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1 Corinthians 3:4-9

"For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not mere men?

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. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building."

1 Corinthians 3:4-9


Thursday, July 31, 2008

pictures...pictures...pictures!

Here is a massive picture post of the many I've been meaning to post for the past couple months.
ENJOY!


This was taken on one of the last nights the four teenage girls were here. Our girls have this dance game that has a DVD with it and Chelsie and Jessica got hooked on it. They had fun dancing with Isabelle on this night.


Even though we are in another country, we still try to find time to make life normal and just be silly. This was one of those nights :)


This was taken the morning the girls left. They were such a pleasure to have here for the summer. They helped the ministry in so many ways. We saw huge growth in them from the day the arrived to the day the left. God was definetly working on their hearts while they were here and we continue to pray that he continues to work on their hearts now that they are back home. THANKS Cherilyn, Chelsie, Heather and Jessica for serving Jesus here in Costa Rica!


This was taken one night when we had several families over whom we have become friends with over the past year. Of all the people we have met through school, these families have become very special to us. We will miss them as they prepare to head off to the countries God has called them to, but we are thankful for the time we've had to share life with them!


Our kids have all really bonded and our hope is that they will stay friends forever and one day look back to these days as the beginning of all God had planned for them!


This by the way is in the front open patio area of our home. Along the side of the house is another concrete area that is great for Ethan to practice soccer or for the girls to just play. It has become a great area to grill and spend time fellowshipping with friends. We have also been able to meet many of our neighbors this way, too.


Ethan had to get in the picture :) This is our dear friend Ale and Sandra, one of our Canadian friends :) She is SUPER sweet and a has been a great friend to me :)


This was on Audrey's birthday. Ethan made her a card and put some of his own money in the card for her present. How sweet, eh? (That "eh" is the result of the influence of my Canadian friends :) )


Isabelle gave Audrey her Dora doll for her birthday present! :)


Mommy and her girls


When Alex came back from his visit to the states, he brought a few surprises- one of which was a Game Boy for Ethan (in hopes to solve the gameboy fights we have in the house). Ethan was very surprised as you can see :)


Alex and Ethan hugging. Alex has definetly done a good job this year filling the role of Uncle for the kids :)

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Pray for Mateo

Matt has his final oral exam today for the language school. Please lift him in prayer today. This is a stressful exam, but worth the evaluation we get from the teachers. Tomorrow he takes the written grammar exam. Please pray today and tomorrow for clarity and today especially for smooth speech and for God to give him the words to say.

Monday, July 21, 2008

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUDREY!!!!


Audrey Ann four years old :)

Today is Audrey Ann's 4th Birthday! Please remember her today as she has turned a year older! Isabelle said Audrey must feel like a whole new person today because she is 4! :)

I remember the day we found out we were having her, being pregnant with her, the day she was born- all like they happened yesterday! Where have the past four years gone? - that is the question I keep thinking today...


About 18 months- this is one of my favorite pictures of her


18 months


In the early potty training days :) (fall 2006)

What a gift God gives us in our children. We have them as a loan for such a short time. I am thankful for the three wonderful gifts he has given me and rejoice today to see the growth in her over the last four years!

Monday, July 14, 2008

A family first

About a week ago, we ventured out on a Friday afternoon, which is rare for us, and went to a mall about 10 blocks or so from our home. There is a movie theatre in the mall and our goal for this adventure was to see the movie Wall E.

We realized that this theatre only had the movie playing in Spanish and we thought that would deter the kids, but there were all for it- not minding at all that it was in Spanish. So, we bought the tickets and headed in for our first family movie in a theatre- ever! We realized we had never been as a family. It would have cost us a fortune in the states and Audrey has never been one to sit through a whole movie...those two things combined I am sure is what has kept us from this adventure in the past.

But this was the day and we were all excited! Mark (Kuzdas) and Ethan have been talking about seeing this movie for months, so the excitement has been building! So, the movie was FANTASTIC!!! We all enjoyed it! Matt thought it was one of the best movies he'd seen in awhile...(yeah- we're pretty much in that stage where Disney movies are still the bomb for us!!!) We laughed so hard in some parts and it was just a super sweet movie! We had a great night together!!!

Ethan came home and began the search for all the parts he would need to construct his own Wall E out of Legos! A few days ago, he finally had all the pieces he needed and after about half and hour or so he came out of his room with his very own Wall E and his little cockroach friend!


Ethan, Wall E and Wall E's friend, the cockroach


Wall E and his cockroach friend

I was simply amazed that he put this together out of the pieces he had- no kit, no instructions, just his imagination! He absolutely loves Legos and God has given him such creativity and imagination! Isn't it just amazing?? He is such a great kid!

He is working on Eva (or "Eve" in the English version) as we speak!

By the way, for all five of us and popcorn and two drinks it was less than $25.00! A BIG thanks to the special offering from First Presbyterian Church ladies Bible Study (Sue Wolfe's group) designated for "Family Fun!" It covered the cost of our movie night!!! Much thanks to you, our faithful prayer partners!!!

Saturday, July 12, 2008

AND PAPPY, TOO!!!!!

We just found out that Matt's Dad, Roger, ("Pappy" to the grandkids and "Pops" to us) will be coming in September with Mimi!!! It took some persuading, but he decided to come and the tickets have been purchased!!! We praise God for this future visit and trust that He has big and wonderful things planned for our time together!

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Mimi is coming to town!!!!

Just had to post that Matt's mom, Sue, ("Mimi" to the grandkids) will be coming to visit us in September! YEAH! She will be our first visitor and we are very excited!!!

Please be praying for her trip and her travels and our time together!!!

YEAH!!! :)

Monday, July 7, 2008

water update

Hey...well we were without water for 48 hours- plus! It got to be pretty nasty, but we made it through! It is funny how at times, it was so aggravating to not have the easy access of water. How inconvienant to have to "shower" with a bottle of water. We would leave the house for hours at a time, hoping that when we returned there would be water...and alas there would not be...

It made me think of the way it must be for God. How often he must sit patiently waiting on us to come to him. I am ashamed to admit that I know I cause him to wait on me often. I am so unappreciateive of his never-ending unconditional love for me at times, he must want to throw up his hands and say "Forget it, she's a lost cause..."

However, he does not. He loves me unconditionally and promises that he is always with me and will never leave me. He has promised me to answer my calls. He has promised me a place with him in eternity. So many things he has promised me. He gave his only Son to a fallen world so that I would could receive the gift of salvation through him and eternal life.

Recently, Matt and I have been in somewhat of a rut. No real reason to explain it...but never-the-less, here we find ourselves. Nothing really earth shaking, either- I don't want to alarm you...I don't know if it is the absence of worship in our heart language, the absence of those who have always held us accountable, maybe the need to decompress after such an intense language learning experience or maybe just life in general in a third world country first time in ministry with three young kids...Whatever the reason, my request is that you pray for us- that we would wait on the Lord. That we would thirst for Him and that we would remember to call out to him.

Pastor Rogelio recently shared scripture with us from Hosea 6. It is one of my favorite scriptures and I loved hearing it come from him...

"Come, let us return to the Lord.
He has torn us in pieces;
now he will heal us.
He has injured us;
now he will bandage our wounds.
In a short time,
he will restore us so we can live in his presence.
Oh, that we may know the Lord! Let us press on to know him! Then he will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of the rains of early spring."

My pray is that the Lord would tear me and break me because it is in the moments where I sit wounded before him, but bandaged by his own hands, that I learn the most, that I grow the most and that I love the most. Wierd, huh? That I would ask for God to break me? But, I never want to be in the place where I am confident in my own ability- that is the point at which I will have fallen the farthest. It is not by my strength but by HIS power that I am able to live life day to day. May I always remember that and, yes, may God continue to break me and tear me each time I get close to the self-confident feeling I fear the most.

Saturday, July 5, 2008

No hay agua...

We have been without water for over 24 hours now...uugghhh! Randomly across Costa Rica, the water will periodically be out. Sometimes, there are announced shut-offs for extended periods of time. This, however, is the longest time period we have experienced since moving here almost a year ago.

Yesterday we left the house mid-morning and stayed gone until the evening, stopping only for a short time in the afternoon. We had been hoping to come back last night to running water...not the case. So, off to the local supermarket to buy a gigantic bottle of water. Matt used the rain to fill buckets of water for the toilets and we used the bottled water to brush teeth and to drink. Matt and I slept on a unmade bed because I had been washing the bed sheets when the water went out yesterday morning and they were not sone yet...

This morning when we woke up...still no water...ay...yay...yay!!!! There was a little trickle from the kitchen sink for about 30 minutes so we utilized it and got the breakfast dishes from yesterday and today washed and filled some more buckets, but now the trickle is gone.

It is really eye-opening the things you take for granted. How often I have walked to the sink over the past day and turned the faucet knob without even thinking about it...and of course no water came out, but the action is so automatic. We generally never think twice about the basic neccesities of life NOT being there. Living here has caused us more than once to stop and remember the great wealth and abundance God has blessed the United States of America with. Living in Costa Rica definetly has its third-world moments, but all in all the city and its surrounding areas (where we live) is very modern and becuase of this we are able to live with many modern conviences. We are thankful God has blessed us in this way and thank him for the opportunity to live here and for moments to remember the great provisions he gives us.