Costa Rica--2009 Wednesday

Last night's visit with the Louderbacks and Tresa was so sweet. David and I enjoyed it so much. Their house is adorable and Tina is so organized. Tim beat David at wii golf---fun! And Tina made the best banana bread! Saying bye is hard for me anyway so you know this was especially hard--even though I will be back in June.


Your prayers were felt today. I have never taken my ring off in about 24 years so when they told me to leave it I wasn't really scared but i was apprehensive.
But God was there with us and today was awesome.

David and I love kids--obviously and to get to just love on kids who are so neglected is great for us. Mark and Meg and their daughter Melinda have a discipleship ministry in La Carpia which is the poorest, "baddest" section of San Jose. They do a wonderful job of forming relationships, sharing the gospel and then following through with discipleship groups for this families. The kids really love them.

We spent a couple of hours then walking through La Carpia. It is unbelievably poor.
Tin houses, raw sewage running in the street down to the river that runs through it. There is no sanitation so the trash is everywhere. This is such a hard life but it is all these people know. One precious family that had accepted Christ and the 11 year old was baptized a month ago--they live in a little bitty place downstairs so narrow that you have to turn sideways to fit down the stairs. There are two tiny rooms for about 10 people. It is unreal unless you see it for yourselves.
Mark said they might get 1 meal a day and it would just be rice. Can you imagine???
The crime rate is high---as you would think---if you leave something out it is gone.
Last week a 6 yr old was kidnapped as she and her mother walked to school.
Gangs fight with guns as other children walk home from school. To get food people sell themselves or the children or they sell drugs.

Their hope is in Jesus and their reward is in Heaven. It is gutwrenching to see this but God sent us here. We saw smiling faces even in the midst of all this mess.

Please pray for the people of La Carpia and the work that the Kasdas family is doing here. Pray for Brook and Matt and Ron and Meredith who work with this family. They are all with Christian Light Foundation. After seeing what is going on here it makes me proud to be a part of CLF.

Tomorrow we spend the day finding the person to help us with the vitamin program here. The children are going to be fed and the vitamins will be in addition to the food.

God commanded us to go----what is your answer to HIM????

Costa Rica--Tuesday afternoon

I am sitting here looking out the window at the beautiful mountains of Costa Rica.
But between here and there are an unbelievable number of homes made of tin.

We survived the Barrio this afternoon and i was very safe---david carried the backpack and camera. I did take some pictures but I was very careful with it.

The barrio is a community of about 300 tin houses that consist of a kitchen and den and bedroom. The whole house is about the size of my bedroom. It is on a hill side and from what i am told we picked the last good week to come here. Next week starts the rainy season for Costa Rica and the hillside will be just a mudslide then till November. But Brooke and Matt and their family will go everyday and do discipleship with the families. Ron Droke and his son Morgan and the pastor and his wife went with us. We loved getting to walk and visit with the people and children there.
One man who had had surgery and was living in a "nicer" house built by a christian company asked us to pray for him and we all did.

The people and kids here are quick to smile but they live such a hard life---their hope is in God and their reward will be in heaven.

Please hug on my boys---I know i say this everytime but we do miss them so much.
It is by far the hardest thing for me to do when I say goodbye.

Pray for us tomorrow as we go out to another section of Costa Rica with Mark and Meg.
It is awesome to see them connecting and making relationships with these people so they are discipled after they accept Jesus.

I am soo excited to see Tim and Tina and the kids--I will be sure to post pictures when we are back from supper.

Costa Rica--Tuesday

This morning we spent a precious time in prayer with several ladies, their children and the local pastor here at his home.
It was so sweet to listen to their passionate pleas to our Heavenly Father.

Then we went with another CLF family Brook and Matt and their two precious girls and son to a discipleship class that Brook led with a little girl and her mama. This lady has opened up her home to use as a meeting place.

Lunch time was great---Meg and Mark provided us with lunch and a little down time at the guest house.

Please pray for us this afternoon. We go to the Barrio which is the not so nice part of Costa Rica. I cannot even take my camera or backpack cause i might not come back with it. I am trusting God to show us mighty things this afternoon.

Then supper with the Louderbacks and Tresa :)

Thomas and Jacob have games this afternoon---if you need something to do ---please go cheer for my boys!

Trelle

Costa Rica --Monday continues

Just a quick note---it has been a great day in Costa Rica.

We arrived about 11:45 Costa Rica time. Mark Kasdas and his wife and family --CLF missionaries picked us up.
They have a guesthouse--a huge place that reminds me of Sheo's place in Nicaragua that we are staying at.

After a great lunch of sandwiches and fresh pineapple we went out to La Finca--the farm--where Mark
has a discipleship program with about 50 kids. He has 10 year olds discipling other kids---it is awesome to watch.
The kids have bible study to complete and memory verses to learn each week. We do not expect enough out of our children at home.

Then Jack treated us, the kasdas family and the drokes to supper at a local restaraunt---it was yummy!

So now it is midnight and we have been going since 3a.m. Tomorrow we see Tim, Tina and the kids and Tresa will be here--yea!!!

Continue praying for us---we are seeing awesome things here!

Hug on my boys

Costa Rica ---Monday

Your prayers are being felt. We had an awesome trip to Atlanta last night.

David and I stopped in Columbus and had an awesome visit with my brother Kevin--and the biggest banana split ever at Brewsters! Then we met my brother Blaine and sister in law Jo in Newnan at Panera Bread for a salad. We enjoyed getting to see them both!

Monday morning---3:30 is early but we did sleep good for the 4 hours that we slept! Now we are sitting in the ATL airport having made it through the normal obstacles.

We are expecting awesome things this week in Costa Rica. God has great plans for us I am sure!

Please keep us in your prayers and as Jacob said yesterday ------pray for David's mama and mine as they keep the boys.

Costa Rica April 27- May 1

The tickets were purchased last night for our first CLF mission trip to Costa Rica.

Please pray for us that God will prepare us to do HIS work in Costa Rica and that HE will prepare the hearts of the people we will be ministering to.

David and I are very excited about our first trip.

God has provided financially

and we are just awed and amazed to watch God's plan unfold before us.

In Bible study this morning, Beth Moore said trusting God is believing and then sitting back and watching HIM in action.

What a mighty awesome God we serve!!