Baerly There …

One the huge attractions of our developing role at the Biblical Seminary of Colombia is the quality of our colleagues and their work.

The magazine Christianity Today recently interviewed three new colleagues in an attempt to provide some perspective over the Colombia peace deal brokered by President Santos, the referendum that voted NO to that deal, and the Protestant Christian (‘evangélico’ in Spanish) role in the drama.

Daniel works with me on the Theological Education Initiative. Elizabeth and Milton are colleagues at the seminary. All three are Colombians.

You can find the article here.

Baers,

Good morning from a Courtyard by Marriott property just a mile from the San José, airport. This has to be the worst-timed vacation in human history. But I booked it and paid for it a year ago, and it seemed like a bad decision to lose all the money. Plus, we can probably use a change of pace and who knows how this will turn our hearts (and Karen’s command of Spanish) towards Latin America.

We said goodbye to Christopher, Sheena, and the Connor-Monster yesterday morning after a really great visit at 124. Connor is endlessly entertaining and so, so sweet. His Daddy and Mommy roll their eyes a bit because they know he isn’t always that sweet. But we get to do the grandparent thing and have him when he’s adorable.

Our flights from Indy to Newark and Newark to San José all went well. I always have an intense feeling of ‘something known and yet unknown’ when I land back in San José. We zipped through passport control, baggage reclaim, customs, and car rental in a way that puts our own country’s ‘late-Brezhnev-era-airports’ (as they were called in a Wall Street Journal article yesterday) to shame. Continue reading “From Costa Rica: landing in a familiar place” →

Baers,

I wish you could see the landscape that fills Junior’s and my view as I write this: lush, green, cloud forest; a flower-strewn garden drawing several kinds of hummingbirds we’ve never seen as well as a lot of other birds, Lake Arenal down there below us. And as soon as the cloud cover parts (there’s a cold front hanging over us), we’ll have spectacular views of Arenal Volcano.

We left our hotel near the airport in our tiny little SUV yesterday after the staff in the hotel restaurant decided not to charge us for our coffee after all (very nice folks) and pulled in to the nearby Walmart to stock up on vittles and a shockingly pink raincoat for Junior.

Then we commenced a gorgeous four- or five-hour drive through back roads towards the northwestern province of Guanacaste, along the Nicaraguan border. It has developed so much since I was preaching in churches out here and teaching courses to the pastors of those churches. The rivers are still running at a furious pace with the water that Hurricane Otto dumped. The death toll is now ten, mostly in two towns up here. We stopped for snacks at a little indoor/outdoor setup along the road. As we were paying, we got chatting with the owner. Before we left, he said, ‘I want to give you something to take with you.’ It was a deliciously sweet milk and coconut pastry. Very nice gesture of the kind that warm the heart. Continue reading “From Costa Rica: cloud forest bliss” →

Baers,

What a great day this has been in the cloud forest around Arenal Volcano!

Our Nicaraguan breakfast preparer Lillian did her magic today. Then her daughter Dayana arrived at our house and gave both Junior and me a big hug. Wonderful way to start the day.

The ‘cold front’ that has had us socked in with rain and fog partially broke today. Eventually, we had a magnificent view of maybe the bottom 80% of Arenal Volcano. The top 20% is still shrouded in clouds. We can see the lava trails, but no currently glowing lava. I wish you could all see the view that spreads out before us. Continue reading “From Costa Rica: sunlight + Jungle Wildlife Whisperer” →

Baers,

Rain, rain, rain ….

It just never stops. We’re not minding it that much, except that Junior is—as we speak—reading aloud the ‘house manual’ about all the outdoors things we’d be doing and experiencing if the sun was shining.

We were conducted into the world of adorable five-year-old Dayana this morning. After her mother Lillian’s breakfast this morning, Dayana took over and adorned both Junior and me in festal crowns and other flower-laden ‘do’s’. I was instructed to sit and read a book while she prepared the ‘surprise’ of Junior’s do; then the whole thing was reversed. It was hilarious. I think you’ll enjoy the pictures. Continue reading “From Costa Rica: Dayana rules the world” →

Baers,

Yesterday around noon, after all the escapades with little Dayana, Junior and I drove to La Fortuna, the nearest down of any size. It lies about 9 miles away. That sounds like a short drive, but the bone-rattling miles we drive on very rough roads before getting to the two-lane highway makes it more of an adventure than it sounds.

La Fortuna was a tiny town with a Bible Church I’ve preached in back in the day. The pastor of that church was a good friend. It’s almost impossible for me to grasp how the area has developed, mostly around international tourism.

We parked at a Musmanni, one of Christopher’s and Johnny’s favorite bread shops, and enjoyed beef empanadas and coffee. We got some Costa Rican money from a bank across the street and then walked around the town. Lots of tourists, lots of really pleasant Costa Ricans. I really enjoy the feel of Costa Rican provincial towns. We’ll be in one of my favorite ones, Puriscal, for the last three days of our trip. Continue reading “From Costa Rica: sunshine!” →

Baers,

This morning I emerged towards wakefulness here in the Sámara Beach ( = ‘Playa Sámara’) community of Costa Rica to the sound of howler monkeys making their ‘growling’ sound. I think they’re misnamed, as their angry-sounding territorial sounds aren’t anything like any howl I’ve ever heard (not that I’ve ever had the occasion to become expert on the topic of howls).

Then this odd phrase formed itself into my half-asleep mind as clearly as the iguana on our neighbor’s roof that I’m looking at right now:

‘Daniel and the jury deliberated for twenty minutes before convicting the monkeys of howling.’

I’m not making this up. I have no idea who the Daniel in question is. Was it perhaps the arrival of Daniel Jon Quezada to Erni’s, Becky’s, and James’ family that spurred this strange declaration? Or the fact that yesterday I finished my annual reading of the biblical Book of Daniel?

I honestly have no idea. Continue reading “From Costa Rica: of monkeys and men” →