Convenci?n Menonita de Costa Rica
look a list of mennonite churches in costa rica... we will be serving one in Upala which is in the north west corner of Alajuela

you can click around... it lists 4 different churches in Upala, so Im not sure which one we will be serving with.

weve been told we will be pouring concrete for part of the time. hmmm Last time when we went to mexico we were expecting to pour concrete, but instead we slept on concrete. I think i will be taking a soft pad along this time or something.

From what I have read, Costa Rica has a really decent economy in the past 15 years they have come a long way financially. But I understand we will be working in a pretty poor area. so who knows.

check the google picture here

CIA - The World Factbook -- Costa Rica

more info than you will ever need to know about costa rica. This time next week, we will be there 10 of us in all going from the youth group.

Mei Wah a cool web site that candace found that teaches you chinese characters so that you can order chinese food better off the menu.

Candi spent a year in hong kong, in a 15 month YES term... back around 1992. We also visited her brother there for 10 days in 1995. Way cool, but actually most cantonese food bores me because it is not so spicy... more bland natural flavors... and tons of seafood which i dont eat. Next trip to china will be in the schezuan (sp?) area! yeah.

Most of you know we are major chinese food nuts, and although we have been so busy lately, we havnt had as many people over for one of our chinese meals, we usually tell people to invite themselves over.

Hmmmm we are planning to go on a picnic tuesday with the hamers... maybe we can make it a chinese bbq or something. Candace has talked and talked about us doing this... where they take only meat... and you roast it individually over a little fire or someting, dip it in honey and then roast it a little more and then eat it... something she really liked when they were in hong kong.

anyway, just a brainstorm.

kids are great.... ok I have to admit, I have lots of fun with maria... and Tori mostly just sits around and crys and poops...

but God knows what he is doing. Just when you get tired of all the late nights and stuff... well the baby learns to smile (which makes it so much easier to love) and then just when you are tired of carrying them around they learn to walk... and then just when you get tired of them getting into everything and getting into trouble, well, thats just about the time when they can start to have meaningful conversations with you... which is so fun. And then just when you get tired of driving them around to every event they are involved with, well then they get their own license. OK maybe Im getting ahead of myself, but point being, God made kids just right. And the whole journey so far has been great.

Of course I would never be able to have so much fun without my loving and giving and patient wife. So many times she has ended up taking care of the kids when I was at a church council meeting or some other ministry function, club worship, or worship team practice or what not. She really is an amazing help mate.

I still do my share of the work around the house... I am the one that basically always does the trash, floors, outdoor work, we split the dishes, she pays the bills and does the laundry. I do a good bit of baby stuff whenever I am home. She feeds the infant, but I do diapers and stuff... And I often take care of the kids while she works or shops or whatever. Its a great arrangement, and I just bless the Lord for being so good to me.