pictures

Finally the pictures I promised from Dominical! Enjoy!

We really hope to get back to a beach somehwere soon- it was a much needed day of relaxation! And so beautiful!


Mommy BelleBelle and Audrey


The Price's, The Diaz family and the McClain's



La Familia McClain


Audrey loving the waves


PLaying in the sand with Daddy


Neris and Daniel


Our little beach cabana. Someone had constructed this at some point and we inhabited it for the day :)


Where is Ethan?


Daniel Isabelle and Audrey playing in the sand :)


Beautiful sunset

¡Qué feo!

I have to post this hilarious story about our Audrey :)

Most of you have heard us talk about the two teams the youth groups have - Los Bufalos (the buffalos) and Las Águilas (the eagles). Every week, the two teams compete in games and activities to try and earn points and after each youth group a winner for the day is declared. The kids love the competition and it has really been great fun watching how loyal everyone is to their team.


Un bufalo (blue) and una águila (red)

Our entire family has been buffalos since we arrived. However, lately Audrey has decided that she wants to be an aguila. So, some days she is an águila and some days she is a bufalo.

Yesterday (Saturday) we were all at La Finca for the last day of Vacation Bible School. We were riding home with Melinda and as we were walking up to her car she asked Audrey if she was an águila (Melinda is an aguila and often tries to persuade others to be one with her... :) )So, anyway, out of nowhere, in answer to the question, Audrey says to Melinda, "¡Qué feo!" Which means basically "How ugly!" or "That's bad!" It was so funny! One because she responded in Spanish so quickly without any prodding and two because it was an accurately funny thing to come back with! All three kids are learning the language so quickly!

Last week to end Vacation Bible school in Tejarcillos, we gave away team t-shirts.

Today, at church we awarded a prize to everyone who wore their team colors to church. It was great to see all the red and blue in church this morning. Here are pictures of the winners.


Los bufalos


Las águilas

And finally,


A family divided...four bufalos and one águila...

Audrey decided she was an aguila this morning. So as we all dressed in our blue, she picked out everything she had that was red to wear. She was so proud this morning wearing all red and telling everyone she was an águila!

I was just happy that the Lord has blessed her with a personality strong enough to make her own choices, even when they may be different than those around her and that she was willing to be different. My prayer is that will be a piece of her character that she will choose to use in pursuit of the Lord and for his glory.

Yo tengo mucha tarea!

I thought I'd post a brief update explaining the lack of recent posts and let you know I haven't had time to repost the Dominical pictures...because...I have so much homework!!!

This tri is much much better in so many ways, but at the same time so much harder! We have homework that is very different in nature, but much more practical- and that is such a plus! However, ever so practical as it is, it is also in depth- which translates into "IT TAKES A LONG TIME TO COMPLETE!!!!"

I have been feeling the pressure the past few days. Not proud to say it has gotten me down...but it has.

Every week, our homework for our conversation class is the same, so we at least know what to expect. Every Tuesday is estudio biblico (Bible Study) day. We have to prepare and present to the class a Bible Study of differeing topics each week based on the theme for the week. It is quite interesting, exciting to be actually aprehending the Bible in Spanish, and learning to teach the Word of God in another language! We have completed two now and both have taken me well over 4 hours each to prepare and several days of working on each.

So, if my blogs become sparse...at least you know why... :)

Sidenote: FYI- We do have a webcam and would LOVE to talk with anyone who also has one. Skype is free online and it is such great encouragement for us to "see" you all back there! Praise the Lord we have been able to "see" Mimi and Pappy many times and Ging-ging a couple times now...and tonight we got to "see" Courtney and Trina (Praise the Lord!)- oh and Callie, too :) So, email me and we can give you our skype address or whatever it is (Matt takes care of all that stuff ;] ) We'd love to hear from you!

Also, I have a very smart friend who recently added a video to her blog using her webcam and I thought- "that is a great idea!"
So, hopefully we can get one together and add one to our blog soon! :)


Here is a picture of Ethan and Isabelle's Sunday school class in Tejarcillos I thought you'd enjoy.



This is from a couple weeks ago. We had two girls from Tejarcillos come and spend the night with us on a Saturday. Matt and Ethan left for youth group in the morning around 9:30. They stayed for the leadership meeting because both girls are on the leadership team, ate lunch in the home of one of the girls and then afterwards rode the bus home with the girls and Pastor Rogelio. There is no direct bus so they had to ride to San Jose first, get on a second bus then get off around 10 blocks from our house and walk from there. Quite an adventure for Matt and Ethan, but for the girls and Rogelio, such is life. Ellie and Jessica are very special friends and we had so much fun with them that night. It is our desire to be able to continue to have more young people come to our home and share in our lives as we share in theirs. Our girls had so much fun with Jessica and Ellie. It is amazing to Matt and I how much Spanish our kids really know. They communicated so well with each other- God is so good! It is quite a process to be able to bring kids home with us like that, but one well worth it for the time we are able to spend with them. We praise God for allowing us to be able to share in the lives of these youth.

No pictures???

For some reason the pictures from my last post have disappeared. They were there once, but they are not now...and I cannot figure out why.

Any ideas?

Fuimos a la playa

Last month, we had the opportunity to spend a few days in the southern part of the country near about 15 minutes from Dominical Beach. Some friends asked us if we might want to house sit while they were away and we were quick to answer "YES!"

So, we asked Pastor Rogelio and his family if they would like to go with us and Bill and Joanie and the girls as well. We packed the Price's van full of the luggage and half of us and the other half rode a bus down. Bill planned to follow the bus so we would not get separated. The trip was supposed to take about 3 1/2 hours- and it would have been very close, had we not had a 2 hour detour! It seems there was a bicycle race scheduled to go through that part of the country that day, so local authorities were stopping traffic until the racers were past a certain section of road. There is no redirecting traffic because there is only one road through major cities like this. Mind you, we were only one hour away from the bus station and about another 30 minutes from the house...but we sat parked, with a couple hundred other vehicles for about 2 hours waiting for about 50 bicyclists to come by. What a third-world country moment!

By the time we finally got there, it was too late to try and find the beach, so we made dinner and hung out. The next day the guys were up early to scout out the beaches. They came back and we left for the beach!

It was such and amazing day! We spent the whole day at the beach and had so much fun! A few of us got a little burnt, but the memories we made will last forever!

Here are several pictures of our time together.

This was the first time our kids had ever been to the beach and the first time Rogelio's whole family had ever been. Everyone enjoyed the waves, the sand and just being near the water!

We thank the Lord for this time and the memories we made.


Me and the girls on the beach


Neris and Daniel on the beach


Daddy and his girl


The McClain Family


The gang


This is a picture of our little cabana we used while we were on the beach. It was already constructed and just sitting there- it was a great place to keep our stuff and be able to sit out of the shade.


The Diaz family


Alex, Paige and Roger enjoying the waves


Donde esta Ethan? :) [Where is Ethan?]


Isabelle buried in the sand :)


One of many of God's creations that always brings tears to my eyes!


WOW! Beautiful! It started raining just as we were leaving, so we kinda missed the best part of the sunset, but we could at least get this picture. It was a great ending to a wonderful day!

"he's so much better than me!"

I have many blogs floating around in my head right now that I need to find time to post...someday...but I had to write about our dinner conversation last night...

Ethan has been playing soccer at school about 4 months. He really enjoys it. It is not competetive in nature, however the coach does split them up into two teams for the last 20 minutes of every practice to "play" against each other. This is the part they all seem to enjoy the best because they always scream when the whistle signals it is time for the game!

Ethan has been dragging his feet to go to practice since school started last week. Usually by the end of the day, he is ready to go, however. But yesterday he didn't want to go, so I said "OK!" and that we'd talk about it that night at supper. Matt and I taked during the day about the possible reasons why Ethan may not be wanting to go and also came to an agreement that we thought he should continue going for many reasons, unless of course there was a serious reason that he was not wanting to go.

So, at supper, I asked Ethan to explain to us why he no longer wanted to play soccer. He explained that there were two other boys who were "so much better" than him and because of that he felt like he shouldn't play anymore. He also didn't like being on the opposite team as another boy because that boy's team always won- and Ethan really wanted to win! For those of you who know the sweet spirit our son has, you may be able to picture the defeated little look on his face as he was telling us this. I sat beside him and Matt and I both explained several different things to our son. One of which was that winning, while very fun, is not everything. And that there is much to be learned from those who always win, and those who never seem to. We also reminded Ethan how very little he knew about soccer when he first started playing a few months ago compared to how much he knows now. I explained to Ethan that even though he may not be as fast as other players or score as many goals, he is able to score and I told him how much I enjoy watching him as he is able to dribble the bal straight down the court, turn in a full circle and then accurately kick the ball past the much older kids who serve as goalies in the younger kids pracitce, and score a goal. Something he could not do when he first started. This made him smile at the recollection of being able to do this! We also talked about how he is so good at seeing ways he can assist another player score a goal, which he has done many times. We talked about how important it is for other players to be able to do that in order for goals to be scored.

Then, came a sweet, sweet moment between our two oldest children. Isabelle asked me if she could tell Ethan something, to which I asked her if it was goign to be nice, and then she proceeded to tell me what she was going to say and I said, "yes, please tell your brother that."

She said Ethan, "I just want to tell you that I think that you are the best soccer player on your team!" with her signature adorable smile on her face! I was holding back tears, knowing the effect this would probably have on Ethan. He looked at her, started crying, and said "Isabelle, that makes me feel so good!" So, of course I started crying...It was a sweet moment- the poor kid he is just like me! :)

Later, Audrey asked Isabelle why Bubby was crying and I heard her say, "Well, I said something nice to him and it made him happy and sometimes people cry when things make them happy- Mommy does it and so does Mimi- Mimi does it alot- that's what Pappy says anyway!" And on they went!

As I thought about this more I am struck by how many times in my life I have plead with the Lord about how I am just not good enough or that there is someone else who is so much better than me. I know how imperfect I am, and so does the Lord, so "isn't there a better choice for this job?"

Well, just as was with Moses, Jonah and so many others in the Bible as is with me. It is in our weaknesses, that Christ is made strong. Later I took the time to explain to Ethan that God has allowed him to be in this school for a specific purpose. Maybe his purpose is to be Jesus to others on his soccer team.

So many times we have people say to us "I could never do what you are doing." Well, maybe. This is what God has designed specifically for our family. So maybe if you tried and it was not that which God has called you to, you probably couldn't. But what you CAN do is be obedient to that which he HAS called you to- whatever it may be. There is nothing spectacular about me or anyone in my family (well, my kids are pretty amazing!!) or about anything we have done. We have just been obedient. But what is spectacular is what the Lord is doing with two willing and greatly imperfect servants.

We praise him for the plans he has for us. We serve such a mighty God. I see him working and weaving lives together in amazing ways. Oh the ways in which he thinks to work! He looks at us so often with a sweet smile on his face and says to us, "I think you are the best person for this spot on my team!" How often do we listen to the other voice that says we are not.

So, the question for today is: Are you willing to be obedient. That is really all the Lord asks of us. Will you stop the thoughts of not being good enough, of having too much sin in your past, of there being someone else who is so much better than you...

Will you choose today to seek, listen and then DO what it is the Lord has planned for you?

By the way, Ethan has decided that he wants to keep playing soccer! :)

VBS in Tejarcillos

Please pray for the week-long VBS that starts in Tejarcillos tomorrow. It will be in the mornings, so neither of us will be able to be a part of it until Saturday, but please pray for this major event and the help that is needed to make things run smoothly. Please pray for a boldness in each of thoses serving to share Christ and that the Lord prepare the hearts of those who will attend and hear the message of salvation through Jesus Christ. Pray for Pastor Rogelio and Neris and stamina for the week. We've been spending more and more time with them lately and they have such passion for the Lord.

I'm getting the hang of this!

Today was a good day in la casa de McClain! We all came home after church and rested- which was much needed. Matt and I and Audrey have 5 extra hours of school this trimester (1 of those hours is an extra break for Matt and I) and so our day ends at 1 instead of 12 like last trimester. It really wore on us this week. Audrey has not been sleeping well, therfore I have not either. So, we all relaxed after church- and I even took a nap! I can count on one hand the number of times I have done that since we've lived here! When we all got up and moving in the afternoon, I started some little clean up detail around the house. To my surprise Ethan jumped up, wondering what he could do to help. Matt started on the dishes (We have the tiniest sink ever made in our house, so after a few cups and one or two plates are in it - it is full...I had made pancakes for breakfast- so the morning dishes were straggling over to the stove still since I hadn't had time to do them before we left for church...)Anyway, so the boys were busy doing jobs, Isabelle grabbed the broom and stated how much she LOVED to clean! I was busy working on some things in the kids room and Audrey, well Audrey was busy taking care of the cat...or soemthing like that :) For a good hour we all worked on different things and I am telling you what- it was great. Ethan kept asking what he could do to help. Isabelle swept the entire living room/dining room area. It was some great McClain family teamwork! After Ethan had changed the cat litter, taken the garbage out and replaced the bag, and made his bed and his sisters beds and picked up his toys, he said "Mom, I'm getting the hang of this cleaning thing! Can I keep helping you?" Can you guess what my answer was?

For all they have been through the past year, our kids are amazingly well adjusted and for the most part, happy in our new life. They pray with real sensitivity every day for things that blow me away. Ethan prays that the whole world would know Jesus. Isabelle has been asking questions about baptism and communion. And Audrey asks often about where God is and what he looks like and how can she know about God? When I ask her where she thinks God is she places her hand on her heart and says "right here!" And then, usually she proceeds with a list of people she knows have Jesus in their heart, too...

We ended our evening by reading Ramona Quimby (we are on our second book Ramona book) and writing in our prayer journal we have started to keep as a family. Then we prayed before bed.

I think often about the business of life in the states. I think about how busy our last 6 months were before we moved. And I seek the Lord daily, because honestly, it would be so easy to become that busy here. Just being in school keeps us so busy. This trimester it already seems our homework level will be much more intense. We have set homework every day for one class, but it is detailed things and presentations for the class. Then, we add the little we are able to serve in the ministry and it feels like so much sometimes; for our kids we can sense it is way too much at times. Matt and I were used to at least seeing each other for a few minutes between classes last tri, this tri our classes are spread out so much that we see each other from afar, but by the time I get to the bathroom and back our five minute break is done and class starts again...We do still have chapel break together- praise the Lord, but our other breaks are at different times. That is a big adjustment for me.

And then the Lord blesses us with a day like today. Slow paced, filled with glimpses of him at every turn. A day where we were able to take it slow enough to listen to each other and enjoy each other. A day where we were able to remember what is most important in our lives- the Lord and each other- and how every thing else in life comes after those two things.

Thank you Lord for this day. Thank you for the questions that were asked, the answers you provided. Thank you for the gift of family you have blessed me with. Thank you for the moments like today. I pray Lord that they would not be so few and far between.

I've been TAGGED!

I was TAGGED by my sweet friend, Jessica. I figured if I didn't take the time tonight when I have NO homework, I'd never do it...so here is my list (I like the questions, too) :)

{OK, this actually took me about three days to finish- and I have plenty of homework this weekend- just taking a break!}

8 Things I'm Passionate About:
1. Being a daughter of the King
2. Being a wife and a mother of three
3. Sharing the TRUTH found only in Christ
4. (ahora) Learning Spanish
5. My friends
6. Reading
7. coffee...and...
8. uhh...CHOCOLATE!!!! :)

8 Things I say Often :
1. Como se dice? (How do you say.....)
2. I so much love you...(to Audrey)
3. Have I told you lately that you're cute...(to Isabelle)
4. Do you know who made you so smart? (To Ethan)
5. Otra Vez, porfavor (once again, please)
6. To Mateo- Te amo!
7. To my kids.....have I told you today how much I love you?
8. Hola! Como estas?

8 Things I've Read Recently:
1. The Bible (not the whole thing, but sections daily- and both in English and
Spanish)
2. a map of Costa Rica (the question does say "things")
3. A few pages of The End of The Spear
4. My Grammar book- verde
5. My grammar book- amarillo
6. My phonetics book (OK- I barely have time to do anything else but school related
stuff- so I haven't read much lately!)
7. The Barbarian Way- Edwin McManneus (I think is his name???)
8. Believing God - Beth Moore


8 Things I want to do before I die:
1. Fluently speak Spanish
2. See each child walking with Christ intimately
3. See my lost loved ones intimately know Christ
4. To fulfill my God-given passion of sharing the gospel in Costa Rica
5. See Tejarcillos and Los Guido transformed with the Gospel
6. To skydive (ahhh! tengo mucho miedo!!!)
7. Go to Africa
8. See my parents and in-laws in Costa Rica

8 Songs I can listen to over and over (and I probably have):
1. Todopoderoso
2. Open the Eyes of My Heart / Abre Mis Ojos
3. All I Need- Shawn McDonald
4. Give it All Away- Aaron Shust
5. Give Us Clean Hands- Chris Tomlin
6. This Ship was Made to Sail- The Disciples Quartet
7. Made to Love- TobyMac
8. You are my All in All / Eres mi todo

8 Things that Attract Me to My Friends:
1. Transparency
2. Fun to be with
3. Loyal
4. Dependable
5. Devoted to Christ
6. Accepting of me
7. Easy to talk to
8. Not afraid to cry

8 Things I have learned in the last year:
1. God is faithful, before, now and forever
2. God has always loved me - and always will- his grace is never-ending but ever-
sufficient
3. That no matter where I am in the world and no matter how alone I feel- I am never alone - Christ is always with me!
4. Language learning is hard.
5. God wants me dependent on Him and NO ONE / NOTHING else
6. There is a part of me that actually considers homeschooling with joy
(this one is a big one for me!)
7. That Matt is really my best friend in the whole world <3
8. That it's okay to cry and to cry often! And that people will still like me if I
do.

People I have decided to tag for this: (this means you have to do one and put it on your blog, time permitting - of course)
1. Erin :)
2. Courtney J. :)
3. whoever else would like to do this too ;)

School starts this week!

Well, the time has come for vacation to end... and school to start...

Ethan and Isabelle started school Monday with a few changes. Ethan has a new teacher and Isabelle's schedule has changed somewhat due to the influx of new kids in her class. They were a little tired this morning, but ready to go back to school. I was ready for them to go, too. The walls were beginning to feeler smaller and smaller as the vacation got longer and longer :) Seriously, we had a great time with each other these past few weeks. We spent some much needed family time doing what we love- being together and playing games. We went to the park with each of them and both Matt and I were able to spend some one-on-one time with each of them. We are thankful to have had this time with them.

Audrey went back to school today, so I had a day to myself to get caught up on some things. She started a new class so we'll see how that goes. She was excited about starting before the break, but now she wants to be with her teachers and old friends. One of her friends moved and she cannot understand why Abby won't be there anymore...so goes the life of a missionary kid.

Matt and I start classes Wednesday and we are excited to be back and in our routine again. There will be changes for us as well. Our day will be 5 hours long instead of four. We, too said good-bye to some friends at the end of last trimester, so things will be a little different without some of the familiar faces. However- we are excited to have Bill and Joanie here as well as fellow CLF-ers Rick and Mary Wake and some new students we have met. It will be good to get back. I am looking forward to my weekly ladies prayer meeting- these women have grown to be my source of support these past few months and I miss that time with them.

Matt has taken on ministry responsibilities, and that will add some changes to our routine as well. Specifically, he is meeting with Pastor Rogelio every Wednesday afternoon and staying for the evening prayer service. He would like for me to be a part of this time as well, so we are praying for the Lord to help us know how to do this. It becomes a very late night for our kids and we feel it is best to allow them to keep their routine. So that would mean finding a babysitter for them every week. Please join us in prayer about how to keep our relationship with the Lord first, mainatain our marriage and family second and third- serve in the ministry- with school being the main ministry priority.

We thank the Lord for everyone who reads this blog and prays for us and all who have partnered in this ministry!

this is only a test...

Hi...one more attempt to post in the new year...having some frustration with why this isn't working...maybe it will this time...this is only a test...

Posting problems

Hi!
For some reason I'm having some problems posting in the new year. I've posted a New Year's message and slideshow dated 1/2/2008, but it is not appearing for some reason- you can get to it by going to 2008 posts...I hope this post will keep the other one up...we'll see...

Anywat, happy new year again :) and check out the slideshow- it is great!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all!

We spent a quiet night at home with each other playing games and watching movies...well, one movie. I fell asleep aroud 9:00, before the movie was over and the kids went to bed around 9:30. Matt was the only one who was able to stay up to ring in the new year...but most of the country was up with him- launching fireworks- LOUD fireworks! It was a good night, but we missed our tradition of being with the McCarty family on New Year's!

I thought I'd recap the year with a slideshow of some highlights. I'll admit, it was hard to go through the last year of photos. We've been here close to five months and I am really missing family and friends. What I wouldn't give for a hug from my mom and a good laugh that makes you cry with KJ- the kind where you almost can't breathe it is just so funny. I miss my "Tator-tot" (our niece Samantha). I miss Milky Way with my little sis...

The Lord has been so good to us this past year and bringing us here is the most amazing thing he has done for our family. But it gets tough to be away from all we've ever known.

We're looking forward to this next year. We look forward to the work the Lord has for us in Tejarcillos with eager anticipation. We are blessed beyond belief and so very thankful for our Savior Jesus Christ.

I had a conversation with one of Ethan's friends today at the park. He asked me what I wanted to do better this year. He wants to read his Bible more and eat healthy. He is praying for ways he can do this in the next year.

That is such a good question for all of us to ponder each year.

I told him that was a good question. One I need to really ponder myself...

We've got a few days left before the kids start school on Monday. We start back Wednesday. We are looking forward to getting back into our routine and learning more Spanish!

Enjoy the pictures and Feliz Ano Nuevo!

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?