CONGRATULATIONS TO US!

We wanted to send an announcement to all our friends and family to let you all know that we are going to be grandparents ... AGAIN!

Over the last few days we have received phone calls from both our daughters-in-law, that they are expecting!

Ryan and Meghaan are due September 30th and Christopher and Cynthia are due October 10!

Katie is very excited to be an aunt again. We ask you to keep our family in prayer. We are G-R-O-W-I-N-G!

Trip to David, Panama

Debbie and I just returned from a 4-day "visa trip" to David, Panama. Since we have tourist visas during our stay in Costa Rica, we are required to leave the country every 90 days in order to renew our visas. It is a 10-hour bus trip to the
"frontera" (border) and then on to the city of David. The bus was full with about 45 missionaries and their children. We did have a great time together. We stayed at a nice hotel, did some shopping (the prices for EVERYTHING are so-o-o-o inexpensive there - especially compared to the prices in Costa Rica). We enjoyed walking through downtown David - relaxing by the pool, reading and just spending time with our missionary friends. One of the highlights of the trip was for us all to get together at the TGI Friday's in David. Great food and wonderful fellowship. (During our visa trip in November 2008, we all shared our Thanksgiving meal at the same Friday's!) We will surely miss the camaraderie when we leave CINCEL!

Poasito Earthquake Pictures

A 6.2 earthquake struck Costa Rica on January 8. Several missionaries and one of our professors from CINCEL (our language school in San Jose) traveled to Poasito, a community near the epicenter to distribute new clothing and coats. The town is in the mountains and it has been unusually there cold in the days following the earthquake. It was so sad to see the devastation of the homes and the conditions the people are living in.

Members of our team surveying some of the damage

A home hanging over the edge of a hillslide.

The home where a 1 1/2 year old girl was killed

Members of our group distributing clothing

A little boy in Poasito with a new coat