Costa Rica

Pura Vida!
As they say here in Costa Rica, Pure Life.
Our last weeks of outreach here so far have been great. Our first week was spent up in the mountains where the earthquake really hit the people hard. We worked a lot on helping to move many many cement building blocks and cement bags and other things to help rebuild houses that had been just been shaken to pieces. We worked for many hours in the strawberry fields to help salvage the crops when so many had been lost. It was a great opportunity because we were working alongside of a local church that has taken it upon themselves to help their community. Right now we are in the capital of Costa Rica, San Jose and we will be working in Homeless shelters and the salvation army....we will do some programs. Our goal is to really be a blessing to our neighbor country.
Thank you for our prayers!

Not What We Expected, But Exactly What God Wanted

Well, our plan was to leave Mexico City on the 9th and return to the base for a couple of days. That worked out great! We got there without any complications and we had some time to rest. Our other plan was to leave on the 11th by bus to Costa Rica.
That didn't work out so well. We got a call from the base director over there saying that we would need to get tested before entering into the country to see if we had the influenza or not. (Since we had just come from Mexico City). He said they might put us into quarentine for a little while once we got up there and the base had no where to put us! So we had to re-think our plans and do some changing.
We took the group to the clinic to get a certificate of health. Almost everyone got it. Although nobody had the influenza, a few people had a cold and Nathaniel had an infection. In the end, the people who were labeled as 'healthy' went up to Costa Rica with Chris and Vanessa on the 13th. Nathaniel, the Glasbrenner family with four kids, Thea (one of the single girls) and I stayed on the base for a little while longer. Tonight we leave for Costa Rica by bus.
We are excited for our time over there. Our group will spend a week up at the earthquake site doing ministry and then a week of ministry in the capital of Costa Rica, San Jose. Then on the 30th we will come back to Panama.
Thank you for all of your prayers! If I am around internet I will try to keep the updates coming...

EPIDEMIC!!

It has been a little crazy here in Mexico. News came about this flu that is going around. We started seeing people walking around with little masks on their faces to keep from breathing in the sickness.... They look a little like Power Rangers is what Nathaniel says. Many Mexicans say that the reason the govornment is making this such a big deal is because they are trying to cover up something else that is happening. I don´t know but we are praying and we know that our God is above any sickness that is going around! Our group has been fine and we are healthy. We left for the Mexican State of Oaxaca on Sunday and we have been going village to village visiting the people and doing programs for them. A couple villages would not let us in because they were afraid that we carried the virus with us.

(We don´t, do not worry)

Please be praying for us so that our grup would know what the next step we need to take is. God can use anything and make it an opportunity.