Multitudes On Monday

I pray your Easter Sunday was blessed! We were so blessed yesterday and are in awe at God's provision thorughout our day. We enjoyed a beautiful sunrise service yesterday morning on Tamarindo Beach and left around 8 am for Nicaragua. (We continue to have to leave the country every three months for to renew our tourist visas, and this week our visas expire. We had planned to leave Sunday morning to be back for Thursday Bible Club).
We praised the Lord after a bus came towards us in our lane as he was passing another car. Matt was able to pull over the car onto the shoulder. We were thankful we were where we were because there are many areas of that stretch of road that have absoultely no shoulder. We had an uneventful trip after that until we were about 30 minutes from the Costa Rican/ Nicaraguan border. Matt saw the temperature gauge rise on the car and pulled over immediately. We then praised God again for being in a sopt where there was an extraordinarily wide shoulder to pull over as well as adequate shade and many trees. As soon as Matt pulled over the car spouted loudly and steam came rolling out from under the hood. He then realized that a hose had burst. I found the insurance paperwork in the glove box and used our cell phone to call the insurance office. We are so thankful that we have insurance on our car, as many here do not because it is not required by law. We are also very thankful for our old cell phone that we hardly ever use, but have "just in case." When I called I found out that included in our premium is a FREE tow truck/taxi service. YES, I said FREE! So after about 15 minutes, the gal in the office called, me back to let me know that a tow truck and taxi were on their way, but it would be at least an hour and a half before they could get there.



Generally when we travel, I only pack snacks for the trip and we eat when we get to Nicaragua. Saturday, I decided to pack the cooler with lunch for our trip so we would not be rushed when we got there to eat. I again am so thankful for listening to the Spirit's nudge to make lunch. As we waited, we ate lunch.



After we were done, Matt got to looking around and realized he could probably fix the hose because of where it broke. He actually got the hose fixed and we got the car running again and everything appeared to be fine. We continued to wait for the tow truck, but were actually thinking we might be able to go on, as things looked promising. We continued to run the car where we were, as we waited. However about 20 minutes of running the car, it got hot again and the hose almost burst again. So, we waited.



The tow truck and taxi arrived shortly and the kids enjoyed watching the car being loaded onto the flat bed. We rode home in the air conditioned taxi and Matt rode in the tow truck with the driver. We got home safe and sound and Matt has been working on the car until dark. Our neighbors met us at our gate as we arrived, because they saw the car being brought in and were concerned something had happened. Ronny was over all afternoon working on the car with Matt as well as Alvaro off and on and they called over another neighbor who is a mechanic who was here for over an hour workong on the car. It appears that they know the problem and the neighbor who is a mechanic will come back today to help Matt fix it. The Lord is so good!

We have several days before our time actually expires, so we have time to get things figured out. We may leave on a bus or try and rent a car from Tamarindo and take it to the border, which we have done one other time.


All of this to ask for prayer for the car to be fixed, cheaply and quickly if possible. And also for our trip to come together and we be able to leave before our visa expires.


Please also pray for Isabelle as she has developed a cough today and doesn't feel very good.

Thank you for carrying us in prayer. We will keep you posted.
 
I'm so thankful for the ways the Lord provided and protected us yesterday. I can see His hand upon the entire day, even to the point of our attitudes. All 5 of us were calm and made the best of the situation. We were on the road side about three hours and then it took another 2 1/2 hours or so to get back home. Every turn, we continued to see God's hand and the gifts He was giving, despite the inconvienance and irritation of the actual situation. I can see the blessing of a content family no matter the situation, and I am a woman blessed today as I thank God for His great, never-ending, never-changing love He has for us.
 

 
Today, I continue counting...living out Easter on Monday...Tuesday....and every day.
 
#'s 514 - 530
-Good Friday communion service on the beach at sunset
-car insurance in a country where it is not required
-free towing/taxi service included in insurance
-lunch on the side of the road
- a quiet shady spot to wait
- a working cell phone and a good signal
-good friends/neighbors living out the second greatest commandment
-father-in-laws just a phone cxall away to give advice
-understanding hotel owners who don't charge even though we don't arrive as schedule
-friends who call and offer to help in any way they can
-Your provision, time after time, Lord, in a day that could be perceived as terrible...You Lord, made it quite enjoyable
-calm children
-calm husband
- calm Mommy
-safety- Your protection, Lord
-a new mechanic friend
-air-conditioned taxi
 
Ponder this today from Ann's blog:
 

Sun’s rising after Resurrection Sunday on a Monday world where everything’s changed…

Easter Monday faith believes that in impossible darks, impossible light sparks.

Easter Monday faith believes that the tombs places of our life, are but womb places for new life.

Easter Monday faith believes that Christ tenderly takes our doubts — and says touch my scars…

This faith believes in stones that roll, in grave clothes that fall, in an Easter people who sing hard hallelujahs … because we believe in resurrections always coming.