May

At church this week our pastors challenge was to be Jesus not just a "Christian” and start to let love break down the walls. There is such a Christian / Catholic conflict that often is a wall. Some won’t even go to a funeral of their best friend or neighbor if it is not in the church they attend.

This week Bonnie was walking and two ladies from the Catholic Church that knew her asked if she wanted to buy tamales for their fund raiser. Bonnie asked if it was for the Catholic Church and they said yes. After buying the tamales, Bonnie she said that she wanted to support anything that was for the glory of God. This small act showed we are here to be part of the community and not to divide. We feel welcomed and enjoy being active in the community. Our actions speak much louder than our words!

One of the obstacles to over come is to walk the fine line which is clearly defined in Costa Rica. Are you Catholic or Christian?  We like to say we love Jesus and have Jesus in our heart and love him very much. Do you love Jesus? Most say yes so we start there with unity verse conflict. Knowing this it makes some of the little things we do big in the eyes of the community.

"He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4 NKJ). Someone once asked me why a football never gets deflated in a game. Twenty-two huge, burly men kick it, throw it, pounce on it, fumble it - yet it never gets "squashed" or loses its size to deflation.  The answer is a simple law of physics. It seems that the internal pressure of the ball is much greater than all the pressure 22 men can place upon it externally. This verse says the same thing about the people who  have the power of  Jesus residing in their hearts.   Jesus power within us is greater than all the pressure the external world can place upon us. Learning to remain calm no matter what the situation and drama is around you is a learned process. Satan's strategy is to deflate us.  Jesus gives us the  buoyancy to stay afloat  roll with the punches. It may seem sometimes that you are being tossed around by circumstances, but with the power of Jesus  within, you will always bounce back. Greater is the power within us than the pressure upon us. So hang in there, be a  team player; despite the hard hits, we're winning! Source: The Spirit-Filled Believer's Daily Devotional by Dick Mills paraphrased and some changes made Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF ONE OF THE OBJECT LESSONS WE SHARE AT OUR SCHOOL. IT IS SO NICE TO BE ABLE TO WEAVE GOD INTO LESSONS AND PROMOTE GOOD CHARACTER AND PERSEVERANCE.

     

The impression you leave on others is not by the words you say necessarily, but by how you act and react to a situation.                    .

Bonnie is swimming twice a week with some friends at 5 a.m. in a pool 25 min away.  Great way to start off the day. Exercise and eating healthy helps her have the energy she needs to do all the other activities and outreaches she is involved in.

Bonnie is teaching at the school and is enjoying making educational games to go with the different unites. The school is filled with hands on learning games,  songs  and activities. One of the goals of the school is to make learning fun and keep our expectations high.

April

Cailene, Cornelo, Bonnie and Mekhi

Thank you for your prayers and support



April 2016

Mekhi can now walk! He and Cornelio enjoy going many places together. 


Cornelio is designing and welding a new wood stove for his mom to cook with. It is nice to have the tools to be able to help others out. Cornelio really enjoys the process and discipline of creating new things from scratch. 

For Easter Cailene made “Resurrection Rolls.” The hollow rolls represent an empty tomb and that Jesus is ALIVE!!! Easter is a fantastic time to share family traditions and enjoy friendship. Jesus is the reason why we take time to celebrate Easter. He brings joy to this day and throughout the year! 

Our family tradition that we 

started this year was to all

 make an Easter Resolution 

to improve our personal 

relationship with Jesus. We 

mainly focused on improving 

how we act, think and 

respond to others. We also 

made a decision to  daily live 

with an attitude of 

thanksgiving. 

After the resolution we all took time to really determine what that meant for us personally. Sometimes we need to refocus and realize that our wonderful gift of salvation is just that, a gift. It isn't for us to hold in our hearts and stay there, rather we need to share it with others. We can't be selfish in the blessing of being free in Christ. We need to make a purposeful effort to share what we know so others can experience Jesus personally too!

March 2016

Cailene's girls group has been meeting for about a year. They are eager to talk about the things in their life that matter and to have others they can trust to ask some of the hard questions they are dealing  with. Costa Rica tends to be male dominate and many women do not have a voice or feel they can do anything but stay at home and take care of the family. Few women pursue and education beyond high school.  In the girls group they were saying how unfair things are at their houses. From two different homes two of girls have to get up at 6:00am on Saturday to help their mom with chores while their brothers can sleep until noon.  Cailene said they need to respect their  moms but find a time when they are not rushed, when  they can talk alone and express how they don't mind  helping and it is part of being a family but that the unfairness of brothers not helping at all is hard for them.

 

This time of being a teen and needing a voice and learning how to approach things and how to keep peace is very important. Both moms received the words and each one is trying to come to a happy balance. The girls said they have lots they want to talk about and said they would take turns helping lead the group. So next week starts the rotation of leadership. Cailene will be the lead and they will co lead the group and discussions. The trust level is high and the subjects are relevant to where they are and how they can deal with school and family life.

 

In Costa Rica they do not have writing classes so the kids hold their pencils in many unusual ways. here is a picture of how one person was holding his pencil. Bonnie is showing him how to hold h is pencil correctly. To not make them feel bad they call this the English pencil  grip and in this class try to hold the pencil like this.

Ed is an architect from the United States who came down to help us with permit process, get soil samples, and meet with the Costa Rican architect. We are reviewing building plans and deciding where the best location for septic system will be. 

We met with the contractor and his son to review school drawings and set up a building plan. 

We are looking forward to keeping you updated with what we are doing in Costa Rica.

                                        

Contact us: CGCcostarica7@gmail.com 

 






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Febuary 2016

     While in the states Bonnie went to see the movie War Room it is all about prayer and going to God in prayer to fight all our battles. The move ends with the actress "Miss Clara" telling God to send her someone new to mentor.  Bonnie took this to heart as she went home that night, and asked God to send her someone. She was staying at her mom’s house, and not really knowing anyone new to reach out to but she bagged up some snacks and prayed about sending some people to see the War room movie and was going to go to church to see if anyone might want to go see the movie. The next day there was a knock on the door. A lady Bonnie had never seen before came to get a recite from the swimming lessons her granddaughter took that summer. Bonnie gathered the information the lady needed then looked at her tears and asked if she was ok. The tears welled up and then she cried in Bonnies arms. Bonnie asked if she could pray for her. The lady's name is Christine. They prayed. Here is Christine’s explanation of the day they met. That day both ladies had prayers answered. To God be the glory we are all part of the bigger plan.Christine NicholsI had been trying to deal with a painful situation for some time regarding my precious 8-year-old granddaughter.  I had put her through the Marlin swimming class that Bonnie's family owns. I went to their home to get a receipt to show the courts one of the many things I've done with and for my grandchild. In my mind I was preoccupied with many things when I went there.  Bonnie opened the door and after speaking to her for a short time I broke down in tears. She offered to pray for my grandchild. I didn't even have the strength to stand up. Bonnie invited me in and began talking to me and helping me calm down. We sat and talked on her mom’s couch for a long time.  I asked her for a Bible, and she gave me one.I will never forget her kindness that day. She told me she had prayed for the Lord to bring her someone to help and there I was, needing help. She had several bags of yummy snacks already put together for people to take with them to see the movie The War Room. She gave me a bag of snacks, and I went that evening to see the movie. I really enjoyed it. I consider Bonnie a very important friend. She's a blessing in my life. She's given me wonderful books to read about our Lord and she showed me a church to go to that I really love. She's my inspiration along with the Lord. I'm thankful for that day and I want Bonnie in my life forever.

Cornelio started teaching at the University this semester.  He is loving working with the students.  He is also coaching Soccer and Martial Arts.  Stacie Mande captured this quote from Cornelio:"I am a coach because of the team and the passion I have for the sport itself. There is no other feeling quite like helping young athletes further develop their natural persistence, determination, discipline, resilience, work ethic, heart, and leadership skills. To connect with and respect for others not only in completion but in life."

Cailene's lady soccer team ranges in age from 16-39. They have different backgrounds and levels of maturity. Teaching respect and sportsmanship is important, and using words of encouragement is something that they are working on.  This is a new concept to some.  Cornelio is also coaching this team. They have a game each week for the next 3 months.

     Cornelio has a new group of students at the university.  He enjoys the challenge of college students and their many questions.  He challenges the students to do more than just take the class, but to actively participate with enthusiasm. Several people in this English class want to be teachers so they discuss how to motivate others in the classroom and in life.  How can each person help others to be better in life?  To be the teacher that changes lives is why he loves this job.  He wants others to consider their passion and let that drive them to be the best they can be.

Baby Mekhi got his first haircut as well this month!  Cailene and Bonnie sit on the sidelines while Cornelio coaches the men's team. So for the next 3 months he has two teams he coaches. Both teams needed a coach to participate in this league.  They have to register with their Costa Rican number (like our social security number) and each player has to show their card each week to play.  It is a very organized and well managed league.  Mekhi just likes playing with Grandma and whoever else wants to come over and play.  Being active in the community gives us so many opportunities so be available and have conversations of hope and encouragement.

Please don't forget to donate!  Also, next month will be the start of the school fundraising campaign, so keep your eyes open for that!  We are so excited to finally get to build the school!  See you next month!