Brett has been working construction in Santa Rosa de la Palmera, where we attend church. The building is actually intended to be a Christian education building, but in the meantime, will act as a parsonage for the pastor and his family. The family has been living in the church for 9 months, waiting for their home to be completed. Brett felt called to help pull this project along, and hopefully they will be in by Christmas.
Marion´s Birthday
Marion celebrated his 90th birthday on November 15. His 2 kids, Stanley and Paula came to visit from the states for his big bday. Paula celebrated her birthday on the same day, so Mary threw a party for them both.
Turkey Day
We celebrated Thanksgiving with Mary, Marion, Peggy, Steve, Juanita, Pedro, Beto and Kimberly. Mary ordered a turkey via Steve from San Josè, and we contributed our favorite greasy American dishes. Brooke made Asparagus casserole and Sweet Potato Poon with camote, since Costa Rica doesn`t have the same sweet potato as we have in the US.
Women´s Cross Stitch Class
Brooke hosted a 3 week cross stitch class for the ladies in Linda Vista this month. The Linda Vista elementary school was nice to open their dining hall for us. About 10 women participated, and some brought their kids, so I also taught about 5 kids. Right before the class started, Sandra Schueller who designs cross stitch patterns, www.joyfulexpressions.us, contacted me via Mary (since I didn`t have our email address posted at that point). She happened to stumble upon our blog and found out about the cross stitch classes I was teaching, so she offered to donate some of her designs. She has patterns with Bible verses in Spanish, so it was a blessing to be able to witness through the art of cross stitch.
Santa Rosa Youth Group
The kids here are dancing to some crazy Christian song called ¨Loco Coco.¨ Every week we are connecting more and more with the youth in Santa Rosa, mainly since their trust in us is growing. As we have mentioned before, working with the youth is extremely challenging for us. We feel we have to sneak gospel lessons in via clever games because when we attempt to have a bible study discussion, it´s like pulling teeth trying to get them interested. Continued prayer is needed here because we often go back and forth as to whether we really feel called in this area. Sometimes we think leading the youth should be a mniistry for one of the local members of the church. Other times we realize that God is using this experience to change us for the better.
Kid´s Cross Stitch
Brooke also taught a cross stitch class to the kids in Linda Vista school. After they finish their exams, they have to continue to go to school, but rather than having regular classes, they have ¨talleres¨or ¨workshops¨
Preschool
Brooke, was also blessed with the opportunity to teach a preschool class. It started with a request from Juanita, the cook from the camp, to teach her son, Beto. It felt like a calling because in the same week, I received requests from 2 other parents, both from families in 2 different communities. I plan on continuing the class after Christmas.
