Although wonderful to be back with family, it honestly is a strange feeling to be back in
America.  There wasn’t that overwhelming relief of “Oh, thank God! I’m on American soil!” like we had expected.  It’s also very bizarre to have to fight the urge to speak Spanish to everyone.  We find ourselves drawn to the Latin-Americans around us (even in Walmart) and wanting to carry on conversations in Spanish with them.  We had to learn quite a bit of Spanish in Puerto Viejo, as we had to go to the Pharmacy, Grocery store, Medical Clinic, Farmers Market, etc. and ask for things mostly in Spanish.  Once the locals found out we spoke a little bit of Spanish (poquito Espanol), it was all over! They refused to speak English with us for the most part, letting us know we needed to “practical” (practice) our Spanish.  Even though it was hard, that part was really a blessing, as we feel now we know survival Spanish (and when we left, we only knew a few words and phrases).   What a blessing that is! 

We find ourselves missing the simplicity of Puerto Viejo…no Walmarts…a positive and a negative!  Although it was hard to have to go to several different stores to find milk or cheese at times (sometimes just did without it, if it could not be found), it seemed a simpler process to ride our bike to the store and grab a handful of groceries, toss it in our bike basket & peddle home.  To the store & back in 10 minutes or less!  We had to go to Walmart for some things our 2^nd day in, and it was so strange to have to park and walk  a long way into the store and have an overwhelming feeling of all we saw around us in the store.  So many different things to choose from! We found ourselves drawn to the fresh fruit (mangoes, plantains) and to the aisle where we hoped to find some Latino products (black beans, guava paste, etc).  One would think that after not having access to a Walmart for 3 months that we’d want to “browse”, but the thought was just overwhelming. We just got what we needed and left.  However, we did get excited a few times over a few items…yellow bananas (they’re pretty brown-ripe in Puerto), goldfish (which we ended up purchasing), peanut butter crackers, chocolate chip cookie mix (no chocolate chips to be had in Puerto…what a sad thing), and (drum roll please) PAMPERS!!!  No pampers in Puerto either.  We did have Huggies, however Huggies seems to do very bad things to our son’s skin, and he has outgrown the largest size they sell in Puerto (a good sign that it’s time to potty train, of course).

We are also at times also blown away by the abundance of wealth and materialism all around us.  There’s just such a contrast here in
America compared to Puerto Viejo with the variety of places to shop, eat, everything!  In some ways it’s a great thing (for example, if Chick-fil-a is super busy or closed, you can pick some other fast food joint to eat at), however, we find it very overwhelming, after being in a much more simpler place for the last 3 months!  While there, we were amazed at how little we could actually live with. We only brought clothes, toiletries, medicine, a few toys for the kids, some videos, and some books.  Yet we have a house full of “stuff” back here in the states. It was actually a great feeling to be able to live so simply.  One thing we found that the small towns in
Costa Rica have that we are missing is “community”.  As you ride bikes around town (or walk), you’re able to have conversations with those around you (or at the least acknowledge them with an “Ola, Como Esta?”.  One thing we noticed is that before we have felt sad and even felt sorry for the communities where the locals have so little and seem poor, however we have seen how they sit around on each other’s porches sipping coffee, talking, watching out for each other, helping each other, unlike here. There may be some neighborhoods that haven’t lost that in the states, however, it seems so many of us are so busy going here and there, rushing around that we miss out on so many relationships.  It seems once you’ve been in Puerto for a while and become more “local”, you become more like “family”.  The neighbors invite you to birthday parties (although they may not know you well); they watch out for you to be sure you & your kids are safe; they loan you their cell phones if you need it (as someone did for us for a whole day, when we took TJ to the clinic), and they begin to open up to you and have deeper conversations with you.  It was such an amazing thing for us to be a part of the transition where after living there for 1 month, we were still strangers, but after 3 months it seemed more like we were family (and had somewhat of a family around us).  Of course there were still those who were more guarded, but for the most part, we felt like we really connected with those around us. It was a wonderful thing, but it made it even harder for us to say goodbye.

As we drive home, we are excited to reunite with Allen’s family (the kids especially can’t wait!), with our church family, so many friends, and Allen’s coworkers!  It will also be amazing to worship with our church family again (something we’ve really missed).  It is a tiny bit bittersweet, since we miss those we grew close to in Puerto, but we are also excited about what God has for us next. Although we don’t know what that means for us, we cling to the promise of Jeremiah 29:11, that He has good plans for us.  We will just continue with life as we knew it before, however our perspectives are forever changed…we are forever changed, and we hope and pray that some of the people’s lives we touched in Puerto are forever changed also.

We are so incredibly thankful for those who have prayed for us continually, encouraged us often, and supported us financially.  We pray God’s abundant blessings upon each of you, for the way you’ve blessed us!  God has poured out his love on our family through each of you and we’ll always be grateful for that.

On Saturday, we made the transition from missionaries to tourists.  We were able to go on a tour that took us to a Coffee plantation where we got to see the process that they use to grow and prepare coffee beans.  From there we raced up to the top of the Volcano named Poas.  We were trying to get up there before the clouds covered the crater, but we were too late.  We hiked up to the rim of the crater and all we could see was white clouds.  Our guide said that it would take a miracle for us to see it now.  So our girls prayed and asked God to move the clouds so we could see it.  Well, God is good and a few minutes later the clouds started moving out of the crater.  Slowly it became clearer and clearer and then it was absolutely beautiful.  It stayed clear for about 5 minutes and then the clouds moved back in.  It was worth it just to see it for only 5 minutes though.  Then we went to a place called La Paz, which is a waterfall garden.  It had a bunch of monkeys and birds and butterflies and snakes that we got to see.  We ate an awesome lunch there and then proceded down the trails to where the waterfalls were.  The were amazingly beautiful and the kids did great taking on the 400 plus steps that we had to go down on the trails.  From there we drove an hour and a half over to another town called Puerto Viejo de Siripiqui and got to go on a boat tour of the Siripiqui river.  We got to see some sloths and howler monkeys and crocodiles and a variety of cool birds.  Then we tooke the 2 hour drive back to San Jose to end our tour.  All in all we were gone for 12.5 hours.  We were exhausted when we got back, but it was a day we will never forget.

This morning we are packing up and getting ready to go to the airport and fly back to Fort Lauderdale.  We are looking forward to seeing our family and spending a couple of days with them in Port St. Lucie before we finally drive back home to Monticello.  It’s with mixed emotions that we leave Costa Rica and head back home to our normal life.  We look forward to what God has for us in the future and we are so greatful that he allowed us to go on this adventure and to serve him as a family here in Costa Rica.  God is good!!!!!

We left Puerto Viejo around noon today and after visiting with Ronnie and Tammy in Hone Creek, we traveled the short/long journey to Heredia.  It is amazing that it takes around 4 to 4.5 hours just to travel about 100 miles.  It is never a relaxing drive like you might have in the states, where you can just set the cruise control and enjoy the ride down the interstate.  The highway you have to travel on is only two lanes most of the way and had tons of big trucks and buses and other cars trying their best to make it as fast as possible down the road.  The only problem is that the speed limits are extremely slow (The fastest speed posted was only 80 kilometers per hour) and there are several speed traps that you have to be careful of.  It is always amazing how the people drive here and the chances they take when trying to pass one or many cars and just barely missing hitting another car head on.  That is the norm here though.

We are thankful for God giving us safe passage as we traveled here.  We did see several ambulances blowing past us and as we climbed up the mountain range we realized that they were all heading to a bus that had run off the road on a sharp curve in the rain.  We also saw a large cargo truck that had rolled over off the side of the road, and we saw one spot where a tree had fallen across the road, which didn’t look like it had been down for long.  We were thankful that we didn’t have to drive through any hard rain and the mountain tops were less clouded than we had ever seen them before.  The mountains are actually quite huge when the clouds aren’t covering the tops of them. 

We started our trip much later than we wanted to but it ended up being a blessing, because we got to cross over the mountain range and enter the central valley just as the sun was setting behind the mountains. It was beautiful how the sky was orange and red and all you could see was the outlines of the mountains that the sun was going behind. It was truly portraying the glory of God and the beauty of his creation.  We could also see the lights of the city of San Jose twinkle like the stars down in the valley as it got dark.  Normally, we would try to avoid driving in the San Jose area at night at all costs, however, it was really beutiful to see it this way.

We arrived at our hotel, which happens to be much nicer than we expected (we can actually flush our toilet paper and drink the tap water).  We are planning on getting a good nights rest and tomorrow we will return the rental car and then go over to the Spanish Language Institute and have a tour of the facility.  If we ever end up going to the mission field in a  latin american country, we would like to come here for a year of language school.  We have an appointment at 11:30 and after that we plan on exploring some of down town San Jose, which is the capital city of Costa Rica.

Although we are enjoying this quiet cool night in Heredia, our hearts are already missing the people and the place of Puerto Viejo and they will always have a special place in our hearts.  We would like to return one day (at least for a visit or mission trip) and just catch up with the people that we built relationships and friendships with.  Check out this blog of one of the other staff members in puerto viejo at this link: http://www.whithazelton.blogspot.com/,  and you might recognize a couple of girls on one of the videos he posted.  He does a great job of bloging and gives a good perspective of what’s going on in Puerto Viejo.

We are tired and need some sleep, so we’ll continue the story of our journey back home later on.  Good night to all of you!

We look forward to seeing all of you back home soon.

 Allen and Carol and Kids

From previous experience (a few weeks back), we knew that going to the clinic is not just a short visit…we’ve found that getting there and getting seen and getting back takes at least a half a day, so that’s why we wanted to be certain we were doing the right thing by taking TJ.  So anyhow, we called a cab and raced off to the clinic with our quite rowdy 2-year-old and the girls.  However, on the way TJ began to mellow out a little and got very sleepy. That did make us wonder if he had consumed more than a few tablets.  Then when we got there, I thought I knew the process (from last time) but turns out that the process is a bit different each time (or so it seems).  I went to 4 different windows before we actually made it back into the emergency room.  Even then I knew God was guiding me as to where to go next (as I didn’t understand a bit of what the Spanish-speaking clerks were telling me to do).  I honestly do not believe that there was 1 person that spoke good English in that entire hospital/clinic.  Talk about feeling like a fish out of water!  All this while, Allen was holding down the fort, watching the girls and letting TJ rest on him (who seemed even more lethargic than before…this had us a little concerned). 

Finally, I got TJ back in the ER and then needed to wait again for the Dr. to become available.  During this time, several of the nurses were speaking to me in Spanish asking me questions that I could not interpet, but every now and then I’d pick up on a word or two of what they said and realized what they were asking (his weight, date of birth, when he ate the pills, how many, etc).  I was beginning to think that the ER back at home is heavenly (go figure!).  I knew for certain though all this while, that it was God interpreting for me and that with his help, was the only way we made it through all the questions.  As we waited, several of the nurses stopped to pinch TJ’s fluffy cheeks. He was so tired that he didn’t really seem to mind. He just gave them a blank stare.  I have to admit that his adorable cheeks are hard to pass by without kissing or pinching. I can’t really blame them.  They truly adored him in the ER. I had prayed on the way over for God’s favor and for God to go before us. I had also prayed for strength for all of us, especially TJ, as I thought our time at the clinic might consist of him being forced to throw up and have an IV.  His nurse turned out to be very sweet and kind.  We communicated well with her, in spite of the language barrier.  I was so thankful for her, because shortly after we got in a room, I saw another nurse come on duty. She was the one I had when I was in there last time and she’s not nearly as kind and doesn’t smile much.  That’s something that really matters when you’re dealing with your sick child (in a foreign country also). 

So the Dr. finally talked with us and said he thought TJ was probably okay (by this time TJ was running circles around us…of course…that’s how it usually is when I take my kids to the Dr….they miraculously get better.  However, the Dr. wanted to go ahead and do some blood work and get an IV started, then observe TJ for an hour or so (turned out to be about 3).  So we left the ER room to go to another room and wait (I had no idea why…just followed the Dr. who said something in Spanish).  Then as we’re waiting to be called in, TJ grabs someone else’s urine specimen off the desk…yuck!  Thank God for hand cleaner that I had on us!  We finally got called into the other room and then I realized that we were there for the blood work…bummer.  I tried reading to TJ to take his mind off of it, but he insisted on watching the nurse, who was again very kind and sympathetic (a different nurse though).  After the bloodwork, back to the ER to sit and wait for an IV.  At this point, our friend (and missionary here) Ronnie came up to the clinic to check on us and be sure we were okay.  After the IV went in, I tried to pass the time with TJ by reading some books, singing some songs, and looking at pictures on the camera (since we had it in the bag when we left the apartment so quickly).  I was so thankful for that, since we had some videos on it and it took TJ’s mind off of his IV, that he kept saying was hurting. 

After sitting in the room with TJ for a few hours, I realized that the rooms really needed some televisions to help the children get through the medical procedures. It was quite a challenge to keep a 2-year-old boy still and content and from pulling out his IV.  But again, God was so faithful and provided me new ideas to keep TJ’s mind off of his IV.

A little bit later, I told the nurse “Neccesita usar el bano” (I need to use the bathroom) in my best Spanglish accent and she told me to go. I reminded her that I had a kid sitting in a huge crib w/ no rail, with an IV & she told me “Esta bien” (it’s fine).  It was then I decided I didn’t really need to go all that bad. 

Then at one point, the kind Dr. came in to check on TJ, and that’s when TJ decided to kick the IV out of his hand (I think it was an accident, but I really didn’t mind too much, knowing the fluid back was almost done, and realizing TJ was really probably fine, other than uncomfortable from the IV).  The Dr. gave me a cotton ball to hold on it and clean it up with.  Fortunately I had some wipes, because that cotton ball wasn’t doing much for the amount of blood that was squirting out from the IV and his hand.   About an hour later (and after switching roles w/ Allen), the Dr. told Allen that blood work was fine and we were free to go. Praise the Lord!  We were thrilled to be able to get out of there, and with a healthy 2-year-old!  What a blessing from the Lord!  And thanks to our neighbor, we were able to call a taxi to return home.  But not before we walked to the rental car company to make sure our car is set up to head to
San Jose this week.  After we left there, it dawned on me that I never paid anyone at the Clinic.  Oh my goodness…we had to walk back to pay. I was so embarrassed, but realized no one had asked for money from me. I thought I had missed something, but apparently I had not.  I was a bit confused (until later when I talked with Tammy), but once they realized I was back to pay for mi nino’s visit, they told me, “No, Esta bien”.  I didn’t really understand, but later Tammy explained to me that basically the government usually pays for the children’s healthcare in this country (there’s universal health care).  Pretty sweet!  However, I think it’s seldom that they extend that to tourist’s children.  So, once again…God’s faithfulness and provision!  We finally arrived home, just in time to put together our “bean dish” to share at the staff cookout tonight to say goodbye to us and welcome the new team member, Whit. 

So although it was an exhausting day, God continually reminded us that He was with us, watching over us, providing for us and that he cares about every detail of our lives.  What a mighty God we serve…that He created and rules over the universe, yet cares so deeply for our smallest and biggest needs!  We are so blessed and honored to serve Him! 

For all of you who pray for our safety, we just want you to know that God is continually answering that prayer, and today was just more proof of that. We appreciate those prayers!

We knew we’d have a busy afternoon/evening, so as were were trying to decide what time to let the kids nap, the neighbor from below us came upstairs to hang a Barbie Pinata and invite our kids to one of his kids’ birthday parties.  It was so kind of him and really made us feel like a part of this community for a little while.  As it turned out though, the party also conflicted with our afternoon plans of the girls ballet class, and Allen & TJ going to run the skate session.  So we were only able to visit at the party for about 30 minutes, before getting ready to head out.  But even for a short while, it was nice to feel a part of the neighborhood.  Oh and we got to enjoy some amazing chicken and steak kabobs at the party also.  We decided we should have been getting to know those neighbors all along, since they are such amazing chefs!

After naps and the party and  extending a “muchos gracias” for the invitation to the party, Allen & TJ headed to the skatepark, while the girls and Carol got a taxi and headed to ballet (a few miles north).  Usually once or twice a week, we find ourselves in need of a taxi and continue to use the same one…it helps with the fear of the unknown (we feel like he’s part of our family now) and it seems we get a better rate if we use the same taxi.  Our taxi driver is very kind and speaks a little bit of English, which is quite helpful when giving directions, although our Spanish is become more proficient each day.  So, ballet and the skate session were bittersweet, knowing today was our last Saturday in Puerto Viejo.  The girls enjoyed ballet, along with 8 or so other local girls who take ballet.  The teacher’s name is “Maritza” and we have come to adore and love her. She seems to love teaching our girls, and she is especially fond of TJ (she loves to pinch his fluffy cheeks.  He just smiles at her).   After Hope and Beka told Maritza “Muchos Gracias Para Ballet” in Spanglish, Maritza said “You’re so welcome” in ENGLISH!  The reason that is such a big deal is because Maritza only speaks Spanish and I have not heard her try to speak any English.  The fact that she so carefully said those words to the girls was a beautiful act of love on her part.  I, Carol, just squealed and told her, “Muy Bien”. I was so proud of her for speaking in English.  We will miss her dearly when we leave.

To return home, Carol and another ballet mom (from Germany, but now a local) decided to split the cost of a taxi,  but while waiting for the taxi, Hope began playing with a large leaf.  Since she is often creating skirts and bracelets and other paraphanelia out of leaves/branches, Carol did not think much of it.  That is until Hope threw it down and started screaming that it hurt.  Turns out, she was playing with an Ortiga (sp?) plant, which has little cactus-type spines that attach themselves to you as you play with it (It sort of feels like you’re playing with fiberglass). So, while we waited for the taxi, Hope serenated us with her screams.  Carol’s friend tried to wash Hope’s hands with water, which seemed to help a little, then continued to reassure us that after washing Hope’s hands with soap, she’d be okay. Well, the taxi finally came and we quickly realized that it was a bit beat up (not our usual nice air-conditioned taxi) and small.  Nonetheless, the 7 of us crammed in and I just prayed for God to get us home safely.  Hope continued to serenate us (bless her heart) while Carol assured her she’d be okay and we’d be home soon (which did not seem very probable, considering the taxi felt like it might fall apart at any given moment).  After finally making it back to our apartment, we were able to wash Hope’s hands real well with soap then get her in the shower. This seemed to get rid of all of it, except some on one of her fingers.  Fortunately, Amy and Barrett were coming over to babysit our children while we had a date, and  Amy was able to help Hope get rid of the rest of the plant that was embedded in her skin (we’ve never been more thankful for scotch tape before–that seemed to do the trick; we used it much like you would to remove a splinter).  About an hour later, all the kids were showered and Allen & I were cleaned up and ready to head out for our date.

Allen & I headed to a restaurant called “Tamares”.  It was exceptional food and a nice atmosphere.  The chocolate “salami”, which was actually an amazing chocolate cookie (that actually looked like salami) was the best part of the meal.  It was such a wonderful evening, not having to cut anyone else’s food or have interrpted conversation.  It was an absolute blessing to have a date together (our 2nd date in 3 months!).  We were so very grateful to Barrett and Amy for taking time out of their busy schedules (as they’re in the middle of building a house & seldom have water in their well, along with many other challenges), to give us a night out.  It was a wonderful evening but again, also bittersweet as we talked about how hard it will be to leave this place that we’ve really come to love (like we never thought possible).

Tomorrow should also be an eventful day, as it’s our last day of participating/assisting with kids church with Ronnie & Tammy and house church with the Cruces.  Our girls have memorized 2 verses in Spanish for the Oansa program (”Awanas” is what we call it in the States), and they have practiced a special song to share with the kids tomorrow morning.  It should be a special time (especially if we can keep the kids out of the cactus plants). 

We are again thankful for each opportunity to get to know the people here and we hope and pray that we have touched their lives as much as they have touched ours.

So, we arrived at the church a little late (as usual for us), and as we walked in, the body of Christ was singing Amazing Grace…in English!  WOW!   For me it was such a moving experience. My tears immediately began to come and I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stop them. I did not realize how much I had missed corporate worship!  It was truly a blessing to stand and sing with my family and with the Church. We sang several of the old hymns (with a bit of a carribean flair) and it was beautiful!  Our kids got  antsy a few times and really wanted to go play, so Allen took them out and let them play outside in the lot next door (where some of the other church kids were playing also).  That allowed me to enjoy the testimonies and message. One of the ladies shared how a young girl she knew was very sick and the church prayed for her last week. So she went to visit the little girl and tell her that God was healing her because of the prayers.  The dr. had tried several types of medicine and none of them had worked up to that point. But then after the church prayed for her, the next medicine the dr. had given her started working and she was getting better.  Then another lady also gave a testimony, but I didn’t understand most of it. A lot of it was in Spanish.  Shortly after that, Ronnie & Tammy’s girls, Sammy & Whitney and one of their friends also got up and sang a song together. It was so sweet.  It was neat to watch the whole church participate through testimony and song.  Then came the message, which I mostly agreed with.  There were a few things that I questioned (the doctrine of it), but overall, it was wonderful to be a part of the body of Christ on Sunday!  Although, it sure made me miss our church family and worshipping with them.  It was quite a long service though, starting at 11am, ending 3pm.

Then after church, we came home and had a big lunch of pork chops, black beans & rice, and peppers & onions (that Allen cooked…yum, yum!).  Then the girls created a “lantern” out of a cereal box, crepe paper, and typical costa rican stickers (like the symbols for Costa Rica, the bird, the flag, the tree, etc).  They really enjoyed doing that.  This weekend is such a busy weekend for Costa Rica, especially for Puerto Viejo (as many visitors come here for the holiday weekend).  All of the local kids make a lantern, then put little candles inside of it to carry to the evening “parade” (or so we thought).  I think parade is a matter of perspective, but nonetheless, it was an exciting evening.  After doctoring, TJ’s swollen toe (from ant bites, we think), we headed downtown with our little lantern.  We thought it began at 5:30, but then it finally started around 6:30.  Nothing really starts on time here.  It seems to start whenever everyone shows up. It’s just part of life here.  They call it “tico time”; which works well for us since we’re not quite as punctual as a lot of families in the states. :-)  So, the “parade” that finally began consisted of a group of school kids leading the locals in the pledge, then someone else led in prayer, then they had several dances, one of which was a few girls wearing bikini tops with hula skirts, dancing provocatively around a guy wearing a marijuana shirt!  That was the point we decided it was time to head home.  It seemed that was pretty much the end of the evening activities anyhow, so we headed on home and shared some ice cream together.  That’s always a favorite thing for us to do here, since the ice cream here is unbelieveable!  It has to be made with with whole milk. It’s just too yummy to be skim or reduce fat!

Then this morning, we got up & headed to the “parade” to celebrate Independence Day.  It was really funny to us, because the parade consisted of only the drum team from the school, and a few girls playing cymbals and doing a synchronized dance.  They marched around the town for 3 hours, playing the same drum beat!  However, to their credit, they knew that drum beat well!!!  Although it was a bit different than a Independence Day parade we might  have in the states, it was neat to be a part of it and celebrate with the town.  A few of the local kids that we’ve come to know were playing in the band, and we got to get some video and pictures of them. We were very proud of them!  After watching them march for a few minutes, we went and had some pastries and coffee on the beach.  It’s a tough life here. :-)  It truly is at times, but moments of breakfast on the beach together as a family are such a wonderful reprieve from the ordinary, learning how to live and adjust to the culture here. 

We are so thankful for the special little blessings that God provides for us amongst many adjustments.  God is so good!

A lot has been going on since we last posted.  Allen has been very busy helping run the skate sessions and also working with Ronnie to build a new roof system over the stairs to the music cafe.  The steps have been getting direct rain for over a year and are starting to rot, so the roof is badly needed.  Allen has also gotten the oportunity to do one of his favorite things, which is welding, since he has been building a rail slide for the kids at the skate park to use.  He is also working on installing a new sound system for the skate park which was donated by the team from Ocean Hills Church that came down back in July.

Carol has been helping out with girls skate night and also kids church on Sunday mornings.  She really enjoys getting to know some of the moms that come to girls skate.  As a result of that, last Monday, our family got to visit with one of the familys who come to girls skate.  We were invited over to their house, where we got to hang out with them for a few hours and just chat.  It was a wonderful time for our family since we got to play in their “jungle playground”.  They own about 5 acres of jungle.  It is an amazing place, full of all kinds of fruit trees and monkeys.  They took us on the tour of the garden path they’ve created that is lined with dozens of fruit trees, and they graciously allowed us to sample the fruit off of their trees.  Hope & Beka also enjoyed themselves as they got to play with their 2 girls (about the same ages as ours) and jump on their trampoline and swing on their tire swings.  TJ also had a great time trying out all of their hammocks.  It was quite a refreshing day for all of us and a nice break from the ordinary routine of daily life. 

Since our last post, our daily life has consisted of balancing household chores, transporting the kids on bikes as we run errands (groceries, water, filling the gas tank for the stove, etc), and helping out with the skate sessions and kids church and house church on Sundays.  It’s amazing how much time all this consumes and leaves little time for recreation and building relationships. We have to constantly be aware of this in order to be available for building relationships and continually guard against burnout within our family.  Since we’re here just a short time, it may seem odd to use the word “burnout”, but we’re referring to trying to balance things in a way that is healthy for our family and does not leave us depleted with nothing left to give to each other.   Balancing all this has definently been more of a challenge than we had originally thought it might be.   God is so faithful though and continues to provide moments of recreation for us, sometimes through just going to the beach together for a short while, and then also last Monday as we visited with our friends in the jungle.   

As our time here comes to an end (we leave in 2 weeks), we’ve had some good but tough meetings with the team leader here.  We struggle to put this into words, but we do all agree (the team and us) that God may be moving us in a different direction.  Although we’ve been able to be utilized here by God and be used for His glory, for such a time as this, it does not seem to us or the team here that we are the right fit for this specific ministry.  Since we’ve prayed for God to guide us and give us a peace about a decision, we know this is an answer to our prayers.  It just looks different than we thought it would.  Isn’t that just like God? :-)  We do struggle with this for various reasons though.  One of which is that, we’ve really come to love living here, and we feel like we’re adjusting pretty well to life here; however, we just do not feel a 100% peace about coming back long-term.  We also struggle with this decision because of not wanting to let any of our supporters down.  We are so thankful and appreciative for all the financial support/encouragement/prayers that so many have given us, and we are 100% certain that it was very much God’s will for our family to be here during this time. We (us and the team) all agree about that.  We view this  as preparation for whatever God has for our family in the future.  We do know that this has made us more hungry for missions and given us a longing to be more involved with missions; we’re just not certain what that looks like for our family. But God does.  We will just wait for him to reveal His plan to us.

We have learned so much from this experience.  Being here has challenged the way we’ve always thought of missionaries and missions.  Every day is a battle with Satan, mostly over the little things.  He truly does not let up.  We always have to be on guard and stay tuned into Christ or it’s easy to get discouraged and frustrated.  This experience has also been the biggest challenge to our marriage in the 13 years we’ve been married.  We know God is using this also to teach us about how we relate to each other.  We’re also learning that sometimes missions is just having a cup of coffee with someone and taking the time to listen; or sometimes missions is about making a few extra sandwiches for some hungry men already doing the work of Christ; sometimes missions is just surfing with the local youth here to build relationships; sometimes missions is just sitting out on our porch and silently praying and crying for neighbors who may not be making wise choices; and sometimes missions is us just learning how to love each other more so that we can reflect Christ; and sometimes missions is just maintenance (which has enabled the other missionaries here to focus on building their homes, so they can be better equipped long-term). 

We are so very thankful for this experience and for all it has and is still teaching us.  We know for certain that God will use this experience in our lives in some way. We know God will not waste this and we very much look forward to seeing how God will use this in our lives, the lives of the locals here, and the lives of the missionaries here.  We are so thankful for the opportunities we’ve had to build some friendships and mentor some of the youth. 

Please pray for us as we want to finish strong and Allen would really like to finish the projects he has begun.  Our time here is going fast.  We’re looking forward to returning home to our loved ones and our amazing church family, but at times we long for more time here to continue building on the relationships we’ve developed.  Also pray for us as we seek God’s guidance in the next chapter of this journey. 

Please also pray for the team here as they begin to rebuild.  They have a new member coming on next week to work with the youth, and they have some potential others to possibly join next year.  As of now, they are barely able to maintain the ongoing ministry, much less grow and develop new relationships and areas of ministry.  Our eyes have been opened as to how much time and energy needs to go into the skate sessions/house church/kids church and how thin-spread the missionaries here are.  The work they are doing here is extremely worthwhile and vital.  The young people here so badly need godly examples in their lives and mature Christians to mentor/disciple them.  Although we won’t be here long-term, we look forward to seeing how God will work in the future in this town of Puerto Viejo that we’ve come to love.

Thank you for your continued prayers as we continue on in this journey.  Your prayers/support/encouragement means more to us than we know how to express.  May God bless you abundantly more than you’ve blessed us!

Things are going well for us here though.  We are definetely getting more comfortable with the everyday living conditions here and are able to function fairly efficiently as a family.  Things still aren’t quite a piece of cake though.  We still get homesick quite often and it is harder to keep the kids entertained here than back at home.  Especially when it is raining and we don’t have a yard for them to play in or a playroom for them to hang out in.  We are starting to be more a part of the ministry here which has been a big help for our morale.  Carol has been enjoying helping with kids church on sundays and helping with the girls skate session on tuesdays, where she gets to help the girls learn to skate and hang out with some of the moms and build some relationships there.  Allen has been helping run the wednesday, friday and saturday skate sessions and has been enjoying getting to know some of the youth boys who come to skate.  The friday skate session is for older youth and we have a bible study after the kids have skated for a couple of hours. 

This past friday, the bible study topic was on premarital sex and being sexually pure in the eyes of God.  The kids answered some questions about premarital sex and were asked to answer them according to how the world (and themselves) would answer them and then after we read some scripture, they were asked the same questions and they had to answere them according to what God’s word says about them.  Their answers were interesting and eyeopening to say the least.  These kids have never been remotely tought what God’s intensions were for sex and marriage.  At one point, Barrett asked them to define what commitment meant, and not one of them could give an answer.  They were also asked to define what marriage is and nobody gave us the correct answer.  One of them said that marriage is when two people love each other and live together.  That is what happens after marriage but that doesn’t make you married.  It is so sad that these kids have never had anyone model to them what a real marriage is and what it means to be commited to one person in marriage for your entire life.  In the states, people get divorced but at least when they initially get married, the idea is to be with that person for the rest of their lives.  Here they don’t get divorced much, they just don’t actually get married.  It’s amazing to think that just us coming down here and living life as a healthy/real family, where the kids have a truly married and commited mom and dad, can make an impact on the youth just by them watching us.  People are difinetely watching us, which really makes us concious of our actions and how we conduct ourselves as a family and as parents.

We are sorry that we haven’t been able to post very often.  Things here take much longer to accomplish than they do back in the states, so it has been hard to find the time to sit down and type out a post.  We have been trying to get some photos on our photo page, so check back there often as well as we will add more as we get the chances to do so.

Thank all of you for your prayers and support.  We couldn’t be here functioning as a family and reaching this community for Christ without your faithful prayers, support, and encouragement.  Thank you to all of you who have emailed us with encouraging words.  That helps us tremendously and we appreciate each one we get.

Blessing to you all!

We went out to  breakfast at a place called “Veronica’s Soda” (since we were out of eggs/milk/bread, etc).  Along with being delicious, we had a great conversation with several of the people who work there and the owner.  Turns out the lady who runs it (out of her home it seems…the dining area is on her patio…it’s pretty cool, actually) is the wife of the lady who Barrett & Amy have bought their property from, and he also runs a taxi service here and runs the mission teams around when they’re here in Puerto, so we had the opportunity to meet him last week.  Anyhow, his wife was so kind and gracious to us and our children.  She complimented us on having a “grande familia” (big family). She said it was “muy bien” (very good).  It seems that if you have 3 or more children here, then you’re considered to have a big family.  She said she has watched us ride by on our bikes with our kids and said we have a “nice family”.  It was then that we realized (again) that we are being watched pretty much at all times. We certainly stand out here with our 3 youngins. 

Then we headed out to the beach for some fun family time.  It was great to hang out together and let the kids run & play (something that is hard for them to do at the apartment since there is no yard for them to play in).  We all had such a great time together playing in the water and relaxing.  The girls even made a Spanish friend…we think her name was “Charro” (hard to understand her thick Spanish accent).  They had so much fun playing with her (and moving the snails from their original homes to a new home in the water :-)  Then TJ picked up a big stick and started walking around with it, humming…we finally realized he was using it as a “weedeater”.  He mowed the lawn at the beach most of the morning. :-)  A funny thing is that here they do not have lawnmowers; they weedeat their lawns or use a machete to cut the grass/bushes.  So Timothy has picked up on this, but he still misses mowing the lawn with the tractor and his Peepaw.

Although we had a great time at the beach, it was not lost on us that we could have been being watched and just the simple act of playing together as a family could have an impact on the community here.  A while back, one of the local guys told Barrett how he really liked what Barrett & Amy had (their marriage) and that’s what he wants.  This is such a big deal, because marriage is not looked upon in a good way here by most of the men.  To most of the men, it is a complete burden to be tied down to one woman.  So even in our fun days together, we are constantly reminded to keep on guard and make the most of every opportunity in the way we act toward each other, along with the unbelievers.

Thank you for all of you who have been praying for the kids’ adjustment to this new environment (especially TJ’s).  Please continue praying for just that and know that God is answering those prayers and we have had such a blessed day together because of your prayers.

We wanted to also let all of you know, who are praying for our safety, that God is greatly answering your prayers in that area also.  For the 2nd time in a week, we had a huge tree fall very near us the other day.  The first time was at Barrett & Amy’s new property where we and the mission team were helping to clear the land.  A huge tree came crashing down on the bed of  Barrett’s truck (just shortly after we had all finished eating lunch on or next to it).  We were all so thankful for God’s intervention in moving all of us (the team and the families here) before the tree came down.  Turns out, there was no damage done to Barrett’s truck either. Praise the Lord!  Check out his blog for the pictures @ www.4cruces.blogspot.com.  Now back to the story of the tree falling the other day.  It was on Tuesday and Allen had gone to Limon with Ronnie, the other missionary that works here with Alternative Missions.  It was around Noon and TJ & Carol were napping in the front bedroom, while Hope napped in the back bedroom.  Beka was playing quietly in the living room.  The power had gone out & come back on a few times, then all of a sudden, we heard a loud crashing noise.  Carol instantly recognized the sound and jumped up to ‘gather her hens’ and make sure the kids were safe.  Then she surveyed the damage…a huge tree had fallen on the house behind us and crushed in the roof.  We were so thankful for the angle at which it fell, because if it would have gone straight, it probably would have come through our window.  My (Carol’s) legs felt like jello and my whole body felt a bit like it has before after a bad car accident, but I tried to remain calm for the kids and tell them everything was okay (which it was).  After it was all done, it was fun to look out our window and see a huge tree laying over and watch the guys cut it down & clean it up.  We were so anxious for Allen to get home to see the damage done and share how God had watched over us once again.

 Thank you so much for all of your prayers. We are continually grateful for them and please know that God is watching over us and caring for us everywhere we go and throughout each day (even during times when we don’t feel 100% safe…we know He’s there).  We are excited to be continually used by God in this area where sin is so prevalent and “in your face”.  Please continue to pray for our safety and our effectiveness (pray Colossians 4:2-6 for us please).  We love you all and appreciate you tremendously!

The next day we headed for Puerto Viejo…it was about a 5 hour drive and God amazingly brought us here safely & without getting lost (which is a big deal, since the streets/roads have no names…or at least are not labeled). We thought we got turned around at one point, but then miraculously saw a sign that showed we were on the right road & headed in the right direction! We clapped & celebrated. It was an exciting moment. We finally arrived & got to our apartment. It is a neat little place. The inside is beautiful with the wood “high-top” that we use as our “table”. Our first night here was pretty scary as we have some neighbors that really like to “party”…apparently they were celebrating a birthday…all night & all day! The night included a lot of extremely loud music & loud people which made it difficult to get rest. It did give us all the opportunity to cuddle up in one bed together…nothing like being close

Since then, the noise had reduced greatly. It’s still pretty noisy for us since we’re used to living on 11 acres & our only neighbors are deer & foxes…having kids run up & down stairs & on the floors above us & hearing everybody’s conversations/music, etc (and knowing they can hear all of ours) is a bit of challenge, but it seems that with each new day brings more adjustment & we get a little more comfortable with our “temporary home” in the apartment.

Transportation is quite a challenge also…riding 5 people on 2 bikes is a little interesting. Allen rides 2 kids on his bike & Carol rides 1 on her handle bars. We’re getting a little more comfortable with it with each trip into town & we’re learning how to be creative. Please pray for our safety as we ride along on the streets. It seems to be the way of life here (even big brothers/sisters carry around the baby siblings on their bikes), but since it’s so new to all of us it’s obviously a little scary. But since this is our only option we know that God is in it and protecting us.

We have had the opportunity to meet some of our neighbors in the apartment and pray that God will give us opportunities to share Christs’ love with them. Another challenge is in parenting…a lot of the neighbors have young kids, which is great for our kids, because they have playmates; however, they are not godly influences (to say the least) so we have to be on guard & supervise their playing together closely. It’s actually kind of shocking the way some of these kids grown up & how they’re just not taught basic right from wrong in some situations. Please pray for wisdom for us as we may have to explain some things to our children…since it’s a totally different way of life here.

The language barrier is also a tough thing at times (ie: in the supermarket, at restaurants, with neighbors), but it’s amazing how quick we’ve all picked up on a few words in spanish. Allen is the most proficient with spanish. But Beka counts to 15 in spanish & usually says “Ola” to the local kids & “Adios”, etc. It’s fun to watch them in this adjustment (although hard at times).

We have to add that one funny thing that happened was when Allen was cutting TJ’s hair on the “tile porch” of our apartment, it drew the neighbors’ kids…who only speak spanish…no english at all. Since TJ was making quite a scene, not wanting his hair cut, the neighbor kids came over to watch. I heard Hope announce that TJ had an audience…then announce a few minutes later that he had more of an audience…turns out all 5 of the neighbor kids were sitting right in front of him, watching him get his hair cut. He was so unhappy at one moment that I came out to help hold him still. Then Hope & Beka followed after TJ & had Daddy cut their hair also. Since there was a language barrier, it was hard to know for sure, but it seemed the the neighbor kids wanted Allen to cut their hair also. It was quite amusing. Allen declined of course, but it made for an interesting time. Also, a little while later while the kids were outside playing (and Allen was watching them), the neighbor kids came out with cookies and offered the kids some. It was sooo sweet. TJ was thrilled (our little cookie monster).

That’s about it for now. Thank you so much to all of you who read this & keep updated. Thank you for your prayers and support. They mean more to us than you can ever know. We are so grateful for our friends & family who have partnered with us on this journey in obedience to God’s call. We’re hoping to be able to post some pictures soon. We’re still having some technical difficulties with our website. Thanks for your patience with that. As I mentioned before, with each passing day, we get a little more comfortable in learning the culture, but we have such a long, long way to go. We pray God’s blessings on each of you who have been such an encouragement and support to us.

Un Paso de la Vez (One step at a time)

The Adams Family (Allen, Carol, Hope, Beka, TJ)