My mom came down to visit us. We did a lot of catching up, seeing new things, going to a birthday party, a baby shower and visiting friends. It has been 3 years since she has been here in Costa Rica. One of the things we did was to go to a cooking class in San Jose to learn how to bake typical breads for special occasions.

 We learned how to make 6 different kinds of breads. I am trying to continue my knowledge of cooking and baking things here in Costa Rica.  I also sell bread to friends and neighbors to make a little extra income.

 It has been fun to have my mom here and help us get several projects done. She loves to use her creativity to make learning fun. Her fresh approach to learning has energized and encouraged us.  It's been wonderful to gather new ideas for our growing school. 

  

                                                                      
 
We are renting the bottom of the internet cafe for our school. This new location is in the middle of town which makes it easy for our students to get to. The internet cafe is a hub of the town because that is also where you pay your cell phone, internet, insurance, water and electricity.

The internet building has a porch where many gather. This creates a relaxed environment. We have had the opportunity to talk to many people coming and lingering there. We have had various conversations about Jesus and how real he is. It is not about religion it is about the relationship.


This month’s praises!
* We have had our car for 8 months and no car problems!!
* Donations that came in extra this month covered the cost of Cornelio’s much needed glasses!!
* Our school was donated a lap top computer and printer. What a surprise and blessing!!

Prayer requests:
* That we will continue to get more students.
* That our church worship team will grow.
* To receive donations for dental work Cornelio needs on his teeth.

Happy Valentines Week

 Let's take to heart the words of Jesus. "'And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength...You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."  (Mark 12 28-31 esv)

"Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13 esv) This is exactly what Jesus did for us.

God is the God of love.  We have so much to be thankful for and so many opportunities each day to share the love of Jesus with the ones around us.

Cornelio surprised me and planned a day trip for Valentines. Just the two of us went on a horse back ride all morning and enjoyed the mountains. He is so creative and thoughtful. It was the perfect Valentine surprise for me and I feel so loved and special.

                                                                             

January Journal

      Yesterday we had the youth group over and we took them to our favorite swimming hole. An hour later we heard someone screaming and as we looked over we saw a snake and a mouse that had fallen into the river. The snake was so intent on trying to eat the mouse that that it was unaware of us. All the girls went screaming out of the swimming hole, and the boys got a thrill out of chasing them with the snake and the dead mouse. I was especially entertained by it. No matter where you live snakes are gross and boys love to chase girls with them. So needless to say our outing for the morning ended in a funny way.  Our life here is full of unexpected adventures and we love it!

          

              

Cornelio is taking one college class to continue working towards his masters degree. I just finished my first year of college. Some of the classes are in English and some in Spanish so it has been a real challenge for me, but I enjoy it. 

                                                                                  

Cornelio has been biking a lot and this has been a good sport to invite others to join him.

I play my saxophone for special occasions and at church once in a while so others can be learn and playing the keyboard. We are trying to grow and train new musicians. 

      Our private English and music classes in the evenings are going well and it continues to be a great way to meet new people and grow our outreach in the community. The school keeps us busy as we are the only staff. We are the principle, secretary, and teacher. Also we clean, prepare classes, correct papers, handle all parent questions and information and schedule changes. It is a big responsibility, but the outcome and growth from this is more than rewarding. God has a purpose and a plan for us here in Costa Rica and we see it daily as He teaches us and opens opportunities to learn and be bold in who He made us to be.

God Bless,

Cornelio and Cailene

Psalm 69:34 Let heaven and earth praise him!!

Selah Graduation 2011

       On Dec 18th our school had it's yearly Christmas program. We combined the graduation of our students with a Christmas program. This year we added teaching music lessons to our school. There was a combination of music specials and English presentations. God has blessed us so much this past year. We are excited to see what He will to do in this coming year!

         We have been able to network and help many of our students with many other needs than just learning English. We enjoy a growing personal relationship with our students and they ask us many questions. We look for opportunities to share the love of Jesus with who ever will listen. Building this trust takes time but that is why we are here in Costa Rica.

       Our school remains an outreach by offering education to families and individuals who would otherwise not be able to take classes. We will be starting up our classes the first part of the New Year. We have several people who would love to take classes but cannot afford them although we charge very little for the classes and materials. For one full year it costs $300 per student. This includes registration, certificates, books, materials and their lessons. We do a lot of hands on learning with games and songs so we do not limit ourselves to just books. If you are interested in sponsoring a student please contact us for more details. You can donate directly through our pay pal account or mail check to Chelan Nazarene church PO BOX J  Chelan, WA 98816. We appreciate your prayers and support.

God Bless you all and Merry Christmas!!

Cornelio and Cailene

                                                     

Merry Christmas

                                                          

Good Morning,

We are so thankful to be stepping into the Christmas season as we celebrate Jesus’ birth. This past Sunday our church was invited to give a service at a large church in San Jose (that is about an hour and a half drive from where we live).  We have known about this for the past 6 weeks as Cornelio and I have been practicing with the worship team for this special service. Twice a week, 3 hours a day we were preparing and it was so worth it. The service lasted 3 hours and 1h and 45 min was the worship.  Some of the members from our church came on the bus that afternoon. The pastor’s wife did an excellent job preaching. There were 10 people on the worship team. I played my saxophone for some songs so another person could play the keyboard. What a stretch for us as a group, but a wonderful experience and we pray for more of those opportunities to come like this. We are all motivated, excited and ready to see what God is going to do next with us as we continue to look for ways to grow.

Thank you s so much for your continual prayers and support in our lives and for our mission here in Costa Rica. God Bless you all and Merry Christmas!!

Cornelio and Cailene