Week 3 of Spanish in Costa Rica

I am finishing am finishing up my 3 week in Costa Rica with a cup of coffee and a good meal made by my Mamá Tica. I have to say I thought that I may loose a few pounds here in Costa Rica but if anything I will probably return home bigger. Good food and a lot of it. This week has been great. I have learned a lot and I believe that everyday I become more familiar with this language. I went to a Catholic mass last night with my Tico family a I think I understood more this week than I have ever. Praise the Lord! Believe me I still have a lot to learn. One month of learning Spanish goes by so fast but I thank God for letting me be here and learning the things that I am learning. I believe that I can get around with no problem, read the majority of a newspaper, and understand the main points in a conversation but I fell that I am still behind in speech. I keep praying daily that God will allow me to have the gift of Spanish in my mind, ears, mouth, and heart and I believe that He will grant it to me over time. Hopefully He will grant me opportunities in my everyday as I return to the States for the next few months before we follow Him to the great place of Panamá.

I was going to say, on the spiritual side of this trip but the Lord stopped me because I believe that the trip in its entirety has been a spiritual journey. The Lord is at work in my heart and life and He is teaching me about Himself, the gospel, and who He wants me to be. I have been reading a book called “The Gospel Primer”, that my best friend gave me earlier this year. It has sparked a fire in me for the gospel and a passion for Christ. God is amazingly big, unimaginably perfect, righteous, holy, just in His ways, merciful, forgiven, gracious, and supremely worthy. All that I have in life, every blessing, He put there when I deserve the total opposite. My cup, my life, is overflowing when there should not even be a drop in it. Actually there should not even be a cup. That is what I should get from God but He gives me the privilege to come before Him with confidence and ask anything. ¡Cuán gran es El que sirve! How great is the One that I serve.! That’s another point, He calls me and allows me to serve in His work! Hallelujah

I have enjoyed my time and have grown in my walk with the Father but man I miss my family! I was not made to be apart from them for a long period of time. This trip has also made me realize how blessed I am to have a wonderful wife like Lara and two amazing boys like Mac and Grey. I dream of the day that I get to huge and kiss each of them. They have been doing great, because God has had His hand on them and because Lara is an awesome woman. Things have not been easy or smooth sailing but God has been gracious and Lara has been strong. In this month of not being able to actively pursue more funding and support for our ministry needs like I want to or need to be doing, God has provided some new financial partners. How great is He! I am sure that they are ready for me to come home as I am ready to be there. Please keep praying for them and Gods mercy and blessings to cover them over this next week. And please keep praying for me as I learn Spanish for His glory and future Kingdom work. We know that Christ is preparing us to be used in some mighty ways and we are so excited! Dios te bendiga! God bless you!