Two graduates and a hospital patient

Let's talk about the good news first. Tim and I have officially graduated from language school! Amazing! After a year of full time school and homework, we have now completed our language requirements. It feels so good to look back at how far we have come. God has been so faithful to equip us for what He has called us to do. We can speak in Spanish! Wow, who would have thought!

So, now the more challenging news. Several weeks ago, I had a bone biopsy to remove some cysts that were found in the lower part of my leg. The surgery seemed simple enough. However, a few days after the surgery it became apparent that something was not right with my leg. I spent 6 nights in the hospital trying to get a handle on what was going on. At this point it has been determined that I have significant nerve damage. This is proving to be a challenging situation in many ways. Our new life consists of me going to physical therapy every day. Also, I have to use a wheelchair any time lots of walking is involved. Since we do not have a car and walk everywhere we go, the wheelchair is getting used frequently. The doctors feel that the damage is reversible. I am working really hard in therapy to do my part. We have been told that we have a long road ahead of us, so we are trying to take one day at a time. We appreciate your prayers so much!

I will end on a positive note. :) God has a way of making lemonade when you feel like you have been handed lemons! While I was in the hospital my mom was able to come to Costa Rica and spend time with me. It was so nice to have her here. She stayed with me at the hospital, and helped me get all set up at home once I was dismissed. It was a special treat to have this time with her. The timing of this situation could not be better. If it had to happen, this is the perfect time. Our schooling is complete and we have a few weeks off before we begin our ministry work. Truly, looking back at the past few weeks, I see God's hand in so many things. I am so thankful that none of this is a shock to Him! Daily I am trying to remember that He has a plan and a purpose for all of this.

A Different Kind of Christmas

Christmas is my favorite time of the year. This Christmas is going to be different than any other. This will be the first Christmas in my entire life that I have not been with my mother and brother. So as you might imagine, this Christmas is going to be difficult in many ways. However, I am determined to be proactive and make this Christmas special in different ways! So, let me share with you something our family is excited about this Christmas season.

This year, we are participating in Advent Conspiracy, a global challenge to return Christmas to it's original purpose. We're committed to worship fully, spend less, give more and love all this Christmas season in the hopes that we can help change the world by focusing less on the stuff of Christmas and more on the spirit of Christmas. We'll still celebrate in many of the same ways we always do, but we've also chosen, this month, to be more purposeful about using the blessings God has given us to make a practical and eternal difference in the lives of others. We'll be making personal "sacrifices" so that we can give to those who need and don't just want.

Take a look for yourself. I think you will be challenged.

Happy Thanksgiving from Costa Rica!

Happy Thanksgiving! We hope that your Thanksgiving is full of lots of turkey, family, and friends! There are so many things that we are thankful for this year. Tonight we went around the room sharing the things that we are most thankful for. We thought we would share some of our thoughts with you.

Tim is thankful that he can speak Spanish. When we arrived in Costa Rica 11 months ago, not one person in our family knew any Spanish at all! Wow, we have all come a long way!

Trinity shared that she was thankful for her youth group here in Costa Rica. There is a missionary family here who provides a fun and enriching youth group each Saturday night. Trinity even gets to sing in the praise team with some of the other kids. She really looks forward to this time each week.

Noah is thankful that there are sports all over the world. He has really enjoyed playing lots of soccer here in Costa Rica. It is a great way to make friends in the neighborhood too.

Gracie Lynn says she is thankful for her house in Costa Rica. As I might have mentioned before, it is pretty tight quarters around here. She reminded us tonight that each morning as we walk to school, we see several people who are sleeping in the streets. We are blessed.

Eden is thankful for her cars. Yes, my sweet little girl spends several hours each day playing with her cars. :)

Finally, I am thankful for my sweet family. This year has been wonderful and challenging at the same time. I have had to be a student, wife, and mommy. Many times I have not felt like I have done any of them well. At the end of the day though, I think we are all ok. :) We have shared both good and tough times as a family, and we are stronger because of it. Enjoy this special time of Thanksgiving. Remember all of the many ways God has blessed you and yours this season.

Father/Son Weekend

Hi everyone! This is Noah. This weekend my Dad and I went to the mountains here in Costa Rica. We went on a Father/Son retreat. It was really fun! It was COLD in the mountains! They built a fire every night so that we could stay warm. There were lots of things that I liked to do there. They had obstacle courses that Dad and I did together. My favorite thing we did together was have special time where Dad and I read our Bible together. He taught me some good stuff about how important it is to be a person of good character. Then we carved a special stick together so that we can keep it forever and remember the weekend. Here is a picture of all of the guys who went on the weekend. There were some other missionaries and lots of Costa Rican people too.

FALL FUN!

We are enjoying the Fall season around here. Well, actually that is a lie. Costa Rica does not have a Fall season. So, we are pretending. :) We have enjoyed painting pumpkins. Oh that is lie too. I mean we have enjoyed painting coconuts. You have to work with what you have! Ok, I am finished telling fibs now. :)
We have actually been enjoying a little bit of cooler weather, which is kind of fun. The kids were able to dress up for a little Fall party at school. We ended up with Tinkerbell, an Emerald Fairy, a Dallas Cowboy football player and a Micheal Jackson look alike. Tons of fun! We even got together with a few friends for a little Fall party. See, I told you we were enjoying the Fall season! Even if we do have to improvise a little bit.
Enjoy the pictures of our FALL FUN!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

.....and we have another birthday to celebrate!

We have had a week of celebrations around here! Just a few days after we acquired a teenager, we also acquired a 9 your old girl! Yep, Gracie Lynn is 9 years old! We had a fun day celebrating with her. My friend Janna made a special cake and let me help decorate it. :) We took it to surprise G.L. at school with a little party. She was also surprised when she got a brand new bike! Tim and I took her out Friday night for a "date". She is such a precious little girl. She is so happy and carefree.



We are looking forward to a change of pace this week at school. Each semester the school offers a Spiritual Emphasis week for the students. They bring in a special speaker to teach and encourage us each day in chapel. They have another service each evening. There is also a team coming in to do a VBS program with the kids each night. They are really looking forward to that. The extra fun part is that in order to take advantage of the week, the school does not give us homework or tests. Yea! Extra time in the Word and less homework. Who could ask for more!

Where has my little girl gone?

Trinity~ I will never forget the day that you were born. I was so happy and so scared! I cannot believe that today, you are a teenager! It was just yesterday that we were trying to figure out how to raise such a strong willed little girl. :) I have to say that I think all of our hard work and meetings with the "rod" payed off! You are such an amazing young lady. We are so proud of the young lady you have become. Thank you for always being so attentive to who God wants you to be. You are such a brave and strong young woman. One of our favorite things to do is listen to you sing and play the guitar. You are so talented, and we love watching you use the gifts that God has given you. Thank you for being true to who you are. What a blessing you are to us! We love you so much. Mommy and Daddy