Our 6th Grade Graduate

This week we were able to celebrate with Trinity as she graduated from the 6th grade. In the culture of Costa Rica, this is a monumental event. We took Trinity out for a fun dinner, just the three of us. Mom, Dad and Trinity. It was great one on one time, which is sometimes difficult to come by with 4 kids. :) Anyway, as we were sitting at dinner talking, I realized once again what a remarkable young lady Trinity has become. We are so proud of her.

Trinity~ I know that this 6th grade year has been different than you might have imagined or even wished for yourself. However, we are so proud of how you have trusted us as your parents and more importantly God, to direct your path. Thank you for being so strong and brave. You are an amazing young women and it is an honor to be your parents. We love watching God grow you into just what He wants you to be. Congratulations on all of your hard work.

Philippians 1:6 (The Message)^3-6Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God. Each exclamation is a trigger to prayer. I find myself praying for you with a glad heart. I am so pleased that you have continued on in this with us, believing and proclaiming God's Message, from the day you heard it right up to the present. There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears.

Happy Birthday Eden Bethany Jing!

Our baby turns 5 today! It really is hard to believe that she is 5 years old! Oh, I wish I could just freeze her! She is soooooo sweet and we enjoy her so much! I am so thankful that God blessed us with such a gift. I was thinking this past week about how amazing God is to have brought her to our family. There were so many pieces that had to fit together just perfectly for her to be ours! As we celebrate Eden's birthday, I always find myself thinking about the woman on the other side of the world whose DNA my daughter carries. We are grateful beyond words for her choice to give her life. I pray that on this day she is filled with peace and somehow knows that the child she carried is so well loved and cherished.
Happy Birthday Sweet Girl! We love you!

White Water Rafting in Costa Rica

We have made it through the first two weeks of our second semester of school. For some reason I had it in my head that it would get easier as we went along. Why do I do that to myself??? I am very excited about the amount of language that I am going to be learning this semester, but I am fighting not to feel overwhelmed by the work load!

The rainy season has begun here in Costa Rica. So far, it has not been to bad but from what we hear we might need a boat before it is all over. It does provide many challenging opportunities since we walk everywhere we go. It also provides us with lots of BUGS!! As I type this, we are watching a lizard chase bugs around our house and eat them. Seriously, ya'll don't know what you are missing! :)

So, that is all from me for now but I am handing over the keyboard to Tim.....

White-water rafting just over 18 miles down one of the top five rivers to raft in the entire world, per National Geographic, has to be the high-light of my experiences here in Costa Rica. I take that back! Having "two of my closest friends" raft alongside me during the white-water adventure has been my most exciting time here. Earlier this month, my friends Dan and Chris arrived into Costa Rica from our hometown of Thomasville, GA. What a fabulous few days that we experienced together! Take a moment to enjoy the slideshow of our white-water excursion. They were class four rapids, and we loved every minute of them! Post a comment and share your thoughts with me if you have a moment! Enjoy! Tim

Make a Smilebox photobook

Friendly Faces in Costa Rica

We have been blessed to enjoy some friendly faces here in Costa Rica in recent days! First off, Ya Ya (Tresa) came and spent a week hanging with us in Costa Rica. We had tons of fun showing her our life here and traveling to Monteverde to visit for a few days. It is a beautiful area with lots of greenery and flowers. The favorites in Monteverde were the butterflies and the frogs. Tresa was a bit disappointed that we did not see any monkeys but we told her that meant she had to come back for another visit! Tresa is now back home and missing us, her daily fresh fruit juice and yummy Costa Rican cinnamon bread!
We were also able to visit with David and Latrelle. They were in Costa Rica on a mission trip and stopped by one evening last week. As you can imagine getting Tim and David in the same room produced lots of laughs! It was so good to see them and spend some time catching up. We are so excited about the work they are doing with their mission. They will be heading back our way in June. :)
Finally, for Tim's 40th birthday 2 of his buddies planned a trip to visit him. Dan and Chris arrived a few days ago and the 3 amigos have been living large ever since! As you can imagine they have been full of adventure. Early this morning they headed to the river for a day of white water rafting. I can not wait to hear all about it. I am sure they will have lots to share!
It has been a sweet time for us to be able to see so many friendly faces from home. We have enjoyed visiting and sharing our life with them. So, if you are in the mood for a warm tropical vacation......feel free to head our way!