We met Fred and Millie in 2001. They were some of the first people to come to the church in Ball Ground after we moved from the old building and into a store front. Little did we know at the time just how much they would mean to us. Over the years we have cried together. Talked together. Laughed together.

It was hard for us to say goodbye to them when it was time to stop pastoring the church in order to raise support to be missionaries. We always knew, though, that we had a place to go back to if ever we were in Ball Ground. They became great cheerleaders for us. Great partners. Great prayer warriors on our behalf. That meant a lot to us because for years they had been not only tremendous friends, but also a source of great inspiriation.

Among other things, Fred suffered from Alzheimers. I say suffered, but that doesn´t seem fair. He never seemed let it get him down. He would be frustrated when he couldn´t find the right words. He would have times of sadness because he knew what was happening to him and that he could do nothing to stop it. But suffer seems to be the wrong word. No matter what he was going through, he still greeted us with a smile, often asking me, “How´s it going, big guy?” As the years progressed, we gained more and more insight into his younger life as he regressed backwards. I think that for most of the time we knew him, I was his pastor (an honor I cherish), but over the years there were times when I think I was a friend from his army days. I don´t know who else I may have been…

Millie was always there by his side. Solid. Helping. Loving. Caring for him. She always told us this was not the way she would have prefered, but “if you can´t have what you want, you´d better want what you have.” She made the best of it. It was hard, but she wanted to be there as much as she could for him. She understood better than any of us what was happening to Fred, and she let us in on what we needed to know. Regardless what the disease did, she wanted to have Fred as long as she could.

This morning she said goodbye to him. Among his last words to her were “Are you ready? We´re going together.” She said something like, “I don´t know if we´re going together…” They held hands. They embraced. She helped him to go home peacefully and easily.

As I write this, I thought the tears were gone, but there they go again, welling up. This is a bitter sweet moment. As a dear friend, I going to miss him. As a Christian, I know he´s at peace. I can only imagine the stories he´s telling now!

God bless you.

Audra was shopping today at the local grocery store, getting some of the staples we need for week. Becuase the weather is hot, she was dressed comfortably in capris, short sleeved shirt and crocs (thos plastic sandal like things). Standing in the checkout line, she felt something tickle her foot. Without thinking she wiggled her toes and looked down just in time to see a large cockroach crawling out of her shoe. It had just crawled in and was now leaving.

Oh, the joys of life.

We just closed the gate behind some good friends who came over for Bible Study in Spanish about what the Bible says concerning faith and good works. It´s a good stretch of our vocabulary and our ability to use the language. The study is taught by a fellow student who is very good at learning languages and can speak not only fluidly, but also with precision. Someday, we will get there ourselves…

One of the traditions of cafecitos (that is, afternoon coffee) here in Costa Rica is a food called Chorreadas. It is basicly a corn pancake and is very easy to make, so I thought I´d share the recipe with you to try at home.

Chorreadas
2 cups corn kernals (if from a can, drain first)
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 TBS butter
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla

Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend until well mixed. The batter should be thin, but if you think it is too thin, add a bit more flour to get it to the consistency you prefer. Put a bit in a hot frying pan, and with the back of a spoon, spread it out a bit until it is somewhat thin. Fry until the top starts looking dry. Flip over and cook a short time. Serve immediately. It is very good plain, but even better if topped with a little bit of sour cream.

If you try it, please let us know what you thought!

Be blessed in all you do!

The start of the rainy season has coincided exactly with the start of classes this trimester. I´m not saying it´s a bad thing. In fact, I for one am glad the rain is coming back becuase it cools down the hot sun of the mornings. The clouds roll in about noon and by one o´clock (the time class lets out for us) the first drops begin to fall. We got used to this system last fall and summer (er, I guess it was winter here) when we arrived. The difference this time is the thunder and lightening that comes along with it. I told a new student that it will taper off as the year progresses. I hope I´m remembering right that we didn´t really have much flashing and booming going on when we got here…

Be blessed in all you do.