I have been extremely blessed to have Catherine here with me in Costa Rica. She has braved the ups and downs of life here without so much as a flinch. Catherine has taken everything in stride with me as we laugh at changes in schedules, bad bus drivers, weird foods, bugs, heat, dangerous places, long services, language barriers and being far from home. She has had a first hand look at my life here on a daily basis and God has used that through her encouragement when things go wrong. No amount of words can truly describe the depth of gratitude I have felt for not being alone for a change. So, in honor of her perseverance, we played tourists over the weekend instead of missionaries!

We hiked around the base of the Arenal Volcano and went swimming at the bottom of a huge, beautiful waterfall in La Fortuna. However, we had not worn swimsuits or brought towels but that still did not stop us from jumping in clothes and all! Abdi was our amazing tour guide who wanted to practice his English. One of the questions he asked us was this: "Why in English do I say 'get off the bus' 'get on the bus' but when I am talking about a car I have to say, 'get out of the car', 'get in the car'? This does not makes sense to me, can you explain please?"
Oh man all I could do was laugh because he was right no one would ever say get off the car in that context! The more Catherine and I thought about how to answer, the harder we laughed. We had no clue what to say but, "well, umm, hmmm, you just don't say that Abdi." I am sure those of you reading might have a much better answer, I am curious to know it myself!

In the past few days, Catherine and I have been planning for the arrival of my Dad and Matt C and the trip to the border once again. This particular weekend is a big one for us and already obstacles have begun to swing in from all sides but that just makes it all the more exciting. I refuse to cave or give up just because something does not go according to plan. For every door that shuts, there are always three that remain open. God has a path carved out and daily I am seeking to stay on His path and not mine. 

To spend a few days being lighthearted has been a great anecdote for me heart. The last week has been tough not being home with my family. My grandmother has been sick with Pancreatic Cancer for the last 9 months and she is now coming to the end of this battle with Cancer. Hospice has been called in and my Mom tells me my grandmother is peaceful and not in pain. The majority of my family and her grandchildren live in Kentucky. There have been many family gatherings, story telling and laughter that I have missed out on. Anyone that knows me, knows that I am close to my family and to miss all of this is absolutely breaking my heart. The Bible says that God is near to the broken hearted and I have had such a great amount of peace and trust in my heart with everything. There is a small possibility I may get to go home to say goodbye to my grandmother but whether it works out or not, I am okay.

My Dad arrives tomorrow and I am thrilled to have that piece of home here with me. Please keep us in prayer this weekend as we journey again into a tough, dark area.

 "To choose 

what is difficult 

all one's days

as if it were easy

that is faith."

W.H. Auden