Roman Brady "Appalachian Trail Time"

A minute at Laurel Ridge to post some more Videos.

2011-04-29T10:34:00.000-04:00

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I have fallen in love with the Lord again and again, in every view I see and every sound I hear. He created everything for us, even if we do not take the time to notice the intricate details to which he designed. I am sorry that I have not been able to upload pictures and videos as often as I would like. It is unlikely that every small town I come across have Internet access that is fast enough to upload videos and pictures....unless I stay in town for four days...LOL. So below are some videos that I have taken along the way. More to come!!! I Love GOD!!!

...............In Town..............

...............Tram ride at Ober Gatlinburg...............

...............This is a Shelter in the Smokey's...............

...............Trail Conditions...............

................Weather at 3000ft...............

................Awesome View..............

..............This is Trail Magic............

...............Trail Creek + Falls...............

...............This is where they filmed "Sound of Music"....NOT...............

..............French Broad/Hot Springs...............

...............Missing Laurel Ridge...............

...............Uncle Johnny's Hostel in Erwin, TN...............

...............I went up this...............

...............Eco Campers...............

...............Waterfall...............

..............Bath Time..............

...............Horse at Grayson Highlands...............

...............Moravian Blue # 670...............

A few Videos

2011-04-02T21:08:00.000-04:00

2011-02-11T12:46:00.003-05:00

Geared Up!!!

2011-01-22T17:52:00.002-05:00

I have my gear and am ready to go. One Month out!

I will write here more when I am on the trail. Just so you know.

Connect the DOTS on my Birthday!

2010-12-14T15:38:00.000-05:00

   As I sit here in the office and think of all the things I have to do today and tomorrow and throughout the week to prepare for Monthly Mission Ministries trip to Florida and Georgia leaving Friday. I am also thinking of the things I need to complete for work, MMM, and the Appalachian Trail. On top of all of this I believe that I am almost clear of all my mucus and other cold weather classics that have attacked me over the last two weeks. So I thought that since God gave me to the world on this day 26 years ago that I could at least give a pint of myself back to Him and to someone He knows will need it. So as I left the office to go give blood I realized that I had not had anything to eat and in anticipation of passing out without any food on my stomach I stopped at my new favorite place to eat "Jimmy Johns." So as I walked in I remembered that I gave my last $30 cash to my sister as a Christmas gift so she could get her car out of the shop. I also remembered that I only have $8 or so in my checking account...so...what was I going to do. I figured I could transfer $10 of my $11 in savings to checking and cover this sandwich I needed to eat. When I get to the counter I started a conversation about how COLD and WINDY it is outside and they told me there names Lauren, Zamos, and Alex. She then said I had just earned a free sandwich. Now I am not sure how I managed to do this...but sure enough she gave me my sandwich and drink for free. So I proceeded to thank them and hope that God would bless them because they don't know what this would mean to me. So as I left I thanked God for the free sandwich and drink and that he knows my heart.
   After leaving Jimmy John's I went to Coliseum Drive to the American Red Cross to donate blood. As I sat in the car and ate half the sandwich as to prepare myself for losing a pint of blood. I thought..."how wonderful is our God!" Soon after signing in at the Red Cross my name was called by a nurse named Darlean. As she first started checking me into the system, making sure my address was still the same and all my information correct. I told her that all my mail was still going to my brothers house because I was living at the church I worked for and this is were our conversation really started.
   She proceeded to tell me that it was fantastic to see a young man working for Christ...but over the years she had lost faith because of all the circumstances life has thrown at her and her family. Her husband had just survived his third heart attack which steams from stress of unemployment even though he has a masters degree in business, stress of not providing for his family, stress of his deterioration of health, development of type 1 diabetes, and knowing that he went from $150,000 a year to $0. As Darlean continued to prick my finger and test my blood pressure she continued about her daughter who is 22 and just got out of rehab and has been clean for half a year. Her daughter has a daughter of her own who is 4 and Darlean and her husband are helping to raise. Darlean and her husband also have a 14 year old son. She said "it is very hard to keep the faith when you keep asking God for a break and it never comes even though I know that there are people worse off than us." I told her "just keep praying to God and than when the time is right he will reward our faithfulness." I proceeded to tell her what had happened to me at Jimmy John's and that God works even when we least expect it. "God has not left you, He is near, just call on Him and love Him"
   As she told me that my blood pressure and heart rate were perfect...she said my stress level must be non-existant. I said "I am only one person, I can only control one person and that is ME. And half the time I can't even control me. So for me to get stressed out about factors I can not control would yield no good." So as she left the room for me to fill out my questions I skipped one because I was not sure if Mussinex contained Tyonal in it. So when she came back I told her that I am just getting over a sickness of two weeks and she said that I would not be able to give today. But she believed God had sent me to her for a reason.
   Please Pray for Darlean, Scott, Brittany, Brandon, and Jada...also pray for Lauren, Zamos, and Alex...it is funny how God has us all connected, even when we don't connect the dots.

Outfitter FOUND!

2010-12-09T14:46:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends,
I have found a great outdoor company to help me get the right gear in preparation for my thru-hike starting in March. Don and Glenna at Village Outdoor have been very helpful in making recommendations and explanations to items that will help ensure a successful, safe, warm, healthy, and comfortable 2178 mile thru-hike on the Appalachian Trail. If you have any need for any camping supplies please stop in and see them. There are a very family friendly pair and will be more than happy to help you.

Village Outdoor
3456 Robinhood Rd
Winston-Salem, NC 27106
(336) 768-2267
http://villageoutdoorshop.com/

Vendors

Village Outdoor Shop is proud to offer equipment and clothing from the following manufacturers:

Footwear

Packs

Tents

Sleeping Bags

Stoves

Technical Apparel

Lifestyle Apparel

Kids Stuff

Climbing Goods

Water Filters

Katadyn
MSR

Knives

Kershaw
ULU

Sunglasses

Wish List Done!!

2010-12-02T17:56:00.002-05:00

THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING!!!

After many hours of talking to previous thru-hikers and gear "experts" I have assembled a list of the best gear to keep me safe, warm, healthy, and comfortable on this 2178 mile journey. You might ask yourself...why on EARTH would someone want to walk that many miles...well here is why:

I believe that our camping ministries (Laurel Ridge, Camp VanEs in Bruderheim AB, Mt. Morris WI, Camp Hope NJ, Camp Hope in Jamaica) are very important for ALL young people as they come to know God more closely. I believe this so strongly that I feel God calling me to action to DO something to spread the love that is felt, and the community that is shared in these special places. So I have taken on the commitment of a 6 month and 2178 mile journey on the Appalachian Trail, although I have giving my entire life to Him and His works where ever that may be. I feel that this is the direction he is leading me right now. In order to take on this task I am relying on other people to help me acquire the proper gear and food to ensure a successful journey.

So if you feel like you could help support me then please feel free to call, email, and even come visit me and I will provide you with an updated wish list so that you may adopt and item, or adopt-a-drop, or donate to my stipend. Thank you all and look forward to hearing from you.

BradyMusic@gmail.com

9780768

501 South Main Street

Winston-Salem, NC 27101

www.laurelridge.org

FOR LIFE

2009-11-11T13:34:00.002-05:00

It has been quit a while since coming back to the States and getting re-adjusted to life here. My experiences in Puerto Limon, Costa Rica have inspired me to devote any and all spare time to the uplift of anyone and everyone around me. Through out the entirety of my life I will post here for anyone who wants to follow which missions I am involved in because a "lifelong mission" and being Christ like everyday is what we are called to do.

Easter sharing in Costa Rica

2009-04-16T22:34:00.000-04:00

The Lord has risen….the Lord has risen Indeed. In my SHARING today I will tell you about a couple of my holy week experiences. First I want to SHARE with you about my Palm Sunday experience, with playing at church and Rev. Perdita’s preaching during the announcements. I will also SHARE a little about our expedition to Parismina with Ninfa and a few friends. On Maundy Thursday we had our holy week reading and a communion service that I will also tell you a little about, as well as Easter Sunday.

Well on Palm Sunday I SHARED my time and talents at the “organ”, which I fumbled through the Hosanna (that mess ain’t easy.) Before I contributed my part Rev Perdita SHARED the announcements. She thanked me on behalf of the church for sharing everything I had with them. Then she asked “What are we going to do when you are gone?” After she had a few more announcements and a little preaching about said announcements Pastor Fernando SHARED with us the story of the palms. He told us that the people greeted Jesus as a King. Some waved palms and some striped and threw their clothes into the street for the donkey to walk on upon the entrance to Jerusalem. So the people SHARED their love for the King of Kings in this way.

On Wednesday Ninfa, Fernando, Alma, Morgan, me, Jordy, Kerry, and a list of other people SHARED a van that only fit 14, but somehow we had 20, on a two hour ride to the boat stop. Once there we SHARED a boat the short distance to the small village of Parismina. This village is SHARED by about 150 residents. The kids had a blast on the black sanded beach. The adults mainly enjoyed watching the kids have fun while sporadically enjoying the sun. After a small soccer game, and burying each other in the sand, and chasing the waves and sand crabs, we SHARED a small meal of rice with Chicken. Then after completing the task of a little more sunbathing and soaking up a few hours of fun, everyone changed back into their traveling clothes. We then concluded our trip to God’s wonderful beach with the SHARING of another small meal. This small meal consisted of bread and grape juice as a symbol of the body and blood which was the sacrifice Jesus made for us. This reminded everyone why we had this week off of school and work. Then we hopped back on the panga, to get to the bus/van, to get back to Limon.

On Maundy Thursday I got to church 15 minutes before 5:00pm so that I could practice a little bit before the holy week reading. When I arrived, to my surprise, were already SHARING the word. So I took my respected place at the “organ” (Keyboard set to Organ sound) and jumped right to work. After the holy week reading all the children left and everyone that was stayed were all SHARING in the fact that the were ALL dressed in white. A memo that was not SHARED with me…lol. We then had a small communion service that was mostly music so I tried to play, and participate. After SHARING the elements we were asked to SHARE a bible verse with the person beside us in our small circle. I was to give a verse to Rev Perdita. The verse that came to mind was:

Ephesians 6 : 19-20 (19)Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth words may be given to me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel (20) for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly as I should.

She loved the verse and hugged my neck thanking me for being here and lifting up everyone around me.

After the service we talked about how at the end of the week instead of having the same feelings as they had on Palm Sunday, all the people now SHARED their desire to have him Crucified. We also talked about that when we SHARED communion on the beach it was the first time that most of those kids have taken it because here they have to be confirmed before they are allowed to partake. I was/am very surprised. Who am I to deny someone who has been baptized into the body of the right to the elements, regardless if they don’t quite understand it? I think when they are old enough to decide for themselves, they can determine if they want to remember him this way. Then again that may just be a culture thing. So…after conversing I SHARED a cab with Elsa and her four children back to their barrio of Corales 1. The smallest of the four children is Angelina (5 months) and two weeks ago Elsa SHARED with me an invitation to be Angelina’s God Father, to which I excitedly accepted.

When time came for Easter sunrise…I was up, and dressed, and ready to go at 5:00am. The cab driver I had hired the night before was supposed to come at 5:15am because the service was to start at 5:30am. I waited until 5:30 before I tried calling him, but there was no answer. There were no cabs out in the street or passing by the local corner grocery…so I SHARED with myself a few more hours of sleep. Upon waking and redressing I SHARED a cab with Morgan to our two separate churches. Because it was Easter I took my trumpet on this Sunday. I have played my trumpet at Faith Moravian two or three times, but this was the first at Fuente de Vida. Everyone was excited to hear as I played along with hymns. When I tried to veer away from the melody and attempt to play some harmony everyone seemed to lose their place in the music. It was like trying to separate two colors of play dough that have been smashed up into one big ball. So I decided to stick with the melody. Then I SHARED in a small Easter meal of Rice and Beans, Chicken, a vinegar Slaw, and Beats which I respectfully shared with someone more willing to ingest such a vegetable.

Over all it has been an amazing two weeks here in the mission field. This week we are returning to our normal schedule from our holy week remembrance. From here on we only have three more weeks of class and then mini-courses in May along with reroofing Fuente de Vida with members of Raleigh Moravian Church that will arrive on May 11^th. So realizing that we only have a small amount of time left makes me reflect on all the time and experiences I have SHARED with the people here, and that the people here have SHARED with me. Although when I leave at the end of this mission it will not be the last time I SHARE with my new friends here. But it will be the beginning of my SHARING with the rest of the world, of the things that were SHARED with me here in this beautiful place.

2009-04-16T20:14:00.004-04:00

The front of Fuente de Vida Moravian Church

This is Elsa and her daughters Stacy, Stephany, Nisha, and Anglina.

That is her visiting friend there on the end.

Little Anglina will soon be my God Daughter..Exciting I know!!

Me being cool...."I like you necklas sir".."why thanks you I made it myself"

So you want to know how. I once went to a baptist church where they handout the pocket crosses and I thought what good is doing in my pocket. So I put it on my neck...and it has been there for about 4 years.

This is Kerry. I allowed Kerry to take a guitar home but somehow his "Homework" load is sometimes too large for him to havetime to practice.

Group of us standing at the pulpit.

Our communion cups at the beach. They are a bit big but they got the job done.

Me in my Phi Mu Alpha T-shirt and Watermelon on the Beach.

The children doing what we have all done as children. (or adults)

The kids chasing the waves.

This was funny. I went to take a picture of Ninfa and she put her hands up and then I said "awww" likeI had missed the photo and she started laughing because she thought I had only gotten a picture of her hands. Then I showed it to her and she almost fell out of the hamock she was laughing so hard.

The group of 20 on a panga (boat) heading out to Parismina. Unfortunatley we did not get to see the crocidiles that usually infest this canal. However I did see where they usually lay in the sun.

The picture of one of the Boats.

The Two hour drive on this most wonderfully bumpy road was the best part

(can you hear the sarcasam....even though you are reading???)

This is COSTA RICA!!!!!

Every where you look. Bananas, Bananas, and more....you get it.

2.2 million metric tons of bananas in 2005 alone.

Our little markets. These little markets are all over the side of the road

pretty much everywhere in Central America.

Ashley E? Setzer

2009-03-30T20:17:00.003-04:00

Ashley...

How awesome are you!!!!

Very

How lucky am I?????

Very

Praise God for the Gifts he has given us!!

To God be the Glory! Great things he hath done!!!

Sitting in Reflection

2009-03-30T20:15:00.002-04:00

It always seems that we are constantly looking forward to the future and the things that are yet to come. Whenever we sit for a moment we have the time to take it all in and reflect on the things that have come and gone. As I sit here in the perfect Caribbean weather, warm but not too hot. When the breeze blows through you can almost taste the salt in the air. As I feel the wind on my skin it is almost like I’m in bed with the fan going on one of those mornings where it is just so easy to sleep in. I think about the time when I came to the decision to come to Costa Rica and how uncertain I was. I took a leap of faith and being in this place has been so rewarding, not just because I live in the heart of the Caribbean, but because of all the beautiful and loving people I have met along the way. It is hard to believe that in two months I will be back in Winston-Salem. But once back I will be willing to share my story with anyone and everyone.

The amount of time here has shown me the things that are really important, and pointed out the things that I take for granted. Have you ever thanked God for smooth roads? On the roads here in Limon you can’t drive 20 feet without having to swerve to miss a ditch or pothole. Have you ever thanked God for your mobility? Here in Limon it is hard to get around. A personal car is a commodity only for the rich. Most people here take taxis and the bus daily. Have you ever thanked God for Honest law enforcement? Here in Costa Rica there are SO many corrupt public officials that to get a fare shake may be hard. Someone that calls for medical assistance may receive it an hour or two after the call. Its not like that states where in a matter of minutes someone is there to help. People lose their lives because of simple complications that in the states are not problems because of the response time. I often think about the “American dream” and I can see why people would risk their lives for even a small chance at making it in America. Because just being in the USA means they are immediately better off than where they were, even if they choose to live 15 to a house. With the current economy some people should do the same thing. Maybe buy a house with two other families and share the cost of living. Just the small things/choices that we all take for granted are missed opportunities for people around the world.

Over the past couple of weeks Morgan and I have done a few different things I want to talk about. We helped celebrate the life of a friend’s father in law by playing a few songs at a funeral service and grave side service. We also got the chance to attend the Moravian church of Costa Rica’s yearly assemble. I also took the chance to get a few friends together for Morgan’s birthday at the local Pizza Hut in town, after all she did arrange a surprise birthday party for me in December.

Funeral is a entirely different experience than it is in the states. When you go to a funeral you should not have anything scheduled for the rest of the day or even weekend. We arrived at the church right after lunch on Saturday, and already the church was packed with people of the community to pay their respects. Morgan and I got the opportunity to offer our songs to the family and friends. To God be the Glory was one, Abide with me, and helped accompany on a number of other selections. There were easily over 300 people there which is one of the biggest crowds I have ever performed in front of. Then at the grave side service we played a few more hymns, me on the guitar and Morgan playing versions of melody and harmony on her violin. After which we were told to come to the house for something to eat and to mingle with the family, which we happily obliged. This is the same family that we got to spend Christmas day with, a very loving family that accepted us and received us with much thanks. I thank God for having met all of them and being able to share in the celebration of life for him.

After teaching the Harvest Tabernacle group on Saturday morning we went to town to be part of the yearly assemble of the Moravian church in Costa Rica which was taking place at the Methodist church because it has a big fellowship hall and a fully functional kitchen. Maybe after we get the school built next to faith we can have it there next year. There were quite a few familiar faces here at this assemble because Back in October we were guest judges for the Friendly Bible Competition in the Capital San Jose. It was 7 hours of nonstop Spanish which was helpful but aggravating at times because I am still learning and could not catch everything they were saying. I also met this guy Will Cothbert who has been to Laurel Ridge back in the day and knows Chris Puryer, also he is going to try to come to Laurel Ridge this summer for like Junior High 2 and Senior High. It was awesome to see everyone come together and work towards progress.

After the Assemble we walked towards the park..and I happened to mention that “I am soooo Hungry” so we saw that Pizza hut was still open so we walked up and wouldn’t you know there were people there that we knew. It was a great little surprise for Morgan on her 7^th anniversary of turning 21. Well I will let all the pictures speak for themselves.

Hope everyone is doing well…..feel free to Email me anything…just to say hey. Love you all even the ones who read and have no clue who I am. Adios.

Sitting in reflection (pictures)

2009-03-30T19:43:00.003-04:00

Morgans favorite Drink

Cheese Stuffed Crust Pizza....OMG!!!

Wendy and Latoya

Tansy (the other benofactor)

Morgan after being sung to.

ME!!!!!!!!!!

Morgan and Roman (the Main Benefactor)

Will Cothbert and I (this ones for Chris)

Alma Cardenas Knight

Rev Downs from the San Jose Central Church

The Mravian Provincial Board

Rev Perdita and Son Rev Fernando

Sarah Omier (the one we lived with in the beginning)

Leo and Ninfa

Sister Amaulia

Brother Alfred

Morgan in her element. (Indian-esk)

Pictures of most of my students

2009-03-16T17:21:00.010-04:00

Former students Mrs Vivian

Tashla

Sisters Stephany and Nisha

Older sister Stacy of Stephany, Nisha, and Angelina

Smeykel

Sidannie

Shawanda

Sister Sally

Rev.Perdita

Oshibeth

Nisha

Ninfa

Mishenda

Our landlord Mervin teaching us how to cook Mackerel

Marjorie

Mabis

Dr.Leo Pixley

Wednesday Night fellowship (missing Morgan and Fernando and Tansy)

Youth of Faith Moravian

Kathryn

Jordy

Former student Johnathan

Jesus

Rev Herta and Us (Mirium left and Oshibeth right)

Hermel

Fernando

Emily

Cynthia

Fernando Marjorie, and Cynthia

Mrs Cherry

Arturo

Angelina 4 of 4 kids

Alisha and Ruby

Just Alisha....awesomely cute kid.

I will post more on them and their stories as I get them written down

The Context of Priorities

2009-03-11T16:41:00.003-04:00

I wrote this for the Regional Youth Council newsletter but thought I would post it here as well. What does your list of priorities look like? I want you to close your eyes for a minute and think about “your list.” If I was a betting man, I would say you put God as number one on your list, which most people I have talked to agree that the number one spot is reserved for the man upstairs. After God on the list is usually family, then friends, then maybe school. Maybe you have other priorities on your list like; a need to be more popular, or a need to get in shape, or even a need to make more money. Don’t take this the wrong way but all these priorities are good. They are healthy as long as they are put in the right order, and within the context of our first priority. If some of your priorities are not cohesive with your first one, then you probably need to rethink those and make sure that God would approve the items on your list. If you feel the need to be more popular so you can stand out and grab the attention of others to bring them to Christ, then that would support our first Priority. If needing to get in shape or stay in shape is on your list because you want to be fit to serve the kingdom of God, I’m sure he would approve. If you desire to be wealthy so that you can support your church and your community charities, then God will sign off on your list. So when you come to the point of adding to or taking away from you catalog of priorities, just remember to consider the Almighty. As for me, being here in Costa Rica this year has made me set my catalog in order. It has also changed my perception of the world. But you need not leave the country, or even your home, to view the world in this day and age. With the help of the internet we literally have the world at our fingertips. Now the question is when we get access to that world what are the things we look at? Of course YouTube, Facebook, MySpace, Romans blog…all of which are great things!!! We also need to be wary of the internet because with the good, come the bad. The internet is a powerful tool, use it wisely. I mean we all know Facebook can be addictive, right? So…Backing up…the number one priority is for whom? Or what? We know God as the almighty being who sent his son into this world, not to condemn it, but to save it. Now we also know that where ever two or more are gathered, He is there also. So God is the Church. An image comes to my mind of a collage of tens of thousands of photos (people’s faces) and the way these photos are put together make a bigger picture. That picture has some photos that are brighter or darker, colorful or in black and white, tattered and torn, new and old, candid or posed, all of which have their place in the church. This is how I picture the body of Christ. I don’t personally know ten thousand people and I’m sure you don’t either, unless you are the creator of Facebook. So I believe that as our first priority reaching out to everyone in need, is our life’s biggest goal. So I wrote all of this to say; I believe that serving God with any kind of Mission, large or small, foreign or domestic, musically or physically, to young or old is and should be our first and only Priority.

Third Trimester

2009-03-09T16:12:00.002-04:00

Dear Readers,

I am currently gathering photos and stories about all of my students so you can see them all. I am also in the process of writting a good blog for next week. I hope you all are doing well and want to thank you for your continued support throughout my mission here. Miss you all!!!!!

You're Missionary,

Roman.

New Beginnings

2009-02-25T14:12:00.001-05:00

Dear God, RIGHT NOW……At this point in my life I feel like a new man, like you have given me another chance. Why have you done this for little ol’ me? All the times I have turned my back on you and sinned even when I knew better, you forgave me. Lord, All the times I have second guessed myself and you, yet you showed me the path I should take. Even through my darkest and hardest moments, where I cursed your name and blamed you for everything that was going wrong. Your shoulder was the one I was crying on, and didn’t even know it. I know…I know… there are more deserving people than I. But because I took this leap of faith and service, I believe you have given me this amazing gift. Lord, I can’t thank you enough for everyone I have met so far on this short journey we call “life”. Lord, from this moment on…No more sinning, no more second guessing, but I will still cry on your shoulder when I need it. I love you Lord. Your disciple, Roman Dear God’s children, This mission has been a life changing experience. I feel like a new man. I can’t explain what has happened, but in the past few days something has changed within me. I feel different! And upon receiving an email from a friend in Jamaica yesterday, it reminded me of an experience I had at Laurel Ridge almost two years ago which I will tell you about.

This story goes back and forth on the timeline so try to keep up.

Laurel Ridge Moravian Camp, Conference, and Retreat Center

Senior High Camp, Summer 2007 Thursday July 17th 12:00pm It was a hot summer Thursday in Mid July, and I was signed up to mow the dam after lunch (which I enjoy.) While cleaning up in the kitchen after the mid day meal, Manager Anne Cole came into the kitchen and asked who could lead a caving trip. This is a trip that I love to lead. When I was a first time camper at Laurel Ridge in 2002, M-Staff Manager O’Neil Clark took us to the caves. It was an awesome trip. What makes it so great is that only twelve people can go and it gives you a deeper bond with those other 11 people that make the journey with you. So I got the opportunity to lead this trip and maybe provide a fond memory like the ones I hold of my first spelunking trip. So during a normal trip to the cave the van usually leaves from in front of the dining hall at 1:30pm and gets back to camp around 5:30pm. But I felt this was going to be no ordinary trip. Because:

Wednesday July 16th 10:00pm the previous night the Bishop Sam Gray was doing campfire vespers and was talking about the word “Calling.” This word caught my ear because every year since my first summer on the mountain I would leave thinking that youth ministry was what I was supposed to be doing (combined with music, of course.) So that night before I went to sleep I prayed a good long prayer asking God for some kind of sign. If youth Ministry was what I was supposed to be doing, I wanted Him to show me! This is where my past comes into play. I felt that because of all the big mistakes and many doubts in my past, I would be hypocritical if I was to tell people they were in the wrong. Not to mention my renewed, young, but growing, personal relationship with Christ. So again I asked God to just show me some kind of sign.

Thursday July 17th 7:50am Early though it was, my alarm clock went off notifying me of the time for optional morning prayers. Morning prayers are only offered at senior high camp. Everyday I had planned on getting up and going but I had not made it to one yet. I roll out of bed and made it to morning prayers just in time to get a nice cup of coco-coffee. Once everyone was there and together on the porch of the dining hall we started. Dusty Harrison was to read the daily text for this Thursday morning. Once he read it I honestly wished I had stayed in bed. Then he continued to go on and say that he wanted to share something else with us. So he shared another text with us and proposed that we should not let our past interfere with the future of our lives in serving God’s Kingdom. He also touched on prayer, and how hard it is to start the great dialogue between God and ourselves. He told us that before he starts to pray, he clears his thoughts and just start praying. I felt like he had read my mind! Immediately I was glad that I came but afterwards I prayed asking “God, this must be mere coincidence. Surely the sign you would send would be bigger.” The whole morning I was very peppy, watching and waiting to see if God would show me a bigger sign to reinforce morning prayers.

Thursday July 17th 1:30pm So the van was ready to go and we only had about 8 people signed up to go so we waited a few minutes and called out to a few people to see if anyone else wanted to go. One of these additions we called out to was Maxine Panther, who was an exchange counselor from Jamaica. Along with Her husband, Aaron Panther, who was already on the van and insisted that she wanted to go. So we all forced her to go grab a pair of closed toe shoes and come with us. She caved in and joined the expedition (no pun intended.) Once all the willing participants were on board we set out, 15 minutes late, on our journey to Roberts Cave. Once being on the road for about 10 minutes (Just past Laurel Springs) a wasp came in the window and stung my front seat passenger. She was not sure if she was allergic or not so we turned around and headed back to camp. We proceeded directly to the nurses’ station and dropped her off. Everyone was sad that she would not be able to go but insisted they did not want to cancel the trip. So once again we set off on our journey, now 35 minutes late. This meant that they would not get to spend as much time exploring all the little caverns in the cave. Throughout the duration of the van ride to Robert’s cave Maxine continued to teach the youth some worship songs they sing in Jamaica as she had done the previous night at the talent show. One of the songs reads as follows: It is raining, all around me, I can feel it, it’s a lot of rain. Shine on Jesus, please send more rain. Until we are wet, until we are soaked, in a lot of rain. Once we were there, and helmets and lights checked out, we were on our way. From parking the van, it was about 1500 feet or so through some dense woods on a narrow beaten path. This was easy because the sun was blaring and the path was smooth. Once entering the initial mouth of the cave headlamps and flashlight would be needed to continue on. The entrance to the cave is a small hole that leads to a 50 degree angle down a twenty foot rocky hill. This is good for foot plantings and hand grips. So…after exploring as much of the cave as we could allow time for, we culminated the trip like every caving trip I have been on since going to laurel Ridge. We climb us to a large open cavern where the magnificent ceiling is 75 feet high and the acoustics are just right for singing. There are rocks that are made just right for sitting. Of course God knew we would come, so he gave us a place to sit and sing. Once our assembled community of explorers were up and settled, I requested they cut off their lanterns and that we had time for about six or seven songs. So after listening to indecisive but confident voices of the young and old alike, I thought to myself how awesome is this place God created? In that place anyone could sing to their hearts content without having to worry about what other people think. After the last song the leader of the group usually leads in a prayer. My mind raced to what Dusty had said that very same morning. “Just clear your thoughts, and pray from the heart!” Well that was exactly what I did. It went something like this: Dear Heavenly Father, We want to thank you for the opportunity to come and enjoy your beauty in this way. Lord everyone in this cavern is currently treading the same path. But after leaving this cave Lord there are different choices to be had. We know that our path is not always straight, just like this cave. Sometimes you pull, push, or nudge us in the directions we need to go. We know that there are obstacles in our path, like the boulders of this cave. With your help Lord, we can get around them. And Lord, as we sit here with our lights off, we wave our hand in front of our eyes and cannot see it. But it’s there. In the same way Lord, we cannot see you, but we know you are here. Lord, there is a light at the end of this tunnel. Although there will be times where we are not walking directly to the light. But may we never lose the ability to see that light. Lord we just ask that you be with us every step of our journey on whatever path you have us on. In Jesus name we pray, Amen. I had no Idea what was going on around me. I was just letting the words of my heart color the canvas of prayer. There was not a dry eye in that cavern. By the time I fully understood what I had said I was in tears. It was indescribable in words, the feelings we felt. God was truly present with us in that place. After singing one more song “Rain,” we cut our lights back on and proceeded to have a mud fight. That cavern is usually where the mud starts flying because it is so moist and loose. As we headed back to the mouth of the cave, I got a few more mud hand prints on my face, back, and in my hair and an ear full of everyone’s favorite new song “Rain”. All of which did not prepare me for what was to happen next. As we approached the mouth of the cave I heard a small trickle of water which notified me that it had been raining a little. I told them to climb out and wait at the top and once we were out we would walk back to the van. Well once we were all out of the cave the rain started to get a little harder and harder, until it was coming down in sheets. We all started running back to the van, and all the while screaming the lyrics to the song “Rain.” After a revelation, I realized that this was my sign. As I ran though the lush green forest, getting drenched by a nice cool rain, I laughed so hard that I was crying and then crying so hard I was laughing. By the time we were all back to the van and I had the keys out, everyone, including myself, was now clean. Clean of all the mud that had accumulated on our clothes, arms, faces, legs and in my case, my conscience. All I had to do was ask for it, and pray hard enough. Then God answered my prayer. I told God everything he already knew, but saying it out loud lifted “blocks” off my chest that I had been struggling to get out from under. God forgave me that day because I asked for it. I forgave myself, as God did, but I could not forget. This dragged me off the path that God intended, or so I may have thought. When I came to Puerto Limon, Costa Rica I was allowed to get away from problems I forgot that I needed to forget. When I left those “blocks” with God that day outside Robert’s cave, that’s where they should have stayed. But…right here…right now. As God and my readers are my witnesses I forgive myself again. But this time I am not just giving Him parts of me I do not like. I am giving him everything! Everything I was, everything I am, and everything he will have me be. You’re Missionary, Roman Daniel Brady

Post for tomorrow

2009-02-23T21:19:00.003-05:00

Dear Readers,

I went home an fell right asleep and did not get the chance to write my blog entry for this week. But I will write one tonight and be back to post it tomorrow (Wednesday.) Hope all is well, and pray God keep you all safe. Again sorry for the false hope of a new blog today. But tomorrow. YES!!!!!!!!

Picture from our day off.

2009-02-23T19:16:00.004-05:00

Me enjoying our day off.

Yellow Viper #1

Yellow #2

Spider monkeys that will take your food.

Map at the Cahuita National Park

Man that sun it bright.

Another Spider Monkey getting ready to take my crackers.

Dirty Feet......"Feet First"....

Standing in the Jungle

Huge Crab, the size of my fist.

Monkey Enjoying the crackers I gave him...from my hand.

Monkey and Morgan...

Morgans ballet on the Beach

Sitting on the Beach

In Cahuita

New Beginning...

2009-02-10T13:56:00.000-05:00

Dear Heavenly Father,

You know what I think and feel. Be with me this week so that the beginning of this new semester will show a renewed vigor for your work through me. Through continues prayer and stillness I have felt you’re presence in a way that I have not felt in a long time. While at home I would not let myself sit still long enough to hear your word as loud as I have here. I pray that your peace by word never be deaf to my mind, that your words of fire never grow cold in my heart, and your fire for peace burn eternally in my soul.

Amen.

Dear Readers,

I want to start out by sharing a verse with you this week.

1 Corinthians 3: 5-7 ⁵ What, after all is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe – as the Lord has assigned to each his task. ⁶I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. ⁷ So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.

This verse has made its way into my path recently and I wanted to share it with you because with my last term of teaching here in Limon I want it to be the best and most productive of the three. After reading the above verse it brings me back to the realization that I am just a seed. The teachers that come after me will be the water and then ultimately it is up to God to make it grow.

It has been an amazing week and I’m sure you all just can’t wait to hear (read) all about it. Well even though we did not get the chance to take Steve and Joe down to Puerto Vijeo or somewhere fun like that we did get to meander about town in continuous rain with a visit to Ninfa’s house. Our choral clinic finale was on Friday night and the choir was awesome and the solos sounded great! Morgan and I got the chance to take Sarah and Cynthia out to lunch on Sunday after church which was the best rice and beans I have had since I got here. Our Monday night fellowship restarted with a group of six last night. Morgan and I fixed some good ol’ American burgers. Also yesterday we somewhat finalized how we would teach this final semester. So I have plenty of things to talk about this week.

It rained…..and rained….and flooded…and rained some more!!!! We were not sure if Steve and Joe would even make it back to the airport it was so wet and flooded in parts. From about Wednesday last week to Sunday afternoon it did nothing but rain. Wednesday was the day that we had planned take Steve and Joe somewhere “fun” and maybe get into the ocean. The precipitation had slightly different plans though. So we figured we would just go about town (with no umbrella…SMART!!) and see what we could do. So we had lunch and tried to wait it out. We ended up running from awning to awning hoping to stay dry. It did not work so well. One of the days last week Ninfa invited us over for a nice home cooked Caribbean meal. I’m not quit sure where she got it but she made us something called turtle rundown. I don’t know if you know but you are not supposed to kill turtles here, I think. Over all it was a good meal. The turtle meat kind of reminded me of corned beef. It was definitely a new experience.

Friday night at 6:00pm (6:34pm) our choral clinic grand finale started. We had a choir of 26 people that scarcely outnumbered the audience. The rain kept people away but Mrs. Rev. Herta was very vocal in the since that the Devil was disguised as the rain. There were many great solos including three of our regular students which were very nice to see that they felt comfortable enough to do a solo. Mrs. Herta sang while Morgan accompanied with an alto line on viola. It was very nice. I wish there was a way that I could post some of the recording here on the blog but I’m not sure if it allows that. Besides Morgan is still working on splicing and saving the tracks and soon we will have a CD of our performance. YAY!!!

In case you don’t know, Sarah is the woman we lived with upon first reaching Limon until we moved out on our own. This past Sunday has been one of the few Sunday’s where Sarah, Morgan, and I have all been at Faith Moravian on the same day. So Morgan and I intentionally decided that we would take her and her daughter out for lunch…on us. JUST A NOTE.***If you invite someone to lunch in a foreign country, just know that you may be obligated to pay if you are the one doing the inviting*** We took them to a place called Caribbean Calise. This place has the best rice and beans out of anywhere in Limon. Over all it was just nice to be able to sit down, chat, and have a meal with Sarah. Not only because she opened her home to us but because she is an awesome lady with a great sense of humor.

Last night was the first meeting of our Monday night fellowship for the New Year. Here in Costa Rica from mid December to about mid February is their “summer vacation.” So a lot of things get put on hold till everyone comes back from their vacations. So we decided that since we cooked first last year that we would cook first this year. I was not a totally American meal. We fixed 1/4pound burgers and had Youka that was cut into small pieces and then deep-fried like fries. Washed it all down with a tall bottle of refreshing Coke-Cola Classic (Mmmmmmmmm.) It is pretty good stuff. Definitely something I will cook when I get back to the states. While we did not talk music like we usually do, we did talk about the school itself and what worked for the students and what could be different. This information proved valuable for Morgan and I to come to agreement on the way we will teach our final semester.

We have decided that the one on one time you spend with your instrument and teacher are one of the most important in all of music classes. Because the “theory” class usually takes precedence over the lesson we are going to only offer one hour private lessons. This hour will include their theory and ear training all while being hands on with the instrument. We have also learned that the primary school (K-6^th) schedule here in Limon flip flops from week to week. Like if I was taking a class on Tuesday morning then the following week it will be on Tuesday evening. It will go back and forth each week. Whereas the high school (7^th-12^th) schedule is different in the fact that it is like college classes. A student may have a break from 12-2 based on what classes they are taking. We will offer an alternating schedule to allow for any student to partake in the music classes. This means that if we have room anyone can enter the program at any time. The assessments will be given based on how many weeks they have been in the program (i.e. 4 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 weeks.) This also means that we may not need to take breaks in semesters if a student wants to continue through their breaks, unless the teachers are in need of a break. The only thing that I need now is a curriculum checklist to make sure that I am covering everything the student will need to know to be an effective worship leader in their church.

The seed is planted, which we continue to water. And I believe that it will soon grow into a vibrant part of his creation. It is exciting to think that I am the seed of something that could be so glorious. This feeling kind of reminds me of the feeling you get when you buy a lottery ticket. You start daydreaming about the things you could buy and the good you could do. But you soon realize that you do not have the winning numbers. I believe this seed and water are destined for the JACKPOT!!!!

2009-02-10T13:11:00.002-05:00

Final practice

Turtle RunDown

The teachers...

Gifts to Steve and Joe

Cutest group of kids....EVER!!!

2009-02-03T13:47:00.000-05:00

Dear Heavenly Father,

I want to thank you my Lord and Savior!!! Without You, I would be nothing. Yet with you I can be or do anything. I believe the reason I am here in Costa Rica is a test on many different levels. I accept the challenges you have/will set before me. I hope that whether I am ready or not, I will not fail you. You said “Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do.” John 14:12 I just pray that you give me the strength, the words, and the wisdom to do your will, no matter where I am.

In your Name I Pray…..Amen.

Dear Readers,

I want to share a few things with you that have happened this past week. I’ll tell you about the following;

· How Steve Gray and Mark Ebert arrived and a bit about our excursions her in Limon.
· Give you a little news on the planning for the school of music.
· Morgan has finally made it back to Limon after a mishap with her passport.
· Give you numbers and news about our Choral Workshop that is in progress.
· Church on Sunday
· Joe Mixon Arrives.
· Re-writing the Curriculum for the school of Music

This is a funny story about Mark and Steve’s travel to Limon. I talked to Henry (Provincial treasurer) and Steve and Mark on Monday night and determined that they would be on one of the early buses to Limon. Henry told me that he would call me and tell me which bus they would be on so that I could be there to receive them. Well I woke up to my alarm clock and not to the phone so I guess Henry just forgot to call. So I went down to the terminal around 9:45am to wait for Mark and Steve because Henry said he would drop them off around 7:00am. Usually the bus takes 3 hours so I figured they would be there soon after 10:00am. I waited patiently watching each San Jose Bus unload with no Mark or Steve in sight. I felt a bit nervous about being at the terminal with limited Spanish but about the same time I started to pray that God would get me through, one of the older gentleman from the Buenos Aires congregation came up and started talking to me. We had a great conversation about everything from Moses to Lunchmeat. The whole time we were talking I was watching each bus from San Jose. Around 12:30pm I get a phone call from Mark. After saying hello I ask “where are you guys?” he then responds with “I’m at your house.” Luckily my landlord was there and let them in. That night I made dinner…and I just wanted to say how much Mark was flipping out over the Cho-Cho which is kind of like a squash. It was pretty darn good. After every bite he would say “man that’s wild.”

The Morning of Wednesday the 28^th Mark, Steve got the chance to go and visit Fuente de Vida Moravian Church and see the roof and condition of the church. After determining that the roof does indeed need to be replaced we moved onto visit the land the church owns and is being considered for the school of Music. The land would need a lot of work to even be ready to start building. So we have thrown out the idea of retrofitting an existing building in town to serve the same purpose. The Board is also looking into other options. After visiting the land we visited Sister Sally’s sister’s house that she rents out that would be great for our work teams from the states (I have included some photos.)

Mark and Leo left Limon Friday morning. But before they did I woke up to the sound of a male trio on the balcony of my apartment. I know I must have lain in bed for almost an hour listening to them singing. I could have easily gotten out of bed and joined them in singing. But I was just content in listening. As a musician I think it is easy to get caught up in performing music and not listening to the music. I believe it is the same for Christianity. Sometimes I think people get caught up in being a disciples or “role models”, and giving the message and not listening to the vary message they preach. I have been very blessed to have musical visitors in the house. It has been a blessing beyond words.

Morgan has finally made it back to Limon after a mishap with her passport. She went to make sure her passport was where she put it as she had done all week. But this time it was not there. So she missed the flight. After talking with Sam they determined the fastest way to get the replacement was to travel to Washington DC and apply in person with a signed letter from The North Carolina senator. So after treading through snow and rain she had her replacement and was on a flight Thursday to San Jose. After staying the night at the parsonage she made her way back to Limon. She made it just in time for the beginning of the choral music festival.

The music “Mini Course” started Friday January 30^th at 5:00pm. With one person…by 5:30 we had about 10 people. We ended up having a total of 16 people on Friday night. Saturdays schedule was a little more intense. 10:00am-1:00pm session with provided lunch and fellowship from 1:00pm-3:00pm then another session from 3:00pm-5:00pm overall we had 13 people participate on Saturday. To tell you the truth I was a bit worried about attendance at this free clinic because I was not sure if people were passing the word along. But my fear was shattered and my prayers were answered last night we had an attendance of 36 people. We shared three hours of intense worship…although it was not a service; the words of all the songs we were singing provided the message. It was amazing to see all the children and visitors. There were members from around 8 different churches attending the festival which made it feel as if we are helping to bring the community together.

On Sunday Sister Rev. Herta Downs asked us (Steve, Morgan and I) to bring a special song for service. So with Steve on the Keys and Morgan with her Violin and me with my trumpet (as well as our voices) praised our Lord with “How great Thou Art!” I was excited to play my trumpet before the congregation because the occasion had not ever presented itself for me to share in this capacity. Usually if I am sharing my musical talent, it is from behind the keyboard playing the hymns and liturgy for the service. I was also excited because while we were singing I had the tenor line above the melody. I hit an F# full out and it sounded great. Beyond the singing and playing, the message that Sister Rev. Herta Downs brought was awesome. She talked about following in the footsteps of Jesus and walking a path that would be pleasing to Him.

After church we walked downtown and decided to get a bite to eat. We went to Brisas (I think that’s how you spell it) and started casually chatting. When my eye caught this guy come around the corner. He looked like he had not showered in a while. He went from trashcan to trashcan (I thought he was looking for drink cans to turn in for cash) and eventually found something. When I saw him take something from the trash to his mouth my fears were confirmed that this man was hungry, yet afraid to ask for help. As Morgan and Steve continued their conversation, unaware of what I was witnessing, I interrupted their chatting to tell them what I had seen. Once I saw him put something in his mouth I wanted to jump up and offer him to join us for lunch. But I didn’t. I felt so bad. But when he came back up our way we offered him a place at our table. His name is Leonardo. He was very hungry that he ate twice the amount that I can usually put away and downed his Coke in two sips. I gave him 10,000 Colones which is about 20 dollars which I hope keeps him from digging through the trash for at least a few days. I thank God for showing this man to us…I have noticed similar situations here in Limon. And know that I alone can’t help them all. Every time I see something or someone in the same kind of situation I pray for them and hope that God can help them where I cannot. I hope you will join me in praying for everyone who goes to sleep hungry.

Joe Mixon arrived yesterday in kind of the same fashion the Mark and Steve did. Because Morgan’s cell phone has been acting up we have not had a direct line of communication to anyone. So we were not sure which bus Joe would be on, so Steve went down to hang out and wait on Joe. He sat for a good three hours and eventually came back thinking that maybe what happened to me might have happened to him. So upon his return he realized that this was not the case. So Morgan then proceeded down to the terminal wait on Joe. About twenty minutes after she left Joe arrived in a taxi. We realized that Morgan would now be waiting for no one. Steve and Joe then went down to retrieve her and go to the grocery store. A guitar student Edwardo Chow then came to visit and we started to jam for about 45 minutes and then headed out to the workshop.

Sometime over the next few days we will sit down with Steve and Joe and brainstorm about the future of the school of music here in Limon and what the students really need to learn to be a musical asset to their congregations worship. We hope to write a curriculum that will best benefit our students and will be easy for the next missionaries to use (if they want to). I pray for God’s guidance and patience throughout this process and hope that it is an easy transition.

Overall I have had a great week and am very excited to see, hear, and perform with the choral clinic on Friday night. I am also very excited for the third trimester…registration just started and hopefully over the next two weeks we will have a record number of students register. I pray God fills our classes with eager souls and hungry minds.

Pictures

2009-02-03T12:07:00.010-05:00

This Picture is from our biggest session yet. 36 people.

Steve, Joe, and Morgan getting their PLAY on.

Mrs. Amalia (the key holder of the church) FUNNY LADY!!!

Another picture of our Monday night session....36 people.

Steve in his element. Music at Church/Church Music

SuperBowl on a Spanish ESPN

View of the Boardwalk here in Limon. According to one website its the "shopping district"

Winston...I told him if he teaches me spanish...i'll teach him music.

80 y/o Sister Rev. Herta singing

Ruby and Alisha at the choral clinic.

Eating a prepared lunch at the Saturday session while having a good fellowship.

Friday night group of about 18 people.

The view from the MaribuCaribe resturaunt.

Two ships docked here in Puerto Limon.

EMA Board meeting at the house.

My second time eating Pargo (Red Snapper)

Sister Sally, Brother Pixley, Steve and Mark.

Brother Mark and Brother Pixley

View from Ranch (Work team House)

Kitchen at the Ranch (Work team House)

Large meeting room at ranch (Work team House)

bedroom at ranch (Work team House)

Seperate bathrooms at ranch (Work team House)

hallway at ranch (Work team House)

Mark and Steve checking out the roof at Fuinte de vida moravian church.

Fuinte de Vida

One idea for the school.

Upcoming Events

2009-01-27T17:41:00.004-05:00

Dear Readers,

I'm just writting a note to let you all know to be expecting a big blog next week and the week after.

Over the next two weeks we will be planning and preparing for the beginning of the building process of the actuall facility. This facility will serve two purposes here in Limon. It will be a Retreat/youth center space that can also be used as a Music School. In these two weeks we are also haveing a Choral Music Festival and performance. I will be constantly be takeing pictures so that you will be able to see some of the excitment I feel.

I am posting a few pictures of some planning for the next two weeks (over some shrimp.)

Tasty Shrimp

Mark and Steve at the Maribu

Me......

Mark Ebert

Planning the next coupple weeks.

I thank everyone who reads. I pray that somehow the things I write here make a difference in someones life. I also thank you for your continous prayers for me here...

Ephesians 6: 19-20

19Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

Little Trip to Manzanillo

2009-01-13T19:09:00.005-05:00

This is some pictues from my trip yesterday with the brothers from Germany.

Our two brothers from Germany and Ninfa and Fernando.

Me in the mirror.

Streets in Puerto Vijeo

Cahuita National Forest

Me in the forest.

We stoped on the side of the road. This is what it looks like.

NOW FOR SOME FRIENDS I MET ALONG THE WAY

After meeting my friends...

Ryan would be proud of this one.

Goodbye Carlos

2009-01-09T15:59:00.003-05:00

In Remembrance of Carlos

NEW YEAR

2009-01-06T12:23:00.002-05:00

Indeed!!!!!....what a great New Year we have here with us and there with you (as if it’s a person). I just hope that your New Year was full of meaning and renewed vigor for God and life. There are many things I would like to touch on this week including the New Year experience I had while I was here. It was true that they celebrate way more than the states. We look like a sparkler compared to the things they blow up. Also I want to give you the “Scoope” about Carlos and how he is fairing. I am extending an invitation to a party for everyone…Morgan Finally got her ticket to visit home. There are so many things I have to do in her absence which I will tell you all about. Also I wanted to let you know that getting internet in our house is not proving to be as tangible as we thought. We are not even sure if we could get it before our return to the states. So this means you can pretty much expect to hear from us just on Tuesdays.

So the New Year was as loud as they said it was going to be. We were both very cautious about leaving our house at 10:00pm with the prospect of returning after midnight. Especially since all the Taxi drivers would be inebriated by this point in the night. Although the guy that drove us down (one of Morgan’s acquaintances, who speaks English) assured us that he would return promptly at 12:15am and carry us back to our house. So we sat through a 30 minute song service where we sang a lot of hymns in the 300’s of the red Moravian Hymnal. At the end of the service we started our Watch Night Service. This service used a lot (if not all) of the same hymns as the song service. I just presumed that the song service was just practice for the real thing. In the Watch Night Service our message was delivered by the Rev Herta (Splinter) Downs. She was so consumed with having the service line up so much that she miss informed the congregation. At one point she looked down at her watch while still talking and erroneously said “Without him.......(looking at watch)…….You can do Anything.” The thing was that I believe the congregation must have been asleep or just not paying attention because no one reacted. But of course everyone said that she has had the same New Year’s message for the past 4 years. Well as we sang our last hymn, and my wrist beeped 12:00am the noises outside the church started to make it near impossible to hear the organ. Once the service ended we walked outside which sounded like some Great War zone, except with colored explosions. The taxi driver that promised he would pick us up never showed so we ended up walking back to our house in the war zone. Luckily Latoya and Cynthia walked with us back to our house as to prevent a greengo attack. There were so many people in the streets partying and drinking and dancing. It was a sight to behold. Once we reached the hill at the Coligo overlooking Limon…it seemed as if there was a dense fog set upon our small town. After I few moments I noticed a few church steeples permeating the fog. It made me think that when we are in conflict, if we put ourselves outside the situation it will be easier to focus on God and the solution” So I would say I had a great New Year…not mentioning the selected beverage I may or may not have had after Midnight. But overall being in a different culture for Christmas and New Year’s has been an eye opening experience.

Along with the New Year is a renewed Zeal for the mission. Awaiting our last trimester and planning for the future of this school is exciting. I hope that five years from now I will be able to return to Limon to see the progress that all started with Morgan and I. I am looking forward to meeting the Moravians from Germany that are coming here on the 8^th. We will be showing them the school and local churches and plans for the future...Very Exciting!!!! Also having had the opportunity to meet people from all over the world as a result of being here has been an incredible. During the period of the election and after the election, hearing their views and realizing how intricate a role the US played in the doings of the rest of the World. America really is a powerhouse that has to weigh every decision in the best interest of mankind and not just Americans. But meeting these people and being here has changed who I used to be to a more aware and useful member of society. Also for the people I reach years after this mission is over.

Moving on to talking about our smelly cat, and no I am not talking about the song from FRIENDS. As you may know (if you read my last post) our cat decided to go for a walk outside our gate last week. He had the pleasure of meeting a stray pack of dogs. This pack of dogs did not take too kindly to Carlos and his young eagerness to learn. However they did show him that going beyond the green gate was a NO-NO. So…after taking Carlos to the Vet which by the way was in the back of a pet store that had a Money Gram office in it…???? Anyways he seemed to be healing and getting better until we noticed that he had some pretty grotesque injuries starting to let out a smell that would make a weak stomach turn. After a few more days of rubbing an antibiotic cream on it and giving him a pill form antibiotic, we could not deal with the smell any longer. So Morgan put Carlos on the porch to air out which made sense to me. I woke up yesterday to find him missing. Morgan said that she found him in the yard Sunday morning and that he may have wandered off again. So late Monday night while I was taking out the trash Carlos came wandering back to the house. I immediately noticed that his abscess was fully open and needed tending. So Morgan took her cat on the porch and sprayed him down with Peroxide that she had put in a spray bottle. We will see how he is doing upon our return from Maribu. I hope that nothing happens to him while Morgan is gone to the states because I have neither means, nor know how to deal with cats.

So Morgan finally got her ticket of leave. Everyone is allowed to rejoice now. But you must be asking yourself “What is Roman going to do while she is away…how will he get by without her superior Spanish?” Don’t worry everyone, I will manage….Maybe now that she won’t be here it will force me to learn a few words….I know she will be proud upon her return. Maybe we will even only speak in Spanish to one another. Who knows? I do know of a few things I will be doing while she is away. I will be giving a few make up lessons from this previous semester. I will also be preparing for the Mini courses that will take place the last week of January. We will be having a Choral workshop here in Limon and a guitar Workshop in San Jose. Steven Gray will be joining us for the Choral workshop as well as helping Mark Ebert set into motion the plans for the actual facility. Joe Mixon will be leading the guitar workshop in San Jose. It is very exciting to think that our most successful trimester has yet to commence yet also somewhat sad to think that it will be our last. I feel comfort in knowing it will always be an option to come back on occasion to see how things progress. Well as for the time I am not planning or teaching I will probably be watching Stargate SG-1 on my laptop. If you have never seen it, it is a great series!!! I brought back all ten seasons with me so that I could once again watch the whole series. Since I have been back I have watched 3 seasons. Also if I get tired of Stargate (which won’t happen) I can look forward to traveling with Ninfa and her family to Panama City.

We will be leaving on the 12^th or 15^th of January and only going to stay for a few days. But still I am very excited about seeing the canal and doing a little bit of shopping. Ninfa tells me that everything there is much cheaper. A pair Nike would be like $10 where as in Limon it’s like 50,000 colones ($100.) So her and her family has group rates on a bus and accommodations down there and have invited me to go along. I won’t spend too much money because I still have bills to pay back home and as you know I am a missionary…which means I don’t have the means to buy a lot of frivolous things. Mainly taking pictures and maybe a new pair of shoes, but I guess I will cross that bridge when I come to it.

Well I hope everyone has a safe and productive week. I also want everyone to be reading their daily text. I left my 2008 one at home but now have a 2009. I take comfort in knowing that I am reading the same scriptures and hymns as friends and family back home. If you don’t have one, you can order one online at http://www.moravian.org/daily_texts/ . Thanks for reading and feel free to write me an e-mail bradymusic@gmail.com. I would love to hear from anyone and everyone.

You’re Missionary,

Roman Brady

2008-12-30T13:37:00.002-05:00

The view from Sally's front porch.

The Park at Christmas....same as always.

Mrs. Rev. Perdita opening her third gift in a game of dirty Santa

Monday night group playing UNO

Cynthia being normal...j/k

Hope Carlos gets better

Morgan in her Dirty Santa gift

Sister Sally's Christmas tree

Buenos Aires Christmas eve lovefeast

Potluck Christmas

2008-12-30T13:34:00.001-05:00

I hope and pray that everyone had a great Christmas and will have a Blessed new year. I want to share a few things with you today including what it is like to be in a different country at Christmas time. I also want to tell you about a Christmas commercial I have seen on TV here in Limon. After that I have some bad news about our cat Carlos. Then I will share what the New Year for Costa Ricans will be like.

Boo…Booo…Boooommmmm!!!! Is what we hear the few days before Christmas. The people of Limon use fireworks to share their enthusiasm for the holidays. As well as decorating the outside of their houses with as many lights as they can afford to put up. On Christmas Morgan went to faith Moravian and I went to Buenos Aires. Mrs. Rev. Perdita asked me to sing a song for the service in which I used as an example during my lesson with her one day “Mary Did You Know?” So I said I would sing it. Little did I know that by my agreeing to sing this song they wanted me to play for service as well. So I played almost every Christmas song in the Red Moravian Hymnal. Messing up quite a bit because I did not know I was going to play so everything was sight reading. Buenos Aries (or Fuenta De Vita) did their service a little different from the Moravian Churches in the states. We had what seemed like a song service with scriptures in between congregational singing. Then they passed out candles to everyone and cut the lights off as we sang two more hymns. After these hymns they passed out hot chocolate (which I waited till it was cool as not to make me sweat more than I was already) and a Bun with Raisins in it.

On Christmas Morning sister Sally’s husband, Crosby, came to pick up me and Morgan for Christmas lunch with their family. Upon arriving we walked from Sally’s to a meeting house that belongs to Crosby’s mother. It sleeps 12 or 13, has a washer and dryer, and separate bathrooms for the guys and ladies. Along with a moderate kitchen and a huge meeting/dining room, this space is great for work teams and small retreats for the area. All the family members brought something different for the feast. So it was like a potluck Christmas. The whole family took us in and made us feel welcome. After the blessing we all dove in and had too much to eat, as usual for the few and fortunate here. As soon as everyone was well satisfied we all migrated to the huge covered porch that sat around 30 of the present family members. This is where Morgan and I played Christmas Carols on guitar and violin. We sang and clapped and a few even danced, all while Santa was getting ready to make his début. Santa came all the way from Kenya (what he said) and was very happy to stop in Limon for Christmas Lunch. He sat in the middle of the porch and called the kids one by one and gave them a gift then he said that someone in the states had requested him to bring something for Roman and Morgan…which was a welcomed surprise to us. Although we were very grateful for the presents Morgan’s family sent for us. There is nothing quite like receiving something when you were not expecting anything. After Santa had left we all went inside and shared a toast while being reminded of the seven principals of Kwanza. Truly an amazing experience being a minority here in Limon and learning and experiencing things I may not have otherwise. Also getting to see things people in the states do not.

Let me give you a little reality about living here in Costa Rica. The poverty level is so bad that people are constantly asking for help on the streets, either for food or for medical support. It is very hard for anyone with ANY kind of disability to get a job here so these people resort to other methods of procuring food for them and their families. So these people either take the easy way out or they do the small things that other people don’t want to do. One way for someone to make enough for a meal or medicine is to help people with their bags to their car or groceries to the taxi, or even hailing you a taxi. For this small service they expect something in return. These people are called “porteros” which is doormen.

One of the commercials I have seen this holiday season was of a young boy (12 or so) and his mother who were bundled up in their warm coats walking into a store to get out of the cold as well as do some Christmas shopping. As they walk in the boy and his mother notice this doorman wearing a t-shirt and pants, they then notice a nice coat in the store window. After watching the two make a few purchases including the coat and seeing the doorman’s face as they buy the coat I was positive that they had purchased to coat for the doorman (as was the doorman.) After stepping outside the mother and son hand the presents to the doorman who then starts to walk away as the mother says “the car is this way.” Upon placing the gifts in the back of the car she gives him 500colones which is about one dollar. She thanks him and then drives off. The man looks so disappointed and let down but goes back to the door waiting on his next tip. This made me feel very bad. Being a missionary here in Limon I often find myself not allowing these people to help me because I feel that I am young and able to do for myself so I refuse the service of these poor gentlemen. Now I realize that by allowing them to help me and giving them a little more than they typically expect I have increased their value of life by a small fraction but increased it all the same. What can we do for the suffering among us????

Now about Carlos. Two days ago he ventured outside the front gate which Morgan and I have constantly tried to prevent, but it is hard to watch him at all times. He got into a skirmish with three stray dogs. Morgan was still at work…so when the child across the street came to my gate asking questions the only words I understood was mal=bad and gato=cat…so I started to search for Carlos but could not find him. I then went outside and the child led me to wear a woman was trying to give Carlos some water. I noticed he was badly hurt and scared so I cared him back to the apartment and tried to make him as comfortable as possible. I called Sister Sally who told me that there were no vets open because of the holiday. So Monday (yesterday) we took him down to a vet in town which showed us that the dog really got him on the rear end. So we got some antibiotic cream and some pills for him. Although Carlos is slowly starting to walk again but he can only eat soft food. Last night he kept trying to jump up on the chair but can’t because his back legs are still not working as they used to. We will keep a watchful eye on him and keep you all informed on Carlos situation. Just keep praying for him and us.

Lastly I wanted to share with you what the New Year experience is expected to be like here. I will be attending a watch night song service from 10:00pm until 12:00am. From their Morgan and I are invited to go with Ninfa to a party that will last until the sun comes up on the first day of the New Year. This experience will be unlike any New Year I have experienced. I will let you all know what happens.

Hoping to post again soon. Until then…I am wishing you all a blessed new year. (Don’t forget to eat your new year’s meal.)

You’re Missionary,

Roman Brady

Celebration of life on my 24th Birthday

2008-12-16T19:18:00.000-05:00

Over the past twenty four years I have had many hard experiences. More than most people will ever know. But it is these experiences that make me who I am today.

Coming to Puerto Limon has been an adventure to say the least. After everything that has happened in the past five months it was very nice and reassuring to see so many people come out and support me on my birthday. God really showed his face at my surprise birthday party.

At 12:00am on Sunday Morgan gave me a decoy birthday card, with saying “I wish I could have gotten you something” the whole time planning this surprise for me. I woke up Sunday morning to Sam and Leo singing me happy birthday for which I repaid them with making bacon and eggs that were very tasty. I then went to church at Buenos Aires, where I sat in for Mrs. Vivian at the piano, who has been ill for the past two months. Upon first arriving the congregation sang me happy birthday and presented me with a gift.

The sermon was the story of the Eager Heart which I will tell for you here:

In a small kingdom of about 10, 000 people or so, a 15 year old girl Arial who had recently became an orphan at the beginning of December. She was not sure how she was going to survive after what her parents had left her was gone. But while still living in the house of her parents she heard that the king was going to ask to lodge in someone’s home for Christmas Eve. To whom ever let him enter would be bestowed a gift of great value. Arial saw this as an opportunity to secure her future so she immediately started cleaning up and setting the house for the king. On Christmas Eve Areal was ready to prepare a feast if the King was to come to her door. All of the sudden there was a knock at the door and Arial’s heart leapt for joy. When she opened the door she was disappointed to find a beggar and his daughter. But after noticing the little girl was very cold and the beggar’s cloak had many holes she decided that these two strangers were in a greater need than the king. So she set her own dreams and aspirations aside to care for the ones who had only each other. She led them in and wrapped them in blankets and set them by the fire. After making sure that they were warm, Arial started to prepare a feast fit for a king. She held nothing back. Arial wanted to make sure that these strangers felt at home, at least for one night. So the three lowly and humble people shared a great meal and many stories before dozing off by the fire. The next day she heard a knock on the door. When she opened the door she was not disappointed, but confused. There were hundreds of people packing the little street in front of the one bedroom home. They said “The King is here!.” Arial fervently started to look into the crowd searching for the king, when she noticed all the people staring at her. She said “here?” and looked inside at the beggar who had taken his cloak off to reveal that he was the king. Areal wept as the king thanked her for her hospitality and helped her into the carriage that would take them to the castle.

After this story I was glad to be celebrating a 24^th year, and hope that along my journey I can share with friends and family these kinds of experiences for many more years to come.

After church Ninfa and Fernando fixed me lunch and then Fernando and I shared a taxi to my house. We then had a great guitar lesson using a classical guitar book I brought back from the states. It turned out very well. Then Sam and I came to MaribueCaribe to use the internet. After leaving from here was when the real fun began.

At 7:00pm we were ready to go get Morgan from work and go out to dinner for my birthday. Upon arriving to get Morgan, Sam told me that he dropped Morgan off about twenty minutes late so she might have to work twenty minutes over. After Morgan finally came to the car we talked about the choice of the restaurant we left to go to El Fagoun which was in Moin (a fifteen minute drive from our house.) After getting there Sam realized that he maybe did not remember where it was. So he realized that he did not have his wallet with him so he would have to go back to the house and get a credit card. So upon our return he said that I needed to come see what the cat had gotten into. So I ran upstairs and “SURPRISE!!!!”

There were about twenty people altogether at the party and we shared in great food, great fellowship and great music. You should check out Morgan’s blog….she has got some pictures posted from the party. http://antiochprojectcostarica.blogspot.com/ also some pictures of our house in the season.

I really Thank God for the opportunity to come and make new friends here in Limon. It just so happens I get to teach music too. Praise God from whom all Blessings flow. Praise Him all creatures here below. Praise Him above ye heavenly host. PRAISE Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, AMEN.

Pictures from this weekend

2008-12-16T18:41:00.002-05:00

12:00am on my Birthday

My House all Decked out

God Poking through the sky.

Ninfa and the Christmas tree

Great group of Friends who happen to be the EMA Board

Group of students waiting for their lessons. (My Christmas present from my parents is the chess board. This is the first time they have ever played)

The View from my Window at night time.

The Bishop (who owes me a steak), Morgan, and I

My Cake (Thanks Majorie)

A Suprise Birthday party...

Thanksgiving Break

2008-12-09T17:34:00.003-05:00

Sorry I have not posted in a few weeks. I got to go home to NC to see my friends and family for thanksgiving. I had a great trip but have quickly returned to resume my work. Last night we met for our Monday night fellowship. I did not realize it was our turn to cook again so a few hours before we were supposed to eat we ran to the local Wall*Mart affiliate "Maxi-Bodega" and picked up a few things for dinner. We decided that making hamburgers would be simple and quick. So we had hamburgers and potato chips. We talked and talked; I shared stories of my trip home, and played with Morgan’s new laptop. After the meal I sat on the front porch talking to Marjorie about relationships and the want and desire to be with someone in a relationship...more importantly, married. She is 36 and is ready to find a man. There is only one thing that she feels is preventing her from finding someone. She wants to serve the Lord however she can. I told her that through her service to the Lord he will provide what she needs. Here in Costa Rica, the churches do not have many male members. Most men in Costa Rica are of the world and not of the spirit. Which makes it very hard for someone like Marjorie, or anyone, to find someone that is on the right path, or at least will not prevent them from continuing their walk with the Lord. I myself have always wanted to get married at by the age of 23 but we see that has not happened. While I was in college we had a Bible study that talked about being content with our relationships. Although I know it is hard I know that God will provide the right person at the right time. Well pray for Marjorie and myself (and all the other single people you know) that we may find peace with our single life...until God provides us with a great person to share our lives with. Will post again soon letting you know about my trip and what the future of the School of Music Holds for Puerto Limon, Costa Rica. We will be meeting with the Board and the Bishop Gray on Saturday and will let you know how things roll after that. May God Bless you All.....Peace of Christ be with you Brothers and Sisters.

2008-11-11T15:11:00.004-05:00

Dear Friends,

So we all know that we have classes on Wednesday and Friday. But with this group they seemed to have a lot of questions...so we started a Monday night fellowhip group. Each week we start out the evening with dinner, to which a different pair of people cook each week. After the meal and some fellowship we then answer questions about the music and music theory. This is really something that has made me aware that I'm not only here for God and the music, but for the people who don't really want the music but the friendship. I feel that this fellowship is just as imortant as the music classes. Although teaching the classes only take a fraction of the time I spend here....it is the time I most treasure. The following are soem pictures of me teaching and of a few students as well as some other things.

Me writing a speach.

Mirium....loco kid....but funny.

teaching Piano lessons

Childrens Class and the Piano's they made.

Brother Leo Pixley Teaching Music Theory

Teaching Music Theory

Carlos

Me and Carlos.

Me!!!!! (no facial hair)

2008-11-04T19:47:00.001-05:00

October 28th 2008 11:15pm

Tuesday morning we wake up to a cool rain and hope that the day will brighten up. We call taxi dispatch to get a cab from our house to our favorite internet hole at MaribuCaribe, to which now we can not recall the number of our morning taxi which is OH SOO important. After locking the gate and asking Morgan if she had her keys she said “No, you have yours.” When she said that I had a thought “what if I lost my keys”, but I did not say anything because it has been so long since I have lost my keys. So we got to MaribuCaribe and had a great pot of coffee because there was a nice breeze with the rain which made it cooler than normal. I then had a great swim in the rain while many thoughts were swirling through my head, but not the fact that the keys to my house are not in my pocket. After a good soaking I got out and ordered some paticones (fried plantain) and some Coca-Cola, surfed the internet some more and then after writing a great blog entry we ordered dinner. After eating we proceeded to chat with our United States contact, the Bishop Sam Gray to talk about some aspects of our mission that needed to be defined. We conversed for a good hour and a half or two and then proceeded to cancel our reservation for next Tuesday at MaribuCaribe. We had planned on staying here so that we could watch Election night in America on CNN. But since we recently got cable we no longer needed to spend the night out, or use the extra money that we really don’t have any way. We then called a taxi for the ride home. Once at the gate of our home I went to get my keys out to find an empty pocket. I then searched my bag and searched the seat in the taxi. I then remembered our first cab ride where I felt the change in my pocket slipping out. As I pushed the money back in I thought “My keys are in this pocket, I need to make sure they don’t fall out”. I had no Idea that they had indeed already fallen out.

In the end we ended up staying a night out anyways, and don’t have any way to pay for it unless we can get back into our house. Also Morgan’s cell phone is dead, we don’t have any money, no ID and no Idea how we are going to get back into our house, because the phone book in this room is for San Jose. Which is where all the locksmiths seem to be.

Tomorrow morning we are going to wake up and try to figure this out but as of right now we are focusing on the fact that we had a great day at MaribuCaribe, and that we are both still alive and well.

November 4th 2008 6:41pm

So this is what happened afterwards. I woke up in the morning and called our Bishop Sam Gray again and told him the story of our predicament. He then called Brother Reverend Alan who then called our landlords daughter who then called her daughter to go to the house and use the spare key to open our gate. So we then took a taxi from here to the house, opened the gate got Morgan’s set of keys, put some food in the starving cats dish, grabbed some money, got back in the cab, went back to MaribuCaribe, paid the bill for the night, back to the cab and back to the house. Craziness’!!!!

All the while in my mind I am thanking God that everything happened so smoothly. We are very grateful for his watchful eye upon us.

Memories

2008-10-28T19:17:00.008-04:00

The roommate

My loving Grandma

Kevins Embrace....Josh??? Christmas Eve.

Moravian Star. YAY!!!

Pepaw and Memaw.....and K-K

Young K-K

Young Ryan

Easter band in Salem Square, Old Salem.

Mommy and Daddy. Love you guys!!!!!

Grandpa Tim

Cousin Joey and son Ryder

Grandma Gwin.

Mom at the Mall in Alabama.

Adams Wedding.

Mom and Dad playing Skee-ball at Myrtle Beach.

Mike, Ann and I o a secret mission.

Little brothers. Miss ya guys.

M-STAFF!!!!! great times. the last real Staff picture!

"Priceless"

Dear readers, Just thought I would thank you all for your thoughts and prayers since Morgan and I have begun our ministry here in Puerto Limon Costa Rica. We are truly amazed at how well things have leveled out since our incident. Although we are not totally back to where we were, we are optimistic. Our second semester is proving to be filled with students that are eager to learn, more punctual, and though we have less numbers we hope this serves as the true beginning of Escuela de Muisca y el Banza (school of music and adoration.) We feel this so because once your current students take it seriously then the ones that come after will have a prerequisite of seriousness. Although we have been slightly discouraged by the lack of some communication, we are keeping our focal point on God and Music. Sometimes we feel as if it's just the two of us and God. While awaiting to here from the United States we have been (along with teaching) providing music for a few special love feast and Sunday morning services which have really proved that we are touching the community in a way that is bigger than the two of us, through our gift of music. Throughout our mission here we have devoted time to our music as well as the cultivation of musical gifts from the people in the churches here in Limon. In our downtime we read, watch movies on my laptop, and now we have cable so we can watch CNN and a few other English channels. But most of all we have time; time to converse with God, time to practice our instruments, time to learn, as well as time to think. As I said in a previous post:

“….I often wish I could just fill a tank with the memories which I am so fond of, and just swim in the ones I love just to try to forget the ones I never wanted in the first place. But I guess knowing the difference between the two is what gives us hope in times of despair. Know that though I am so far away ya’ll are keeping me afloat whether you know it or not…..”

Sep 10th 2008

That being said….I think a lot on my recent days at Western Carolina University and the friends that are still there. I reverie the days I spent at Laurel Ridge Moravian Camp, Conference, and Retreat Center and the friends I have met there. I am very much looking forward to my next stay on the Mountain. I also think about my family and friends back in Winston-Salem and close proximity. I often dive into my hard drive and reminisce on the faces and places lost in the photos of the years gone by. But these pictures let me know how good it can be, and so I look forward to coming back on November the 19th 2008 for The App vs. Western game, Thanksgiving, and a Mission summit in Wisconsin. Then my return home May 6th 2008. Until then I will continue to view the photos and remember the past, take pictures and live in the present, and look forward to the future Kodak moments waiting to be had.

(336)793-0014 My Skype Number

2008-10-14T19:39:00.003-04:00

Dear Readers, Since our delightful trip to Bocas del Toro we have been busy with preparation for the second semester. Although on Monday night of last week Cherri (Our registrar) told us that we only had one new person register which was a guy from Honduras. This new information made us feel as if we have been unsuccessful. Once conducting the mandatory meeting for all students on Wednesday night we found ourselves surrounded by twenty or so people. This was reassuring that not all was lost. Friday night was our first real day of classes, which for me was great because many of the students were getting the information on the first night. Although two of them took Morgan’s class last semester, but did not feel comfortable moving on. Plus four others who seemed to be following along quit well. I asked how devoted they were to learning music with the question "how much time are you willing to spend on homework?" They all said about an hour or slightly more. This was overwhelming because I was expecting them to say thirty minutes or less. Friday was a great affirmation in my discerning the call of God to this place. Saturday morning we had the children. We decided to gear this semester around Christmas and Christmas music, so the Children and some of the adults are going to put on a Christmas play. The one and the only, original "Christmas Story." So over the rest of the weekend and Monday we worked on picking out music and assigning parts. I also took this time to design and create worksheets for my adult theory classes as well as do a large load of laundry (by hand, always fun.) Tomorrow we will head into town and make copies of all the worksheets and papers for class. As well as prepare ourselves for the next week of class. Just a note. I often find myself thinking and dreaming of the few days I will get to spend in North Carolina over the course of the Thanksgiving holiday. I can’t wait to be around my family and friends once again. I love and Miss you ALL!!!!

2008-10-07T15:57:00.003-04:00

Morgan Lauren Gen Roman

Dear Friends, Well, I guess I’ll start where I left off on the last post. We were just about to leave to board the boat from Bocas to Changanola. Once I had posted my blog I headed for the boat dock with Morgan by my side, or me by hers….we can never figure it out. Anyways once we were on the packed to the max boat taxi I introduced myself to the young women next to me and continued to make conversation with her because she intrigued me. Her name was Lauren and her male companion was a Chinese guy by the name of Gen. Both where from the greater Boston area. They both have worked at their local YMCA summer camp for the past several years which was one of the coolest things about them. Which if you don’t know me well, I have worked at Laurel Ridge Moravian Camp, Conference, and Retreat Center (you should look it up if you don’t know it) for the past three summers. I have worked as regular staff, co-manager, and program coordinator which is what Gen has served as for the past couple of years at his camp. As well as working to get the camps ACA accreditation material in order for incorporating all the new standards before re-inspection. This same ACA stuff is what I worked on during my summer as program coordinator, which was the summer we were accredited. Small world that two camp people from Boston would find two camp people from North Carolina in Panama!!! After an amazing boat ride through the smaller but beautiful canals getting to Changanola, and after more conversation with the two young travelers we found out that they would be passing right through Limon. We told them that they could just hang with us until they get to Limon. So after our boat docked in what looked like a swamp full of water plants that looked like hippo ears with purple flowers coming out of some of them, we proceeded to a van taxi. The four of us along with another American, who has been traveling for the past seven months just trying his hand at spending money I guess, and five other passengers made our way from the dock to the boarder at Sixaola. Once we were there we stood in line for about thirty minutes behind many other foreigners just to get our passports stamped. Yay…now I’m good for another 90 days. After getting the stamp we proceeded across the spotty bridge that connected Panama to Sixaola. This bridge used to be a train bridge, but the train has not run for a longtime. So some bright person decided to throw some (2’ x 6’ x 12’)s down on the ties to make it passable for semi-trucks. Trust me it does not look very safe…even though the trucks make it across just fine. On the other side we waited for the bus to arrive by getting a nice, cool and refreshing COCA-COLA. Man it was good!!!!! While we were waiting Morgan noticed a young black guy making eyes at us which made her very nervous. We sat in nervous waiting for only about five minutes before the bus finally came. Once we crossed into the boarder we realized that Lauren and Gem had no Colones, which is the form of currency they use here in Costa Rica. So we happily helped them and assured them that we would help them along. With all the time we spent waiting to get our Passport stamped with a new Visa, and waiting for the taxi and the bus, we realized that there was very little chance that our two newfound friends would make it to Tortugero by nightfall. If you don’t know, it is no fun traveling in the dark. Nor is it very safe. So we told them about the few nice places that we knew about here in Limon…then realizing that we have an extra room with an unoccupied full sized bed in it to which we then offered it to them for free. Of course….who does not like free???? They were very thankful to have met such a nice pair of missionaries along their journey. Once back in Limon we went and dropped off our large tourist backpacks at our house. We then went into town to grab a bite to eat. There is only one place in Limon where American can get a taste of home, Pizza Hut. After we told Lauren and Gem that we had a Pizza Hut there were no other options. Once the bill came Gem just laid down his card and paid for everyone’s meal. Then they said “it is the least we can do. Ya’ll have been so amazing” or something like that….so after we were finished stuffing our faces we made our way to use the pool at MaribuCaribe. After swinging by the house to get the laptop we got to Maribu and spent no time before jumping right in the chilly water that gave a welcomed shiver down my back because we had been traveling all day in hot weather. After letting them check their e-mail and letting them call home on our skype phone we just chilled. Morgan and Lauren chatted as Gem and I talked for about an hour and a half. This was a much welcomed talk with someone of the same sex. There are just things that you can say hanging out with the guys, that you should not say in front of the ladies. After heading back to the house and getting something of a good night’s sleep, we woke up at 8:30am and headed down to Limon center so that Lauren and Gem could get some Costa Rican money from the ATM. Then it was over to the bus terminal to see our Journey made friends off to their next destination. We gave them out e-mail and blog addresses, as well as directions back to our house if they should happen to need a place to come back to. I pray that God keep them safe on the rest of their trip!!! Since then we have cashed our checks and paid off our fridge and stove as well as bought some groceries and decided that we need to buy a TV and get cable by next week so that we can keep up with America and the Election, as well as the turmoil our country is currently facing. Below this post are some of the pictures from our most recent adventure to Bocas Del Toro. Hope you all enjoy. May the Peace of Christ be with all of you my Brothers and Sisters!

2008-10-07T13:17:00.005-04:00

Well...this is sadly the only picture I currently have of the chipmunk...sorry guys I will try to take more once I have my new Camera

This is one of the many hotels in Bocas del Toro, many of which are on the water.

Dolphins in Dolphin bay

A Great picture....lol

Me trying my fin at snorkeling.

I saw jelly fish, sand sharks, and large angle fish. It was amazing

The resturant on the water. You can only get to it by boat.

Thinking............

No caption needed.

Life on Red Frog Beach

Beach of the Thieves.

Walking through the Jungle to get back to the Boat from Red Frog Beach

Bocas del Drago...look at the boat in the background. Nice!

Chilling in the Hammock.

Morgan and I walking through the jungle

Our New Kitten. George Michael.

Second day in Bocas

2008-10-03T10:47:00.002-04:00

Hello------------------------------Well, after waking on the second day here in Bocas Del Toro, Panama. We ate a small breakfast then continued back to our hotel where there was a taxi waiting to take us to our destination of the day, Boca Del Drago (plya = beach.) Our forty minute taxi ride was a little unsettling because the guy did not speak any English and we were told we were going to a beach. This one lane, mostly dirt, road was very bumpy and did not show many signs that we were heading to a beach. The thoughts that crossed my mind during the trip was (the movie hostel) that he could be taking us anywhere, but I was just paranoid. We eventually arrived at the beach where Morgan and I were the only two tourist there. It was very secluded and away from the other hustle and bustle of the island. We got a chance to relax in the hammocks and enjoy the views. Once a boat showed up with more tourist we bummed two snorkel sets off the boat driver for $3.00. While snorkeling we saw a Small stingray as well as many colorful fish, in the meantime a handful of tourist arrived which keep the only restaurant steady as well as a few purchasers at the only gift hut. We asked the taxi driver to come back to the beach at 2:00pm to pick us up and to where we made our way back to the hotel for showers and power naps. This nap proved to be uncomfortable as I had gotten some sun on the previous day and the air condition was cut off for the afternoon (only works in the evenings.) After waking we went to a local restaurant right on the water and had a Mexican burger...Mmmmmm good. As we sat there eating a Storm started to roll in and we could see its every move which was amazing. I love thunder storms. Once again getting back to the hotel be proceeded to turn the TV back on which has stayed on CNN the entire duration of our trip. ---------------------------We got the chance to watch Sarah Palin and Joe Biden square off at Washington University. I believe that being in a different country at this critical point in American history gives us an many advantages and disadvantages. The disadvantage of not being able to vote our mind because to have an absentee ballet outside the US has been said is too much paperwork, and would prove frivolous. As well as not being in the country if something were to happen to the AIR industry (financial) and them not being able to provide services because of the financial binds to which every American is feeling. One more disadvantage is that we see how the American economy effects the worlds economy through the Latin American countries as well as having to deal with the fact that we are Americans living abroad during these astronomical changes in our World and Government as we know/knew it. The few advantages we have is that we do get the outsider view, having this view and then coming back to the United States of America I will know how important it is to be financially secure and live within my means. After a year of living here for the Lord, he has shown me that I can get by with very little, everything else was just wants and desires that in the grand schema of things are NOT necessity, yet temptations to go further into debt. Also an advantage of being here is that I know how much I will make this year and that will not change based on what Washington does. Though very little it may be, I get by and know that I will be OK until August 2009. One more pro from being here is that I will have a world view that our Republican VP pick may not have. Well with what ever happens in the United States while we are gone I hope that It will bring back the Pride and the feelings that we once felt in America. In the past decade I feel that in the Phrase ¨Proud to be an American¨, ¨American¨ has been gone down in value just like the value of the dollar. If we as a country can regain what it means to be a free country and give more power to the people then the value of ¨being an American¨will grow as well as our since of pride, maybe even the value of the dollar as well. ------------------------Moving on from this....we are about to board a boat to Changinola to which we will then go to the boarder of Costa Rica @ Sixaola. Then take a MEP bus which will take us right into Limon Center. After that we plan on picking up a few groceries and then heading back to the ¨Hatch¨(see LOST second season). Hopefully we will be able to make it to MaribuCaribe for some Internet on Monday or Tuesday (or Both). That is when I will be able to post some of the Glamor Shots that we have taken on our expedition to Bocas del Toro. LOVE AND MISS YOUALLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!! Your Missionary ROMAN DANIEL BRADY

Bocas Del Toro

2008-10-01T22:29:00.000-04:00

Hey, I am in Bocas del toro. Which is an Island in the country of panama. We arrived yesterday after leaving the hotel Dunn Inn in San Jose at 5:30am to catch a bus at 6:00am at the bus terminal. It was a six hour bus ride from San Jose to Sixaola which is right on the Panimanium border. We then got the correct documentation to exit the country, including a call to the US Embassy because my bread new passport had no stamps in it. They then verified the day I came into the country as well as the previous passport number. Once we were allowed to cross the border in to Panama we crossed the half mile bridge that linked Sixaola and Panama. This bridge used to be used as a railway bridge and is now covered with spotty boards and half way falling down fences on the side. It was an experience. Once in Panama we grabbed a taxi, better yet a taxi grabbed us, and for ten dollars (per person) we got from the boarder to the Panga (small boat) that would take us to the Island of Bocas del Toro. In the taxi (van) ride we met three American guys and four German girls, and exchanged interesting conversation. One of the guys was a missionary in San Jose teaching music to youth, who was showing his friends who came to visit the country to which he had lived since last year. Then one to the boat dock we waited for an hour and then finally got to leave for Bocas. Once we got to Bocas del toro we found our hotel which was a God send. A little bit about this. Once we got to the hotel on Sunday for the Bible competition (see previous post) we looked up this tour company which we had previously thought about using. There price was $112 for each person. This included three days / two nights in Bocas. Stay at Costa Suites (not too bad, better than Breakwater Inn) for two nights, as well as breakfast both days and tours both days we are here. Today we woke up at 8:00am and ate breakfast and got ready for our first day of action. We left the dock at 9:35am (the guys from the bus ride and taxi ride also took this tour) and went out into the bay to watch / follow the dolphins. Then we moved onto this place where we got a chance to do some snorkeling for about an hour. There were Jelly fish as well as two sand sharks. We also saw angle fish that were almost two feet from fin to fin. Then we went to a restaurant only access able by boat where we hada fabulous lunch (Shrimp and Chicken.) We then went to Red Frog Beach where we got to chill by the ocean side and have a Coke and just take in the very ¡beautiful scenery. (Will post pictures later) Then from there we went to snorkel again but there were to many jellyfish for me to stay in the water to long. I did not want to take the chance of running into one. Once we were back to the Island we took showers and headed off to dinner, A Peruvian restaurant. Again I had chicken and Shrimp`...better there than I had at lunch. Now I'm here reading my Email and typing a blog. We are also hoping to visit the Smithsonian Science/Marine Biology Center here on the island. But for now, we are having a great time as well as meeting people from all over the world and chatting about where they are from and how their vacations are going as well as the topic of the US going stupid with this Bailout plan.....who knows. We will be back in Limon on Saturday and be able to write again then. Who knows maybe tomorrow as well. Love everyone and May the Love of Christ be with you ALL!!!!

Going to Bocas

2008-09-29T22:16:00.002-04:00

Hello Pals out in internet land, I am typing to let you know that today has been a very succesful day. Sunday we left Puerto Limon at 5:00am to arrive in San Jose at 8:30am. We came to the much cooler city for a Bible competition between the four Moravian Churchs here in Costa Rica. This competition was to encourage the children to get excited about the word of God. The Competition included Bible phrases, finding scripture the fastest, singing, musical instrument, and chereography to a religious song. With all of these catagories were awarded spacific amounts of points based on how well each church did. Each church had five participants which were observed by five judges. The judges were Sister Sandra, Brother Pixley, Brother Downs, Morgan and myself. Once the competition was over we came to the Dunn Inn (funny name, but it's a nice hotel) to relax where we took the opportunity to get some Papa John's Pizza (love you DAD) It was good stuff!!! While we ate we watched an amazing documentary on Mother Teresa. With footage from her funeral and the world in grief after her death. The commentary she gave was very insightful. I can't even remember the number of times the word "LOVE", and "UNITY" came out of her mouth during the film. Just a film that makes you think. Then this morning we Woke to go to the US Embasy to pick up my new passport. I can gladly say that I once again feel like a US Citizan. Although with the biggest crash in the Dow Jones history and the loss of over one trillion dollars...I feel that America is on the road to recovery and will maybe one day soon be the best Nation in the world again. After picking that up we went to the bank to cash our check so that we can finally pay for things. Including our trip to renew our Visas in Bocas del Toro. Which we will leave tomorrow morning on the 6:00am bus to Sixaolo. Once we get back to Limon we will both post novels on here so you will have plenty to read as well as many lovly pictures from our trip to look at. Well....Love and Miss everyone.

Safe and Sound

2008-09-16T12:39:00.003-04:00

Dear Friends, On Saturday we left our fantasy at Maribue Caribe and moved to our house on the hill. We got to the house and realized that all of the people that we needed to help us were in San Jose for a ministers meeting. So we called sister Sally, to which she called us a number for a truck driver. Also the man that lives downstairs was going to call us a truck driver, and it just so happened that the guy with the truck was the one they both were trying to contact. Funny! So Morgan and I were waiting for the truck driver to show up, and when he did we both were laughing because it was an old school Nissan manual. No bigger than my old beat-up red 86 Nissan. So Morgan, the truck driver (pickup...lol), and I rode very closely to the old house in Corales3. Once we were there we immediately went to work packing up everything that we had purchased for the house; two beds and bed frames, a fridge, stove, microwave, plates and pans. After packing it all in, the truck looked like a who from Whoville carrying all of their Christmas packages. So we carefully took the truck at three miles an hour to our new home and after we took everything up the stairwell (my calves hurt) we went to the school and took all the keyboards and guitars and teaching supplies back to our house so now we can teach and live in the same building. GREAT!!! After all of the trudging around and lifting furniture and moving things...the sweat ring on the front of my shirt said it all...I was tired on that Saturday evening. So after putting everything away I proceeded to take a shower and sit down to read some more of the Bourne Betrayal to which I finished last night (early this morning). It is a great book for anyone who liked the Bourne movies. Now that we are safe we will resume class tomorrow. Hopefully that all the students get the message that the school has moved. Morgan and I have to share now, I am sharing my laptop, she is sharing her camera, we hope to write more often so that we can go to the internet café and post blogs with pictures. Well I will let you all know how it goes. Thanks for reading. Love and miss everyone back home. You’re Missionary, Roman Daniel Brady

Hey

2008-09-11T20:41:00.003-04:00

ByTheWay.......Happy Flag Day. I pray for our country on this day of remembrance.

With the Bishop

2008-09-11T19:49:00.006-04:00

Dear Friends, I am writting to tell you how the meeting went yesterday and what we have decided to do. We met at 3:45 which started out by us going around the table and telling the impacts we have already felt as a direct result of school. We then got into a discussion about the comunication (or lack there of) of the members of the board of the school of music here. We also mentioned that Morgan and I both want the Music school to be a succes, but not at the cost of our saftey. We then talked about our options with housing. 1) we live in the school where we currently teach 2) there is an apartment down the street from the school that is small but could be suitable. 3) we could teach out of a home that has five bedrooms, three bathrooms, a laundry room, a TV room, a clothes dryer (which is a room with direct sunlight and lines strung throughout the room), as well as a kitchen and living room. This flat is owned by two parishioners who live downstaires in a flat the same size. But they also own the masion next door (send pictures later). So needless to say that we took the third choice. This means we can teach the classes in our home and not have to carry anything valvuable outside. Also we will know that all the music instruments will be safe and this opens a place for the missionary coming down in February (Zach Dease) to stay. Overall we feel that this was the best option. We will start moving in on Saturday and resume class on Wednesday. This means we will have to leave the comforts of our poolside paradise which has been so nice and comforting after such an event as this. As of right now....we are in San Jose tonight so that we can arrive at the embassy early tomorrow morning in the hopes that we can replace my passport and visa in one day. Then we will return back to MaribueCaribe for our last night stay in tourist island. The car ride to San Jose was amazing. An experience that, by bus, is not very fulfilling. As we drove I got to take in many views; the rainforest which look like the appalachin mountains, but taller and covered with jungle instead of pines. The feilds upon feilds of bannana trees which remind me of driving through Kernersville when I was younger and seeing all the tobacco plants, but times 10. I saw many people on the side of the road selling fruits and veggies which made me think. These people (the kids most of all) have it way harder than I ever did. My parents did right by giving me the esentials as they could offord (and even when they couldn't). They did with out so that we could be comfortable. I am so thankful for parents like mine. Well after we get all setteled in, I will post and let you see the new house. . . of course since I no longer have a camera. I will have to ask Morgan to borrow hers. If anyone still wants to donate money then you can send a check made out to the Board of World Mission with Antioch in the memo line. Attached by a piece of paper stating that the donation is for Roman Brady. Send To Board of World Mission 500 South Church Street Winston-Salem, NC 27101 Any help would be great. For those of you who have already givin....thanks for everything.

2008-09-10T04:06:00.001-04:00

Dear EVERYONE, I cant tell you how much your prayers mean to me. I love and Miss everyone soooo much. I often wish I could just fill a tank with the memories which I am so fond of, and just swim in the ones I love just to try to forget the ones I never wanted in the first place. But I guess knowing the difference between the two is what gives us hope in times of despair. Know that though I am so far away yall are keeping me afloat whether you know it or not. Thanks for everything.

Prayer

2008-09-07T19:19:00.002-04:00

Dear Readers, Just figured I would write to let you all know that yesterday morning at 8:25am Morgan and I were leaving our new living space to make our way to the bus stop for a long day of teaching down at the school. After we locked the gate and stopped to talk to our neighbor for a second, two men came up behind us with a gun and just proceded to take the bags we were carrying right off our bodies. While calmly pointing the gun at us and not saying a word, took our bags and walked down the street like nothing had happened. This attack was no coincidence. Morgan and I are the only two white people "Greengos" in the city, which makes us easy targets. Our attackers knew our schedule and where we lived. We assume that they followed us because we are always carrying bags that have our teaching supplies in them, which they assumed would have money in them because white people are considered rich as well as arrogant. The two boys were around 18 years old and wore the colors of a local gang. They happened to be lucky on this day because they made off with Morgans two bags which contained her laptop as well as wallet with $500 that she planned on wiring home, 20,000 in colones, Insurance card, NC Drivers License, Debit and Credit cards. They also took my bag which had my camera, wallet (credit/debit/license), and passport as well as some of my music books. (all my cash was stored in the house), to which they did not ask us to go into. The most important thing is that we walked away unharmed. Your prayers would be greatly appreciated and hope that we make the best decisions about our very near future. With much love…roman.

2008-09-02T15:01:00.002-04:00

Dear Readers,

Great news!!! Morgan and I have a place of our own now.

Once I arrived in San Jose, Brother Leo Pixley had said that “once you arrive in Limon it will be up to you and Morgan if you continue to live with Sara or find a place of your own, it’s totally up to you.” I immediately wondered why they would offer this choice but glad it was up to us to decide. Then that night I fell asleep in the parsonage at the church in San Jose and did not think about until the next evening. Once arriving in Limon I delivered my luggage straight to Sara’s house and went to teach class. That night, while trying to go to sleep, I thought to myself about all the things in the house that could still use fixing. Then I started to think should I even be concerned with my living conditions, after all I am here on a mission for God. The more I thought about the choice the more it became an Independence thing (as well as health reasons.) I have lived on my own for the past five years. Eating when I need to, going where I need to when I need to and not being questioned about it. As well as having a space to call my own and where I can somewhat control the environment to which I live. I am very grateful for Sara having the courage to listen to God’s call to open up her home to two strangers she did not know. Sara has been amazing but Morgan and I both needed our own space and the Board gave us the option, so we took it. The house we are renting is 3 bedrooms, 1 bath, kitchen, living/dining room and a good sized car port. We figured that the third bedroom can be for the missionary that comes down in January to help with the schools construction. So it is already working out for the better. We told Sara that the money we were going to use to buy her a new fridge could be used at her discretion. Also we are going to pay her next light bill so that she does not pay for the usage we incurred.

In the end I feel better about the new living conditions. I will post pictures of our new home away from home,for everyone to see.

School of Music & Adoration Inaguration

2008-08-28T15:40:00.003-04:00

Dear Readers,

I went to the school with Morgan to meet with Brother Pixley yesterday, which had come from San Jose (a three hour bus ride) for the Inauguration of “Escuela de Musica y Albanza”, or in English “The School of Music and Adoration.” The service was on Wednesday August 27th, @ 5:00pm at Faith Moravian church. Brother Rodolfo Allen was the one to deliver the message. Oddly it seemed as though he would just sit behind the pulpit and tell the congregation what was coming next. Kind of like a master of cerimonies. Anyways, the service started by me accompanying Morgan on Schubert’s “Ave Maria”. Then brother Pixley shared a few words about what EMA is and what we hope to accomplish, followed by two liturgies and three hymns and a benediction.

Funny story about one of those hymns though. One of the hymns for the service was “Joyful, Joyful, We adore thee.” It was not a difficult hymn, but it calls for the left hand to play and Octave and a third about eight times. Morgan’s fingers can comfortably reach an octave, so she asked me to play and I said “sure.” I sat down to go over the hymn and realized the keyboard we were playing on had a record function. So instead of me slaughtering the hymn because the lack of practice time, I recorded the left hand and then the right and then when it came time for us to sing the hymn in the service we just faked it and pushed play. No one attending the service knew because they were all trying to figure out how to read the music and try not to make mistakes. It was just funny how it turned out. God has a since of humor to you know.

Well anyway you can get the music recorded or live, we want every church in Limon to be filled with music once again. This situation kind of reminds me of a Zits comic strip I once saw. It was depicting a marching band standing on the football field in four out of the five pictures, not playing at all. The fifth picture was the director saying over a megaphone “this is the sound you will hear if they cut music in our schools.” Though it was not the government cutting the music, the 7.7 earthquake of 1991 drove the musicians out of Limon. We want the people of vivacious culture to once again have music in worship. Could you imagine walking into church on Sunday morning and not a single musician there? Even if the message was one of the best you have ever heard, would it be the same without the music? This is the part of the culture that Morgan and I are here to restore.

The following article is something we have sent to be published in the onward newsletter, but since some of the readers don’t receive the onward newsletter I selected to post it here as well.

Hola from Puerto Limon Costa Rica!

The school year is off to a wonderful start with 35 regularly attending musicians enrolled in our fledgling program at Escuela de Musica y Alabanza, or School of Music and Adoration. Our first trimester of class is proving that the students are quick and able learners. This creates much anticipation for the second trimester which starts in October. In fact, the excitement is so great that many people have already registered.

At our inauguration we were asked to share a few words about our calling to Costa Rica. We could include everything we said but instead we would simply like to share the heart of our sentiments: We’re here for the money.

All joking aside we are here to worship, serve, and witness through music. Most of all we are here because in the midst of our busy lives we heard a call and trusted in God. We believe that there are great things in store for the people of Limon and we hope to share in the revitalization of this home away home. After all, in Proverbs 3:6 it says “if you trust in God, he will clear the road for you to follow.”’

In this time of growth we bring to you several prayer requests:

- Pray for our continuing transition into life in Limon as well as our health as we adjust to the culture.

- For our families as they realize how far away we are and our prolonged absence over the course of the year.

- For the development team as they plan for the construction of our new building.

- For healing in a city that has long been neglected

Your Antiock Servents, Roman Brady & Morgan Smith

2008-08-26T16:35:00.010-04:00

Dear Family and Friends, It has been an amazing beginning here. The students are great and Morgan has been great to work with. Not only does she know how to get to anything I need in the city, she also offers good conversation (not to mention she speaks English) even though my Spanish is coming along little by little (poco y poco). Originally there was going to be 68 students, but just like anywhere else in the world people say that they are interested, but once it comes time for the actual event or follow through it seems all that were interested have since invested their time elsewhere. Having said that, we only have about 30 students whom regularly attend classes. This is how our schedule has begun to unfold here in the Caribbean. Monday is our planning day with one Guitar lesson at 5:00pm with Tansy. Then Tuesday is the day Morgan and I have off in which we go to MaribuCaribe to take advantage of the pool and internet service which is only allowed if we purchase food and beverage. Also on Tuesday evening we have one Guitar lesson at 6:00pm with Pastor of New Hope Baptist church, Brother Miguel Grey. Wednesday is where our schedule starts to move a little faster. It's a day to get supplies and do the running around to get ready for class before Lessons at 4:00pm with Vivian and 4:30 with Perdita on Guitar. Perdita is the Pastor of Buenos Aires Moravian Church, which is also the church where I am very involved, but more about that later. Then we have class from 5:00pm-7:00pm. Thursday is a day to just go to the school if anyone wants to come and practice, with a lesson at 1:00pm with Latoya on Violin. Then we go to Faith Moravian Church where Morgan has a 4:00pm lesson with Miss Herta Downs who is the 79 year old pastor for Faith Moravian. Since Morgan is the choir director at Faith she has rehearsals from 4:30pm-5:30pm. Then we have a lesson with Alonzo (Hertas son) at 5:30pm. Friday is another busy day. We get to the school around 3:30pm after finishing our running around and errands, and I have a guitar lesson with Eduardo at 4:00pm then 4:30pm piano lesson with Perdita. While Morgan teaches a class from 5:00-7:00. I have a 5:00pm lesson with Arie, who is a 6 year old who wants to learn how to play the drums. Then I have his older brother Radjany who is learning to play the guitar. Then at 7:00pm I have Jerry who will be learning piano if he shows up for his lesson time. After the whole week it brings us to our biggest day. Saturday are quite busy…we start out by getting at the school around 8:30am and then start with 9:00am piano class, then another 9:30 piano class. I am not sure if I am going to allow the children students to continue to have combined lessons such as the two class piano because they don’t learn as much, but I’ll let you all know how that goes later on. Then I teach ten youth from age’s 11-14 music theory from 10:00pm-12:00pm. I don’t think these young students understand that you have to know the theory behind the music so that you can apply it to your instrument. If you don’t pay attention to the theory class then your lessons won’t be as productive. After that theory class Morgan and I step out for Lunch and then we have the adult class from 1:00pm-5:00pm. After the adult class I have a 5:00pm lesson with Fernando which is the one in the picture above with the guitar, which is his instrument of choice. Sunday is where I and Morgan barely see each other because I work with one church and she with another. So at Buenos Aires Moravian Church I am an Alternative Sunday school teacher for the adult class, Service Accompanist, Children’s choir director, and on the committee for the Bible Torch which is a youth competition between the churches. Well that is pretty much what I do and when I do it. In October when the second trimester starts I will take on all the new students which will keep me much busier than I am right now. The following picture are just a few I have taken along the way. In my next post I will show pictures of where I live and where I work. Hope you enjoy. If you have questions about anything, I am sure that someone else has had the same question. Please post comments and ask questions so I don’t feel like I’m telling useless information. Talk to you all soon and thanks for reading. Peace is with you my Brothers and Sisters in Christ. This is Margaret from the Plane ride. Who made my first Plane ride memorable This is a picture of the sanctuary of Faith Moravian Church. This is a picture of the Pulpit at Faith Moravian Church This is me at MaribuCaribe (sorry the video won't post) The pools at Maribucaribe (Moravians stay here for $30 dollars a night, if you let me know your coming....) The view from the pools

Fernando...one of my guitar students. This is me standing in Parque Vargas with my Trinity Moravian Shirt on. This is me wading in the ocean at Puerto Viejo Me and Morgan posing for a self portrait in the park. A view at Puerto Viejo.

Finally HERE!!!!

2008-08-18T14:26:00.004-04:00

Well, I am here in Puerto Limon, in Limon Costa Rica. What an amazing three days it has been so far. I will start from the beginning and tell you everything I can remember. So my plane left Greensboro at 12:50pm and arrived in Dallas around 3:30pm. This was my first flight ever, and it was definitely a new experience. God was watching out for me though because there was this amazing lady, named Margaret, who had the seat next to me and once we started talking I told her my story of where I was going and what I would be doing as well as the fact that it was my first flight. So through the duration of the whole flight she would often check on me and make sure I was doing alright and whenever we would hit turbulence she would tell me that it was normal and that there was nothing to worry about. When we first started talking I had told her how some of my family had taken me to breakfast and that I did not eat much because I was so apprehensive about the flight. So midway through the flight she insisted that I eat half of her Turkey Ranch and Swiss after we had some soda from the beverage cart. I definitely saw thank God for putting a person next to me who has flown before and was so nice and pleasant to talk to. If you’re reading this Margaret I enjoyed your company. Once I arrived in Dallas I called my family to tell them that we had landed and about the experience I had. Then I did a little shopping because the Dallas airport is like a huge mall. I went to the Starbucks and bought a couple books because there are no English books in Limon. I bought the forth Jason Borne book and Icy Dairies which is about a captain of a submarine and his crew and what they went though in the cold war. Then I had dinner at Cousins BBQ and then proceeded to wait on my plane, then wait some more and then some more. My plane was two hours late and by that time I was no longer anxious as I was impatient. But we finally boarded and got seated and took off. They showed an In-flight movie called "21" which is about counting cards in black jack. Good movie. There was also an in-flight meal which was not that great and it was really a snack and not a meal but it was ok. Finally my last destination for Wednesday night was San Jose Costa Rica. Brother Leo Pixley was not waiting on me like I hoped so as soon as I went through Immigration and Customs I went outside and was waiting on him to come and pick me up. As soon as I walked out the front doors I know there were 10 people in the matter of 1 minute to ask me if I needed a taxi. I would politely say "No, Gracias". As I stood to wait on Pixley some of the drivers would ask me "who’s coming to pick you up?" I would say "Brother Pixley but I don't know what he looks like" then they would ask "Do you have their phone number?" so I said "No, I don't have their phone number because I went swimming in the Ocean with my cell phone, so I don't have anyone’s number, But I know he is coming" then they would ask me what is my destination for the night?" I would say "I have no clue. I know I'm staying in a church but I don't know where or the name of the church" Needless to say I should have been better prepared but in the end I had been standing outside for about twenty minutes when Brother Pixley came with my name written on a sign and so finally I knew I was going to be ok. Then he dropped me off at the church and I fell right asleep. On Thursday morning Pixley came to pick me up and then we went to pick Morgan up from the bus terminal. She bused in to San Jose so that I would not have to ride the bus to Limon alone. So we walked around San Jose for a while and then went to eat at the McDonalds. Probably the nicest McDonalds I have ever been in. it was two stories with nice tile floors and flat panel TVs mounted on the walls. Not to mention it had a desert parlor where they would cut slices of cake and pie off the fresh baked items. Then Morgan and I caught a bus to Puerto Limon, which took about three hours with a five minute break at a midway station which we could get a Coke (sorry Ryan) and some fried plantain chips. They are like a sweat potato chip, very good. Once we were in Puerto Limon we took a taxi from the Bus terminal to Sara’s house. I dropped off my luggage and then went to the school to teach my first adult class. We only had five students that night because usually the classes or on Wednesdays and Fridays but since their Mothers Day in on August 15th, No one would really do anything. In fact a lot of the stores and shops closed so they could be with their families. The adult class went well the students already know quit a bit of music theory thanks to Morgan. After the class we went to the Baptist church in town to sing some gospel music. They were doing a festival where they had a group come down from Harlem, New York to teach gospel music. It was great but in a true Gospel choir there is no bass part so I was having to sing high (it stayed around Eb’s and G’s). Friday was my day to get acclimated with the City and directions and just figure out where I live, where I work, and where I play, and how to get between them all. Morgan showed me the Beaches and where I could get internet access, as well as had a great lunch at the Park Hotel which is one of the only English speaking establishments nearby besides MarabuCaribe, which is another hotel/restaurant. Saturday we taught class all day (10:00am-5:00pm) which takes place at a fellowship hall (building with some chairs) that has some musical instruments. I took the teenagers and Morgan took the younger students. I taught basic music theory which requires to be able to legibly write on the staff which some of them have some issues with, which we will definitely be working on. Yesterday was great. Morgan and I went to faith Moravian church to which we were in charge of the music for the Mothers day Service. So I played “Away from the Roll of the Sea” as Morgan played the melody on her violin. Then I played Shubert’s “Ave Maria” and Morgan sang. I also played or attempted to play all the Hymns for the service. It is hard for me to get asked at the last minute to play things but I can definitely say that my sight reading is improving. Then we went to perform with the Gospel Choir. I really felt the spirit moving in this church. If you can picture this; Morgan and I are two of the three white people out of 250, people getting out of there seats jumping up and down, a constant stream of alleluias and amens coming from the congregation and choir, a african american story teller preaching the gospel...the overall experience is something I may not have experienced in the states because of the color of my skin. I remember singing in the gospel choir at WCU and people looking at me like I was out of place. So now I feel like it is ok and that those people need to realize that I sing for God and not for them. But the service was great. If I can get the video to post I have a video after the concert was over but still people were dancing around and singing. It was a blessing from God to have something to sing the first night I was here. Today we had to go to the school to teach a lesson. After that we went out shopping to get me a real Spanish English dictionary because apparently the one I brought is for Spain and not Costa Rica (Thanks though Mark). Then we went to get some more dry erase markers so that when I’m teaching the students will have something to work on the white board with. Then we caught a cab so that I can see the Beautiful Ocean for the first time, along with getting to use the internet and post this blog from MarabuCaribe. I’m not sure how often I can post but I’m hoping that at least once maybe even twice a week. So you all be on the lookout for new and exciting post. I am missing all my Friends, Family and church family. Hope to here from you all by either posting comments or e-mail me directly bradymusic@gmail.com If God loves all.....so do I. I Love you all. ttys.

Still at laurel Ridge

2008-07-20T17:17:00.002-04:00

Hey all, I'm still at Laurel Ridge and this coming week is our Junior High 2. I also have my appointments to get vaccinations on Friday of this week 7/25/08. Then Saturday is Sara Gentel's wedding at Trinity. Then on Sunday I will be at a couple Church's in Winston and going to Grace in Mount Airy. So its a packed weekend and all this on top of trying to brush up on my Spanish.