The Surreal Life

Sometimes life is so surreal. I can still remember my first trip to Costa Rica like it was yesterday- that first drive into Los Guido, painting the school buildings, my forever friend Jeffrey sitting with me for hours, the first time I met Neris, who has quickly became a dear friend. Little did I know then all God had planned for me and our family- how intricately He would one day wind all of our lives together.

Tonight is one of those moments where I sit back and think, "WOW God, you truly are amazing!" Tonight one of the youth from Los Guido, Isaura, whom I met on that very first trip here over just two years ago, is spending the night with us. I looked at her playing with our girls and could not help but feel the utmost gratitude for our God and His majesty and His willingness to give us the desires of our hearts when we truly seek Him first. I remember the countless prayers I prayed for this young girl during the months after being here. Matt and I exchanged penpal letters to her for alomst a year before we moved here. I remember the way she embraced our children when we first moved here, as if it was the most natural thing in the world to have a little "machito" (blond haired kid) and two little "gringitas" (little American girls) around her (which it is not at all normal here.) But Isaura welcomed them all into her world without blinking an eye and it has been that way ever since.

Tonight she sits watching a movie with our kids and it is all I can do not to weep from happiness at this moment. For those of you that read this blog and have been here to Costa Rica- I am sure you know her. Her sweetness is hard to miss if you have spent any time in Los Guido.

Anyway, I wanted to share this night with you. The girls have played Barbies, made crafts, played dress up and we've been able to just sit and talk with her, too. Isabelle has not stopped talking- all in Spanish and it has been absolutley fantastic to hear her speaking!

I'll be trying to post a blog with pictures from our trip and also one about La Carpio tonight if the internet continues to work!

Please pray for 12 year old Isaura. Pray for her life to be one that is one full of the abundance spoken of in John 10:10. Pray that God would keep her from temptation, protect her from evil and allow her opportunities to glorify him for the rest of her life!

The following pictures are of the girls playing dress up. Isaura was the princess, Isabelle was the ballerina and Audrey was the cat.