While the cat's away...

the mice will play! The interim missionaries, Bruce & Katie Kneigge have taken our children to see the ocean and should be home this afternoon. Ken and I were invited to go along also, but felt that we had too much to do here at the camp. We have a very busy month coming up in May with nationals renting the campground and also a medical short-term team. We have some cleaning that we would like to do and some organizing! They were nice enough to leave us the keys to their home so that we could use their internet line and also make phone calls home. Yesterday, we held a dinner after church in honor of the Kneigge's and the Lessley's (the Lessley's are retired and have been here for five-months overseeing and working on construction projects at the camp) and we presented them with handmade plaques by a Costa Rican artisian as a memorial to their service here. Pastor Jose knew how to get them and where.

We held another staff meeting over the weekend with David & Kathryn, our better halves, and they are missionary candidates now with Global trying to raise their support to be part of our team here at El Jardin Sagrado. They are bilingual and they handle all of the reservations for the camp. Kathryn helped us get around San Jose and get our driver's licenses last week! David & Kathryn will be moving down from San Jose to Orosi and will be living up the road from us. Kathryn is determined to teach me Spanish and called this morning rambling on and on in Spanish. I shocked her when I responded back en espanol! Right now, they come down on the weekends and I always cook Saturday dinner for them at our house. Kathryn always feels bad that they didn't bring anything, but I tell her, "you are our Tico family" and it blesses me particularly to be able to cook a big meal for them. I tell her it feels more like home when they are here and can eat a meal with us like a big family! They have a four-month-old daughter, Aliyana and Heather enjoys giving Kathryn a break and taking care of her. She's a cutie!

Heather & Kyle are enjoying their Youth Group here in Costa Rica. There are a couple of kids who speak English and so our phone, just like in the States, is now being taken over by Heather. That's a wonderful thing! We are happy that she and Kyle are making new friends!

Saturday night a bilingual group of 8 meets at the church. Lately, with some of the groups that are making reservations there has been a conflict with this group meeting in the church building. We found out from the Lessley's who have been helping this group, at least with the English side of things, that this is a very important class to have. Two of the attendees are Youth Group members because to continue their education they have to pass an English exam. The leader of the group is a Tico who is bilingual. Rather than have them not be able to meet, we offered to allow them to meet in front of our house as we have a large patio that is enclosed. We are sitting in on the class trying to pick up some Spanish, but we also help the leader, should he have questions regarding English meaning. More importantly, we are trying to build relationships and hope that this may allow us to share Jesus with someone from this group as not everyone who comes attends the church. Please continue to pray for this group and this ministry.

Dios te Bendiga!