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2004 News
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12/29/04
The good news is that a Chinese couple at church invited us to join
them on a trip! We spent the last two days with a Chinese couple who
offered to take we four along to Quepos, a beach area on the west
coast. They rented a small home about 1/8 mile from the beach. All
around us were coconut groves, which we walked through to get to the
beach. Despite it being peak tourist season here, we were the only
ones on our section of beach most of the time. It was wonderful & the
kids had a great time playing in the surf. Our hosts did most of the
cooking, which was tasty but definitely Chinese, i.e., we had
scrambled eggs on white bread with lettuce & potato chips to form a
sandwich for breakfast! If I had it my way, I'd have given the place a
good scrubbing before we arrived & would have brought my own bedding
but we did okay. It wasn't the best night of sleep I've ever had but
everything else was great! Tomorrow is Nathan's birthday so we're
trying to think of something fun to do for it.
Happy New Year from us four. . .
Cheryl, John Mark, Nathan, & Christine
12/22/04
We are alive & well and learning our way around San Jose. We won't
have a car this year while we are in language school so we are
learning how to get where we want to on buses & in cabs, not to
mention walking. We have an orientation today with our language
coordinator this afternoon. Language school doesn't start until Jan.
10 and we will be very ready by
then.
Our house is about 800 sq. ft., has a living room, dining room, very
small kitchen, bath, and three small bedrooms. It came to us furnished
with the basics but we have been adding things that make us more
comfortable, like knobs for the drawer pulls, a coffee maker,
microwave, TV, a bedspread (actually its a blanket ), fans, a small
area rug, a microwave stand, and some plant cuttings/starts from
another missionary to beautify our small yard. We have a small front
yard surrounded by a tall gated fence. Our house runs right into our
neighbors' on both sides so we have no side yards In back, a small
grass area is surrounded on three sides with 10 ft. tall concrete
walls topped with barbed wire. Between us & the street are three
doors, all with deadbolt locks. Our street ( & every other ) has a
24-7 guard who walks around or sits in his little guard shack. Are you
getting the idea that security is an issue here?
We feel settled in now and our refrigerator & cupboards are stocked.
Our Christmas tree is still up & decorated & had presents under it.
The Christmas season doesn't seem as hectic this year. Maybe it's not
quite so hyped here or maybe we've just simplified things this year.
We had a Christmas party with some of the long term Costa Rican
missionaries before Christmas on the 23rd and another party with some
of the language students on the 24th. After that party was done, some
of the Chinese church members came over to pick us up & go caroling
for awhile.
This has been a very busy month. Nathan got here without a hitch. We
have been showing him malls, DVD & CD outlets, new & used bookstores,
and anything else we think might interest him. The weather has been
cloudy & somewhat rainy, even though this is supposed to be the dry
season. We had scheduled a rain forest trip on Monday after he got
here & had a great time on the zip-line canopy tour. You go from tree
to tree on a cable line 50-75 ft. above the ground & land on a
platform attached to the tree. It was a little nerve wracking for me
the first few times but it got more comfortable as we adjusted to it.
There were about 13 different "stations", the last one being the
longest. It was about 300 ft. long & went across a river that was
swelled with runoff from 2 days of rains up in the mountains.
Originally we were going to do white water rafting the same day but
were unable to because of the water level in the river & recent rains.
We did get to horseback ride through another section of rain forest &
that was fun. It was really muddy but didn't seem to bother the horses
& they all got baths when they returned.
Today we visited one of the closer volcanoes, Volcan Poas.
Unfortunately, the top of the mountain was shrouded in clouds so it
was a little disappointing. On the way down we stopped at a coffee
plantation and took a tour. That was very interesting & informative.
We bought a bag of chocolate covered roasted coffee beans. They were
very good. The beans in the middle are a little crunchy & you end up
with a mocha chocolate snack. We ate lunch at a restaurant up on the
mountain with a beautiful view. Afterward, we stopped by yet another
mall that we hadn't been to yet. We liked the English literature
section of the bookstore! Christine & I also thought the Swedish
glassware was pretty.
Sometime while Nathan is here we were hoping to get to either the
Caribbean or Pacific coast for some beach action. Unfortunately this
is the big tourist season so those areas are really packed, so with
our limited language we didn't know how we would do this. There are
local carnivals around town & a few parades we want to see. We might
take in an artist's studio or museums. I have asked Nathan to do a
picture for me for Christmas. It will probably be a floral of some
kind.
John Mark & I have been attending a Chinese church on Sunday mornings.
It has been everything we hoped for as far as friendships,
conversations practice, character recognition, and contacts that might
be helpful in the future. We have met Chinese pastors from both San
Jose & Chinese churches in California, seminary students from the
Chinese seminary in Panama City, recent seminary graduates, and some
great lay people. Three couples took our family out to eat last Sunday
night, the pastor invited us over to his house to meet some of the
local co-workers & a visiting church group from California just last
night, & they are trying to include us in as many activities as we
think we have time for.
Sunday nights are reserved for Spanish language church. We have
visited a couple of churches so far but are still looking for some
place that seems "just right". Christine doesn't go to Chinese church
with us since she doesn't understand anything & will not be studying
Mandarin. She will be going to Spanish language church, however, and
that experience should improve as her language improves. Right now,
she goes to an English language youth group on Saturday nights and
we've been encouraging her to get involved in a small group English
bible study with some other girls her age. The group starts again this
next week. The youth group has had a couple of activities already that
she has enjoyed. They had a Christmas banquet at a nice restaurant
(she got to get her hair fixed & they all dressed up for the affair)
and then went to one of the kid's houses for carols and fellowship
time. They also had a cookie making party at another kid's house.
Christine attended her school (Sojourn Academy) for about 2 weeks
before Christmas break. She is getting to know her teachers and the
other kids. The Saturday night youth group has been good for expanding
her circle of acquaintances beyond just her own school. She is glad to
have the arrival of the good friend that she made at MLC in Virginia.
That's about all
for now. We will be thinking of you all on Christmas and hope it is a
wonderful day for all. . .
Love,
Cheryl, John Mark, Nathan, & Christine
12/14/04
Our heads are still spinning from all of the changes this year. Let us
summarize briefly:
Jan.- April: completing required paperwork, references, medical
checkups& interviews for appointment with the International Mission
Board of the Southern Baptist Convention (IMB).
February: Nathan is notified of his winning one of two full
scholarships awarded yearly by the University of Nebraska at Kearney
and accepts.
April 28th: Our application for missions is officially voted on &
approved.
May 1st: We list our house for sale.
May 7th: Christine graduates from 8th grade.
May 16th: Nathan graduates from high school 5th in his class of 330.
May 24th: Nathan begins 12 hrs. of summer school at NECC in Norfolk.
June 6th: We schedule an auction to get rid of everything we don't
intend to crate for shipment to Panama.
July 8 – 16th: John Mark & Cheryl sign paperwork on the house as
they leave town for an official appointment service in Tyler, TX & a
week of information/orientation. Personnel from the IMB advise us
not to crate for Panama but to accept a re-outfitting allowance
instead.
July 26th-31st: We begin moving from our house to a 2 bedroom
apartment that we will live in for 9 weeks.
July 31st: We close on the house.
Aug. 7th-14th: John Mark & Christine join a group of 10 from our
church on a mission trip to Guadalajara, Mexico.
Aug. 18th:Christine starts 9th grade at Norfolk Jr. High, a new
school for her.
Aug. 19th: Nathan leaves for college.
Oct. 3rd: We move out of the apartment, getting rid of everything
that will not fit into the 10 suitcases that we are allowed.
Oct. 6 – Nov. 23: John Mark, Cheryl, & Christine fly to Richmond, VA
and continue on to Rockville, VA where we receive field orientation
& missions training. (As well as do some sightseeing on weekends.)
Nov. 24 – Nov. 29th: We fly back to Omaha for Thanksgiving with our
families, some last minute shopping, & the final packing of the
suitcases.
Nov. 30th : Arrival in Costa Rica . Christine will be studying at
Sojourn Academy while John Mark & Cheryl study Spanish for a year
before moving on to Panama, from which we will base our ministry to
Chinese.
Dec. 17 – Jan. 10th: Nathan arrives in Costa Rica to spend Christmas
break with us. We will try to keep him busy with sightseeing.
You see what we mean by a busy year of changes! God has been
absolutely faithful through each step & we trust that He is the same
yesterday, today, & forever. Please keep us in your prayers as we
continue to adjust to language study & a new culture/environment.
The Hansen
Family
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