We’ve been in Costa Rica for almost three months. It seems both so much shorter than that and so much longer.
Exploring the Costa Rican jungle!
We’re all starting to slowly adjust. After rolling battles with illness, we are finally all healthy. Hopefully, our immune systems are strengthened and adjusted now! The kids are adjusting to the new routines, their new school, and are making new friends (and still miss their US friends like crazy!)
To build a strong foundation for our ministry, ReachGlobal requires us to focus our first year on learning language and culture. This means that Peter and I are in language classes every day. We are incredibly blessed with kind, dedicated and patient teachers. We’re starting to feel mildly competent in Spanish. I’m able to chat with other moms at the playground, and even have made a few local friends!
While we are eager to begin serving alongside of our team, we are enjoying this special time and finding ways to minister with our church and among our new friends here.
Cookie decorating for the 4th of July
Benjamin is growing like a weed and eager to start walking.
The kids last day of Preschool
Attending a wonderful 4th of July Picnic hosted by the US Embassy for US citizens and Ticos (Costa Ricans). PS- even though you can’t tell from this photo the kids really did have a lot of fun at the picnic 🙂
Morris Mission 
Wow! So good to hear from you and all that the Lord is teaching you. Yep, … your right on schedule. The first months are getting you immune system up to date on all the local Tico bugs, while your brain swims in the deep end of language learning, and you try to figure out how to live, … and eat, with the local supplies. Not too hard to adjusting to all the fresh fruit and vegetables.☺ So glad you took time to enjoy some of the gorgeous surrounding jungle in CR.
Lord willing, Donna and I hope to visit the last week of August. Gotta get some more of that absolutely delicious CR coffee. We had the fun of visiting the Brite coffee plantation and seeing the whole production process. If you can carve out time from your studies for a coffee break, we would love to get together with you some time during that week. Bless her heart, Angie, offered to arrange the schedule for our time there.
We are anxious to get to know you, Melanie. Peter spoke so highly of you as we visited with him while he was at the Cohort in Fullerton last year. Sounds like your feet don’t even get wet as you walk on water.
May the Lord’s hand of blessing rest upon you as you continue to serve Him faithfully there, … even in the laborious struggle of language and culture learning, as well as walking the whole family through the adjustments to your new life lived in the center of God’s will and call upon your lives.
Our love and prayers are with you,
George
Fun to see the photos and hear how you are. You’re right, Benjamin is so much bigger now! So cute! Just found out my brother & sister-in-law were just down there on a missions trip so I was thinking of and praying for you guys.