July 27: Praises & Requests

We will soon be entering our 4th week in Costa Rica and we wanted to let our church family know how they could pray for us.  This info will be in our church bulletin this week and thought maybe our blog readers would like to see it too.  Thank you for your prayers!

Praises:
1. We have all been very healthy.  We had some restless nights last week as we adjusted to our new home and school routine but God sustained us and none of us have been sick.
2.  We can drink the water out of the tap here which is a wonderful convenience and not the norm in Central America
3.  God has provided an economical house for us to rent that is very centrally located in town - within walking distance to grocery stores, market, bank

Requests:
1.  SCHOOL:  The transition to school has been a hard one.  The education here is more traditional compared to West Michigan so our kids have needed to make some adjustments.  It is difficult for teachers too because of managing multilevel ages and abilities in small spaces.  Please pray for positive attitudes for our kids and stamina and creativity for the teachers

2.  CLIMATE:  It is very hot and humid here and we do not have air conditioning in our house.  When we're hot and tired, we can get impatient with each other.  Also, we all have itchy bug bites and the kids often have heat rash.   Please pray that these discomforts would not discourage us and that we can remain positive & patient with each other and others.

3.  HOME LIFE:  Our home is very small compared to what we are used to.  The living area with a couch and one chair is about a 12x12 foot area.  There is no yard for the kids to play in so space is very limited when we are home and it's easy to get on each other's nerves.  Please pray for grace and patience in our interactions.  See more pics on the July 16 blog post

4.  SAFETY:  We feel very safe in our home but Americans are always targets of theft so please pray for a hedge of protection over our bodies and belongings.  We do not have a vehicle and need to walk everywhere.  The sidewalks often have holes or are narrow and it's easy to misstep or twist an ankle if you're not watching where you're walking.  Please pray that God's angels would protect us as we are out and about town and school every day. 

5.  CALIFORNIA KIDS:  There are currently 7 children ages 4-11 here for 5 weeks from California.  Their parents want them to learn/continue Spanish.  One of the families is not Christian.  Brothers Dean and Kyle are learning about God and hearing Bible stories for the first time.  Please pray that all of us at El Puente (The Bridge) Christian School can be used by God to plant seeds in their hearts.  See more info on the July 23 blog post.