Sobras ... Leftovers

Sobras!

Since our move to CR and subsequent loss of our beloved meal swap, I've come to love the practice of ... "Second Shelf Night"! I learned of this event in the wee hours of L/D world from a sweet sista who had the brainiest of ideas.  A night devoted to the second shelf in our fridge where our leftovers collect during the week!  This night is such a gift in that I don't have to think about what to make for supper, only how much time I need to heat them up.  There is always more then enough, always something for everyone, always something that tastes better the second time around and always that last bit of the 'unappreciated' meal that gets tossed into the basura.  This topic of discussion is on my mind because, tonight ... is our beloved "Noche de Sobras" ... "Left over night"!

Feasting at His banqueting table!

I've found myself contemplating the hand of God on our family, the multitude of blessings we are receiving, the affectionate attention Father seems to be devoting to our needs and the magnitude of His constant presence since our move to CR.  Don't get me wrong, we've felt the hand of God in our lives before moving here, we've tasted of His goodness, felt His favor and relished in the comfort of His arms.  However, I've been contemplating the simple fact that His blessings are not "Sobras ... Leftovers"!  His blessings are specific for me, for our family and for each of you reading these ramblings of my mind.  At times His presence is so tangible as we receive this blessing in the flesh. Other times, His presence feels like a dream as we pass through our day 'knowing' He is with us but not always feeling it.

Psalm 36:7-9 How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! We find refuge in the shadow of your wings. and we feast on the abundance of your house; you give us drink from your river of delights. For with you is the fountain of life ...

*Today, may you taste the richness of His banqueting table where there are no leftovers!*

Life in the City ...

Future daughter-in-laws ... MOM!

This week was one of sweet connections ... for me, the one who loves company, has just one more person to catch up with, who wants to stay until everyone leaves ... for me, this week was sweet communion.  For my better half, who is so full of wisdom, this week is why we need down time to reconnect with each other and give our bilingual brains time to rest!  We are making connections (thanks for praying) we were blessed to have company for supper Monday, Tuesday and Friday ... Thursday we had cafe and tortillas with a friend ... Saturday we were blessed with a long anticipated, last minute jaunt to a beautiful Costa Rican beach! ... Our days were full of normal things:  school, studying, preparing meals and finding ways to use up some energy.  And today, I'm resting, allowing my body to recuperate per Dr's orders ... 10:30 pm bedtime Saturday night turned into a marathon I'd rather not run again!  I woke 4 am Sunday with a migraine and spent the day in bed, sleeping, vomiting and being cared for by my beloved hubby who knows just what I need! A 4 pm trip to the Dr., 2 shots, and 2 bottles of "Gatorade" ... fast forward to 9 am Monday, I feel like a new person! Who cares for the nurse when the nurse is sick? ... Her better half ... you know, the one who is full of wisdom!

Praises
-Grandpa, Grandma & Hailey ... thank you Liz for sharing the blessing of your family!
-The gift of cool Aloe Vera Gel for our sun kissed bodies
-My Hubby
-Each of you who are praying us through this journey
-Trip to the Beach
-Connections ... friends new and old
-His fresh blessings daily poured out for each of us

Prayers
-a Vehicle for our family
-Summer schedules with PVM Teams
-Pray for our sleep to be sound
-EMM retreat in Guatemala 4/8-14
-Visit to a Home school coop this Friday!

Talent Show with "friend club"

National team is playing tonight - Yeah!

Alligator Bridge!

First taste of Pacific Ocean 

Roundin' up the troops ...
pleasin' Mom with a photo!

Sun, sand and sweet little feet!

Granizado's ...
perfect way to end a day at the beach!

no words ... just sweet peace ...

Costa Rica bathtub 

Sunset on the beach ... Love this man more than words ...
the gift of HIS favor unending ...

Who Am I?

My princess crown ...

Princess of The King, daughter, wife, mom, nurse, missionary and lover of Jesus ... This is not a new question for me to ponder, however due to our recent move to Costa Rica and subsequent upheaval of our "normal" lives, I've been challenged to revisit this question ... Who am I?

In starting a 'new life', I could paint whatever picture I want with our recent move. In a sense, I could start fresh and create a new identity!  Who and what have I always dreamed of being ... what big adventure do I want to create for my life ... what distant worlds have I dreamed of exploring?  Rest assured, I've nothing to run from, nothing to hide (except those secrets shared only with Peg), no need to create a new identity however tempting it may be! Quiet the contrary, the challenges of this move, have caused me to cling to my identity in Christ ... as I've been shaken to my core, there's no room or time for false pretense! Although I am a wife, mom, nurse, missionary, etc., the reality is ... I am a princess of my King, a lover of Jesus! I want the whole world to see that come what may ... on Christ my Solid Rock I stand ... I know whom I believe in and I am persuaded that He desires relationship with ME ... He is able to do abundantly more than I can ask or imagine ... I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears ... those who look to Him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame (He is revealed as my identity is in Him) ... lets be real here folks, it's His everlasting arms of love that have held me as I've cried in my depths of despair and danced the celebration with me in the height of my joy ... His eyes are on me and His ears are attentive to my prayer ... Reality is, life has me on this journey daily finding my identity in Him. I want each of you (from PA to CR to the ends of the earth) to experience the freedom Christ offers as you establish your identity in Him. Be real with yourself, let Him in the 'closet of your heart' and He will rock your world!

His Kingdom is forever ... His princess I am ...He's completing me in His image ...I'm living to honor Him ...

Life in the City ... this week was all about connections, His Spirit is so sweet!

"the Drone"

Celebrating a birthday with new friends, some would say it's was the best birthday party ever since they got to fly a Drone! ... helping a young girl comprehend English, although I may not be the best one for this job, HE's chosen me : ) ... airport taxi service at it's finest, whatever hour you need, Daryl and his trusty "Egg" will transport you! ... two mornings spent at El Nido, my heart is full ... yup, this is where my heart desires to serve Him! ... Micah went to an English youth group and blessed us with laughter recounting the events of the night ... an afternoon with The Gordley's, some of God's many angels crossing our paths ... the gift of a Zip-line tour, God knows what we need before we ask! ... Friday night fellowship with new and old friends ... exploring city life, always an adventure ...
Sunday morning fellowship, feels like home ... "poco a poco, dia a dia!"  ... little by little, day by day!

Pina Colada

Praises
Celebrating Micah's 10th spiritual birthday!
More connections
Handy 'fix-it' husband
Health
Rosario ... continues to clean our home and bless my soul!
For each of you, holding up our arms in prayer
Freedom to cry cleansing tears of missing home

Prayers
Daily find our identity in Christ ... to know His best for us
God's best vehicle for us
Next living situation
Adam has a cold
What should school look like next year?
VidaNet is closing March 31st ... find out more at:
 http://vidanetonline.org/blog/2017/3/were-closing

Zip-line tour ... boys play ground

Los Paleteros ... YUM!

No, these are not our new pets!

Flying to see Mimi

Monkey's everywhere

Missing our dried grape friends ... 

Taking a picture for Mimi!

Music of our Soul

up on the mountain ...
closer to God

"Quiero estar más cerca, llévame más profundo. Yo quiero conocer, tu corazón" ... "Mirame con sus ojos de amor" ... "Majestad, majestad, tu gracia me ha encontrado tal como soy,Vacio entregado pero vivo en Tus manos, Por siempre soy cambiado por tu amor, En presencia de Su Majestad" ...

"Pull me a little closer, Take me a little deeper, I want to know your heart" ... "You look at me with your eyes of love" ... "Majesty, Majesty, Your grace has found me just as I am empty handed but alive in Your hands, forever I am changed by Your love, in the presence of Your Majesty" ...

Worship has been our lifeline to Father ... the other night M & J said, "I just can't get those words out of my head!" Oh Father, our soul longs for Your presence, we find life as we worship you in spirit and in truth.  Our times of worship in Spanish have been so life giving ... worship is our love language with our Father and we are overwhelmed as He looks at us with His eyes of love, pulls us closer and changes us in His presence!


Life in the City ... This week involved a lot of bus and travel time to be refreshed by life at the Base.  The teams were home for a week of teaching and we enjoyed sweet fellowship.  Wednesday night worship time and Friday family night with our family of 30+ were definitely

"it's not cold mama!"

highlights of the week.  Thankful for the freedom home school offers allowing the boys to do school at the Base while Dad sat in on the teaching, I helped in the kitchen and Adam played with Dylan! ... Meeting new friends that allowed Jedidiah to quickly form a "Friend Club" ... beautiful sunshine to dry off after a water balloon battle and fun in the creek ... barefoot in the green grass at Bosque de la Hoja, family soccer game, playing on the play ground, and delicious supper at Delynn and Gloria's (Joseph said it almost felt like we were at Akron Park!) ... meeting some of the parents of the students ... meeting familiar faces at the Mennonite Convention of Pastors ... Joseph was my market buddy, silence is golden! ... Cannot even begin to describe the difference between my market trips with J & J: one never lacks for words and the other ponders words deep in his heart! ... Mama enjoyed some time out with the ladies from church talking about traditions, "how does one describe sauerkraut?" ... Jedidiah found new life this week as Luis prayed for him, he felt like God took his old heart and made it completely brand new ... I was left speechless as I heard Micah praying over Byron ... cannot begin to describe the joy when one sees their child being overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit ... dancing with Adam because, he asked ... finding comfort in my steady rock of a husband as we share the depth of our sorrow and height of our joy while mopping up "an inch" of water in our kitchen and dining room  ...

leader of the pack!

Sunday afternoon with church friends at their property up on the mountain ... feeling His unending favor at the budding of these new friendships ... "Quiero estar más cerca, llévame más profundo. Yo quiero conocer, tu corazón"

 Psalm 89:1 "I will sing of the LORD’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations."

Praises
Handy husband ... new kitchen faucet, new shower head, fixed lock
We found a church home! Comunidad Cristiana Nuevo Pacto
Bilingual worship times
Health and healing
Plug-in's that deter mosquitoes from feasting on our gringo blood
Connections for the boys are starting, please keep praying

Prayers
Transportation details getting to our EMM retreat in April
Property to rent close to the New Base
Vehicle purchase
Income tax 'situation' pray for wisdom and favor
Boldness to continue speaking ... when we're physically tired, our brains are extremely tired.

*lots of pictures ... lots of life lived*

waiting for Dylan

fleece and a warm cup of cafe

bumble bees ... time to go barefoot!

Colors of Costa Rica

"friend club"

fishing for minnows 

"oh yeah, I finally got a buzz!"

uniquely created

hot dogs in the mountains

'Spanglish' with MaKenzie

expecting a blizzard!

"Akron Park"

blow wind blow

Arco del Amor

God having fun ...

The taste of Rice and Beans to a fourteen year old.

Micah's thoughts ...

When we moved to Costa Rica I didn't know what to expect. I didn't set any high expectations so that I wouldn't be disappointed with what I got. I had a little idea of what it would be like, but I was coming in blind. The first couple of weeks were great and a real eye opener both spiritually and mentally. I feel like I wasn't involved with the ministry unless mom or dad made me. Then came the first worship night. That was amazing! I felt the hand and presence of God all night. No matter what language, Spanish or English, the music was in I still felt and basked in God's everlasting love. That night of worship may not have made a direct change in my life but I felt more in touch and in contact with God. That night was a Spiritual feast and a great refresher for me.Since moving to the city we have only been to one of those worship nights and we will be going to one again soon and I can't wait to commune and fellowship with Jesus like that again.
On the note of a Spiritual feast I have been having physical feast's daily. There is so many great foods that both Mom and Margot have been making for our family. Just the other night Mom made coconut rice with sweet and sour chicken. I ate two plate fulls in the time that Mom ate one plate. At the base fried chicken has been made several times and those have been some of my favorite meals. Costa Rica has a lot of amazing cold snacks. There is these fruit smoothie places called Cosechas. They will mix any kind of fresh fruits together, if they have it. We also have a lot of bakeries that have amazing kinds of bread for sale. Some of the kinds include: emapanadas, donuts, cheese bread, pizza bread, and hot dogs wrapped in croissant.  Costa Rica has been a great experience for me and I hope to share more of my taste later.

Life in the City

Serving

Sunday we had the best time with new friends who speak English ... they have three older boys the same ages as our boys!  It brought tears to our eyes to see the our boys running, laughing, playing and full of life. Adam was entertained by their 5 yr old daughter and we were all enthralled with their sweet 10 month old!  We will definitely meet with them again!
Monday was finally a normal school day, complete with 3 functioning computers, one 9 year old complaining, one 3 year old seeking attention, one 12 year old being distracted by rainbow loom instructional videos, and one disciplined 14 year old asking if he had to write another report or just use one he wrote before!
Tuesday the boys helped serve lunch to kids at a community center, practicing Espanol while Mama and Adam enjoyed some alone time... we had a staff dinner, sharing and prayer time, so good for my soul to have sweet communion again ...
Daryl's accomplishments: bought windshield wipers, got a flat tire patched and bought a "wheel key", ordered and bought pizza, he continues to find our way around the city and is so bold in practicing spanish, I continue to be amazed at him! ... Jedidiah is becoming quite the little cook, he loves to help me in the kitchen and the ants enjoy cleaning up after him! ...  Joseph is a pro at loosing teeth, he has lost SIX teeth in SIX weeks! Joseph enjoys being at home rather than out, so thankful his heart is opening up more each day. Micah is maturing before our eyes, I love his help and heart. He is by far my quickest and most thrifty Market companion! Adam, continues to be a "bringer of light in troubled situations" ... We are so thankful to see the hearts he touches with a simple "Hola" and hug ... Today we rode the train and explored the city of San Jose, trying to have good attitudes when our feet were tired is not an easy task ... We spent a lot of time listening this week ... believing the Lord has made this physical house in the city a life-giving refuge, full of peace to all who cross it's threshold!

Time with Mama

Praises
-New friends
-School computers functioning
-Moravia Mennonite church fellowship
-Healing for Dylan (Adam's little friend)
-Finding Cocoa powder to make Black Bean Brownies!

Prayers

-Peaceful nights of sleep
-Vehicle God has for us
-Finding our next house
-Teams traveling back to the base this week.

Black Bean Brownies, YUM!!

To market, to market ... 

Boy time!

Watching pigeons while people watched us!

Waiting for the train

San Jose' will never be the same again ...

We're done ... can we please go home now?

Whoa, stop!

That's all I have to say about that ...