Address

Thank you all so much for your prayers over the last week, it has been great. In the upcoming weeks I will probably be needing your prayers in huge ways as it will be Christmas around the time that homesickness really starts to sink in. So far I haven't really been homesick, mostly because I have been on other trips that I have been away from home for about 2 weeks. I think once I get to the 3 or 4 week period and I'm not going home, I will really start to miss being home, so your prayers and encouragement will be WONDERFUL!! If you ever have the desire to send me something, I will give you my address, letters are always welcome!!

Thanks again for your support and encouragement!

Jessica Lloyd
c/o Chuck Fanberg
Apartado 569-1260
Plaza Colonial Escazu
Costa Rica

Fotos de La Playa

These are just a few pictures from our time at la playa yesterday!

La Playa

Today marks my 1 week point. I left home 1 week ago, that's kind of hard to believe. In some ways I feel like it hasn't been that long, but then when I look back over the last week and what all I've done, I feel as though I've been here for a month! So far I have enjoyed everything - to different degrees - and most things are still fairly new therefore making them exciting. I know soon things will become everyday life and not so exciting (luckily things will slow down until January, so when things start to get boring, things I've done over this past week will pick up once more to make things new and exciting again for a while). Once I get to this point, I think homesickness will start to creep in, so please keep this in your prayers in the following weeks.

Well, today Kari, Chad, and Clay took me to the beach. Since the guys are going home (Ohio) for Christmas and Chad isn't returning, this was kind of like a time for goodbyes I guess.

The beach was on the Pacific side of the country and it was nice, but I guess it's not the nicest beach here, but the closest. We had to take a 20 minute taxi ride to get to the bus depot to take us on a +/- 2 1/2 hour bus ride. It was so beautiful going over the mountains!

At the beach we swam for a while, but the waves were so strong, it wasn't a ton of fun (not like our calm MN lakes!!). My eyes started hurting from all the salt so I went up to our towels to sit a while. I think I have enough salt in my system to last a while! At the towels, I had a little contact problems, but those eventually got fixed, thank you Jesus!!

After we had been lying around a while, we decided to build a sand castle (which later turned into a small "village"). Yes us 22+ year olds were building sand castles - and we didn't even have anything to use other than our hands, feet, and a frisbee. It was a ton of fun!

I wanted to ride horses on the beach, but didn't want to pay for it, so I didn't.

We had lunch at KFC/Quiznos, then walked through the very touristy shops before getting back on the bus to head home (over 3 hour trip).

Unfortunately, my sunscreen didn't do as good of a job as I had hoped, so I'm a bit of a lobster...even my legs which never get burned (or tanned). So please pray for healing!!

(The blog doesn't want to put the pictures on right now, so I'll add them later...)

Girls Gone Wild In Costa Rica

Well my last couple days have been pretty exciting! Since I was told I write a lot, I'll try not to write too much, but if you want more details, e-mail me and I'll let you know more!

Sunday Kari and I helped out at El Comedor (the Dining Room) which a lady from the Alliance church close to where I live started which feeds children from poorer families. Sunday was their last day before Christmas so they had a pretty fun party with lots of food, games, and gifts! There were a couple hundred kids that came, so it was a bit on the crazy side. We fed them lunch and dinner. A group came that played games with them, and there was a pinata! It was a pretty relaxed way to get to know some of the kids, since after Christmas I will be going there weekly with Kari.

This took up most of the day and by the time we went home, we were really tired, so we just rested.

Then Monday I had my first tutoring session with Ligia, the Pastor's wife of the local Alliance church. She is a very nice lady who is very patient. Ligia did most of the talking while I listened, trying to understand. I think I did a pretty good job understanding... Later on Monday, after lunch, Kari and I took a trip to the big shopping center in San Jose and their "Central Ave" to find a book for the English class on Tuesday. We didn't find a book, but we had a fun time.

Monday night Kari, Vicki (the daughter of the missionary who owns the house I live in), and I started Christmas decorating and Christmas cookie making (this is were the title of this entry comes in...). After locating the tree and pulling it out of its storage spot, we had to assemble and wash - it was VERY dusty. Then we started making sugar cookies. Our music selection started out with good Christmas music (Go Fish with the Grinch), but eventually moved to country. So this was offically my first Christmas decorating listening to country music... The night ended with a dance party in the kitchen. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves!

As you can see we had no fun whatsoever on our Monday night Christmas decorating party!!

Tuesday Kari and I, along with 2 guys from Ohio went to the Rainforest in Sarapique where they are teaching English. It was a long bus ride, and for some reason I got a little car sick which is unusual for me, but God got me through it! When we got to the Pastor's house/church (they're attached), I thought it was the most beautiful place I've been to so far in Costa Rica. It was so green and lush. Unfortunately I didn't bring my camera so I can't show you any pictures, at least not yet. I had fun, I only really observed since it was my first time. Kari taught 4/5 people (the pastor's son started with us, but eventually left, he's only about 8 years old). Normally, it's about 1 1/2hours of teaching with a break in the middle, but since this is our last time until January, we had a small Christmas celebration incorporating both CR and Ameican traditions. They provided tomales (which is a Tico Christmas tradition) and we brought out sugar cookies to decorate. I think it fun was had by all!

For dinner one of the missionary families who is studying Spanish here (the one I babysat for on Friday) had Kari and I over for dinner. It was a lot of fun! (I'll add pictures of this family another time.)

Then it was back home for more Christmas decorating! We decorated the left over sugar cookies then moved on to the tree. Again we listened to country music (which is actually a fun tradition). We not only decorated the tree and other parts of the house, but we decorated ourselves as well as the 2 dogs and 1 of the 2 cats that live at the house!! Again, I'll let the pictures do the talking!

Second Day

WARNING: Do not get too used to having messages posted everyday because soon it will not happen anymore...Everything is just so new and exciting and I have a little time. I will stay as up to date as possible though!

This morning I was able to see the Costa Rican sunrise because around 10:30 last night Kari and I go a call saying the group we meet with for small groups wouldn't be meeting Saturday night because they were going to be going to a benefit concert/telethon thing for Latino Hospitals. So Kari and I were up around 3am and at the church a little before 4am! AAHHHH!!!!! We ended up having to wait outside the building for about an hour because a famous Latin group from Argentina was coming so everyone wanted to see them.

This was a fun part for the most part. I was able to meet some of the high school age kids from the church, but it was frustrating because I can't communicate as well as I want. I know in time this will come but it's not quite there yet.

That was about the most exciting and noteworthy part of my day. After dinner I will meet some Americans from Ohio, so that should be exciting.

Thanks for your support!!

First Day!!

Hello Family and Friends!!  I made it to Costa Rica.  I had to take 3 planes to here, but all went well and I sat next to really nice people!  The longest flight was from Atlanta to San Jose, which was about 4 hours - not bad at all!!

The only problem came when I landed in CR.  My luggage didn't land with me.  Fortunately for me, I wasn't the only one, there were quite a few people whose luggage didn't accompany them either, so I had to wait a while in line to talk with the person who takes care of that kind of thing.  I was a little nervous when the lady couldn't even tell me where my luggage was...I knew I would get it, but I didn't know if it would be 1 or 2 days or longer since they didn't know where it was currently located.  So today I had to wear the same close again.  However, the good news is that the luggage came today around 3:45-4pm!!  Now I can wear fresh clothes!!

Today I spent a lot of time meeting new people.  I went with Kari, whom you will hear a lot about because she is also doing the OnMission program and has been here since Sept, to her Spanish tutoring lesson.  I was able to meet the lady who will be tutoring me 3 to 4 times per week for 2 hours.  She is the associate/youth pastor's wife and is very nice!  I am excited - yet a little nervous - about starting.

Kari and I walked back home after her 2 hour session was over.  Walking through the streets reminds me of Quito, Ecuador.  Just the way the neighborhoods look.

Kari and I had lunch at the house we are staying at.  The house is owned by a missionary couple who rents rooms out to people who are staying in CR.  I have my own room in the back, but next week I will be moving to a different room because one of the girls is leaving.  I hear the food is amazing, and so far the leftovers I had for lunch make that sound true!

After lunch, Chuck and Robbi, along with a missionary named John and 2 of his kids, picked Kari and I up and took us to PriceSmart (a Sam's Club type store).  We walked around while Robbi and John did some shopping.  One of the girls took to me right away, and both are very outgoing.  I was excited, since, as many of you know, I love kids.  So this definitely made me feel at home!

We came home again and had about 1 to 1 1/2 hours before we had or next thing to do (which is when my luggage came!).  Then it was time to babysit.  There are 2 missionary families whom we will babysit every Friday night (switching families every week).  One family has 4 kids (2 girls - the 2 girls I mentioned before - and 2 boys), the other has 3 girls.  I know God has this in mind when I came on a Thursday night so that Friday would be babysitting night, making me feel at home!!

Everyone has been GREAT!  I can't tell you everyone's names because I have met so many people, but everyone has been so much fun and done a great job welcoming to Costa Rica, to their homes, and to their families!

Please keep praying everything continues to go well in this exciting new adventure!!  

P.S. Pictures will be coming!

Goodbye

Well, it's the early morning hours of the day I leave and I am so full of mixed emotions... I am very excited that I have this opportunity, but there are so many unknowns. I honestly never really thought this day would come, the day I leave for the missions field for more than 14 days and the day I leave to travel alone (physically since obviously God will be with me). It has been great talking with people who understand, at least to some degree, what I am going through and what I will be going through.

In a few hours I will be walking through my house for the last time in quite a few months, I will be thinking about all the things I didn't get done and wondering if I packed enough or pack too much. I will be saying goodbye to the people who I am closest to on this earth and who mean the most to me...not that those I have already said goodbye to aren't close to me, because there are so many people I have said goodbye to in the last few days...but I don't think any goodbye will be as hard as that to my parents and sister (well except maybe Harlan, but he won't be there to get all emotional with ;) )

All that sounds so down, so on the cheery side, tomorrow my adventure officially begins, tomorrow the steps to my future begins. Tomorrow the most exciting part of my life so far starts. I know God will do amazing things over the next year and I am excited to take that next step in the process. I am excited to meet new people, learn a new culture and language. I am excited to find out what God has put me on this earth to do.

Thank you so much to everyone who has been a part of this adventure. I have been so blessed by everyone in more ways than I could even begin to describe. God has put so many wonderful people in my life, some for my whole life so far, some for most, and some only very recently, but each has played an important role in getting me to this point, so thank you! May you be blessed beyond your wildest dreams!

Side and completely random note: I know many of you (at least those in MN) are not very excited about the snow, so I must apologize because I think that God gave me the snow before I left as an early Christmas gift because He knows how beautiful I think it is. For those of you who enjoy the snow as well, I'm glad we can share in this joy together!!