I can't post in the new year! (Feliz Navidad!)

I have interrupted my Christmas post to announce that I cannot get my new year posts to show up in the main blog page. They are listed in the contents, but will not show up on this page...It is a mystery to me why this is happening- Can anyone help?

Read the new years day post for a great slideshow at the end!!!


Now for your regularly scheduled Christmas post...

Merry Christmas and Feliz Navidad!

Navidad! Navidad! Hoy es Navidad! Es un dia de alegria y felicidad! Hey!

This is a song our kids have learned in school and we also now know...(sung to the tune of Jingle Bells!)

We hope your day today was wonderful and blessed and full of joy celebrating the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

I wanted to share our day with you and a few pictures as well. As you can imagine, this Christmas has been very different, but very special and full of new traditions as well.

The new traditions started yesterday around 10:00 am. Joanie and I a few of her girls were invited to join several of the women in the Los Guido church as well as Neris, pastor Rogelio's wife prepare tomales for the Christmas Eve dinner. It is tradition in Costa Rica for families to gather together and prepare tomales and then celebrate Christ's birth with a dinner and fellowship late into the night. We began the 12 hour process of preparing about 200 tomales for the church. What a wonderful day it was. I was reminded of all the stories I've heard growing up of all the Adair get together's from Mom's childhood and I remembered the days spent together with them just being together. It was a day I will remember forever filled with hard work, laughter and so much love. After a day's preparation, the tomales were put in the fire pit to cook for several hours. Then the festivities began around 8:30. Mark delivered a powerful message based on 2 Timothy. We sang Christmas songs (in Spanish, of course!), shared a few laughs and then we ate the tomales! They were delicious! It really was a wonderful day! I was exhausted when we got home around midnight...but what joy filled my heart! Matt and I wrapped the presents we had picked up for the kids with the money our families had sent for them and we made it to bed around 1:30 am or so.


This is me mixing the "masca" or the base of the tomale. It was hard work! The mixture is corn flour base mixed with puree of cilantro, celery and onion and good ole lard. (I know it is terribly unhealthy and doesn't sound that appetizing- but MAN OH MAN! was it good! And they only eat them once a year...) Since we were preparing for so many, we had a huge batch. Near the end of the mixing process, we ditched the spoon and I decided to use my hands. I was up to my elbows in masca!


Paige helped out a lot during the process. It was fun hanging out with the Price girls during the day and seeing how willing they were to help out.


Here's Sydney mixing away!


Rosa and Zoila armed with appropriate headgear for keeping stray hairs out of the masca (Rosa was ready for a swim, if the opportunity came up- as Alex had fun kidding her about :) ) We had so much fun just kidding each other all day for different things. We shared lots of laughs.


After the masca is mixed, the tomales are constructed in banana leaves and wrapped tightly then tied with string. Neris, Alex and Joanie spent all morning cleaning, drying and sorting the leaves before we constructed the tomales.

During the assembly process, the we formed the masca into balls about the size of a tennis ball then flattened them out onto the leaves. We then placed a carrot strip, red pepper strip, a small potato slice and a small amount of rice in the center of the masca. Then, we placed the meat on top and wrapped them up. They are supposed to be rectangular and even all around, but many of mine were somewhat like an agenda or a small book in size- and it was the joke of the day that I was building a library as I was collecting so many books (tomales). They had fun poking fun at me- but it was that good old clean fun that makes you feel loved... :)

It was so neat to see how everyone pitched in to help during the process. Several of the husbands helped during the tieing process. Many worked on the pig earlier in the day, preparing the meat- that's a whole other story! What a story...


After assembly, the wrapped tomales are placed in a deep fire pit with un poco (just a little) water and then left to cook for about four hours. Pastor Marvin was in charge of this step.

It was a great day spent at La Finca! What a blessing this property is for Iglesia Nueva Vida Los Guido. It is awesome to see how the kids gather for the whole day, people come and go throughout the day, and even without a building, it is a safe place where youth and adults alike can come and worship and serve the Lord in a community that has such darkness surrounding it. Our kids ran and played and laughed all day and late into the night. The girls both fell asleep before suppper, but they spent a full day playing with their friends from Los Guido. One of the most special parts of the day came about 1:30 in the afternoon. I watched as three little girls ran up to my two girls as they got out of the van at the top of the hill. They (these three little girls) had been asking all day when my two girls would get there because they had a surprise for them. I had no idea what this surprise was, but my eyes filled with tears as I saw the following scene play out. These three little girls from Los Guido presented my two little girls with a Christmas gift! A beautiful little baby doll and two braclets for them to share. The people we minister to have so little worldly possessions, yet the depth of love and giving that they exhibit is so amazing. What poverty they have- and it is true- the living conditions are unsanitary and very dire in some cases, yet they are truly rich- more rich than many of the richest living in the United States. Rich because they have the love of Jesus Christ deep in their hearts and they share that love very freely.

Audrey was up this morning around 7:30 am and not long after that, came Isabelle and Ethan. They woke up Daddy and we gathered around the tree and sang Happy Birthday to Jesus and started the day with prayer. We opened our presents and took time to take pictures of every one to send back home. :)

We hung out all morning. Alex came over for awhile so we could say goodbye to him - he will be back in the states for about three weeks.


Then, we headed over to the Price's house for lunch. It was nice to be able to share a meal with them today. We played a few games and enjoyed fellowship with them. Then we came back home and started making phone calls. We spent most of the evening on the phone or on Skype. It is such a blessing to be able to talk to those of you back there with such convienance. God is so good!

This has been our first Christmas away from family, first Christmas out of the country, first Christmas in Costa Rica. A Christmas of many firsts, but many good firsts.

We were able to spend some time with our South Carolina buddy Chelsie this past week, too. She was here serving. She left Monday morning, but not before coming over to hang out and snap some pictures. It was so nice to see a familiar face right before Christmas and she was kind enough to bring some goodies for us (like Vanilla Caramel coffee mate - THANK YOU!!!!) We love her and will be counting the days until her next visit! :)


Thank you Father for the firsts of this season. Thank you for that very first Christmas so many years ago when you gave the world your Son. Thank you that we call him Holy, Emmmanuael, Savior, Counselor, Friend. Thank you that because he first lived, then later died, and then later rose from the dead and ascended in to heaven that I now have an example of the way to live my life - I have an example in Jesus Christ of a life that is pleasing to you. I can live a life filled with joy because you live in me. Thank you for this day that we celebrate the birth of your Son, Jesus. And thank you for him.

Dates...

We've had a great week off school this past week. It has been full of things to do...but also we've been able to sleep in some and spend time with the kids- which has been great and much needed!

Both Matt and I have taken Isabelle separately for a walk- Matt let her "lead" the way one day becuase she was "sure she knew where she was going!" We've played in the park, spent alot of time with the Price family and just hung out together.

Matt and I were able to spend half of the day together Wednesday celebrating our 9th anniversary. Lucia watched the kids for us while we went out and ate breakfast then walked around looking at things we haven't yet taken the time to look at before. We also were able to shop some for Christmas, which was fun! Thursday we spent the whole day together. Our friend Ale, who also was a teacher of mine, watched the kids while we spent the day together. It was so nice to just be together with no agenda and just "be." So we found this Italian restaurant we had tried to find a couple months ago...but were unsuccessful...But yesterday, we found it and the food was great! I had eggplant parmesean- it was fantastic! Matt had fettuccini and it was great, too. Then we walked around that area of the city, enjoying the day. It was so sunny and warm (sorry to rub it in those of you with tons of snow back in the states)...We caught a movie (about $5.00 for both of us!) and came back in the evening.

How refreshing it was for us both. We realize how important it is to take the time to savor and nurture our marriage and we are very thankful we had the opportunity to do so this past day and a half! We are thankful for the people God has placed in our lives who truly care for our children and are willing and available to care for them and give us the opportunity to nurture our marriage. So, as a THANK YOU to those who have given us the opportunity to have a few dates:

Here's our friend Katie, who we miss very much! She was in school with us one tri and has moved on to start seminary back in the sates. Her and Audrey were good buddies. She watched our kids for us several times for different things- and for our first date here in Costa Rica! Thanks, Katie! She became someone very special to me and I miss her smiles and hugs already!


This is a picture of several special women God has placed in my life. Jan has given me much encouragement and advice related to being a godly wife, mother and srvant in the mission field! Thanks, Jan! I enjoy her friendship. In the back is Ale that I spoke of earlier. Then next to me is Erin. Erin and I have grammar together. She is great source of encouragemtn and comic relief for me! We can look at each other and burst into tears or laughter depending on the circumstance...it is the kind of thing only women can understand- but she has proven to be a wonderful friend to me. Her husband, Mike and Matt have grown to be friends as well. We value their friendship. They have also allowed us the opportunity to go on a date while they cared for our kids :) Thanks, guys!



This is Ale and me. I have learned much from being in her class- some about the phonetics of the the Spanish language, some about life in general, some about Costa Rican culture, but most importantly about the way God has worked in her life and brought her to a point at which she has realized his power and will and plans and LOVE for her- and for all of us. She has proven to be a great friend and I am very thankful for her in my life. She has become a special part of our Costa Rican family. The kids LOVE being with her and she loves being with them! She has watched them and has even been to a birthday party with her for one of her younger cousins! Thanks, Ale!


Thank you Father for the gift of people who care for us and our children her in Costa Rica. Thank you for friendships. thank you for our marriage and the family you have given us- our three wonderful children. Thank you for your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

"I will be with you wherever you go."

And the Lord said to Joshua, "Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

This is such a very familiar passage of scripture and one so very dear to my heart. I have found comfort in these holy words many times in my life and at many different points where the path of life seemed to be heading in a new direction.

Once again, I find strength in these ancient, holy words. Words that ring ever true- unchanging, but forever changing me.

For several weeks, Matt and I have been pondering what our place is in the ministry here in Costa Rica. We have strong desires to be more involved, but managing school and three young children is very limiting, so up until this point we have had only a very minimal part in the ministry side of things. However, I must say that God uses even the limited time we have with these people who are so very dear to us to continue to build the bonds we have with some and form new bonds as well.

So, as a family we pray for the two ministry areas and the ways we can share Jesus in these cities. But also, Matt and I have been praying about which area God has planned for us to minister in. We see the ways in which both the national team and the gringo team are stretched and pulled trying to manage two areas of ministry and two people groups. recently, Pastor Rogelio approached both Marvin and Mark with the news that he feels called to Tejarcillos and would like to begin full time service in this area in January. At the same time, Pastor Marvin and Mark were feeling the Lord leading them to serve in Los Guido-Our God is so all-knowing and amazing to work in the hearts of these men at the exact same time with the same purpose.

When we learned of this news, Matt and I really began searching for what this meant for our family. In the way that only God can do, he also brought both Matt and I to an agreement- the Lord is calling our family to service in Tejarcillos. Matt came to me one night and said "I don't think we are supposed to leave Tejarcillos." I started crying (imagine that!!!) and said "I don't think so either!" So, we agreed to pray about this a few more days and then talk with Mark. Once we sat down with Mark to tell him what we were feeling and what we had decided- with tears in his eyes he told us he has been praying for Rogelio and pleading with the Lord to send someone with a heart for Tejarcillos- the people and the vision and for Rogelio and his family as well. Little did he know that we were that family! The Lord knew though! Mark had some very important things for us to pray about and also some much needed encouragement. We agreed to talk with Marvin and Rogelio very soon.

A few days passed and we made arrangements to talk with the two pastors. What a blessed time we spent with them! Marvin shared with us with great emotion the news we shared with him was an answer to his prayers as well as he too had prayed for Rogelio and his family and asked the Lord to provide people who can be an encouragement and support for the Diaz family- and now we tell him we fel the Lord leading us in this way. Rogelio as well, shared his request of the Lord providing families to serve in Tejarcillos. What an encouraging and exciting time we shared that day with these two men of God!

There are so many ways God has affirmed this decision- there really is no way we can deny that this is from the Lord!

So, what does this mean? Well, first and foremost it means we need you to pray specifically for Tejarcillos - every day if you fell so lead. Please pray for Rogelio and Neris (sounds like "Netty") and their four children: Roger (sounds like "Ro-hair"), Lesvia (sounds like "Les-bia"), Elvis (Ethan's best friend) and Daniel. Pray for the youth leadership team- for these kids the church is the only place in their lives that is safe, secure and where they are loved. For these youth- knowing Jesus Christ is the only reason they live. Some have lives where there is not one safe, happy, speck of light except Jesus Christ and the family they have in the local body of believers. I ask you to fall on your knees for these children- please kneel before the throne of our Lord and ask the Lord to bless the lives of these young people. Pray for their families to come into to the light of Christ. Pray for the Holy Spirit to be present in this dark, dark place that is bound in the chains of evil. Pray that God would bind the enemy and that his light would shine throught these youth. Pray that this very spiritually and physically young church would become strong and be used as a fortress of refuge for those in very real danger and that this very new pastor would be used by the Lord to bring the fragrance of life to the thousands who live in eternal condemnation- separated from eteranl life with Christ Jesus.

Pray for our family as we seek wisdom and guidance from the Lord. Pray that he would open our eyes to the needs that exist that he can fill by using us and our lives. Pray that those that we minister to would look at us and see Christ, not Matt and Brooke. Pray for the ways God will work through our children. I cannot even begin to describe to you the joy that fills my heart when I see my young son playing in the midst of several other Tico boys and think nothing of it. The joy I feel when I see our girls break through to the other children and adults- the smiles that come to their faces when they see the girls get out of the van.

It is very true that the poverty we see in this area is beyond anything I could ever imagine. It is very true that the level of violence in this area is at a level which we have never seen. It is true that prostituition is the profession of most in this city and that drugs are everywhere- everywhere.

But more than all those things, is the TRUTH of scripture that rings louder than any sound that comes from the darkness that exists in the city of Tejarcillos.

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9
God has lead us to this decision and he has not sent us alone- he is right here with us and will stay with us wherever we go. It is with that knowledge and promise that we are excited to share this with you!

The need for prayer is very real. But the TRUTH of scripture is that our story from start to finish has already been written by the greatest Author ever. He knows all the twists and turns- and he is right here with us holding on as we take the turns with our hands up!

I wanted to include a picture of the youth leadership team so you have names and faces as you pray.


From left to right their names are: (back row) Ariel, Pastor Rogelio, Neris, Ana, Rebecca, Esmelda, Vitza and Lesvia (front row) Jessica, Ellie, Jessica, Wendy, Francela and Rebecca.

The next picture is Pastor Rogelio and his family.



Thank you in advance for your prayers.

Price's arrive...and other things!

Thought I'd post quickly to let you know that Bill and Joanie and the girls arrived safely today to Costa Rica!

We are so excited to have them here! The kids were so excited- we got them out of school a little early and we all took off to pick them up at the airport! It was great! The girls picked up right where they left off last July- fast friends!

Please pray for the Price,s by name name as they begin their transition to Costa Rica. They are waiting for their apartment to be ready in the next few days and have much to do in this first week here. Please pray especially for their girls as they make this transition. Their names are Alex, Paige, Sydney, Sophie and Sunny, and of course Bill and Joanie.

Also, this is our last week of classes for this first trimester- Praise the Lord! I have a big test Wednesday you can pray for- all on past tense- it is tough for me...I cried in class today - I just couldn't get it! Oh well... :) I am so thankful for my grammar teacher- Jonesi. She is so great. A few of us stayed after class a few minutes talking with her and trying to understand this one particular verb and finally we all were able to understand and it sunk in a little. She- Jonesi- has said several times how much she likes our class because we really question her and really dig to understand what is going on. Sometimes the English understanding and translation is so inhibiting to the learning of Spanish. It sounds wierd, but sometimes trying to understand the English translation actually deterrs us from grasping the concept- some things just do not translate - we are learning!

Anyway, Matt and I are officially done with classes Thursday (for a few weeks anyway...) and the kids are done Friday. We have about four weeks off for vacation!

I've got to say a HUGE!!!!! Thanks to all who have sent us care packages recently! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! I cannot tell you how comforting it is to know you all are thinking of us back there! AND THE CHOCOLATE IS QUE RICO!!!!! (So delicious!)

Love you all!

Baptisms- Praise the Lord!

I have such a praise to share with you all!

This past Sunday, December 2, 2007, both churches- Tejarcillos and Los Guido- held a combined baptismal service at a pool very near Los Guido in Patarra.

There were some 60 people baptized that day- Praise the Lord!

And we are so excited to share with you that Ethan was also baptized that day as well! We have been talking with him about baptism for many months, but we had left the decision up to him. A few weeks ago he said he was ready to be baptized and not long after that discussion we realized the church was planning to hold a service- Ethan said he was ready!

So, this past Sunday, Pastor Rogelio baptized Ethan right here in Costa Rica!

Isn't God so good?

Here is a picture of right before. Ethan is in the pool with Rogelio and Marvin and Matt walked him out.


This picture was taken right after.


Daddy and Ethan sharing a moment after Ethan's baptism!



I also wanted to share pictures of Pastor Marvin's wife, Zoila's parnets. We have asked for prayer for them before. They recently accepted the Lord and were both baptized this past Sunday as well.
This is Zoila's mom Panchita after being baptized. Meg led her to the Lord and walked her out


This is Zoila's dad- Rogelio led him to the Lord.



We serve such an awesome and amazing God! We can never imagine the ways he will bless us! He loves us so much!

La Feria

I have been wanting to blog about my weekly trip to the feria for some time now. La feria means "farmer's market" in spanish.

Every Saturday morning I wake up about 6 am (it seems early, I know, for a Saturday, but it is an hour later than I normally wake up during the week). Some days, Meg and I walk "the hills" (which are actually more like small mountains than any hill I've ever seen)and then sometimes we also walk around the walking track that is next to the lot that the feria is in. After walking, I head to the feria. I have a smile on my face the moment I walk through those gates! I am amazed at the beautiful rainbow of colors that fill my eyes and the scents that fill my nose. There are booths and booths of fruits and vegetables- some very familiar like red and golden delicious, granny smith (Ethan's favorite- and what he takes in his lunch every day!) and even fugi apples (manzanas), blackberries (moras), strawberries (fresas), pineapple (pina), lettuce- several different varieties (lechuga), cabbage- red and green (repollo), cucumbers (pepinos), cilantro (culantro)and potatoes (papas). Then there are some things very unfamiar and very fun to try like marmachinos ("snot balls"- sounds yummy, huh?)- they look so cool- they are round and a brilliant red and have little spikey things all over them and you peel the outside and inside is something similar to the consistency of a peeled green grape and tastes somewhat similar as well, but different at the same time...some say they go down as smooth as snot...eeewwww...Ticos love 'em! A few weeks ago, I bought a papaya for about $0.60! It was pretty good- I'm not sure I'd buy one again - but worth trying for that price! There are so many interesting things I have yet to try...Probably the best thing we have tried is these amazingly tiny bananas- banana datilos. They are about as long as any one of my fingers and about as thick as a Pizza Hut breadstick. They look just like miniature bananas, but the taste is much sweeter. Audrey LOVES them!!!! She takes one in her lunch every day for school! I can buy about 12 for about $0.75!

It took me almost a month and a half to get the nerve up to actually go to the feria. After we learned numbers and practiced money in our conversation class (and actually practiced buying things from the feria thanks to the girls plastic food that I brought in as visual aids!!!) I felt fairly confident- so I headed out! I have been almost every weekend since!

After I get home, I take all my goodies into the laundry room sink and wash everything in bleach water to sanitize and kill any bugs or parisites. There are some pretty dangerous ones- so I don't take any risks...That whole praocess takes an hour or two depending on how much I've bought. I wash everything for at least 15 minutes- some things longer than that though. Then I dry everything out and store it in its appropriate place.

So, today, I took a picture of my haul and kept track of exactly what I spent and exactly how much I came back with. You all know how much I love a great deal - and one of the reasons I love going so much is because everything is so good and it is such a great deal! You decide:



Here's the pic of my haul- beautiful, huh???

Now, here's a list of my fares:
3 fugi apples, 6 granny smith apples, 3 golden delicious apples, 6 tangerines, 1 large head caesar lettuce, 1 head "American" lettuce, 9 potatoes, 1 cucmber, 4 ears of corn, 1 bag of guanabana pulp (the best juice in the world!!!!), 1 large pineapple, 1 head of cabbage, 1 bunch of radishes and one bunch of banano datils (those little bananas)...38 items for a for a grand totla of just under $10.00!!!!

Pretty cool, huh?