California

And, finally, we spent our busiest 2 weeks in Visalia, California. And wouldn't you know it--we didn't take any pictures there! Isn't that terrible?! Not that I'm the best photo document-er anyway. . .oh well. If anyone took pictures. . .maybe we can work something out?

A big thank you to Mike and Carol Alipaz for letting us stay with them; it was a blessing to have a home-away-from-home. They also watched Olivia and Sawyer A LOT while we ran around doing all we needed to do. A big thank you, also, to the Savior's home groups, and Carrie Konig for organizing them; they helped purchase MANY of the things on our 'list.' Thanks for being a practical part of our lives in Costa Rica--Olivia and Sawyer are lovin' those fruit snacks and lunch boxes!

So what all did we do in CA? (Warning: this crude summary doesn't begin to do justice to the quality of time spent!) We connected with 3 supporting churches and 2 of their mission boards, and spoke at 2 of those churches, plus Savior's youth group. We had another open house, visited with MANY amazing friends, popped into the SI office, and did a lot of shopping (Thanks Tricia for accompanying me!).

CA was kind of a whirlwind, but it was so wonderful to see everybody. The same can be said of MN and CO. We so love and appreciate each one of you! Your influence on our lives is immeasurable. Thank you to each of you for the part you have played in who we are and who we are becoming. And thanks to all of you who attended one of our open houses, or listened in some other capacity to what we have been up to and what God is doing in Costa Rica. Your prayers, moral, and financial support mean the world to us. Jeff and I both agreed after our trip that we were exhausted from all our travels. But more than that, we were BLESSED and ENCOURAGED so much by each one of you! It's very easy to feel alone out here, and to become discouraged--but you all reminded us of the truth--we are not alone; YOU are connected to us here--and a big part of why we are here, and how we got here! The body of Christ is so mysterious and amazing; thanks for helping us understand it a little better! We love you all!