God's Magnifying Glass

Deanne and I arrived home from school today to Lukas' sad announcement. “The fire would not light.” For this we were thankful! He loves to explore & try new things. He was trying a science experiment. He learned you can make fire using direct sunlight focused through a magnifying glass. He said he could not complete his goal because he had to stand completely still and wait for the sun to do it’s job. Standing still...almost impossible for a 12 year old boy!

We find ourselves in a similar situation as we wait on God’s timing to complete the details and paperwork for beginning church planting ministry in Ecuador. We are waiting on the Son and sometimes not much more patiently than our 12 year old Lukas waiting for the sun to work. Thank you for praying with us through this process of establishing the work in Ecuador. This uncharted territory is teaching us much as we wait on the magnifying glass of God’s perfect timing. During this time of waiting (and finishing our language instruction) we are learning much more about the people and country God has prepared for us. We are thankful to know He has all of the details already under control.

Visa update: We are waiting for approval for ABWE to be invited to begin work in Ecuador. Once approved, we must secure the proper paperwork to complete the visa process. If God should allow this process to be completed in the next 31 days, we will seek to secure our visas while still in Costa Rica which will save time and money. Thank you for your prayer and concern. We look forward to informing you all the details are complete!

Prayer Requests:

1. Visa paperwork to be secured and completed
2. Our kids are working at Word of Life Camp in Costa Rica from July 6-18
3. Our Spanish Bible studies are progress. One family asked if they could invite a friend this week. Please pray for Freddie & China & for Cali & Sirley.
4. We leave for the USA on 8/8/09 and enter Ecuador 9/10/09.
5. Pray for our team mates, the Maynard family as they serve in pre-field ministry. We have a potential teammate attending ABWE Candidate Seminar this week. We look forward to introducing her to you in our next prayer letter. Teamwork is vital to the establishment of this ministry!

I'm Giving Spiritual Bunnies!
A bunny is a conejo.
Counsel is consejo.
A crab is a cangrejo.

I am acustomed to getting strange stares, but this was over the top. While orally reviewing my homework with my teacher I was telling her I was able to give spiritual counsel (consejo espiritual) this week to a family in need. She looked at me very puzzled and asked me to repeat what I had just said. As always, when someone does not understand your language, I spoke louder and slower. I told her I was able to give spiritual counsel this week to a family in need. She asked if this was common in the my country and I replied with gusto that it is quite normal. She asked if we do this all year or only at Easter? I was completely puzzled. I needed to pray that God would send more missionaries to Costa Rica if a Christian teacher not aware of giving spiritual counsel to those in need. Then it dawned on me...I told her I was giving out spiritual rabbits (conejos) instead of spiritual counsel (consejo).

40 Days and 40 Nights!

Felicidades Bethania!

Congratulations Bethany!

Lukas 6th Grade Graduation - We are so proud of him!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Great Song I heard and made a video.

SPECIAL NIGHT IN SAN JOSE... Jeff and Deanne went to Mirador Ram Luna for a special dinner date. High above the city of San Jose on top of a mountain at nearly 6,000 feet above sea level, we dined with a view of the entire city's lights. It was a magnificent view of the city and its 3 million inhabitants. We drove up the mountain on a motorcycle that is a story in and of itself; we were leaving the city at rush hour no less. We enjoyed many of the traditional foods of Costa Rica. We loved the ceviche, the soup, the homemade tortilla chips, and of course arroz con leche y cafe con leche for dessert. There was a show featuring many cultural aspects of this culture. It was such a memorable evening. Clouds came in and completely covered the lights of the city. It was like the David Copperfield made the city of San Jose completely disappear. What a scientific lesson. Thank you Lord for these special opportunities to view your creation and your people from a different vantage point.

INTERNATIONAL BIRTHDAY BASH -

February 26 was Deanne's birthday, and Jeff surprised her with not one but TWO birthday parties. Our Costa Rican neighbors and our friends from our church here in San Jose were invited. Jeff and the children did all the cooking and cleaning to get ready for the fiesta! It was a wonderful time of mixing people from different parts of our life here in Costa Rica. We had a traditional Costa Rican birthday meal, Arroz con Pollo with Deanne's favorite Costa Rican vegetable picadillo de chayote, and a tossed salad which we were told was totally American. Jeff, Bethany, and Jordan also made Deanne's favorite cake, Carrot cake with cream cheese icing. This yummy cake "Queque zanahoria" has been one dessert that we have found to be popular here.

During the party, we took the opportunity to share our testimony with our guests. It was such a blessing to be able to share what God has done in our lives. This was our first time we shared our testimony together in Spanish. We pray that this story of God's grace might reach into the hearts of our neighbors. Please pray with us for these dear people to understand God's plan.