Kids Club

For the past few weeks the girls and I have been going to Kids Club on Saturday mornings. It is hosted by Calvary Chapel here in Jaco and it is held at a park in one of the poorest neighborhoods in town. Yesterday I finally remembered to take my camera so I could take some pictures to share with you all. Bella wasn't feeling great so she isn't in any of them :(

The first thing they do is a game with all of the kids. The boys and girls compete against each other for points each week. There are usually twice as many girls than boys :)

After the game, there is a story time. This is always done in English and translated into Spanish.

Craft time is next. This past week they learned about the fishermen that Jesus called to be disciples so they each made their own boat on the water.

Each family receives a bag of rice and beans to take home with them.

They each also get an orange.

It has been really great helping out with this ministry and I will miss the kids who have grown accustomed to seeing us the past few weeks. This week when Bella was not there, some of the girls asked for her :)

Almost homeward bound!!!!

I can't believe we are into our last week here. I know I have said this before, but the past two weeks have just flown by! The first two were kind of difficult with some of us not feeling well and everyone just trying to adjust to being here, but these past two have been jam packed! We have been able to do some fun stuff in the past few weeks. On Sunday we went to a Super Bowl party :) I can not tell you one thing about the game...including who won, but we had some awesome food! It was a great mix of Tican and American :) On Monday, we were able to hang out with some friends that we met here 2 years ago that live in Moorhead City, NC. We haven't seen them in those two years, but we have kept in touch so it was nice to see them again. The kids had fun swimming in their huge pool and their hotel is right on the beach, so the boys had a blast surfing.

On Tuesday, we took a boat ride to Tortuga Island with our friends and it was so amazing!! In Jaco, the sand is dark (almost black) and because we are so close to the mountains, there are lots of rocks in the sand. In the rainy season, the rocks wash off the mountains and end up in the ocean :( Tortuga is a white sand beach that has water that is crystal clear (very much like the water on the Carribean coast) The boat ride took two hours and they served soda, water, "happy juice" and fruits on the way out. We saw flying fish and a guy was fishing off the back of the boat and caught a Mackerel! When we got to the Island, we went snorkeling first. I wasn't sure if the girls would want to do it, but it was included so we thought we'd give it a try :) They all had a blast! Makayla announced after ten minutes "I'm done with this!" and so we took her to the platform that they have floating in the water :) Those of you who know Makayla can just see her saying that as she pulls her mask and snorkel off! We did the snorkeling for about 45 minutes, which was just long enough. We saw all kinds of beautiful fish and the guides kept diving down and bringing up all kinds of starfish. It is amazing that in that small area, there were so many different kinds of fish...made me smile as I imagined God creating each and every one of them....right down to their amazing colors! What an awesome and creative God we serve!!! Then after snorkeling, the crew cooked some rice, bar-b-que chicken, salad and veggies for us...they even cooked up the Mackerel, which was amazing too! The rest of the day was spend just exploring and enjoying the water. Josh found another starfish and Joel took the kids exploring by the mountain side and found all kinds of neat things. Bella found a coconut and one of the crew helped her to crack it open and we all got to drink some coconut water and then we all ate some of the meat...it was soooo good :) The two hour ride back seemed longer because everyone was so wiped out, but we were on the water when the sun set....I can not even put into words what that is like and the pictures that I took will not do justice to it....again I say What an awesome God we serve!!!!!

Today we went to the property in the morning for a clean up day. Boy was it hot!!! The weather here has changed in the past few days and the temps have been climbing! Joel and some other guys worked on the windows some more and the kids and I did some yard work...pruning, planting, weeding, etc. About 2 1/2 hour into it, Makayla announced "This is not what I came to do!" I just had to laugh out loud! She is a bit spoiled being the "baby" but we made her work hard today! By the time we got home a little after noon, everyone was hot and starved :) The girls are at their friends' house swimming and they are having pizza with them for dinner and Joel and the boys are out surfing...that means I get the whole "house" to myself for a few hours :) It was a little sad grocery shopping today knowing that it will be one our last trips to the Maxi Bodego (which is Costa Rica's Walmart...it really is owned by Walmart) I have mixed feelings about going home...on the one hand, I am ready and I miss my friends and family terribly, but on the other hand, I feel like we are just getting used to being here. I am so glad we decided to come for the month though, considering how the first few weeks went. I think the kids are ready to get back to their "stuff" and their friends and all things familiar.

The next few days will be relatively quiet. We are having dinner on Friday with the Pastor of Calvary and his wife Revae and their girls, so that will be fun :) And I am sure this weekend we will start packing up our things and weighing our bags....we had very little room to spare on the way here, so we'll see how that goes :) We are still praying daily for direction and clarity. I think that we both thought that we'd get here and "feel" it and just know and that's just not the way it has happened. So, we will keep praying through this and ask that those of you who have been praying with us to do so as well :)

A Dios sea la gloria!

Kelley (& Joel)

Here are some pics from the past few days....

The kids playing in the pool at our friends' hotel.

On the boat on the way to Tortuga Island.

Joshua and the starfish he found on the beach.

Joel and some guys working on painting the windows on the property.

Bella cutting out some weeds on the property.

2 weeks down....2 weeks to go...more or less :)

I can not believe that we have been here for a little over two weeks already! In some ways it seems much longer and in some ways it seems like we have just gotten here. It is such a crazy feeling!

The last few days have been busy ones. We have spent time in bible studies, hiking in Manuel Antonio National Park, Joel has been doing some work at the property, we have had dinner with some wonderful new friends, the boys have done some surfing, and the girls and I have spent some time with some new friends having "girl time". We even visited with some friends from the states, that we met here 2 years ago, who are here again at the same time we are....talk about coincidence :) It truly has been a busy week! We are really enjoying getting to know all of the people that God is bringing across our path. There is such a mix of people here in Jaco! I have been especially blessed by some wonderful new friends that I have just enjoyed sitting and talking with.....God knew that I would need "girlfriends" here and provided just the right ones :)

As busy as the last week has been, it has also been very eye opening for Joel and I. I know that many of you are waiting to see a post that will announce what we feel we are being led to do and I am so sorry to disappoint, but we are still praying very heavily over that. It seems that each day God allows us to see a little bit more of the puzzle, but sometimes it blurs other parts...does that make sense? We get clarity in one area then another comes under question...it is an awesome learning experience for Joel and I and the kids. We have never really been stretched like this before. We feel like we are truly just walking by faith because if it were by sight, we'd probably have been home a week ago! The past two weeks have probably been two of the toughest in my life but even in all of that, I know that God is working in all of us. So, for those of you who are praying for us, please continue to do so. I truly believe it is your prayers that are sustaining us during some very trying situations and decisions.

This coming weekend is looking like a busy one :) As I mentioned in an earlier post, this little town swells over the weekends and this weekend is an art expo in the park...so we are expecting tons of people to pour into town. It is funny that after only two weekends here, the kids know that the crowds are coming :) We usually try to stay out of downtown on the weekends just because of the amount of people...and those of you who really know Joel, know how much he loves crowds :) But, we have a full agenda :) Saturday morning, Joel is going to the Men's Breakfast that Calvary Chapel does once a month. The girls and I (and maybe the boys too, they haven't committed yet:) are going to a nearby neighborhood to help out with Kid's Club. They usually have between 30-45 children show up and they have a game, bible story time, craft, snack and then each family gets some rice and beans. It is a very poor neighborhood and I have heard that they look forward to the weekly Kid's Club meetings. I am so excited to go and be a part of it! In the afternoon, the first library here in Jaco will open it's doors and they are having a fiesta to celebrate....complete with pinata!!! They don't have a lot of books and the majority of the people in this town do not even know how a library works, but the couple starting it has a real heart for the locals and want to see them more educated. They would really like to get some more books for kids in Spanish. Saturday night I am going to the monthly ladies' bible study that Calvary hosts at the Pastor's house led by his wife Revae. Sunday, after church, we will be going to a Super Bowl party....yes, there are some Americans here who are routing for their favorite teams too....or they just like to get together and eat the Super Bowl yummies :) Whewwww I am getting tired just typing all of what the next few days hold :)

The kids are doing well. The girls have enjoyed playing with Naomi and Abigail (Revae's daughters) They were even asking for a sleepover today...it would have to be at their house since the 6 of us barely fit in our condo :) JD is still suffering with some sinus headaches but our friends from the states brought some Sudafed with them for me and it seems to be helping him...I have a feeling that he will have them on and off while we are here :( Josh is Josh...he is fine on the go or just playing by himself. He had a blast chopping coconuts with a machete today at the property while Joel worked. Please continue to pray for their hearts to be open to whatever God tells us to do. It will not be easy to move them here but having an obedient heart does help (I keep telling myself this too! :)

Well, that is what has been going on with us. Like I have said before, Jaco becomes a little more familiar each day. We have even discovered some back roads to some places :) I made Joel and the kids order their own ice cream cones in Spanish the other night...it was funny, but they all did it :) We will definitely have to buckle down on the Spanish lessons if we are coming back!!!

A Dios sea la gloria!

Kelley (& Joel :)

Here are some pics of Manuel Antonio and some of the awesome animals we were able to see!

Yes, this sign is saying to go slow for sloths, monkeys and some other animal we couldn't figure out :)

This is the first sloth we saw in the park...he was moving very slow and eventually turned around and looked right at us! Very cool!

There were lots of Capuchin Monkeys and Howler Monkeys...the Howlers have this awful blood curdling cry! This little guy actually tried to steal some muffins from some people who left their stuff unattended :) He was too cute and even covered his face while we were telling him no!

We have no idea what this is, but he kept trying to get into our back packs of food! He would come off the mountain as soon as someone went into the back packs to get something to eat :) Of course I wasn't worried, our fearless protector was there :)

There are 3 private white sand beaches that you can play in once you hike in. This was in a little rock cove that we found to rest for a few hours :) The tide was coming in and the kids called this their "hot tub" :) They had a blast catching hermit crabs and just playing on the rocks.

It has been a few days since I've done an update so I am going to give an overview of the past few days. On Thursday, we didn't do much. We just hung around the condo...JD still wasn't feeling great so after grocery shopping, Joel and I went to the pharmacy and got him some of the "magic pills" that I had taken. They helped a bunch with the pressure in his head. He is still fighting a bit of a headache...we all kind of are, but I think that that has more to do with the change is air pressure here than actually being sick. The headaches come and go as the clouds roll in off of the nearby mountains. I have been told by numerous people that the first year of being here, you can expect to be sick on and off the whole time until your body adjusts to the atmosphere....yuck! On an exciting note, the boys have made a friend here in the condo complex. His name is Joshua :) and he has a sister named Gabby. They are from Ohio and have lived here in Jaco for about 3 years. Joshua is 13 years old and Gabby is 15. They both surf, so the boys have been surfing with them and just hanging out with Joshua. He and our Josh seem to have a lot in common :) Thank God for providing friends!!!

On Friday, Joel went surfing in the morning and when he came home, I met with April. I am working on some promo material for them that they are going to use to do a fundraiser in the states to help raise money to pay off the loan on the property. After our meeting, the family all went to the Farmer's Market. It was the first time Joel and the boys have been. We did very good this week...we got a ton of veggies & fruits for about $15. The best purchase was 10 starfruit for $1!!! Our Friday trips to the Farmer's Market are becoming a highlight of my week....you never quite know what veggies and fruits they will have. There are some Amish that come down off of the mountain to sell their breads....I was not expecting to see the Amish here in Costa Rica :) In the early evening, Joel, Josh, Bella, and I took a ride to the nearby town of Hereduda. Joel was interested in getting a boat ride to a remote surf spot so we drove down to the beach to check out the town and the prices. While we were there, we saw the prettiest Macaw up in the tree above us. He was eating the nuts and dropping them right down on our heads!!! It is so amazing to see the different kinds of lizards and birds here! Our God is so creative :) The rest of the day we just hung around the complex.

On Saturday, Joel and some of the guys took their boat ride out of Herradura to surf for the morning. They had a great time...Joel said that it was one of the best waves he has surfed ever :) After lunch, we all went back to Hermosa and spent the day on the beach and playing in the water. One of the annoying things here are the stray dogs...they are everywhere!!! Joel isn't fond of dogs since he was bit by one a few months ago, so he spent the time on the beach with a big stick...protecting us :) On Saturday night, there was a huge concert in the park right near our house that was so loud. We were all tired and tried to get to bed early and just when the concert ended at 10pm....our neighbors started a party of their own :) These Ticans know how to have a fiesta!!! They were playing loud music, and yelling and banging on pots...poor Josh, he had a hard time falling asleep and just kept yelling "COME ON!!!" from his bed :) Eventually we all fell asleep and I was happy to see that those neighbors checked out this morning :)

Today we went to Calvary Chapel here in Jaco. It is a nondenominational bilingual church. Joel and I had visited Calvary the last time we were here. They have grown so much! They meet in the covered soccer field here in town. There is at least one soccer field in every town here....no matter how poor the town! It was so nice to be fellowshipping and worshipping with believers! We didn't get to go last week since three of us were still sick so it had been two weeks since we had been to church.....it is amazing how refreshing it was to my soul!!! We are going to have dinner sometime this week with the assistant pastor and his family. They have been in Jaco for about two years now. After lunch, we just went out the beach here in Jaco so the boys could surf with Joshua and Gabby. I was supposed to be taking pictures but I didn't have my glasses on so I ended up taking pictures of other random surfers :( Needless to say, Joel will take the surfing pictures next time :) The sun is so hot and draining here...it is amazing how tired we become after just being out and about for a few hours. Everyone says it takes a few months to get used to the heat so that it doesn't exhaust you. Tonight we finally were able to go into town after dinner and get some ice cream at the Heladeria :) This town triples in size on the weekends as everyone from inland comes down to spend the weekend by the beach. A lot of people just pitch tents on the beach and spend the weekend camping. So we try not to go into town on the weekends as it becomes a mad house! This weekend happened to be "Biker weekend" too so there was the added craziness of hundreds of bikers to the mix.

Well, that is our last few days in a nutshell. Tomorrow the girls and I are going to go to Hannah's office to help her get some filing done. She is very shorthanded right now and could use the help. Joel and I will also go to bible study tomorrow night. Please pray for me as I will be teaching the ladies' study. I am looking forward to sharing with them what God has revealed to me over the past week of studying :) Please continue to pray for the kids' adjustment and for their hearts to be open to moving here, if that is what we feel we are being called to do. Also, please pray for continued good health. Please pray also that God would bring people into our path that we can share Him with while we are here. Lastly, please continue to pray that Joel and I will know God's will concerning this move.

A Dios sea la gloria!!!

Kelley (& Joel :)

Here are some pictures of the past few days.

The Farmer's Market

This is a carrot not a sweet potato!!!

The girls and I with our purchases

Beautiful Macaw in Herradura

Our fearless protectors!!!!!

A day in the sun

Today, after school work was done, we packed up the kiddos and headed to Playa Hermosa. It is only about a 10 minute drive around the mountain. The kids had a blast in the water and we had the whole beach to ourselves :) It was the first time the girls and I had been in the water since we got here a week ago. It is crazy to think that a week has gone by already. Jaco is becoming a little more familiar each day yet it still feels like a totally different world! It was a very nice relaxing day!

Here are some pictures of our beach day.

Bella and Josh playing in the surf.

Joel and JD hanging out. This "lean to" was already on the beach when we got there....so we borrowed it for a while :)

The kiddos digging for hermit crabs.

Makayla and I.....I thought I should include a picture of me every now and then just so that people know I am actually on this trip :)

After our beach trip, Makayla started not feeling great again and didn't really eat dinner. She did perk up after eating a little and getting some medicine. Please pray that she is not relapsing and the fever will not come back. JD is still battling a stuffy head but I am sure after a few more surf sessions, that will wash right out :) I am feeling much better...those wonder pills did their job!

Tomorrow is grocery shopping day...not my favorite activity...and it is more so here because we have to shop twice a week because we don't have any room for more food than a few days worth :) Our meals are pretty much the same...food is very expensive here! We have been told that in San Jose food is cheaper because they have more than 2 grocery stores so the prices are a bit more competitive. We'll have to look into that....or just cut down to 2 meals a day :) Yeah right with a teenager and a pre-teen...I think not!!

Well, that's it for today. We have friends that we met here two years ago flying in in a few days. They live in Moorhead City but we never get to see them so we are looking forward to seeing them for a few weeks while they are here :) It cracks me up that we live 2 hours apart but have to meet in Jaco to hang out!

I was asked to lead the Ladies' Bible Study next Monday night. I will be teaching on Romans 13:8-14. I am excited about having this opportunity to share with these ladies :) Please pray that I will be able to clearly share what God has laid on my heart.

A Dios sea la gloria!

Kelley (& Joel)

Our first fiesta....

Today was a great day! Makayla woke up very weak but after getting some liquids and some food in her, she was a completely new person! It was amazing and I was so thankful because I didn't feel so great today. I've been battling this head cold and have had a throbbing headache for the past 6 days. Finally I went to the pharmacy and the pharmacist gave me something...I am not sure what it is and I am certain I overpaid, but after the first dose, I felt 110% better! It was a wonder drug and I am so glad she gave it to me :) I felt so much better just after 30 minutes.

And it is a good thing too because the girls and I had a baby shower to go to this afternoon. We all had an awesome time and I was able to meet some new people and reconnect with some people I had met on our last trip two years ago. I think the girls really enjoyed getting out of the condo and being out in the open air :) The shower was on the roof of a restaurant right on the beach...absolutely beautiful!

While we were at the shower, the boys and Joel went to the property and met the old property manager, Doug. He took Joel all around the property and explained how things work and the best way to take care of things. I know that Joel appreciated the insight :) Then they got some surfing in while they waiting for us to finish.

After the shower, we all went to dinner in town at a little restaurant called Jaco Rustico. It is a great little place with awesome Tican food and the best fruit drinks in town! It was a favorite of mine and Joel's the last time we were here....we ate there every day :) The more we ate there, the cheaper the plates became :) That's the way things work around here. We had told the kids about it so many times so it was neat to finally take them to eat there.

We are all pretty tired tonight and I am hoping we can turn in early. We are getting much more used to our little condo and sleeping in such close quarters but we still haven't had a good, uninterrupted night's sleep.....so I am praying for one tonight, I know we can all use it.

Here are some pics of the shower :)

Hannah is due in March.

Bella played one of the games...and won!

All of the ladies...everything was beautiful!

All of the gifts.

The adorable quilt that April made for baby Mikayla.

A Dios sea la gloria!

Kelley (& Joel :)

Small Blessings

I woke up this morning not knowing what to expect. I was very tired from being up during the night with Makayla. She was very sick and I spent most of the night praying over her and asking God to heal her. Specifically I asked God to break her fever. Miraculously, everyone slept in later this morning....we all needed it! Praise God, when Makayla woke up this morning, she still had a headache and was really weak, but her fever had broken sometime during the night. I know that God doesn't always answer in that way, but He did last night and I am so grateful for it. She still spent most of the day on the couch sleeping, but I was able to get her to eat a boiled egg, a clementine, and a small bowl of cereal. Little by little during the day, she has regained her strength and tonight she is smiling and laughing (the first time in 3 days!) Thank you all for bathing our family in prayer over the past few days. I know that it is only because of your prayers that I have been able to handle being sick and taking care of two sick kids away from home. I know that for some it may not have even been an issue, but it was definitely taxing for me. I think that we are actually on the upswing and on our way to feeling normal :)

I took the opportunity (since I was here with Makayla all day again) to do so me laundry. We didn't plan on having a washer and dryer at the condo. We were planning on having a service do the laundry but when we arrived, there was a washer and dryer here and we were told that we could use them when we needed. Well, after Makayla threw up all over her and Bella's bed at 3am last night and we had to strip the bed and all of her clothes, it was such a blessing to have access to a washer and dryer this morning to get everything cleaned up (including pillows :) I told Joel that this washer and dryer work better than the pair we have at home :) I was able to do three loads in just a few hours! It's the little things that made me smile today :) I am so grateful that God knew we'd need to be able to wash all of the sheets and I so glad that He took care of this seemingly insignificant provision for us!

Joel and the boys got our rental car today and it was so nice to be able to drive to the grocery store, instead of walk. The grocery stores here are not air conditioned and it gets very hot so it was another small blessing to be able to get into an air conditioned car after shopping. They also went to the property and started working on repairing some of the surf boards that are there for the kids to use and rent. Most of them are in pretty bad condition. Fixing them up will allow the kids to be able to use them again. This past year Joel has had the opportunity to work with a shaper in Wilmington and he has learned a lot about shaping and repairing boards. It is amazing to see how God uses all of the everyday details of our lives to be able to used for His glory. I know that it has been a vision of Joel's to be able to teach the kids to be able to repair their own boards, as it can be very expensive. He and JD even got some surfing in today...the first real session they've had since we've been here :)

Joel and I also went to our Bible studies tonight. I had a wonderful time getting to know some of the other Christ followers here in Jaco :) They are a bunch of wonderful women and God knew that I needed some "girl time" tonight. I was so blessed by their company. Joel enjoyed his time with the men too...of course I had much more to say about my night than he did :) I

am going to a baby shower tomorrow afternoon for one of the girls here who is having a baby in two months. I will take the girls with me if Makayla is feeling up to it :) They are excited to be getting out...they love all things baby...just like their mom :)

Well, that's what we did today....not very exciting, but every day this place becomes a bit more familiar and not so challenging. Even this little condo doesn't seem as confining as it did when we first arrived. We are looking forward to being able to get out a bit more this week and see more of this place.

Here are some pictures of the boys and Joel working on the surf boards at the property. The other guys in the pictures are Paul & Brad. They are visiting from the States and are staying on the property for a few weeks.

A Dios sea la gloria!

Kelley (& Joel :)