Poco a Poco

Wow! The time has flown by since I have been back!  I feel like I have been all over the place but never in one place long enough to sit down and update my blog....sorry Mom and Ray! :)
So let me try to catch you up with all that has been going on!!!

In Guanacaste
I am sure most of you saw pictures on facebook, but my mom and sister were able to come visit for a week which was a super treat!  We went to the beach where my mom has an old high school friend that owns a resort, so we were able to spend a few days just relaxing and eating lots! My mom, dad and sister have been such a great support system and sounding board.  They are amazing people! I am really blessed to have such a wonderful family, and although we missed my daddy lots, having Mom and Logan here was a great retreat. I love you all very much! :)
Here are some of the pictures of the crazy women in my family! :)

At the beach!

Tic Tac Toe!!

Drinking coconut milk...well trying anyway

Mom and Logan who don't know how to take a picture with their mouths closed! :)  I love them anyway!

In Limon

I also have been going to Jonathan's parents church almost every weekend.  We have been keeping ourselves busy there with working on the church and this weekend we helped to redo a roof on a house of one of the church members.  We are also talking about starting English classes there on Saturdays and opening it up to the people of the community in order to get the people familiar with the church and the pastor.  The pastor wants to take the classes too! Which I think is a super way to get to know the people. I am really excited about getting that going.  We also were able to visit some friends of Jonathan's family who have an amazing fruit farm with all of the fruits that you can imagine.  Plus everything tastes amazing because it is so fresh.  I was able to take some oranges home and share with my new Costa Rican family!  Here are some pictures from some of the things that have been going on in Limon:

The Roof

 The closest thing I could find to a guanabana for Logan

 Coconut Tree

 Lemon Tree

Delicious!

Sugar Cane

In Panama

I was also able to go on a trip to Panama with Jonathan's family.  Jonathan's dad was asked to preach at a church on the border of Costa Rica and Panama, so we spent a weekend with some of their friends eating, shopping and spending time together!  The food was super amazing...especially the bread....mmmm, I'm getting hungry just thinking about it! And I have never seen such great deals in all my life!  Good thing I don't have a paying job right now or I would have been in trouble! :) 

Sunday was the best though!  I was able to go into the Sunday School class and work with the kids!  Saturday night the woman that we were staying with told me that she was the Sunday School teacher for the following day and wanted to know if I wanted to help.  I told her that I would love to, but I really didn't know what I was getting myself into! haha!  When she said help what she really meant was could I lead the class.  Although my Spanish is improving, I'm still not sure that Sunday Schools lessons are within my capability range!  So I led the songs at the beginning of the lesson and helped a little with a drama to go along with the lesson for the day.  It was such a blessing to spend that time with those kids and to be around people that would push me to step out of my comfort zone.  At the end I was even able to lead the kids to sing one of the songs that I taught them in English and Spanish in front of the entire congregation!  I loved it!  Unfortunately, I was so nervous and excited that I completely forgot to take any pictures, but you will just have to trust me when I say that these kids are precious! :)

In San Ramon

Yesterday I went back to San Ramon for a visit and catch up session.  It was super!  I was able to talk to the missionaries there about what is going on in San Ramon and where I might be able to help!  Next week I will begin going once a week to the mission to teach English classes in the morning and do discipleship with some of the families in the afternoon.  This may be something that I will do more often after Christmas, but we are going to try it out for the next couple of months now and see how the classes go.  The people there are amazing and their hearts are absolutely on fire for the Lord and for the people in their area.  I can't wait to begin working with them!

The missionary that was there previously taught English classes as well, so they had many supplies that I think I will be able to use both with children and adults.  There is a great space there for us to begin with small group classes and move our way up to larger classes if there is a great interest!  Things are looking great there!

In Puntarenas

I didn't actually get to visit much in Puntarenas, but this is a beach in Costa Rica that is about 2 hours in the bus from Alajuela.  My kindergarten teacher (and close friend of the family) and her husband, sister, and sister's husband (all members of my home church in Georgia) went on a cruise that docked in Puntarenas, Costa Rica.  I thought that I would go for the day and say hello and spend a little time with them, but after seeing about 30 buses going into the port where I could not pass I figured my chances were pretty slim, so I waited on the sidewalk just hoping to be able to see them through the window of the bus and wave.  After about 10 or 15 buses passed by I finally saw them, BUT not one of the four of them saw me. I waved and jumped and shouted....but to no avail!  I am sure all the people on the street thought I was crazy, but I thought maybe it would help...but it looks like maybe I was crazy AND I didn't get to say hello! haha!  Anyways, Cammie Jane, Frank, Carole and Felix I love you guys, and I am sorry that we missed each other.  I hope you had a wonderful cruise!  Here is a picture of your ship from the outside in case you didn't get one! :)

In San Jose

I also went to San Jose for a day to shop for a main text book for the English classes that are starting.  I went for a textbook and plan book, but I got a little excited!  Wow! They had some great resources....look at all these books:

I also had a little culture lesson while I was out in San Jose....apparently in Costa Rica Christmas starts in October, and all of the stores and some of the homes start decorating for Christmas...I couldn't believe it!  I took a picture just for evidence! 

Back Home in Alajuela

In Alajuela things are going great as well!  I had my first English group lesson last night with 6 students and Leccy my teacher's helper! :)  Again, I was a little nervous and forgot to take out the camera, but I promise I will take some pictures tomorrow during my second class!  We have been conducting interviews over the last couple of weeks to determine ability levels and any specific goals or motivators for each of the people in the class so that we can plan accordingly, and last night we began with a lot of excitement and enthusiasm.  The people in the class range in age from about 17 to 60 years old, but last night when we did 5 year old Jolly Phonics movements for each of the letter sounds you would have thought that they were all 5!  It was so much fun...well, I had fun anyway!  Each of the people in the class are super special and I am so excited about what the next couple of months will bring in language growth and in building relationships!  God was absolutely present in a strong way last night, and I can't wait to see His plans for this ministry!

...For those of you interested, the ant infestation continues, but I have Raid, so I am keeping it under control as much as possible!  P.S. These pictures are for real! 

So, I have kind of been all over the place for the past couple of weeks, but it seems as though I am beginning a more scheduled routine...well as close to a scheduled routine as possible in Costa Rica! :)  I am having a great time and feeling like little by little God is really beginning to pave a path and provide direction using all of the ways that He has been preparing me all along.  Please continue to pray for both my family at home and my family here.  Pray that the Lord would give my family at home peace, comfort and blessings, and please pray that He would also bring blessings to my Costa Rica family that is really taking such great care of me!

Also, please pray for each of my English class that the Lord's presence would be overwhelming and that I would never lose the focus of why I am giving these classes...that my number one priority would be to show the love of Christ.  My classes in Alajuela are from 6 to 7 p.m. on Monday's, Wednesday's and Friday's.  My other class times have not been determined, but there will likely be multiple lessons in Limon and San Ramon on Saturdays and Thursdays respectively.  If you are available to say a special prayer on those days or at those times.  

And finally, please just pray that I would continue to rely on God's strength in times of weakness or missing my friends and family.  Pray that I would turn to God first for comfort in those moments.

I love you all very much and I truly appreciate all of your emails, cards, prayers and support!