La Carpio and an "Only in Costa Rica" moment...

Today was an absolute beautiful day!

We traveled as a team to La Carpio to visit with the family that Mark and Coco, as well as the team on some occasions, have visited. The family consists of one grandmother named Doña Maria and more than 15 children. One of the boys today told me there are around 20 people living in there home. Doña Maria said the same and described her home, which we have been in one time. Granted it is large by La Carpio standards, it is still a tin and sheet metal structure with a dirt floor. In the part of the home I was in there was no bed to be seen. Doña Maria has been receptive to Mark and Coco's visits. Recently, a donation was made to the ministry that permitted our team to treat the whole family lunch and new shoes. This afternoon, Mark and Meg, Mairana and Valeria and Dayan, as well as Jessica, Chelsie, Heather, Cherilynn and Melinda H. (a college student helping out in the ministry for the summer), and our whole family began the adventure. We were blessed to be able to be a part of the day.

After picking up 14 of the kids and Doña Maria, we headed to Plaza Americana for fried chicken. Mark drove his vehicle, Meg drove hers and we drove the third ministry vehicle- all of our cars were full! While driving, we got to know the kids in our car. Maria is 14 and the daughter of Doña Maria. Olympia is 12 and Maria's sister. Evelyn is 10 and the cousin to Maria and Olympia. Carlos is 12 and his brother is Francisco, who is 9. Walter is 12 and the brother to Evelyn and a cousin to the rest of the bunch. I was asking them all kinds of crazy questions just to break the ice. Carlos and Francisco said the craziest thing about their life is their brother (silly boys...) and Maria said she is "tranquila" all the time...then she said, "Well not all the time, sometimes I'm a little crazy!" Olympia just kept smiling at me :) Some of you might remember the picture of Hazel we showed while we were in the states. She is the sister of Maria and the rest...daughter of Doña Maria. How could we have known that God would so closely unite us with her exact family in such a beautiful way? I enjoyed this time today so much. I had tears in my eyes as we dropped them off today. The hugs from them all were precious especially when little Hazel and Virginia (Beer-hen-ia) came running up, plus others whose names I can't remember...I really enjoyed the minutes I had talking with Doña Maria. She is only 43 years old, but wow, how those years have aged her. Yet her smile lights up the room. Oh the conversations my mind is thinking of to have with her...May God bless this day and our time with them in mighty ways. She told Mark today that she is ready to be discipled- her and her whole family- as well as several others- she told Mark there'd be over 20 people- "If that would be ok..." WOW! What a mighty and powerful God we serve!

The whole group

Please pray specifically these next few days or whenever you think about it. The East Hill team from Pensacola, FL arrive tomorrow. Monday through Thursday of next week, their team, our team, Pastor Rogelio, as well as teams from Los Guido including women and youth will be spending the mornings in La Carpio basically walking the streets handing out tracks and sharing the gospel with any willing ear the Lord brings our way. Please pray also for how our family can be involved. My heart aches to be back and to spend time with Doña Maria, specifically, but with Maria, Walter and others, too. At the same time, we have three little ones and it is our responsibility to care and protect them. That being said, we have seen the hand and protection of the Lord every step of the way, and La Carpio is no exception. If we allow the fear of what might be to rule us, the devil has already won. So, please pray for our wisdom as we head into this next week and for God to show us where and when is His timing to serve. Also pray that God might grant me the opportunity to witness and share time with Doña Maria.

On a different...much more humorous note:
As I mentioned, we were driving the black van today...well, Matt was driving and we were riding...Here in Costa Rica, they have these insane crazy traffic circles. They seem to serve the purpose, but "tengo miedo!" they really scare me! So, anyway, after dropping the family off, we were heading back to our house and the one thing we would really have liked to never happen, happened- we were pulled over by the Costa Rican police! So, the guy walks up with all his macho self and starts rattling off jibberish at warp speed that I am assuming was supposed to be Spanish. Matt is nodding his head as if in agreement, while I am sitting there thinking, "What is this guy talking about and what is Matt agreeing to?" He asks for Matt's license and begins to scribble on his little pad. I asked Matt if he understood everything what was being said to which the expression on his face told me everything I needed to know...we were both basically clueless at this point. This is where Meg calls and says, "Is this just a routine traffic stop or do you guys need help?" She had been behind us and saw us being pulled over. Have I said before that she is like the sweetest person in the world? As I am telling her that I have no idea what is going on other than the cop has Matt's license and I know the ticket is costing 5 mil (about $10), the cop walks back and starts talking warp-speed jibberish again. I ask Meg to hold on and ask the cop to explain to me what this is all about. He then explains in much more understandable words that this is a new traffic law just starting today to try to decrease the amount of cars on the main roads (which most have roundabouts) and in downtown San Jose (the capital city) during rush hours. Cars traveling through these areas (all roundabouts as well as San Jose) during the hours of 6-8 am and 4:30-7 pm every day will be fined. Here is the kicker...you will only be fined on one day each week. Today, Thursday, happens to be our lucky day! The license plate on the black van ends in 7 and Thursday is the day that all cars ending in 7 or 8 will be fined, if caught traveling in these areas. The rest of the week we'll be fine BUT just not on Thursdays.


"la placa" the license plate...ending in 7

I have to steal Melinda's line on this one- that only in Costa Rica could something like this happen. They fine people for using the very roads the created to make traffic flow better. So, I preceded to ask how are people supposed to know this if it just started today? To which he responded not so kindly that it was "reported." This whole time Meg is listening on the phone and laughing in disbelief at what this guy is saying and I can hear the girls in her car repeating everything she says - it was really hilarious on my end to hear her end...but I was trying to focus on exactly to say all the things i really wanted to say...Like "Are you serious? Is this for real? Do you realize why we are in this country?" All things that Matt kindly pointed out would probably make no difference to him, but...maybe just maybe...It really didn't matter anyway in the end...before I had the chance to say anything else, he handed the ticket to Matt and his license, jeered at us and walked away! I thought better of getting out of the vehicle and asking him all the questions that I finally had the words to say...and we drove off...laughing at how ridiculously funny life can be living in a foreign country.

Matt with his first ever Costa Rican traffic ticket


We have eight days to pay this ticket...where? I have no idea!!! The officer walked away before we could ask him any of those details!!!

In the grand scheme of the day, it is minuscule what happened. Ten dollars is $10. It could be pretty costly if we were to be out travelling every Thursday during those times. It is something we now have to consider. Later we found out that apparently it was reported on the news last night and there is a list of what days affect different plate numbers. So, it could possibly affect Mark and Meg or Melinda as well, it is falls on a day when they are travelling during those times. Ethan said, "Does that mean we can't go to La Carpio again?" I don't know what it means really, maybe it means we include "traffic tickets" as a line item budget...heeheehee....that is a joke (I think???) but when my 8 year old asks me if something like a traffic ticket means we can't go back to someplace like La Carpio - there is no way I am gonna say no! I will not give the enemy ground over something silly like that...So join us in prayer over scheduling and timing and really that God would find favor to blind the officers of our plates if we do happen to be out during those times. The roundabouts are virtually unavoidable...to our knowledge at this point. Pray we might find an alternative route to bypass them, which will of course add time. Whatever the solution God already has it thought of and planned out...we can be sure of that.

We have since found out that we can go to one of the local banks and pay the ticket if we go in the next three days. If we can do that, it will be much less hassle and hopefully only standing in one line...

Oh- the other thing that was quite humorous about this whole experience was that at the exact moment that the officer pulled us over this reporter and camera guy came running over and stood at the driver's side window, camera running and asked us if they could ask us a few questions about this new traffic law...without waiting for our answer he began spouting off questions with the camera aimed right at Matt...we quickly put up our arms and waved them off...who knows? We could have made the nightly Costa Rican news...

My friend Ale

Brooke and Ale
Sometimes in life we encounter things that were not exactly what we had planned. Sometimes it starts to rain and we find we have fogotten our umbrella. Sometimes we realize we have a flat tire on the car we are driving and realize we do not have a spare. Sometimes everything seems to be going just as planned and then something in the road that causes a detour...

Ever experienced anything like that?

Our friend, Ale, is experiencing something like that right now...details are simply that what she thought God's was plan for her now seems to have totally done a dar vuelta - a 180 degree turn...

Please pray today for her to reside in the knowledge of the wisdom and soundness of our God. Pray for the strength of the Holy Spirit to fill her. Pray that in this time right now, she might be a messenger of the gospel to those around her, especially her immediate family. Pray that in all things she will rejoice in the Lord, Jesus Christ. Pray for her to trust solely in Him and that even now, he is sovereign and knowledgeable beyond all her human comprehension.

Gracias, Dios, por la amistad entre Ale y yo. Gracias porque tu eres todopoderoso, generoso, rico en misericordia. Gracias porque tu tienes la vida de ella en sus manos. Gracias por la vida hermosa de Ale y gracias por su familia. Te pido por la oportunidad para compartir el evangelio con su familia entre este tiempo aunque dificil, es un tiempo para alabarte porque tu sabes la plan que tu tengas para todos nosotros, y para Ale. Te alabo, Dios, por tu sabiduria, tu amor y la esperanza podemos tener en ti. Te pido que tu des a ella la paz que es perfectamente encontrada en ti. Te pido que ella confie solomente en ti. Te pido para que ella te diera gozo y alabo. Te amo, Señor, mi Dios. En el nombre de tu Hijo, Jesucristo, Amen.

¡Feliz Cumpleaños Mateo!

¡Por fin!
Finally! The pictures of Matt's birthday!

¡Pobrecito, Mateo! El recibio juevos dos veces en dos lugares!!! Aye! YAY! YAY!

Poor Matt! He received eggs two times to celebrate his birthday! We actually celebrated his birthday several times with lunch and dinner on his birthday with the team and the family that was visiting that week.

Enjoy the pictures!


Before the egging!!!


Isabelle used to be fairly shy of the whole egg thing. Apparently she has moved past the shyness of it all because she thouroughly enjoyed herself this time with her Dad! She made sure the eggs were rubbed in nice and good all over and that the shells were on top! :) That's my girl!!!


After the eggs!!! Poor Mateo! And check out this picture below from the website that Mark took- quite possibly the best egging picture yet!!!




We also celebrated in the Monday afternoon discipleship group in the Pines. These kids had a blast and I think the line of kids stretched from one end of the open area to the other! Gordo (Daniel- Pastor Rogelio's son) really enjoyed getting Mateo!


We sure got some funny looks doing this in the middle of the Pines, but it was so much fun! For those of us watching and doing the eggin! Not so sure about poor Mateo!



After the egging!
Since we were in the Pines, Matt had to "shower" himself off with a bottle of water, then drive back down to Pastor Rogelio's house, where he finally took a shower! (A cold one at that! While Matt was in the shower, Rogelio told me through his laughter that he had disconnected the widow-maker (the device that heats the water as it comes out of the shower head) in an effort to save some on the electricity bill! He laughed and said everyone takes much shorter showers now!!!) Poor Matt!

It was a fun day!

pictures...pictures...pictures... :)

Here are some random pictures that I have needed to post for some time :)


The spray-painted flowers from the previous blog about our nature day! Tell me they don't look spray-painted!!!


These kids are the CUTEST!, huh? :)
This is the girl room in our new house! :)


We took off walking one day about a month ago to a local park we had not yet visited called Parque La Paz. There is this huge hill we see as we pass the park on our way to Tejarcillos. We climbed to the top and this is the view we saw. How beautiful!


These are the four girls that helped us move! We could not have done the move without their help...well, OK...we COULD have, but not nearly as efficiently nor as quickly nor smoothly! They are BLESSINGS!!!
THANK YOU!!! Cherilynn, Chelsie, Jessica and Heather!!!!



Matt and I found all three kids reading to each other on Sis's bed the other night. Ethan has began (on his own!!!) to read to the girls! What an amazing moment to see him taking the time to read to his sisters! He is a great kid!

I've got many more to post but it almost 11 and I have to go to bed!!!

PS: Check out the video on the left-hand side of the blog! A HUGE thanks to our friend, Mike Pettengill, for making this video for us! (If I was really computer literate, I'd be able to insert their web link...but I'm not sooooo...you'll have to copy and paste this link and check them out: www.pettengillmissionaries.org )

La Casa Nueva

We have been busy this week settling into a new home here in Costa Rica. Through multiple blessings from God recently, we made the decision to move from our two bedroom apartment to a three bedroom house. We have loved our little apartment for the past 10 months. It was a blessing from God and we LOVED living next to Mark and Meg and Valeria and Mariana. But, we now have a large patio area in the front of the house and along the side of the house and a separate area in the back that the kids can play in and we have had nothing but a 5 ft. by 3 ft. concrete slab at the apartment. Out neighbors would laugh at the monkeys (our kids) that they would see climbing on the bars for lack of anything else to do...that is a joke, but really they did climb the bars...Ethan finally has his own room and does not have to share with his sisters anymore, which he is really happy about. :)

The house came open because our team mate Melinda has moved into the new house CLF Costa Rica is renting to use as a mission house. It is an unbelievablly beautiful house - ENORMOUS!!!!! - but so wonderful for the teams. So, Melinda is the caretaker, hospitality person and the perk to that position is getting to live there!!! WOHOO! So, she told us about her house and we came to look at it and thought it would work for us. The jump in rent is not too bad and we decided to take it! We have been here three days and I LOVE it! It is three minutes away from the mission house- which is SO nice for us! Our new neighborhood is a little more busy, but it is clean and nice and the people seem very friendly. It is so close to everything. Many of the places we usually go are just down the road from us now, which is nice for me!

We were VERY blessed to have the help of the four teenage girls staying with us (CLF Costa Rica) for the summer. Chelsea, Heather, Jessica and Cherilyn were such a HUGE helo to us the past few days. I do not know how we could have moved without their help. We definitely could not have gotten it done it two days, for sure! They helped clean, pack, move furniture, unpack at the house, organize, help with the kids and basically anything we needed - they did! It was great time spent getting to know them and Heather and Chelsea even took their first taxi ride with me!!! WOW! That was a trip! :) They are fantastic and we a relooking forward to spending the summer with them. It was neat to hear their stories.

I have pictures to come very soon!

We have our phone and internet up and going now and are getting things in order!

Please pray for me tomorrow. I begin my very first discipleship group ever- in Spanish! I will begin discipling one of my former teachers, Marinela. I believe God brought us together for a purpose and I am praying that He change her heart and she gives her life to him. Please pray that God might see fit to use me in her life. She is dealing with a very serious health issue right now and it has caused this first meeting to be delayed for several weeks now. Please pray that she remain healthy and that we are able to meet on a regular basis.

Happy Father's Day!

Today is Father's Day. Costa Rica actually celebrates dads today as well. At church today, the Sunday school classes made special crafts for dads and Neris ("Netty"), the pastor's wife, had even bought cake to celebrate.

It has been a joy to watch my husband grow as a father over the past 8 years. He loves his kids and has ways of doing things that sometimes are very different than my own, however sometimes much more effective. We make a great team and I have always believed that God brought us together because he knew we would make such a great team.

Christmas a few years ago

We usually eat lunch with Pastor Rogelio and his family, but today's schedule was a little different so we didn't stay to eat with them...So, after we left church today we told Matt he could pick anywhere he wanted to eat. He chose Pizza Hut, which is considered one of the nicest restaurants in Costa Rica and is quite a bit pricier than the states...but we all said YEAH!!! So, we had a wonderful lunch today of super yummy pizza! Then we headed to a birthday party for one of Isabelle's friends, Carmella. Later, we went to a local mall to pick up some things for a project that I am working on. When we fiinally got home, we called our dads to wish them Happy Father's Day.

We are very thankful for both of our dads. We appreciate the love they've given us and are thankful for them both. Happy Father's Day Roger and Doug!!! Thank you for the families you have given us. We love you both!


My dad


McClain Family July 4th, 2007

¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Mateo!

Today is Matt's 33rd birthday! Today, however, he is feeling under the weather...please pray for him today- that the illness will pass soon.

I am so very thankful that the Lord allowed Matt and I to meet almost twelve years ago. I have always considered him a gift from God and still do today. He is my best friend, my husband and the father of my children. I thank God for him.

We celebrated yesterday with lunch with the families that here serving in the ministry. We'll be celebrating with lunch with our friends Ale, Alex and Sonia today as well. (Hopefully he'll feel well enough to eat...)

So far, no eggs...but they are coming!! :) Pictures will be posted soon.

Do you realize we just had school?

I have to share about our day Tuesday. Homeschooling is so much fun!!!

We started out the day with devotions and discipleship. Then we headed out to one of the parks near us called Parque Bosque (Forest Park). We really love this park because there are great HUGE trees, wide open spaces, a soccer field, walking paths, benches and playground equipment as well. There is even this one spot that Isabelle and her friend Megan call "Bean World" because there are tons of little beans that fall from the tree...

So, off we went to the park, each child armed with with their nature notebook, a pencil and a few instructions. Each child was to find one item that was special and unique (a discussion followed about the meaning of the word "unique" as well as how and for what purpose to use it). The object could not have been made by man, it MUST have been created by God, which then led to another discussion about how God does give man the ability to create the playground equipment and a host of other things we saw on the 3 minute walk there...Once the "unique" item was found, each of my babies were supposed to sit and reflect about why they chose the item, draw a picture of it in their notebook and, if possible, write about it and/or why they chose it. (Obviously Audrey's entry is much more simplistic than Ethan's, but her experience was just as exciting as his- amazingly!)

Nature Notebooks

So, Ethan found this HUGE brown leaf. There were tons of them around on the ground. A discussion followed about how the seasons here are so different than in the states. It is considered winter here now, because we are in rainy season. Obviously, for most of you back there, it is heat wave time...you are all sweating it out while we are...uhhh...well...enjoying the beautiful, breezy, clear mornings with beautiful views of the mountains...but...I digress...Back to Ethan's leaf...He recognized that the leaves and plant life are changing now because the season is changing and some things are dying off and other things are starting to grow again. After we were back home, he made a rubbing of the leaf in his notebook and we taped it on a separate page. He wrote: This is a special leaf I found in Costa Rica Bosque Park. He also drew a picture of it.

Ethan's special leaf


Ethan's journal page and leaf rubbing

Isabelle's discovery was this beautiful, dainty yellow flower. For those of you who now her well, she loves to pick flowers, and today was no exception. She drew it in her notebook with a picture of the sun (with sunglasses on) next to it and wrote: Special Flower. When we got home we taped the flowers onto her journal page.

Isabelle's entry and flowers

Audrey probably had the most trouble deciding which discovery she liked the most, because there were so many. She finally decided on this tiny little green leaf and a bean, from Bean World, of course...Unfortunately, the bean got lost somewhere along the way and the leaf shriveled up before we had a chance to tape it into her notebook...but not before she had traced it onto her paper and discovered that when she rubbed the leaf across the paper, it made green marks. However, Audrey made another discovery a few minutes after we had put away the notebooks and were trying to decide where to play. She came across a huge patch of small green and purpleish plants that I have to say are some of the most interesting I have EVER seen in my 30 years! They react to the touch of something by curling up into themselves- so much that they take on a totally different appearance in their curled up state. Apparently the kids had discovered these earlier in Tejarcillos with our friend Doug. I must have missed the discovery somehow. Nonetheless, we had a great time watching them react and then uncurl themselves after sometime. Afterwards, I googled "plants that react to touch" and found information and photos of the exact plant that I now know is called, Mimosa pudica. I could not figure out how to get the pictures linked to this post, but google it - it is amazing!

I have often thought longingly of our libraries back in Frankfort and Rossville and how fortunate we were to have such fantastic libraries for such small towns. I have thought we will be at somewhat of a disadvantage to be homeschooling without access to a local library. Praise Jesus for the internet and the ability to find information at the click of the mouse!

We also found these amazingly cool flowers (?- I am not sure what exactly to call them yet...) that appear to be a grass of some sort. The really cool thing is that they look as if they have been spray painted with a small white flower in the center of each cluster of grassy leaves. For a moment I really thought that someone had come through and spray painted in that area (yes, I have always been somewhat naive, huh?...). Then we began looking around and realized these flowers were all over the park. And they were all exactly alike- which killed my spray-painting artist idea...I did not take my camera with me that day so I do not yet have a picture of these and had no luck with the google entry of "grass plant with white flower in center" (hmmm...wonder why that didn't pop right up???) So, I have no answer to what it is called or anything yet...but it was pretty cool.

So, we spent over an hour there that day and the funny thing is, we forgot to play we were having so much fun looking and studying the world God gave us to live in. The interesting thing to me was that we have been in that park many, many times and not once noticed any of the these things- the curling plants, the special yellow flowers, the gigantic leaves or the grassy spray-painted flowers.

This, for me, is what makes homeschooling so absolutely COOL! As we were walking out of the park all three of them said, "Mom, this was so much fun! And we didn't even play!" Ethan said, "We better get back and finish school!" I smiled and said, "Buddy we just had school- and you didn't even know it!!"

How much time do we spend running around this world, wherever you are in it right now, going about our daily routines, never stopping to notice the amazing creations our Mighty God had given us to enjoy and worship him for? Just like we'd been in that park a dozen times or more...never once noticed these beautiful creations.

Father, may we pause from our daily routines and rush and business to stop and relish the beauty of the world you created for your pleasure and enjoyment, but gave to us also to enjoy. May we stop to notice the seemingly unimportant things like the plants on the ground and the leaves that fall from the trees and the beans that cover the ground that can take us into an imaginary world called Bean World. Father, forgive me for not delighting in your creation each and every day you have given me and may I go forth with new admiration for the beauty that is all around me. Thank you for the opportunity and privilege to teach my children about the world, your creation and to glorify and praise you for these wonderful discoveries like amazing curling plants and interesting spray-painted flowers. Thank you for revealing to me how teachable a morning in the park can be. I love you Lord. Amen

picture post

I've been meaning to post pictures for quite some time...so here are a ton to browse through :) These are all from our trip to the states...

ENJOY!!!


The first placed we traveled after landing in IL and staying with the Fine's was to Michigan to see our friends Doug and Karen Vaughn. We all ended up staying in a hotel with a swimming pool and it was so great for the kids to have a pool to swim in! The little kids and the big kids enjoyed it!!! :)


We ate lunch with the Vaughn's before saying goodbye at TGIFriday's! YUMMY!


Here is Uncle Sam and Isabelle :)


The kids...


Brooke and Sam


Our visit with with our friend, Katie in Kentucky. We ate some great pie and ice cream and had fun catching up with her :)



We celebrated Ethan's 8th birthday in the states and our long time friends, Craig and Jenny, treated Ethan to a party at Chuckee Cheese. We had a great time. Both sets of our parents were there as well as my brother and his fiancee and both of our nieces. All Ethan wanted for his birthday was to spend it with Rob and were are glad he was able to do this!


One of the best parts of the trip was by far being with our parents. My mom was off basically the whole trip and it was GREAT!!! to be with her so much! It was time well spent for all the grandparents with the grandkids!


On our way back from our trip to TN, we stopped at the lincoln Museum with Ethan. He really wanted to do this and it was a fun afternoon for us. The girls were with my parents on this trip because they were not feeling well, so it was really great quality time with just Ethan. He loves history and especially Abe Lincoln and George Washington, so this was something he really enjoyed!


What a blessing to be able to meet Sam's fiancee Laura and her daughter- our new niece (!) Kaya! We had so much fun with her and she is so sweet! Matt got in some QT with her and Ethan!


The kids absolutely LOVED being able to play outside so much! We do not have a yard here so it was such a treat for them to have wide open spaces to play in! Audrey LOVED the tire swing at Uncle Sam's!


Ethan climbed WAAAY up in this tree at Uncle Sam's house!


Aunt Brooke and Kaya (after eating a cupcake from Ethan's birthday party!


Aunt Brooke and Samantha

What a great trip!

Peace of God

Tonight I felt the peace of God. Sitting in Los Guido in a makeshift circle of benches some 50 brothers and sisters in Christ offered praise and worship to the Lord, our God, Jesus Christ in the form of prayers and song, and for me personally, a laying down of things that were keeping me from a more personal communion with my Creator.

Tonight I felt my face warmed by the presence of the Creator. You know how when the sun is really warm and you lean your head back to get the full benefit of its warmth...how great that feels? Tonight I felt that same warmth, but I know it was the presence of the Holy God himself because we were sitting at the Finca, it was a chilly night and it was dark.

Why would God allow me to feel his presence? The only answer I have is that I was offering him all I am, all that I had and asking him to fill me with things only from him. I was offering my gratitude for all he has given me down to the very bed I sleep in, the walls that keep me dry, the clothes that cover me, the food that sustains me, the husband that loves me and cares for me, the children he has given me to protect, nurture and train, my family in the states as well as the family here in Costa Rica. I pray that this was pleasing to him and he allowed me to feel his presence because of that.

My heart felt a tinge of homesickness tonight for the church family we have back in Frankfort. Our church grew from simple, but intimate evenings devoted to prayer like this Tuesday night was. Our Sunday mornings always held an element of intimacy like I felt tonight. How thankful that God would grant me the privilege to experience worship like this with my fellow brothers and sisters of the New Life in Christ Church here in Costa Rica.

Thank you Father for this evening that really was "tan linda"- so beautiful. Thank you for your Spirit which was with us tonight. Thank you for the team you've given us here Father. We are all so very different come from very different backgrounds, but God you have united us with a passion for serving you. Even united us so far as to call us separately and individually to sacrifice and deny ourselves in order to follow you, serve you and to seek you. Thank you for guiding us to the point of finding you. Thank you for hearing our prayers. Thank you for loving us while we were still yet sinners. Thank you for your grace through which we are saved through faith in you. Thank you Father that I am not saved by the things I do rather by the grace you have freely given me that I do not deserve. Thank you that you called me by my name and have written my name in the Book of Life. Father I pray for those walking in the darkness tonight that do not know you. I pray for those tonight that are blinded by addictions, temptations, and that are bonded by the strongholds of the enemy. I pray God that you might see fit to use sinners like those you've brought here to share your Word in it's holiness to spread the aroma of life to those who are dead in their sins. Thank you for your Son Jesus Christ. May I die to the sinful desires of my flesh and be filled with the fruits of your Spirit. Amen.

What makes God smile?

I just feel an overwhelming sensation to praise the Lord tonight and I wondered if you might join me in worshipping our King and Creator, the Almighty God himself...

Matt and I and the kids have started going to the Tuesday night prayer services in Los Guido in an attempt to reconnect with our church family there. As many of you know, the past two trimesters of school we have not done much else in the ministry aside from attending church, and for the past trimester - just in Tejarcillos. Now that we have a much more flexible schedule, we are easing into the ministry more and more, which accounts for some of my joy tonight. Finally being able to be in the ministry is SO wonderful! Finally we are beginning to be able to do what God has called us here to do.

Last week, Pastor Marvin spoke about the delight God has in his children; the joy he has when they are born; and his enjoyment in seeing us walk with him. Tonight, he related some of the same to Noah and the life he led. Marvin spoke about 5 things that make God smile and used the life of Noah to illustrate these five things.

These are the some things that make God smile:

1. When we love him above all else
2. When we trust in him
3. When we obey him
4. When we worship him and give him thanks
5. When we use our abilities in ways that are pleasing to him

Marvin spoke about how there were so many questions that surely arose when God told Noah to build the ark, but Noah did not once bother God with questions, he simply trusted him, obeyed him and used the abilities God had given him to construct the ark. Noah was the only true, honest and just man God could find on all the earth. Because of this God chose to save him and his family from the flood and to build the ark. Noah loved God above all else and used his life to continually worship and give thanks to God the Father.

I was very intrigued to tonight's message because I know how often I personally let things of the world creep ahead of my love for God. I know how often I have not immediately obeyed when God has called to me. I know how often I have asked question after question and let doubt creep in and get in the way of pure sweet trusting in the Lord. I know how lazy I get in the little things in life and they became mundane and in no way do I reflect a sense of worshipping God Almighty while doing them. I fall guilty of laziness when it comes to using every gift and ability God has given me to glorify and honor the Lord.

I say all of this because although Noah was the only man to find favor in the eyes of the Lord, he was still a sinner, like me and like you. The the story of Noah is one of hope- hope found only in God the Father, maker of heaven and earth. And no matter how many times I may fall or you may fall, he is always there to pick us right back up, take us into his arms, smile at us and get us going again.

There have been times in my life where God has surely smiled upon me. It is my sincere prayer that there are far more times where he smiles at me then not in my lifetime here on earth.

Tonight I was reminded that this past 9 months spent in language school, struggling to balance life as a daughter of the King, wife, mother, missionary and student were not of waste. Tonight, I was able to sit and translate the service for the Wood family, who are visiting here for the week. Although several times I had to wait for several sentences to go by to get the idea of what was being said, I was able to (I think) effectively portray the jist of the message. My prayer is that this gift that God has given me can be used for the rest of my life to convey just what I did tonight- His Holy Word. (I say "gift" because to me it is just that and it is not something I could have ever purchased or gained by myself, but knowing he has placed within me this ability to speak Spanish). What a blessing to be able to relay the scriptures from one culture to another. Taxing and tiring, yes, I will admit. I definitely had to pay close attention, but I must say (eekk...If I say this I will for sure have a new job if Mark reads this...)...it was somewhat fun :) I am sure I am pretty weird and most who speak another language would not say translating is fun, but I have never claimed to be normal...why start now?? :)

All of this to say, somehow in my mind all of this connects to Ecclesiastes chapter 3and also leads to my thoughts of praise for the Lord. As of today, it is with joy I say that we have seen the Lord answer almost every one of our prayer requests from the last two months that were about tangible items pertaining to finances. It seems God may have planned to answer even the one remaining.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-14 says:
"There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven;
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

What does the worker gain from his toil? I have not seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for man than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil- this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing can be taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him."

This week, I have been pondering the last two years of my life and tonight after the message, even more so. The passage from Ecclesiastes really hit home as I thought about all that God has done in my life in the past two years. It was two years and 9 days ago that I first came to Costa Rica. I can still remember those first few days in the country that would soon become my home...Since then, I have seen times of planting and times of uprooting; seen times of killing and times of healing; seen things torn down, but also things being built up; I've wept like I've never wept in the past two years, but laughed like I never thought I would as well...I've mourned as well as danced; had to scatter some stones, but gathered so many more; I've felt loving embraces and felt the need to refrain as well...I've searched and searched for some things...and given the search up for a time on a few things...Kept a few things but thrown a lot more away (or given or sold)...In the past two years there have been some things in my life that have been torn, but in some things I can praise the Lord and call mended...I've felt myself strain to be silent and also felt free to speak...loved alot and hated a little...felt at war many, many times, but through it all felt a peace like no other.

What is about God that he can make the scripture come alive in such new ways at times when it is so perfect. I've read that passage in may life probably a hundred times, but never have I stopped to reflect its personal real meaning in my life.

My joy tonight comes at the peak of many storms that have been brewing in my heart. I have many real, deep prayers that I have offered to the Lord in the past few days and I'll admit was beginning to feel down, until tonight. I am thankful for people God has placed in my life like Marvin Villalobos, who have always spoke the Truth of God's word into my life since I met him two years ago.

Tonight, while there is sadness in my heart for things and people in my life, there is an unmistakable joy that rests in knowing and believing in the Word of God that promises us that "everything that God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing will be taken away."

Joy me tonight in praising our Creator...Worship and thank him for the great things he has done...and feel him smile upon you...

I'm here!!!

Sorry for the lack of posts lately...

Matt started classes last Wednesday and the kids and I started homeschooling Monday with the kids. We've settled back into a routine and it good to be home.

Homeschooling is FANTASTIC!!!!!! The kids are doing well and I LOVE it!!! Tuesday we went to the park and learned about force, energy and work for science. After going through the book with Ethan (while the girls were listening)and experimenting with a few things around the house, we took the soccer ball and went to the park and Ethan demonstrated to the girls and I the use of force, energy and work. It was so cool and they all three learned from it! Yesterday, Lucia was here helping us and she spent time with each of the kids practicing their Spanish. Isabelle loves to be with Lucia helping her and at the end of the day, her and Lucia had a tea party. It was beautiful!

I love that God is showing me how to use what he has given us in this world and the people and places around us to teach my children in a real tangible way. Homeschooling is amazing! Not to mention how much I LOVE being back home with the kids!

Matt has decided to drop his conversation class at the institute. He will still be taking grammar, but will spend the morning utilizing the native speakers God has given us right next door. He will be meeting with Coco and also Mariana and Valeria to spend time conversing with them. Also, he'll have the opportunity to be in the ministry during this time, again conversing with native speakers. It seems to be the best option for him and we are all excited for him to have this opportunity.

We've enjoyed the company of many visitors lately. Alex's parents and sister were here for a short visit. It was great meeting his sister and seeing his parents again.
Here is a picture after church on Sunday in Pastor Rogelio's home.





And we also have been spending time with the Droke family. They are here with visiting until tomorrow. We've shared meals, ministry, fun and good conversation with them. Check out www.clfcostarica.com and click on team blogs to read their blog.

We are becoming increasingly aware of the blessings God continues to give us. We have prayed for a vehicle for almost a year now and while we still do not have one, we are confident that God will provide when the time it is absolutely necessary for us to have one...for now we have made our life walking and using public transportation and grown accustomed to. This week, we've become aware of some of the downfalls of having a vehicle in a foreign country like re-occurring flat tires during rainy season, hit and run accidents where you find yourself in a place where even the insurance agent won't come into because of the danger of the place itself, too much smoke emission from your muffler and the trouble that brings you, and just being at the mercy of the government officials here. Maybe it has been a blessing in disguise to NOT have had a vehicle at least during this first stage of life here. God knows so infinitely more than we do about things like this and his ways are always perfect! As we continue to pray for a vehicle, we also pray that we never take for granted our situation or circumstance as we live in it. But also we thank all of you who sacrificially give so that we may be here.

I have many more things to post about, but I have to start the school day!! More to come later!

Home Sweet Home

We made it home last night sometime after midnight, after a delayed flight in Miami.

We had a fantastic time in Frankfort and in Illinois with Mark and Meg.

We spent time with our church family and a few other friends and family Friday night. What a blessing to be with them again. It was encouraging and exciting to be with them and Mark and Meg, now after serving with Mark and Meg for the past nine months. We are blessed to have the covering of their prayers. It was hard to say goodbye to them, especially hard for me to say goodbye to some of my youth group girls. (Te quiero mucho, mis amigas!)

We spent some time getting to know some friends from EWO on their turf and it was such a blessing to get to see them again. The biggest blessing for me was the gift of having my parents travel with us to Illinois and share in the fellowship we had with this church family. My dad had never met Mark and Meg, so it was really encouraging for me to have the pleasure to introduce them. Matt and I were really blessed to share time with Rod and Cathy and their kids. We appreciate our friends at EWO in Normal, Illinois!

After travelling from Bloomington, IL to Naperville for the last night of our time in the states we were all pretty wiped. But we really enjoyed fellowship with some of Mark and Meg's closest friends on Sunday night. It was fun seeing them in their element with their oldest friends.

After two uneventful flights, we made it back and today have been unpacking and reorganizing and getting some errands done. Tomorrow, Matt will start back at school, although classes actually began last Wednesday. The kids and will will finish up their school year within the next few weeks and then will have the summer off. I'll begin tutoring soon. I will also begin discipling a teacher friend of mine this week or next. Please pray for this relationship to bloom and for her to grow in the Lord. More to come on this in the future.

We enjoyed our time in the states, but truly are glad to be home. We have realized that despite the pain we have when the time comes to say goodbye to loved ones, we are truly called to be here in Costa Rica. And, for now, Costa Rica is our home. Near the end of the trip, Audrey had begun asking us if we could just go back home to Costa Rica. What a blessing from the Lord for even our youngest child to have grasped where our home is now...We are thankful for the many blessings the Lord provided while we were on our trip. We are also thankful and appreciative of all who sacrificed for our benefit and to meet our needs in the way of a vehicle, financially, through shelter, meals or just providing fellowship. We thank the Lord Jesus Christ for all of our partnering friends, family and church families.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ETHAN!

Today is Ethan's 8th Birthday! Last night we celebrated with some of our closest friends and family at Chucke E. Cheeses in Lafayette. The kids had a fantastic time as did the adults! (Matt and I were even able to play a few games of air hockey!)Please remeber our son today in your prayers. We pray always for his heart to belong to Jesus.

Today is our last day in Indiana. We've had such a wonderful time these past two and a half weeks. It has been such a joy to be with my brother and his family this week.

Tonight we meet up with Mark and Meg in Frankfort and we are excited about that!

Today begins the process of goodbyes with family, as we will be leaving tomorrow morning for Illinnois. Pray for our time with the folks at EWO and that as a team we will be glorifying to Christ throughout our time with them.

If you could pray for our family and friends and our family as well during this time- we would appreciate it.

My parents will be travelling with us to Ilinois- Praise the Lord!

I will post more after we return to Costa Rica on Monday!

update

Hi! Just checking in...we've had a busy several days. Last Thursday we shared a meal and fellowship with several dear friends. It was fantastic to see them again and sit and share with them about life. Friday evening was night of the same only with a different group of friends. These two evenings were relaxing and so enjoyable for us and we are so thankful to our friends for their willingness to open their homes to us and others. Saturday, Matt and I had a date with Mark and Angyl, Matt's brother and his wife. We saw a movie and ate a late breakfast. Afterwards we headed to Sam's (my brother) to settle in for the next week. We had a birthday party for my side of the family and had a great time. It was the first time most of us had met Sam's fiance Laura and her daughter Kaya. They are very sweet and kind. I especially enjoyed this time with my family. It was fun for our kids to be able to "celebrate" their birthdays with Ging-ging!

Today was somewhat of a whirlwind of a day, but wow what a great day! We visited with three different church families and were able to share the great things God is doing in our lives and in Costa Rica. We started out at the Brethern Church in Rossville where we spoke in the Sunday School hour. It was fun to see some familiar faces in the crowd and they were very welcoming and loving to our family. Then we headed off to the Rossville Presbyterian Church. this was particularly special to me because this was my Gran's church. I actually was a part of this church during different times in my life and some people there have known me my whole life. It was emotional at times but definitely encouraging and exciting to be partnering with them. After a brief rest, we headed off to Delphi and the Hickory Grove deacon board. We met in the home friends and spent about four hours talking and getting to know the leadership of the church. We were so encouraged by this group of people. We could hardly stop talking because we were so excited talking with them.

God has plans that he has already set in motion and we have no control over them. He are so excited to share with anyone who will listen about our lives and what God has done and is doing in Costa Rica. We know some will "get it" and some won't. We know some will be so excited that they'll desire to join the CLFCR team by supporting prayerfully and financially. We know that some will even be called to serve with us in Costa Rica. But whatever happens with the contacts God has given us, we pray He will be glorified in everything we say.

Thank you Father for this trip. Thank you for the many people you've allowed us to share with. I pray for the lost family we have - those that are searching for the answers, for that something to fill that whole in their heart that only you can fill. I am thankful for the time we've had with family, however short it may feel. I pray Father in this moment for the churches of Tejarcillos and Los Guido, for pastor Marvin and pastor Rogelio. Thank you for your Son Jesus and may he be glorified in our lives.

"It's a long way to Costa Rica!"

Just had to post about something my niece said today. It was too cute!

Today was the first time we were able to see her. She has had a real hard time understanding why she hasn't been able to come and see us, why she can't go to our house...that kind of thing. She'll ask my mom often to go see Aunt Brooke.

So, today when my mom picked her up and said they were going to go see Uncle Mac and Aunt Brooke Samanthat said, "Ging-ging, you can't drive to Costa Rica!" (My mom had already explained this once to her.) So, my mom tried to explain that we were staying with friends in Frankfort and they were going to come and visit with us.

Anyway, on their way out Samantha said, "Wow! It is a long way to Closta Rica!" (her pronunciation was C-l-o-s-t-a R-i-c-a). It didn't fit in her mind that they were still in Frankfort. She just thought they were travelling to Costa Rica!

So when she saw us she ran up and gave us huge hugs (I had to FIGHT to hold the tears back it was soooooo good to hug her!) And then she said, "we didn't know where you're house was in Costa Rica, Aunt Brooke!"

I said, "Sweetie, we are in Frankfort. This isn't my house. It is our friends house."

She said, "I live in Frankfort!" And then she just burst into giggles and thought it all was so funny! And then ran over and began playing with the kids again!

It is hard for adults to think about and process sometimes, but even harder for a 4 year old to process the changes in life. She is so sweet and it was great to hear her laugh and love on her tonight!

Second report from the states

Hi all! I have only a few minutes, but this is the first time I've gotten on the computer since last Thursday...so I thought I'd update quickly.

We spent the weekend in IN- it was great seeing family and our friends from First Presbyterian in Frankfort. Sunday afternoon Matt, Ethan and I headed off for Tennessee. The girls were not feeling well enough to make the trip, so they stayed with my mom (Ging-ging). We had a wonderful visit with our friends Jim and Jeanne in TN and also were able to share meals with our friends Marvin and Teresa and also Katie D. before heading back to IN yesterday.

Tonight we'll be back at FPC for their family night and then we'll have a few days of rest.

This Sunday 5/4, we'll be at Rossville Brethern Church and Rossville Presbyterian Church in the morning as well as Hickory Grove Church in Delphi for a meal in the evening.

Don't know when I'll update again...but just wanted to let you know we are doing well and enjoying our time together with friends and family.

First report from Indiana

Buenas Dias! Como estas?
We are doing well! I have wanted to post something for a few days, but have not been able to until this morning...sorry about that!

We've made it to Indiana and our enjoying time with our family.

We left San Jose around 3 PM Tuesday after a delayed flight and then a complete schedule change. We arrived in Chicago about 11:30 PM. got our bags and met Cheri Fine outside the airport! She was so welcoming and it was great to have such a smiling, friendly face waiting to greet us- especially considering it was midnight!

We got to bed about 2 AM and we all slept hard! The kids were fantastic the whole day. We waited about 2 1/2 hours in the line to check-in at the airport alone, not to mention the fun of the rest of the day, and they hardly complained. They kept themselves busy and it was actually a really great day of just being together!

We left for Michigan about 10 am Wednesday morning and got there with about an hour to spare before we spoke at Hiawatha Bible Church. We were warmly welcomed and had a great time meeting the church family of our friends, Doug and Karen. We spent a great evening with them afterwards at a nearby hotel. They were having water problems, so we all stayed at a hotel with adjoining rooms. It was actually really great for the kids because there was a pool and the kids LOVED that!

We left after lunch Thursday for Indiana and arrived about 6:45 PM. We've been at Roger and Sue's since and just been enjoying them and being at the original "La Finca" or the Farm, here in Indiana. (We've always called their home the Farm, so it has been fun switching it to La Finca Indiana!)

Matt and Roger went mushroom hunting yesterday and came back with a few. We've had visits from my mom and Uncle Wilbur and my cousin Andrew came from ISU to spend last night and today with us. Mark and Angyl cam out last night as well. Last night I actually met up with two of my best friends (girls from my accountability group) for a girls night, which was fantastic! I also got to catch up with a few of my "girls." (Former youth group girls- it was so great getting to talk with them).

So, today we are hanging out again - RELAXING! I had almost forgotten what this was like! It has been great and the kids are enjoying this so much!

Please pray for our health, though. The girls were sick before we left with colds and those seem to have passed, but it seems they have something else now. Both started vomiting last night and Audrey has not kicked the original cough quite yet. Now Matt, Ethan and I are all getting coughs. So please pray we can fight it all off.

Tomorrow we are excited to visit First Presbyterian Church here in Frankfort and see some good friends there. Later in the afternoon, we'll be heading off to Tennessee until Wednesday.

I don't know how often I'll be able to post, but I'll try as often as I can!

Love to all!

Vamos a los Estados! (We're going to the states!)

Tomorrow morning we leave for the states for three weeks. We'll arrive in Chicago and from there begin our journey into four surrounding states and then end up back there the last leg of our trip.

We thank the Lord for the many opportunities he has provided to share the ministry back there. We are looking forward to seeing many ministry partners and meeting with many new churches and families.

Please be in prayer for this trip, our safety as we travel, and that God would be glorified in all that we say and do.

Please especially pray for the health of Isabelle and Audrey. Audrey has been fighting a cold for about 10 days and I finally got a prescription for her tonight. I thought Isabelle was out of the clear with the cough shes had for about four days, but tonight it has started up again pretty fierce.

Checked out!

Remember what it's like near the end of the school year, especially your Senior year? There is this unconcious arrival of a series of blank stares this week at school. With only two more days of classes this week, and four next week, most people are what I would call "Checked out!" Especially so for those of us for whom this is our last trimester. Today my class began rule #7 of subjunctive, which I have been really excited to learn, but I have to admit- I am struggling to concentrate! Our family has only three days of classes left, because we leave for the states Tuesday. So, while I will be attending class these last three days, I really am going only to enjoy these last few days with my classmates.

Here is a picture of my class.


Our teacher is Laura and my classmates are Jackie, Ken and John. It has been a great tri with the three of them. We have grown together in our speaking ability as a group, which is a rare thing. We are all right about the same level and Laura has allowed us much freedom in this class. She has been so great about giving us the freedom to openly converse and not been so strict as to keep us moving on the "assigned" subject matter. We've had some really great conversations, some deep, some theological, some not-so-much, some just fun. I'll miss this group, but as John says, not enough to come back for one more tri! :)Heeheehee!

But, to finish the thought about "Senior-itis," you all know what it is like at the end of the school year- you are experiencing it now back in the states. The tiredness, looking forward to the arrival of summer (for us just the rainy season...) but any way- we are nearing the end and it feels like it. Our brains have been taxed out...Last night we were all in bed and ASLEEP by 8:30! That is rare in our house, but it felt so good!

Today, Audrey really didn't want to go to school. So she stayed with me until it was time for me to go and then we both ended up being a little bit late. BUt, that's OK! It was fun walking with her like that- we don't usually get that one-on-one time in the morning and it was good.

Have a great week!

PS: Got my test results back- my written exam was not as good as I had thought, but it was fine considering the comprehensiveness of the test- and good enough to receive the diploma! WOHOO! My oral score was good as well! I am happy that I took both tests. It was a good experience and worth it!