October Newsletter

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Powerline Fire in our neighborhood

Day 60

We have not had internet for several days because of the following reason:

This morning while getting ready for school I heard an explosion. I looked outside my window and saw smoke and then watched the power lines catch on fire. The wires shorted out and the fuse never blew so as the insulation on the wires melted there were more wires going to ground. The video below show this well. Costa Rica has a shoddy power distribution system, as you will see in the video. They attach as many wires as possible to a pole. Electricity, cable, phone, and internet are woven together like a big spider web. This is bad when there is a fire like today. The firemen that showed up didn't seem to know what to do. They stared for a while then started spraying water on live wires that were on fire. They never killed the power at all but they did run up and down the street squirting the flames.

This was to be a day of testing. As soon as I left for school, Emmy woke up and puked 4 times all over the place. As Kim was cleaning the mess up, she heard our landlord Jorge at our gate shouting. Jorge was here with the termite exterminator to kill the termites that were eating our ceiling and leaving sawdust on us each night. Jorge left the exterminator with Kim. He spoke to her in high speed Spanish, which Kim does not even know any speed Spanish. He proceeded to spray large amounts of a liquid pesticide all over the ceiling, walls, clothes, and beds. He insured Kim not to worry because he said that it was non-toxic.

The combination of these 3 events would have normally caused a major meltdown in my wife, but God is so good. God gave Kim an overwhelming sense of peace in the heat of the battle. She actually was joyful as she cleaned up after a sick little girl and a messy exterminator and continued all day in doing tons of laundry, home-school, more cleaning, and cooking dinner. The funny thing was that Kim was in a great mood when I got home and handled everything unbelievable. This can only be credited to God. This is so encouraging to us because it was like God was saying that He was preparing us for His service but there would be many trials and that He would give us abundant grace to get through each one. Gloria a Dios for His glorious grace and peace that surpasses understanding. 

We are at the 2 month mark and this is the time when many people break down. On this 2 month mark was a crazy day that would make anyone stressed out. Along with 8 days straight of rain there was the potential for depression to kick in but God chose to give so much peace and joy at this point.   

Joy and satisfaction in God while in the midst of trials is what truly glorifies Him. Praise God.

Reformed Missions in Latin America

As we continue to learn Spanish in Costa Rica we have been encouraged by so many other brothers with sound doctrine that God has put in our life.  The other day Killillay and I met up with two such brothers.  Once again through God's wonderful providence I was put in contact with a guy named Nick Lamme who is a reformed pastor in the San Jose area and also works with Bill Green at their publishing company. 

Nick picked up Killillay and I after school and drove us 30 minutes away to the reformed elementary school and publishing company that was started by Bill Green.  The publishing company was outstanding.  They publish theologically solid books from the 16th century to today.  They are translating great works like Calvin's commentaries into Spanish and shipping these books all over Latin America.

It is so great to find like-minded brothers in Christ that are laboring faithfully for Christ in Latin America.  The resources that they offer will be so valuable to the Peruvians who we are going to. We have already gained permission from our language school to have these men come in and present their ministry and explain their book publishing operation.  Hopefully they can use the hundreds of missionaries that go through the language school as a way to distribute reformed books throughout Latin America.
Killillay and I have also agreed to set up a distribution center in Peru at the church that we will start, God willing.   With good theologically books printed in Spanish being rare and expensive in Peru, we hope to make these books readily available to the Peruvians that we will serve. 

More information about the ministry's of Bill Green and Nick Lamme can be found on their web site Reformed Missions in Latin America

On another note, we are so thankful to John Wallace for sending a brother a very important tool for ministry.  Yes, I'm talking about coffee.  Thank you Wallace for the outstanding coffee press and coffee from Bozeman, MT.  As well as the little surprises for the kids and the funny card.  Ridiculous.

Making Coffee Costa Rican Style

Gloria a Dios! Our first package

Everyday I run to the mail box looking for mail, not because we really need anything life or death, but because we do not ever get mail anymore and it is a very exciting thing for us.  I went to the mail box today and saw a slip of paper telling me that I had to go to the post office to pick up a package.  Killillay and I went right after school and there it was....Una caja grande. 

The care package was from Fellowship Baptist Church who does nothing but sacrifice for us, serve us, and support us with everything that God gives them.  Fellowship is a continued encouragement to us and we are extremely humbled by their love for Christ and the advancement of His kingdom.  We are also humbled by their self-sacrificing love for us, we are not at all worthy to have such great people holding the rope for us. 

I waited until we got home so we could open it together.   When we did open it, we found peanut butter!  Also candy and candles, which I'm guessing the candles are not for me.  The kids tore into the candy like it was Christmas.  Everyone was so excited.  Thank you Fellowship Baptist for all that you do.

Just one more funny note about learning Spanish.  Pronunciation in Spanish is so important and if you mis-pronounce a word it can change the whole meaning of a sentence.  For instance here are a few words:

To bake:  hornear (the "h" is silent)
To pee:    orinar

Even though spelled different, these words sound almost exactly the same and they can definately change the meaning of a sentence.  Por ejemplo:

I need to go to the bathroom and bake.   Or...
I am peeing in the oven.

There are so many other examples, por ejemplo:

Mamá -  Mommy
Mama -  Part of the woman´s body they use to feed babies.

papá -  Daddy
Papa - The Catholic Pope
papa - potato

So if you say and pronounce this sentence wrong you could be in a world of hurt,

Estoy horneando una papa para tu papá.  (I´m baking a potato for your dad)
Estoy orinando una papa para tu Papa.  (I´m peeing a potato for your Pope)

Killillay and I are learning many things in Spanish the hard way.