As this chapter closes…

This time next week we hope to be boarding a plane in San José, Costa Rica that will take us back to the US and Las Vegas! Woo-Hoo! Many things cross through our minds as we contemplate where we have been and where we are going.

First of all, we are grateful to the many people that have been praying for us! Many of you have told us and communicated with us directly and indirectly. We know that without your prayers and God’s daily presence in our lives we would not have experienced all the blessings we have seen: our ability to see God’s activity in and around the school, Sandy’s ability to learn Spanish while struggling with her medication, the friends and relationships we have made while here. Let me give you two concrete example of how we have seen God’s direct involvement in our lives.

One: We were very concerned about finding a doctor that knew about Hepatitis-C, the treatment for it, knew of the potential side effects and complications, and would be able to communicate with us as we learned Spanish. The doctor WE had chosen, the head of the gastroenterology clinic at the closest hospital, was unable to treat Sandy. A colleague of his, however, had studied at Yale and had just returned from working in Dallas on a one year fellowship at one of the premier liver treatment facilities in the world, and although he works at another hospital, he was willing to come to this hospital to treat Sandy. I’m glad God provided that doctor and didn’t let us use the doctor WE had chosen.

Two: We are living in a 4-plex apartment. Although it is about 8-10 blocks from the school, it was the PERFECT place for us to be. Our medical insurance requires us to get all long-term medication from them, yet they cannot ship out of the US. They will reimburse foreign retail purchases, but only twice. Students at our school are living in two of the other units in our 4-plex. What are the odds that Kim’s church would send a mission trip to Costa Rica in October and that Josh and Allison would be flying to the US and back here in November? They were able to bring our October and November medical supplies.

Coincidences? We don't think so! We believe God is watching over us and much of it is due to your prayers. Thank You.

I also want to include some random shots of why we love this country and these people: when there’s a job to do, they get it done, however they can (click on the pictures for more detail!)…

As I was walking to a local store to look for empty boxes for packing our stuff, I came across this parade of various school groups performing Christmas songs…

Please join us as we continue the next phase of our journey!