Greetings from Costa Rica! We can't believe how much has
happened already in one month. We arrived in CR and hit the ground running.
For the first month, we lived with a Tico family in the
backroom of their house. It was quite a shock to arrive at their house with our
5 suitcases and to move in with a family that did not speak English at all.
From the start, we have been learning and practicing a lot of Spanish. Peggy is
grateful for her years of high school Spanish (albeit 40 yrs. ago) that helped
us survive those first few days living with our Tico family.
We go to school every weekday for 4 hours of classes and
then have tutoring and homework for the rest of the day and then it starts all
over again. We have completed now one full month of classes, and have survived
and passed, tests in phonetics, linguistics and grammar, only with His help!
We continue to grow in our faith as these new learning
experiences require FAITH, especially at our age. Our school is great, the
teachers are all Christian and they really want to help us succeed. Besides
just the basic Spanish, they are also teaching us how to pray, read and
memorize Scripture in Spanish. They continually remind us that God is the One
calling us to learn this language and that He will be faithful to enable us as
well. A reminder that we recall many, many times during the long, challenging
days in the classroom.
We are getting out and seeing some of the ministries that
are here in CR, visiting different churches each weekend and meeting believers
here. Peggy is also really enjoying attending a Spanish Bible study followed by
English classes on Wednesday afternoons for some women who work as maids here.
Thank you so much dear friends, for your prayers and
support. So often during these initial days of culture shock and the
overwhelming differences in life we are experiencing, please know that your
prayers have encouraged and strengthened us. Thank you for standing with us,
you are part of our anchor, encouraging us that we are not in this alone. We so
love and appreciate you all!
Additionally, Hellenic Ministries will continue to process
our monthly donations until we have formalized a new mission agency.
Please pray for us:
* Good language learning capabilities.
* To receive the paperwork we need from Greece so we can
apply for a student visa here. No word yet from the Greek embassy after 6
weeks.
* That the peace of God will continue reign in our hearts
and minds as we experience so many transitions.
* Mike's Dad is experiencing some medical problems and
potential serious surgery ahead. Please pray for him and their family. We are
so thankful for Mike's family who are caring for him in our absence. Wisdom for
us being so far away.
