Marvelous March!

Greetings from Costa Rica,

This month we are trying to choose carefully what we focus on and devote time to just those things. This intentional focus has streamlined our life and given us the ability to complete many tasks.

Our schools goal is to teach English and promote education so when  Kevin came to Cornelio and said he wanted to take English classes but could not pay for them Cornelio said he could do some work for him in trade for classes. Kevin is so grateful for the opportunity to be able to work in trade for English classes.  This teaches work ethic as well as being able to open doors of opportunity for the future.

                Over the past few years there have been several youth, who know some English, that mom has been keeping track of and encouraging through FB. When they have a test or concern they ask her to pray for them. One of these youth went away to college, made several poor choices and felt she would be harshly judged so she did not want to return to church. She felt she let her family, herself and God down. When mom returned from the states she invited this young girl to go on a walk. They talked about God’s love and the reason Jesus died for us and it was his sacrifice that make us able to enter the thrown of grace. We are all royalty. God desires to receive our hearts and praises to Him. No sin is too big for God to forgive. They talked, walked and prayed. This girl, repented of her sins, choose to not return to them and to ask God to forgive her. God’s peace filled her heart and she accepted God’s forgiveness and was able to forgive her self also. The true repentance and the decision to not return to the sinful choices gave such a wonderful peace and freedom.

Walking back home they made up a cheer with hand motions and joyful shouts.

“I am a daughter of the Most High King! Oh Ya…..  I am a daughter of the Most High King … Oh Ya! I am forgiven, I am redeemed and I am free. Oh Ya….” They kept this cheer up while walking and declaring this new freedom.

I have returned back to part time work teaching at the school. We are so overjoyed to be parents. Mekhi is now 4 months and 15 pounds. He just got his first hair cut to even out his bald patches and 

he has been drooling so teeth will be coming in soon. Everything is fun and new for us all!

Just being available God uses everyday situations to help and encourage the people in our life. We appreciate your continued prayer support and encouragement.

God Bless You,

Cornelio, Cailene, Mekhi and Bonnie

Samantha Came

Winter break (our summer brake) is over and school is back in session at the new location.  We have lots of eager students and we are all adjusting to the new routine of classes. Cornelio and I are each teaching one day a week at the university and taking turns watching baby Mekhi. Being a parent is a new level of love and joy. We praise God for each day we have with our baby boy!

Mom is back in Costa Rica helping with a few classes and reconnecting with the neighbor kids. She and  Meridith are making jello for an upcoming birthday party.

 This is Samantha Courtney. She is from Stehekin, WA and a friend since childhood.  I lived with her family my 8th grade year and we have been sisters ever since.  She is staying with Cornelio and I for the next 3 months volunteering at the school helping get all the administration information on the computer and helping us set up new technology for our school.  She is also a very talented masseuse and artist. She is a bubble of energy to be around and we are so please to have her with us for a few months!

Samantha is updating all our information and we have a new email address so we can stay connected with friends and family better.  Our e-mail is selahschool09@gmail.com and our Facebook page is Selah School.  

Happy Valentines!

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 This is the month of love and appreciation.

 Ephesians 4:2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

Many people start New Year’s resolutions, but by the time February rolls around it is difficult to continue with them. The majority of people make resolutions regarding personal health which is fantastic, but I wanted to do something different this year. My goal is to use the simple word “because” more often. This will help my relationships with others grow. So instead of saying, for example, “I enjoy spending time with you,” I want to tell people why.  So it might sound more like, “I enjoy spending time with you because I learn from your good example how to be patient in stressful situations.” This practice of saying BECAUSE not only make one think more, but also it deepens one’s relationship with others. So this year it is a goal to say because on a much more regular basis! 

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.