On the Road to Costa Rica

We have an amazing opportunity for adventure as a family this summer in Costa Rica. Our trip will have dual purposes. The first will be to help lead two outreaches near a town in the rain forest called Shiroles. We will partner with a missionary and a local church to do what God has called them to do with the Bribri and Cabecar Indians. Students will be assisting with various projects including a water project, community vegetable farm, and teaching ESL classes at a local school.

The second purpose for our adventure in Costa Rica will be to scout out future opportunities for Students International. SI would like to create a more long term ministry presence in CR, including at least one semester program for college students. We have sensed that the time was coming for us to leave Visalia and go somewhere overseas. It seems that God is opening doors widely for us to move to Costa Rica next summer! Please pray with us that our time of scouting will be productive, and that God will continue to make clear paths for us and for SI. Please pray, too, for all of the logistical aspects of traveling (and possibly tenting) with children!

We are also tacking on two weeks in Guatemala at the end of our time in CR. We look forward to reporting to you all that God does during this summer adventure. Our dates of travel are June 7 - July 21.

Olivia and Sawyer

Kids, I think, are experts at finding adventure in ordinary things. Olivia uses her endless imagination and chatter to create daily adventure. She has 3 imaginary friends: Gooka, Jershin, and Bit. She is mostly accident-free in potty training and likes to watch Daddy “move the lawn.” Sawyer, at 10 months, is turning out to be quite an adventurer. He likes to climb and explore (sometimes where he shouldn’t). He’s also become very vocal when Big Sister takes away his toys.

Costa Rica

In February I (Jeff) had the opportunity to go on a trip with a bunch of men to Costa Rica. It was a Students International men's trip. For the first time, in a long time, I was a participant not a leader. It was a great trip! Imagine a men's retreat and a mission trip combo and that is pretty much what it was like. We worked alongisde the missionary SI partners with in Shiroles (a small town in the south east part of Costa Rica in the Talamunca region). We were involved in various projects ranging from a medical clinic to a water project in the jungle to supply water to the town. It was refreshing and rejuvenating for me personally and a chance to regain perspective.


Above is a picture of the group.

After most of the team left five of us spent a few days in San Jose exploring opportuntites for SI to expand what we are doing in Costa Rica. God was good and there are many open doors and opportunites. Pray for us to be able to clearly here God and how he would have us move forward from here.

A Good Reminder

Last night I had the privilege of speaking to the InterVaristy chapter at Fresno State. As part of the time there a couple of students shared testimonies about their experiences at Urbana (the tri-annual student missions convention recently held). One of the students shared about how Urbana in conjunction with other experiences, one of them being a Students International outreach, had cemented in her a heart for the poor and a calling to work with them. Because of that she recently declared Social Work as her major.

It is easy for me to get bogged down in the “little” day-to-day things involved in my job and to forget the big picture. But hearing a testimony like that from a student who truly encountered God on an outreach is a good reminder about why I do what I do and how God is using it. He really is transforming lives! Praise God!

Sawyer's Tricks

Sawyer says:
I can crawl,

I can sit,

I can pull myself up to stand,

I can even be a polar bear!!

Not too shabby for 7 months!!

Olivi-isms

From the mouth of Olivia:

"Mom, can I have some yum-n-nums?" (M&Ms)

"Sawyer popped awake!!"

"I'm still a big girl. . .AND a baby."

"Olivia went pee-pee on the pot-TEE!! Ok, now I need a Jell-o Bean!!"

"I want too much of that."

"I got Owen, an' Alyssa, an' I got TWO Williams and TWO Rachels--no, too MANY Rachels."

"Alyssa's seeking (hiding) in the favily room. I don't know where she is!"

"Daddy, you go seek. I'll count: 2, 4, 2, 6, 1, 8. . ."

"Jesus loves me, all the children. . ."

"Dear Jesus, Thank you Mommy, Daddy, Sawyer, Olivia, Bob the Builder (giggles). Thank you all us sleep good. . ."

Thanksgiving in the DR!!

The week of Thanksgiving we went to the Dominican Republic on a family mission trip. All in all there were about 50 people there from CA, CT, and my parents from CO. We had a great time working with those on the team as well as the SI staff in the DR.

These are pictures from an evening we spent with my parents at Dona Negras house in Los Higos having dinner. We had a great evening and the kids enjoyed themselves, once they warmed up a bit.