had been loaded into every available space we headed to Tamarindo.  The drive was exciting, Colson had fewer questions than we had answers, but he was very interested.  We stopped 10 minutes or so outside Tamarindo to fill the gas tank as that is the closest gas station around.  We drove right to our condo, which proved to be everything we expected.  After we arrived at the condo we called Mike, from whom we had arranged to buy our Montero.  Mike and Irma brought the Montero right over and by Saturday night we were sleeping in our new home with our new to us car outside. 

It felt a little like everything was going too well, and as the next week proved, maybe it was.  Sunday morning we dropped off our rental on the way to church and then headed to service where we were reunited with friends from our last visit in August.  We had a great Sunday morning, met some new people, and generally felt like we were settling in well.  The next couple days we settled into a temporary routine of beach time and project time.  We visited all the local grocery stores and worked to identify what foods would be practical to eat more often and which would be more practical to eat less.  Cheddar cheese and  Peanut butter proved to be prohibitively expensive, so some recipes will have to be amended.  Wednesday night we visited Casa Vida, the Spanish speaking church we plan to attend.  It was good, the Spanish was a little rapid fire, but we all need to get our ears more exposure and our mouths more opportunity.  Thursday things started to deteriorate a bit.  Colson came down with a fever, and although he was much better Friday, Liam and I started in.  I was sick in bed for about 4 days, and Lyd graciously cared for me and the boys and was so good in spite of being very house bound during my recovery.  We missed a number of activities we had planned with friends and churches, and were feeling pretty down about it all.  Finally Monday I was starting to regain my strength, and Lyd got sick.  Another 4 days in the house, more missed events including Thanksgiving, more discouragement.  Finally after nearly 9 days of house bound sickness we all were on the mend and able to visit a couple churches Sunday.  We still don’t know what exactly it was that hit us, but we were out of commission for what felt like an eternity. 

We anticipated before coming that we would hit a low point probably after 3-4 weeks.  I think for all of us, being sick accelerated that timeline.  We definitely were living each day by faith as illness brought that question right to the front of all our minds “WHAT ARE WE DOING???”  Our situation is a little unique in that we don’t have a ready answer to that question.  We are here looking for opportunity, and although we know it exists, it takes time to first identify, and then see how we will fit into it.  This is a blessing and a curse!  First, we don’t have many responsibilities at the moment, which is allowing us to live one day at a time as we adjust and learn this very new culture.  On the other hand, when discouragement happens, it is easy to give into a sense of purposelessness.  I remember a very similar feeling when Lyd and I were looking for a business to start.  It took nearly 18 months of thought and diligent looking before we settled on online retail.  It was very discouraging in that most of that 18 months was spent exploring dead ends that wound up being completely unrelated to what we eventually found ourselves doing.  In that process we learned that sometimes the best things require diligent searching to uncover.  We believe the same will prove to be true here in Tamarindo.  There are many opportunities that remain completely untapped and part of the reason is because the time hasn’t been invested in exploring, thinking, praying and testing.  One thing that has stood out to us so far is that any ministry here, will have to be relationship based.  The church we visited this last Sunday is run by a couple who started a coffee shop here in Tamarindo in an effort to facilitate one on one relationships with people who need the Lord. This is very exciting to us, as it demonstrates the kind of creativity and sensitivity that seems to be needed for ministry to be successful in community where everything happens based on relationships. 

Please keep us in your prayers as we have so much to learn!  We feel like we have been through a very discouraging stage, and we are on the more cheerful other side.  The truth is there will be many challenges that we can’t even imagine at this point and we need faith to continue putting one foot in front of another even when the path isn’t clear and the times are discouraging.  We are happy to be here and right now it looks like we are set for some smoother sailing for a while, Lord willing. We are praising the Lord for His continued provision and grace!  Please pray for us as the arrival of our little girl draws near.  Pray for good health and smooth transitions as we move two more times in the next three months.  Pray for opportunities that complement our gifting as we seek to be effective in serving the Lord here.

If you would like to receive an email notification when we post updates let us know and we will include you in our list: andy@mykitchco.com

It's Official!!!

Dates have been set and tickets have been purchased!  The Ahrens family is moving to Costa Rica!  On November 7^th, the five:) of us will be boarding a flight headed to Liberia Costa Rica.  We will each have a carry on or two and a large checked bag in which we will cram everything we can’t live without!  Many of you who are reading this know that we have been talking and praying about this move for many years.  What may take you somewhat by surprise is the suddenness of our decision.  As we continue to post in the months ahead, our goal is to include you in the journey we have experienced so far, and in the adventure that lies ahead.  

Why Costa Rica?  Why now?  Why isn’t Andy staying in school for his final year?  These are a few of the questions we have both asked ourselves, and been asked over the past couple weeks and months.  Let me do my best to explain. 

our scouting trip in August

Why Costa Rica?  Lyd and I have talked for many years about the idea of serving the Lord in Central America.  During my first year of Spanish over 10 years ago, I met a fellow student from Costa Rica named Francisco Calderon.  Francisco invited me to visit his family and I did.  For a month I lived in Costa Rica with a Costa Rican family.  From that visit, I have wanted to go back.  There are many aspects to life in Costa Rica that we find attractive: culture, lifestyle, values, weather, cost of living to name a few.  We are excited about the education that this will be for all of us.  We will have the opportunity  to learn Spanish, and are excited to see what the culture teaches us.  Living in another country provides contrast to something that is often otherwise invisible, culture.  We believe there are likely aspects of US culture that we have incorporated into our view of God, and it will be fascinating to see which of those are easier to recognize through this experience.  As in every city of every country, Tamarindo Costa Rica has spiritual needs that can only be met by Jesus.  We have seen the Lord open many doors as we have prayerfully considered this move.  At this point it seems clear that He is saying, “go forward, this is good.”  As a family we will carry the message that Jesus alone is the reason for hope to any place we find ourselves.  The truth is that there are more reasons than can be articulated concisely, but one final reason… it is a place we think we will like to live.

just a glimpse of Tamarindo

Why now?  Lydia and I spent 10 days at the end of September visiting the northwest of Costa Rica.  We spent the majority of our time in Tamarindo, visited a couple churches and met a community of believers in the process.  Our plan at the time was to make a move next summer.   One of the more challenging aspects of living abroad is legal residency.  In Costa Rica, there are several ways permanent residency can be achieved and each have significant and expensive hurtles involved.  During our stay in Tamarindo, we were repeatedly advised to consider making our move before the birth of our baby girl in February.  Having a baby in Costa Rica provides a very simple path to permanent residency for the whole family.  As a side, our little girl will have dual citizenship and that may be possible for all of us down the road.   It is important to mention here, thereby precluding the questions that will most certainly follow, the healthcare in Costa Rica is very good! Before we left, we were able to get an appointment to meet with a doctor who came highly recommended in San Jose (the capital of Costa Rica). 

Why isn’t Andy finishing his last year of School?  This is perhaps the most challenging questions to address, not because the reasons are blurry, but rather because differences of philosophy inevitably yield differing conclusions regarding the validity of the answer.  It is important to mention here that the decision regarding school preceded the decision to move by a couple months.  Perhaps the simplest and most satisfying answer is that although I didn’t complete the school’s program in its entirety, I did accomplish the primary goals that I had set for this phase of my education.  In the end, cost (time, resources and focus) vs. reward is the final reason for the decision.

Tamarindo beach

Thank you for taking the time to read this.  Lyd and I will be posting more over the coming weeks.  We will let you know how things are progressing, what doors are opening, what doors are closing and if we are crawling through any windows. We will be reporting the good the bad and the ugly, and yes there will be all three.  You are our prayer support!  If you are willing to make us the subject of regular prayer, please take a moment to shoot us a quick email or find Lyd on Facebook to let us know.  We would love to hear from you and to know you will be praying for us.  We would appreciate specific prayer as we attempt to navigate the bureaucratic maze of the residency process.  Also, we will be traveling on November 7^th and 8^th; the boys have never flown for more than 2 hours so this will be quite exciting.  As we move from family and friends to a new culture, there will be many emotions that attempt to overwhelm us.  Please pray that we will rest in the Lord and not allow fear, loneliness, or doubt to overcome us. Also, pray for the safe delivery of our little girl come mid-February. We thank the Lord for you all, our friends and family. Hasta luego for now!