Monday, August 24, 2009

Vacation!

Photo taken on Playa Blanca, Punta Leona, Costa Rica
Story to follow. . .right now, I'm too busy relaxing!

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Another milestone!

We just completed our second of three trimesters in language school. Praise God! It really is amazing how quickly this past trimester has gone. I feel that we have learned a lot and sometimes I wonder where all the information will fit in my brain. Surely my brain has to be reaching its capacity! The greatest part is though classes ended Thursday, we live in Costa Rica, so everyday is a learning opportunity. Just this week, Ryan has had the opportunity to communicate with a mechanic (that's a whole different story) while I have had the opportunity to get to know our Tico neighbors. I feel the need to begin each conversation with an apology and warning, something like the following: "I am sorry. I am learning Spanish. Any way that I may slaughter the Spanish language in the following minutes is not intented to be offensive to you or any other Spanish speaker. Thank you for your patience." But I don't. I've learned that I CAN communicate, though not perfectly. I've learned that Ticos are wonderfully kind and patient. And I am thankful to God that they allow us to torture them with our terrible Spanish. So this weekend, we celebrate one more trimester down! One more trimester closer to serving the people of the Dominican Republic in a calling from God that we are honored to be answering. Please praise God with us for all He has done in our lives to make language learning rewarding and enjoyable. Continue to pray for us as we head into our final trimester, I believe it will be the most demanding one yet. And please pray for our new home in the Dominican Republic. Pray that God is preparing the way for us in the details of our anticipated arrival, as well as in the hearts of the people we will have the opportunity to serve along side of and minister to.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Where did July go?

Ryan just pointed out to me that it has been over a month since I posted anything on the blog. For those of you that may be following us, I am sorry! This month has flown by. So I decided to just give you all a quick run down of some of the things happening in our lives. We began this month by celebrating Micah's 3rd birthday. A few of our friends got together at a nearby park and had a fun time together. Of course there was cake and icecream but we also had a pinata, a very Latin tradition. It was tons of fun and we were blessed by the fellowship and gifts that our friends shared that day. We also had a treacherous adventure to Sarchi, a nearby town known for its handycafts. However, the brakes on our "new" car went out on us and we spent the day at a mechanic's shop in Grecia (a little town 15 minutes from Sarchi) while praising God for his protection and provisions. (More details in our July newsletter) Since we had promised Micah a fun day, we spent a little bit of time playing baseball in Grecia's townsquare and eating icecream before heading back down to San Jose with our new brakes! Later in July, we had the opportunity to enjoy a birthday party of another friend. Micah and all the guests were thrilled to have inflatable games to play in. What a party! Then the department of health closed down all schools and child care centers in order to prevent a furture spread of the Swine Flu. But our language school did not close. So Ryan and I spent the week taking turns watching Micah while the other was in class. Though a week without childcare made our schedule hectic, I enjoyed being able to spend the days with Micah again. I am looking forward to settling down in the Dominican Republic when my role as a mother will once again consume most of my day. Then just at the end of the month, we had to leave the country for 72 hours to renew our visas. We decided to zip over to St. Petersburg, FL for a long weekend and got to enjoy the beach, Busch Gardens and shopping with some of our family. Ryan got to celebrate his birthday a little early with Dairy Queen Cake and pizza by the pool in Florida! Once back in Costa Rica, we celebrated Ryan's birthday with our housekeeper, Marta. Ryan and Marta share a birthday. We had a little cake and exchanged some small gifts after lunch that day. All this happened while spending each week in classes studying Spanish. (which continues to progress little by little, some days better than others! ) I am thankful to God for how He continues to provide for us, not only our needs but many of our desires. What a busy wonderful month!