Celebrating Jesus!

In a discussion between Anna Grace and David, it was decided that we should throw a Jesus Party- to celebrate Jesus- of course!  The guest list included all of the "big kids, babies and adults" of the MCO Cusco team, according to the hostess, Anna Grace.

We met at the park (yes, the mud puddle park) on Saturday, and we not only celebrated Jesus, but the newest member of our team as well- Rachel Reide Daniel.  She made her appearance at the party at less than 3 days old- what dedication!

It was really sweet to hear the children share reasons to celebrate Jesus and reminded me of my need to be quick to share thanksgivings, because God is good, He is faithful, and He has blessed us in countless ways.

No party is complete without grilled hotdogs and balloon rockets (Thanks Aunt Debbie- they were a huge hit with the kiddos- and maybe some of the adults as well!)

And while I'm in the "celebrating Jesus" mood, I just want to celebrate His faithfulness to our family through so many of you!  Through your prayers, financial support, gifts and encouragement, we are less than 4 months away from landing in Cusco, Peru with enough Spanish to begin celebrating Jesus with the people there!

What a week!

We are back into the swing of things at school! Lots of studying, lots of Spanish and lots of "aha" moments. By "aha" moments, I mean finally understanding the structure; therefore, the true meaning of something I've heard a million times here. "Aha" could also be those humbling moments of realizing that you have been so wrong in the way you've been trying to communicate a certain thought or idea.

For example: I've been using "por otra mano" for months now- directly translated to "for other hand" for expressing "on the other hand." Wrong! The correct phrasing is "por otro lado" or "por otra parte" (translated "for other side" or "for other part"). The more I have learned of Spanish, the more I have realized how little I actually know! This realization can be a little overwhelming at times, but also sweet, as I have learned to place my trust and significance in God and his provisions (even in learning a new language).

Besides having a full week in classes, we also had a great mid-week visit from some dear friends from Augusta. Thank you Aaron and Anna for spending some of your vacation with us! We all had such a great time with you, so much so, that Friday morning little Eliza asked me, "Where are my friends?"

Anna Grace story:
The other morning Caleb had a stinky surprise for me, and Anna Grace came in the room to help me out, but.... she started gagging from the smell and buried her nose in a blanket. I proceeded to ask her if she will be able to change her baby's diaper when she is mommy. She responded "Do you think you could come help me with the stinky ones?" with such sincerity that I had to answer "Of course I will!"

We also had an earthquake yesterday afternoon in San Jose. We often have small tremors (sometimes you don't even notice them), but this was our 2nd "real" earthquake since arriving in August. Quite exciting, a little bit scary, and thankfully only a 6.0; therefore, no damage, only lots of shaking and a few things falling off the top of our refrigerator.

Finally, I wanted to share a great photo of Caleb, though I must admit I am a bit jealous- if only I could sleep in any position, too!

Just "Monkeying Around" Between Trimesters

Our final trimester of language school is going to begin this Wednesday.  It is hard to believe that we have lived in San Jose for over 8 months!

Monkey Anna Grace

Monkey Eliza

We were fortunate to have a brief break between trimesters to rest our brains from Spanish.  We have been able to relax and spend sweet time together as a family.

We were even more fortunate to have some wonderful visitors!
My parents came for a visit, and we really enjoyed our time celebrating Easter with them.

Also, David's good friend Brandon came for a long weekend to encourage us and spend time with our family.  With Brandon, we had the opportunity to visit an animal rescue center and learn about many of the different wildlife found in Costa Rica.

AG and Brandon with howler monkey

Thank you for your continued prayers and support of our family as we continue to trust God for learning Spanish so that we can bring the hope of the Gospel to Peru!