God's Protection

     We started the year off with a change in plans and a new awareness. It was sad that we couldn’t visit the family this year for Christmas due to extra paper work needed for Mekhi to travel. But although it was hard, we believe that God has a plan and He works EVERYTHING out for the good. Jesus is the reason for the season and just in the past month we have seen how He takes care of us in so many ways.

     The day after Christmas some friends and us were driving home and a drunk driver came too close to us and scraped the side of our car. It was scary, but after I saw Mekhi safe in his car seat I thanked God for his protection. This happened at night and the driver could have hit us straight on, but instead he swerved and only got the side of our car. God truly takes care of us.

 This week it has been nice to just relax, play with our dogs, go to rivers and enjoy family and friends here. Things don’t always go as planned, but we are learning that we need to take advantage of the turn in events and see what God can do through it all as we let Him lead!

     Many people have physical New Year resolutions which are great, but this year I was encouraged to start a mental resolution as well. Thinking positively means living positively!

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas

Christmas blessings to you from Costa Rica.  We are finishing our 5th year of our school. We have had the privilege to teaching English to many students of all ages. We promote education not only in the classroom but encourage all we meet to challenge them to learn more about as many things as possible.  We encourage them to embrace the philosophy that life is a classroom and we must be aware of the many new things there are to learn and to get off their phones and experience life through real people.  It is a fun challenge and we see a growing interest to care a bit more and try a little harder.

Warner, a retired teacher, turned 79 years old on Saturday. He goes to the market every Saturday and stays from 9-12 and talks to everyone who comes to market. Mom and her friend Lidieth decided to surprise him with a birthday cake. They brought the cake to market where Warner hangs out and they had everyone sing happy birthday to him then shared the cake with everyone at market. It was a wonderful time of celebrating and honoring this man who has given so much time to others. With tears in his eyes he thanked everyone. It will be a memory he will treasure the rest of his life.

Cornelio is going to present his thesis this Friday. It has been a long process to complete this degree. He is now a certified principal which gives our school a better rating.

We look forward to visiting family and friends over the Christmas holidays as we will be in the states for a month. Let's all remember the reason for the season and look for ways to keep Jesus the center of our conversations and keep praises flowing for all the many blessings we have.

Happy Thanksgiving!

      I saw this little compairason and thought how perfectly it explains how Jesus has changed each and every one of us! Happy Thanksgiving!

      How is being a Christian like being a pumpkin?
God picks you from the pach, brings you in and washes all the dirt off of you. He cuts off the top and scoops out all the yucky stuff. He removes the seeds of doubt, hate, greed, ect... and then He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside of you to shine for all the world to see!

November continues the rainy season here and fall in the states. Our family celebrates Thanksgiving here and we all have so many things to be thankful for. It is such a blessing to have Mekhi join our family!  We are rejoicing that our schools move to the new location went well and on Nov 1 we held classes in the new location.  The building we were renting was sold so we needed to relocate to a small building in the center of town. It’s a great location and easy to get to.

 The tires on Bonnie's car were almost bald so she had to get new tires. Cornelio used the old tires to make a baby swing and a swan for beautiful recycled yard art.

Help, someone call 911.......

Cornelio is finishing his degree at the university. He is writing his thesis on how to improve English oral communication in high schools. He goes to a high school to apply the games and activities he has written up in his thesis. One afternoon he saw a high school couple "making out". The boy was on top of the girl laying down right in the walk way. The teachers just walked by and the other students seemed to just be watching then moving on.  Cornelio, seeing this was NOT ok behavior, said” Quick, someone call 911 this girl is getting mouth resuscitation and she needs help." The boy quickly jumped off the girl and everyone watching just laughed at them. Working with teenagers is a whole different level of needing to think on your feet and needing to be spontaneous. To God be the glory for creative corrections.

Mom has been such a great help and encouragement here. She looks for ways to help others where ever she goes. Last week she met a homeless man who lived next to the bus stop with his dog. After she talked with him in Spanish for a while she went and bought some orange juice and bread for the man. She also bought some soap because he said that he really wanted to wash his dog. With a full tummy and a grateful heart this man was blessed that day and a ray of sunshine and hope touched his life.

With grateful hearts we say "Thank You" 

to those who help us through prayers and support.

 Lives are being changed for eternity!

Homeless man and his dog

Bonnie Rogers has been such a great help and encouragement here. She looks for ways to help others where ever she goes. Last week she met a homeless man who lived next to the bus stop with his dog. After she talked with him in Spanish for a while she went and bought some orange juice and bread for the man. With a full tummy and a grateful heart this mas was blessed that day and a ray of sunshine and hope touched his life. She also bought some soap because he said that he really wanted to wash his dog.  "What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived, it is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of  the life we l
ead." Nelson Mandela