Last Day of 2010

It's very, very early on the last day of 2010 and I am awake. I'm hoping that this is a very, very short blog post which means that I am back to bed where all normal people should be at 3:48 a.m.

Yesterday was a day filled with friends and food. Breakfast with TJ, Leslie and family (new friends from Montana who were visiting family in KC), lunch at Master Wok (our favorite Chinese restaurant) with Matt and dinner with John, Sarah and family (Happy Birthday, John; thanks for sharing your day with us.) It was a great day of fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ--we were so blessed!

Places to go and people to see

The title is an apt description of our time in Lee's Summit. Everyday brings a new opportunity to reconnect with friends. There's so much to talk about because, after all, we've been gone for 6 months (with the exception of a very short visit in August.) There are always questions about what its like to live in El Salvador--guess some of our friends aren't spending a lot of time on our blog--so we do our best to describe our home, crazy traffic and other things like paying our bills at the bank. We also tell them about our sweet kids at New Life Christian School, the awesome youth at Vida Nueva Baptist Church who serve as our translators on mission trips and our new church family. We tell them how we feel loved by our Salvadoran friends and how it is possible to miss both of our "homes." We usually converse over breakfast, lunch, coffee or dinner--sometimes eating out, other times enjoying fellowship in homes.

We leave a week from today--it hardly seems possible that we've been in the states for 20 days. The cold weather hasn't been terrible and Stephen even thinks he and his brother can get in a game of golf one day before we leave.

Merry Christmas

Christmas comes but once a year . . . . and it's almost over for 2010. What a great day spent with friends and family here in cold Kansas City. Eating, opening gifts, eating, playing games, calling out of town family and friends, eating, playing games . . . . that pretty much wraps up our day. Now, we're back "home" to recover from calorie overload! Why is it that I'm pretty sure I'll be hungry again tomorrow?

Looking forward to being at ALBC in the morning to hear Stephen and Carmen singing the special music. Tomorrow afternoon--BBQ and the Chief's game with friends.

We're so blessed to be back in the States for the holidays and to be able to visit with family and reconnect with good friends. Yet, we're missing our Salvadoran friends and praying that they had a great day celebrating our Savior's birth.

Reflections on a Different Christmas

It's not like we didn't know that this Christmas season would be different, but little by little we're realizing just how different. This year we're "home" in Lee's Summit for Christmas, but our "home" (as in where we live and where all our stuff resides) is in San Salvador. We're so thankful for Steve and Terisa Guenther, our great friends and brothers and sisters in Christ, who have opened up their home to us. We're even sleeping on furniture that was once in our master bedroom. Today while Terisa is working, I'm doing my/our holiday baking in her kitchen--Snickerdoodles and cake truffles (chocolate and strawberry.) I've got to find time to fit in a pumpkin and pecan pie, as well.

We've had so much celebrating and eating already. Sunday night we reconnected with friends from years ago, Tuesday I went to breakfast with a co-worker from the school district. Stephen visited his parents in West Plains on Tuesday/Wednesday, while I found time for a bit of shopping and lunch with another dear friend. Last night we celebrated David's (Stephen's brother) 59th birthday! Three of the four brothers were able to be there, as well as cousins, Jon and Aaron. Our calendar for the rest of our time here is equally full--there are so many people we want to see and, frankly, there aren't enough meals to share one with everyone; we are, however, doing our best and I'm sure my waistline will reflect our success more than I would like.

Some, if not all, of our old Christmas traditions are falling by the wayside . . . . . we don't have a Christmas tree, what wrapping paper we use doesn't seem as important, there won't be a Santa cookie baking competition between brothers, I doubt we make it to Christmas in the Park on Christmas eve, but . . . . we will be spending quality time with family and friends, playing games and laughing, sharing stories and eating snacks. I've decided that it's okay for this Christmas to be "different" in all the ways that don't matter, as long as it's the "same" in the one way that does matter--celebrating the birth of the most important baby in history and our only Savior. I pray that the simplicity of this "different" Christmas will help us appreciate the perfect gift of God's only son!

Show Me State

The plane landed at KCI on Friday at noon, and we were back in Missouri. Sam, a wonderful friend from ALBC who takes ministering to missionaries very serious, picked us at the airport and has loaned us his car for the entire time we are in town. We are so thankful for his generosity. We loaded up the luggage, headed to Lee's Summit to drop off Sam and made a quick stop at my dad's house to pick up winter coats, clothes and shoes. The drive to Springfield was painless and Stephen commented how our Salvadoran friends would be so impressed with the pothole free roads that those of us in the states take for granted.

Springfield: finally, hugs from all the Guenthers--Terisa, Steve, Carmen, Michael, Ethan, Chloe, Ryan and Rachel (1-day short of being a Guenther)--after four long months! Stephen was quite anxious about accompanying Carmen and Scott on their respective songs. After all, it's very difficult to practice when you're a 1000 miles apart. Not to worry, everything sounded great. I didn't know that I was going to be part of the wedding party, but Ethan and I practiced walking down the aisle on Friday night.

Saturday morning was a beautiful, but crispy cold (for us) wedding day. The wedding was perfect--there's nothing better than seeing two people who love the Lord, become one! We are so excited to see what He has in store for them over the next 50+ years!

We started Sunday morning at the 8:00 a.m. service and it was great to be able to worship at our home church. We are so thankful for our church family and the support they provide to us and the ministry in El Salvador. We couldn't do anything without them.

Love Being Grandparents

Everyone told us it was and we agree, nothing's more fun than being a grandparent! We've been singing songs, stacking blocks, reading books, going for walks, drawing pictures, taking lots of pictures and more. One of the first things Stephen taught her was how to play "pitching pennies." I've attached a picture; and, yes, she is wearing a tutu while playing.

We've been totally amazed by her vocabulary and memory! I asked her what she was drinking and she said, "cold, white milk in a cup." Stephen just opened the door to see if Daniel was coming and she said, "Maleia, come look." I thought kids didn't start putting sentences together until they were at least two, but maybe girls talk sooner than boys! She's also great at remembering the stories she's been read.

We couldn't wait to give her the El Salvador soccer jersey we bought for her. Aren't these pictures just the cutest?

Tonight we are having Christmas so there will be another posting and more pictures tomorrow, I'm sure.

Long and winding road

Yesterday morning after having breakfast with Daniel, Shannon and Maleia, we drove the 200 miles to Fort Bragg, CA to see Jonathan. The first 75 miles in the city and up Highway 101 are fine if traffic isn't too bad. Once you get to Highway 128, the road is one hairpin, switchback turn after another. Some of it runs along the ocean so the turns make their way up the side of the cliffs and, amazingly, guard rails are few and far between. Another section of the road took us through Anderson Valley with grapevines and wineries on both sides of the road, while another section found us driving through an eleven-mile redwood tunnel--although the sun was shining during part of the drive, very little of it reached through the dense forest. Each section is treacherous, but beautiful.

Jon told us not to arrive until 4:30, so we stopped, just short of Fort Bragg, in Mendocino and ate a a late lunch at the Mendocino Cafe. This quaint coastal town is full of eclectic shops and galleries. We visited the Highlight Gallery which features fine woodworking projects from College of the Redwood graduates. We drove into the school parking lot right at 4:30--didn't want to be late as we hadn't seen Jon since early August. Hugs all around made this mom and dad really happy. I've attached a couple of pictures--Jon's workbench and the workshop. It was nice to meet some of the 22 other students and see their projects. Unfortunately for us, Jon's table is still in pieces so he can put the finish on it. Later this week he will be assembling it so we will just have to wait for pictures.

We walked along the coastline at Fort Bragg and hiked down to Glass Beach. Back in the 50's the spot was where people in the town dumped their trash, which, of course, included lot's of glass. The practice was stopped in the mid-60's. Decades later everything but the glass is gone. Years of pounding wave action have deposited tons of polished glass onto the beach. For the most part what you see is millions of pieces of glass sparkling in the sun--well, there wasn't much sun on Saturday, but it was still amazing. I've attached a close-up of some of the glass pieces.

Sunday morning we had breakfast at Cafe 1 (named for it's location on California Highway 1.) In California sometimes you get organic food whether you want it or not! We tried really hard to find a place to watch the Chief's game on Sunday afternoon, but didn't succeed. I think it was a blessing in disguise since the game would have driven Stephen and Jon crazy.

The best pizza in town finally opened at 4:00 p.m., and we were there shortly after. We ordered a pepperoni, as usual, but decided on their speciality 4 Seasons pizza for the other one. It was 1/4 tomato, 1/4 cheese, 1/4 ham and 1/4 mushroom--really tasty and was a great way to end our day with Jon. All that was left for the day was the almost 4-hour drive back to Palo Alto. The drive which is long and hard during the day was worse at night--bright lights on, car coming, bright lights off, 15-mph turn, switchback, cliff on right, repeat for 2 1/2 hours!

We were very, very happy to see the San Francisco traffic and be back on an interstate highway! Across the Oakland Bay Bridge ($5 please) and then 30 minutes later--home to Palo Alto.

View the story

I found and clicked on this link about a week ago. It is an amazing presentation of the gospel . . . . please take the time to look at it and then post it or share it with your friends: http://viewthestory.com/2050

California!

We landed at LAX at 1:30, but by the time we made it through immigration, customs, rechecking our luggage, back through security, bus to a different terminal, we only had about 20 minutes to wait. Our flight to San Jose left about 20 minutes late, but got in right on time. It is raining--something we haven't seen for a couple of months--and is a little cooler than San Salvador, but not too bad. The really cold weather won't hit us until we get to Kansas City ten days from now.

Of what fun it is to have a granddaughter! She is talking so much now--whole sentences, too. We watched her do her pushups (have to get a picture of that), situps, somersaults and spinning. She drew a picture of her baby stroller for us and told us about the "Cismas" tree. She's also telling us about her books, including "engun could" (Little Engine that Could.)

Maleia's getting ready for bed and so are we; we've been up 17 hours and we're worn out. Short update for tonight--tomorrow pictures!

Last Day in El Salvador--2010

The last two days have been crazy busy--reminded me of being in the States! So many errands to do; unfortunately, it takes so much longer to run errands here. In the last two days we went to PriceSmart, HiperPiaz, Office Depot, Super Selectos, Multiplaza, Banco Agrigola, Office Depot (again), Multiplaza (again), etc.

Today was our last day this year at New Life Christian School and the first day back since Thanksgiving. Earlier this school year we had group and individual pictures taken of the first, second and third graders. We ordered the pictures on line from Wal-Mart and John and Kay Winchell brought them to us when they came to Guatemala. Earlier I ordered Memory Mate folders for all of the pictures and had them shipped to Florida so we could bring them back with us after the wedding. Today in class, the students colored a gift tag. After wrapping the photos, they attached a bow and their gift tag. They proudly took the gifts home to their parents.

It's hard to believe that the school year is wrapping up, but time does march on. We said good bye until January. Tonight we pack and tomorrow we head to California.

Sunday in El Salvador

The week in Managua was great. The city is a cross between the modern and the ancient. It was not unusual to see a horse-drawn cart on the same street with cars and buses. We were able to visit Granada and Lake Managua on Friday morning . . . I've included a couple of pictures of the beautiful lake and the central square of the town.

A short, ten-hour bus ride yesterday brought us back to El Salvador! Although that sounds like a long trip, it was more than 4 hours quicker than the trip to Nicaragua. The two border crossings went much faster--I think they don't care as much once they know you're heading "home." Even so, the 3:00 a.m. wake up call was enough to leave us totally exhausted when we got home.

It was great to be back our church this morning. We've been on the road so much that we've missed worshiping with our brothers/sisters at VidaNueva. Guillermo, our Spanish tutor, met us at church and afterwards we took him to Las Fajitas, our favorite Mexican restaurant. Amazingly, we've finished our first "semester" of language school. It definitely won't be our last "semester" as we still have much to learn before we will be able to communicate clearly.

We have lots to do between now and Wednesday morning when we fly to California to spend 10 days with Daniel, Shannon and Maleia. We will also drive to Fort Bragg next weekend to visit Jonathan.

Thursday in Managua

Since we don't have an interpreter, we've spent the last two mornings going door to door with Luis. He is a great ambassador--so soft spoken and kind. It's amazing to see how people respond to the good news!

It's almost 10:30 by the time we get to the neighborhoods so it's really beginning to get hot--upper 80's to lower 90's. (I can hardly believe that we're going to be COLD in a couple of weeks.) After a quick lunch in the hotel or at the mall, we have a few hours of rest before returning to the same neighborhood at 4:30 in the afternoon.

On Wednesday night the wind was unbelievable--normally you would think that since it's so hot, the wind would be welcome. However, we were next to a soccer field that was only dirt so the wind was more like a sand storm. Everyone was trying to pull their clothes over their faces. In fact, it was so strong that it blew the movie screen out of the frame! The guys had to take everything down and move it. They were able to secure the screen up against our bus. We were a bit worried about the inflatable, but it did stay upright! Despite the weather (I think the people are used to the wind) there was a great crowd. Stephen presented the gospel--I'm so proud of him, but God gets the glory for the response! During the morning I was able to give Franchesco some stickers; he brought his parents back to the movie and they both prayed! It's so awesome to see how we can build relationships--we're praying that Franchesco and his parents will be a part of VidaNueva Managua and that we will see them when we come back here in April.

We visited another neighborhood on Thursday morning, but it was a slow day with only a few opportunities to share. The weather Thursday afternoon/evening was much more agreeable and there was little or no wind. We were quite busy on the inflatable with a constant stream of kids. One of the moms stood in line with her kids and I was able to help them on to the inflatable. After awhile, I saw that Stephen was visiting with the mom and dad--he's great at connecting with them--usually through pictures of our family. Pictures of Maleia are a great way to share--they are so amazed by her white blonde hair and fair skin. Praise the Lord--both Oscar and Karen made a decision last night. We were able to "talk" to them after the preaching. Next time (April) we are in Managua we are invited to their home for some typical Nicaraguan food. I have no idea what that will look like, but they seemed quite disappointed that we had been eating at the hotel instead of enjoying the local cuisine!

Great News

We are going to be grandparents again! Congratulations to Daniel, Shannon and Maleia, "big-sister-to-be." Sonogram Monday showed strong heartbeat! Due date is June 19.

This means I need to add another baby quilt to my list of things to do! At least I have 7 months of notice on this one!

Tuesday in Managua

Yesterday we spent the morning going door to door in a poor neighborhood in Managua sharing the gospel and announcing the "festival" in the evening. There were kids everywhere--since school is out, many of them were home alone. We knew that we would have our hands full with the kids that evening. Sure enough, we were right. Even with 6 adults working the inflatable, the 75 kids in each line were all over the place! We really got a workout trying to keep kids from getting hurt--we did "pull the plug" on it about 15 minutes early. Even with the early shutdown of the inflatable, there was a big crowd for the movie, drama and preaching, and 30 or more people made the most important decision of their life.

Today we had our morning devotions at VidaNueva/Managua. It was the first time we had seen the church because our Sunday service was at the hotel. The rental house is very nice; three bedrooms are used for a nursery and kids classes. After devotions we followed the same routine as yesterday, in a different neighborhood. We went back tonight at 4:30 and although there were 30-50 kids in each line, they were well behaved. Stephen got a chance to meet Ernesto who was watching his two boys on the inflatable. At the conclusion of the gospel presentation, we were so excited to see that Ernesto made a decision for Jesus. He promised that he would be in church on Sunday. This is what it's all about--thank you for praying for the work the team is doing in Managua this week.

Sunday in Managua

A good night of rest was all we needed after yesterday's bus marathon! We have a small team in Managua this week. There are 6 from the States, along with 14 from El Salvador. VidaNueva/Managua normally has two services on Sunday--one in the morning and one in the evening, but today everyone met together at the hotel. There were 65 in the service this morning; the most exciting thing about the service (even more than the sermon in English) was that the service concluded with 6 baptisms in the hotel pool.

Everyone met back at the hotel at 4:30 and walked to the park around the corner for the evening campaign. My goodness, there were lots of kids and they didn't want to wait their turn in line for the inflatable. It's a good thing Paula was here, too, because she was using a good deal of Spanish to keep them organized.

The team went door to door and by 6:30 the park was full of people who came for the movie, drama and message.

Please pray that we have a great week in the neighborhoods of Managua.

Yellow School Bus to Managua

Bags packed and by the front door before going to bed last night: check. Alarm sounded at 3:45 AM, up, dressed, bed made, cooler loaded, final look around--check. Loaded the truck and off to church at 4:05 AM--check. Easy drive with little traffic until Stephen realized he left his backpack on the couch! U-turn and mad dash home (6 minutes), backpack loaded in truck and on the way to church again at 4:20 AM. Bus loaded and trip started at 5:10 AM--check! Expecting a 10 hour+ bus ride--check!

I don't ever remember being on a 10-hour+ bus ride (on a school bus), but if I was, it was 40 or more years ago. I have to say that the roads we were on made it feel like we were in a tin can rolling over a gravel road! It took about 4 hours to get to the El Salvador/Honduras border and boy was it hot--at least 90! As gringos, we had to unload and go into to the immigration office at each border--leave El Salvador, enter Honduras. There were numerous checkpoints after we passed into Honduras.

Another 4 hours and we were at the Honduras/Nicaragua border. Even hotter there . . . . and gringos out of the bus to leave Honduras and enter Nicaragua. This time we weren't the hold up, though. It took more than an hour for them to clear the bus and equipment so we could enter Nicaragua.

Finally, 14 1/2 hours after leaving Iglesia Bautista Vida Nueva in San Salvador, we arrived at the hotel in Managua, Nicaragua. Quick dinner at McDonalds and we're now relaxing in the room. Breakfast in the morning and then church at 9:00.

Stay tuned as we meet the team from California and Texas and begin the week of evangelism for Iglesia Bautista Vida Nueva, Managua.

Thankful in El Salvador

The day started with a very early trip to New Life Christian School for the Thanksgiving program and breakfast for parents. I'm so thankful that we teach in the afternoon, because the 6:30 a.m. trip this morning is not something I would want to do everyday.

Thanksgiving dinner was a joint Rhoades/Parris project: chicken (turkey is almost $2 a pound here), mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, green beans, cranberry sauce, rolls and pumpkin pie/whipped cream for dessert. Everything tasted awesome and, as usual, everybody ate more than they needed. Luckily, we didn't have too many leftovers as all four of us are leaving for Nicaragua on Saturday morning!

The day was also filled with lots of phone calls to family and friends. We were able to Skype with Daniel, Shannon, Maleia and Jon tonight. They are all in Oregon for the holiday.

It was 85, sunny and beautiful here today. With this weather, it's really hard to believe Christmas is just a month away. I know we are going to be in for a shock, if not "in shock," when we step off the plane at KCI in December.

What a difference a year makes! Last year we celebrated Stephen's birthday in El Salvador while on our "survey" trip. This year we celebrated his birthday while on a mission trip in Guatemala City and today we had our first Thanksgiving in El Salvador. As we look back, we can see God's hand on our lives and His continuing blessings. We are so thankful for all of you who are on this journey with us . . . . your prayers and support are so important to us.

Happy Birthday!

Yesterday was Stephen's 60th birthday and we celebrated with a trip to Antigua, Guatemala. Actually, we joined the team from Valley Baptist Church, Bakersfield, CA, on a 6 hour tour.

Nothing like strolling through buildings that were built in the 1500's to make you feel young! Antigua was the original capital of Guatemala, but after much of it was destroyed in several major earthquakes in the 1600 and 1700's, the capital was moved to it's present location in Guatemala City.

Santa Domingo Convent was almost completely destroyed in the 1700's, but is now a luxury hotel. The reconstruction was faithful to the original plan and the gardens and fountains are beautiful. The underground crypt survived and is accessible with a circular staircase. The city was set up on a grid with 7 main streets and 7 main avenues. All of the streets are cobblestone, but were built wide enough to handle two-way traffic.

We finished the evening with dinner back in Guatemala City with Jeff and Paula at Mexico Lindo. Last year we celebrated Stephen's birthday in El Salvador; this year in Guatemala. Wonder what God has in store for us next year?

Friday in Guatemala

VBS finished up Friday morning . . . .what a great, but really tiring week with 30 nine-year olds. Kids were kept busy moving through 5 different areas: (1) Crafts—Paula did an awesome job and the kids got to take home a name tag, picture frame, key chain, door hanger and a prayer journal; (2) Music with all kinds of actions—the kids loved the songs. If Stephen and I worked in VBS for 4 or 5 weeks in a row, we might finally get all the moves down; (3) Games/Snacks—as always, the inflatable was a hit. Luckily our group got to play before snacking; I'm pretty sure that the fruit mountain which was topped with whipped cream was the favorite of the week; (4) Bible verses—we were constantly amazed by their ability to memorize Bible verses. Almost all of the kids learned the verses everyday; Sophia learned all five verses in Spanish and English; (4) Bible story—Pastor Kyle shared a story and, although, it was the last rotation of the day, they did a fairly good job listening and remembering from day to day.

We are so thankful for Valley Baptist Church, Bakersfield, CA, for bringing VBS to Guatemala. I don't know how many extra suitcases they brought to get all of the t-shirts, prizes, candy, crafts here. If you haven't heard 180 kids ringing their own cowbells at the closing session, you haven't really been in VBS!

We said “adios” to some of our kids today as they will not be coming back on Sunday for the super fiesta; we will see some of them again on Sunday morning when they have their super fiesta. I think Paula and I will start popping popcorn a couple of hours before the party starts. Jeff and Stephen will put the inflatable back up and we will also have the cotton candy machine going.

Please pray that the parents who bring their kids to the party will get plugged in to VidaNueva!

Tuesday in Guatemala City

Yesterday was the first day of "Saddleridge Ranch" and 150 kids joined us on the ranch--twenty-four of them were in our nine-year old class! Everyone of them is as cute as can be in their t-shirt and bandana! Stephen and I, along with JJ (our translator) are helpers/guides. We've glued, sang, danced, played, snacked, memorized (in both Spanish and English), listened and generally had lots of fun with them.

Last night was our third evening campaign. The kids here are very well behaved--no pushing or cutting in line. It makes running the inflatable so much easier! I even managed do to it without Paula on Sunday night because she stayed at the hotel to decorate for VBS. The weather is nice, but once it gets dark, the temperature drops and last night the wind was pretty ferocious!

Up this morning for VBS Day 2 at 6:30; quick breakfast and then back to the ranch. This morning our class swelled to 27 kids. The kids are so sweet. For example, Anthony earned a piece of candy for saying yesterday's verse in front of two groups--when he came back to sit down he gave me the candy! They worked really hard to memorize their new Bible verse today--1 Peter 5:7. They thought that the English version: "Casting all your cares on him, for he careth for you", was much shorter than the Spanish version: "Echando toda vuestra ansiedad sobre el, porque el tiene cuidado de vosotros." In reality, the Spanish is one word longer, but most of the individual words are longer than the English words. We can relate to their struggle to correctly pronounce the English words--we have the same problem in reverse.

Pictures: 1. Two sisters from the campaign last night; 2. Bible verse campfire time for the 9-year olds; 3. Daniela--the runner up for crazy hair day and 4. My sweet friend, Anthony.

After just two days, I've decided that there may be some things that I'm too old for. I don't have a chance keeping up with the singing and dancing at VBS; I'm really hoping no one is getting my attempts on video!

Sunday in Guatemala City

Our plane landed in Guatemala City yesterday about noon. After a short trip on the shuttle we checked in to the hotel and had a quick lunch. A giant celebration and lighting of the city's Christmas tree was last night and there were many roads closed next to the hotel. So we left for the campaign earlier than normal to be sure we could get out of the area before the festivities started.

We made our way to a neighborhood we visited on our last trip in August. It wasn't running this time, but it was really windy and cold (okay, maybe in the high 40's with the wind chill.) The inflatable was a big hit, as always. There were many families who stayed for the movie (sitting on the cold ground.) Stephen did a great job sharing the gospel. Our return to the hotel in the nightmare traffic took almost an hour and a half. Think Country Club Plaza lighting ceremony and multiply by 10 There are almost 5 million people in this city and I think they were all there last night.

Church this morning at VidaNueva Guatemala City! Singing in Spanish and English and then a sermon in English! We went to orientation for VBS which starts at 8:00 in the morning. There are more than 200 pre-registered so we're going to be busy!

Campaign tonight in a neighborhood we've never visited. Loved the kids who were so patient and orderly waiting for their turn on the slide!

It seems like I'm always in a hurry or running out of time when I blog and tonight is the same. Watch for VBS pictures and more coming this week.

Pictures: 1. Big and little brothers beside the inflatable last night, 2. Juliana and 4 of her six sons at church this morning, 3. Me and my good friend, Louisa!

Saturday in Costa Rica

We're sitting at the airport this morning waiting for our flight to Guatemala City. Before we leave, I thought I'd reflect on the week. The people of Central America never cease to amaze me; they are so warm and welcoming. Although we were only here one week, we have a whole church full of new "best" friends.

Friday morning's devotion was a time of testimony and the stories of divine appointments were amazing. As usual, the team members acknowledge that they were challenged and changed by the trip and there was much talk about returning next year. We were especially blessed by getting to know Truman from Corinth, Mississippi. It was his first mission trip out of the country. He was a great witness and his gospel presentations on two different evenings were clear and compelling. It was such a privilege to get to know him and we pray that our paths will cross again.

Yesterday morning the team visited the school across the street from the church. Each small group presented a cultural lesson on Thanksgiving. They were able to share about the history of Thanksgiving and present day traditions. The students seemed to be the most interested in the descriptions of the food we eat! Although they could not mention religion or a specific church, they were able to transition to the gospel presentation as they explained the significance of giving thanks to God for his blessings and provisions.

Last night's reception went well. Jorge, Erica and Isaac (we met them Thursday night) were there. They are excited about becoming a part of VidaNueva and I'm sure we will see them at church the next time we are in Costa Rica.

Well, there's so much more, but we will be boarding shortly, so I will finish up by adding a few pictures later today. Please pray for us as we begin VBS in Guatemala. Although we didn't have any inflatables to "wrestle" in Costa Rica, we will have them at the evening campaigns in Guatemala! Also, pray for our physical strength. As a friend of ours said we're on our "Central America in a month tour" during November!

Pictures: 1. Three amigos at the campaign Thursday night, 2. Roger and Natalia (Pastor Rodolfo's daughter), 3. Jorge, Erica and Isaac at the reception Friday night.