When the Flood Waters Rise......

First of all, I would like to say sorry for not posting an update sooner. My morning sickness has shifted from the morning to mid afternoon and the evening. However, tonight I am feeling pretty good so decided to take advantage of this time and give an update on what’s going on here in Costa Rica. For starters, we only have 23 days of school left in our 2nd trimester. Wow! That is so hard to believe. We have been away from family and friends for so long. We are so blessed though to have the wonderful inventions of great minds....like whoever invented the computer (for use of internet and FB) as well as the wonderful creator of SKYPE. We have been blessed by many emails and care packages and Skype calls. Things to those things we can keep up with what is going on back home just as you can keep up with our family.

Second, I am only a week and few days away from my second trimester with this new baby. Things have been rough with sickness and Mark has been such a blessing. Bless him for being willing to cook. In the last 5 1/2 weeks I have only prepared dinner 3 times. Smells are still hard for me but praying that as the 2nd trimester approaches I will be doing better. I am so thankful for all who have been praying for me and the baby during this time. Believe me there are times in my daily routine that I feel them and have peace that the Lord hears you and gives me peace.

Taylor and Hunter are working hard on their homeschooling and are just about to finish up their 1st 9 weeks. They are both doing well despite the new arrangements. It can be challenging at times but thankful that at least one out of the two really enjoys school and keeping up with their studies and work. (I will not say any names but sure that you can determine who I am talking about).. :) Josiah well he is a ham just as normal. He is such a people person and just loves to talk. He is picking up a good amount of Spanish and really understands alot more than he can speak. It is amazing how much they absorb at this age. He is just the sweetest. He truly has a loving and compassionate heart and I know that God has big things for him.

Well, here in Costa Rica we have had a ton of rain...so much rain in fact that it has rained for 36 hours straight. Due to all of this rain we have had floods beyond belief. Our area has not been filled with the rushing waters but areas very close to us have not been so lucky. So far, there are more than 20 dead many missing and more than 1,400 living in shelters. Many have lost all that they owned. Today was so bad that there was no school for children or high school and college students. We were told that more than 750,000 people including ourselves were without water. Mark and the boys made a mad rush to a local store to buy water while Taylor and I ventured to Price mart (similar to SAM'S Club). Mark was only able to buy 15 20 oz bottles of water. Taylor and I were able to buy almost 7 gallons plus a 24 pack of 20 oz bottles. We were afraid for the worst. Not knowing when in fact we would get water again but at the same time we did not want to buy it all for fear that someone might not have the opportunity to purchase any at all. When we returned home we realized that the Tico lady who helps us with our chores and cooks lunch for us 2 days a week did not have water our hearts were heavy. We knew that not would she not have water....but she would not even have the extra money needed to purchase what she would need. Mark filled her bag with bottles...we could not give her as many as we would have liked because she has to travel by bus and she had a long hike to the bus stop. She did say something to Mark about the days events though....that had us both thinking.....she said..(and she is a believer)..I think that this is it....what they talk about in Revelations...the end of times. While yes, she has a point....today might not be the day the Lord comes back...but he is making it known that it is not far away.    You know we can prepare all we want for hurricanes, tornados and earthquakes and such....But are we prepared for what Revelations has to say about the end of times. Do we treat everyday like it could be our last or do we take for granted that the Lord will allow us to wake up and take in a deep breath in the morning. Have we made a witness of ourselves for the cause of Christ? Just like today we prepared ourselves for not having water......are we prepared for the day God makes his return? This is not only to our readers but for total reflection myself included. I want to know that I am doing all I can for the days to come....not just looking at the side...well, I can do it tomorrow. To survive the storms of life, we must be anchored to the Rock of Ages.

The primary reason for living in this world is to reflect the likeness of Christ.