Rest

I am very thankful that God placed it into His plan the concept of REST! For many years after Arnold and I were married, I thought there was something really wrong with me because I could never keep up with him. When I thought about taking a nap, he was ready to go for a run. Well, after a few years, I realized that there was nothing wrong with me, it was him that had the problem. Although it was a great problem to have!
I am so thankful to the Lord for my sleep, for my cat naps, for falling asleep on the sofa during a movie and for my naps lulled to sleep by rain drops. I am also especially thankful for the very rare weekend that we have absolutely nothing to do. You know the kind of Saturday that all you have to do is laze around in your pj's all morning, you don't brush your hair or even look in the mirror until after lunch.
Well, that unfortunately isn't the kind of weekend we are going to have. It is filled, beginning this afernoon with a seminar with a couple from the IMB starting at 4:00 until sometime tomorrow (with a sleep break in the middle I am sure, praise the Lord). Anyway, we hope to be done in time to have a party tomorrow night to witness LSU head to victory with another friend who happens to be a Louisiana native and an LSU alumni. (I am sure I will be getting another visit from my neighbors telling me to quit yelling! HA!)
So although I can't lounge around in my pjs tomorrow morning...I just wanted to praise the Lord that there are days that I can. Thank you Father for the precious gift of rest.

His.
Susie

A Baby's Rash

I mean a rash of babies. There are quite of few pregnant ladies at the school (and one that's not anymore). The Innes family had Micaiah, a cute little boy. Last Saturday was his Baby Shower. Susie made "Baby Bootie" cakes (the shoe). They turned out very well.

Birthdays and Anniversaries

Today is mom's birthday. Shhhh, she's 61. If you get a chance call her and wish her well...or do it right here.

It's also the 20th anniversary year of the Cinderella run to the Final Four by LSU under Dale Brown, they celebrated with another Final Four run tonight!

A Davis quote after the game: "We got tapeworms. We still hungry".

Not so Hazardous after all

So Duke wasn't so bad after all. Congrats to LSU for a well earned win. LSU has advanced to the Final Eight for the first time in 19 years.

I love an Underdog Victory.

Want the good news.....or the bad news?

Great news!!! We recieved our documents that we have been waiting on for our student visas!!! Our IMB regional leader was in town this weekend and personally delivered it to our house. When we got to school today to drop it off to the office personel who submits it to the Costa Rican government, we got a great big surprise. Friday, the government denied all of the visas that she had submitted and stated that each of us needs a copy of our marriage licenses. This means that the license has to go through the whole process of being authenicated by the State of Louisiana, authenticated by Condoleeza Rica in Washington, being authenicated by the Costa Rican Consulate and then sent here to hopefully complete our visa application. We have been informed that since we have begun the process that we have an extra 30 day grace period, which means we won't have to leave the country for another month or so. Please be in prayer for those in charge of the documents, that they will handle these documents in a rapid fashion. Please do not only pray for ours but for all of the missionaries here that are trying to obtain their visas. Please also be in prayer for the leaders here, that their hearts will be softened to allow us to gain approval.
God Bless. Miss you all!
His.
Susie

The Dukes of Hazard / March Madness

Well they did it. LSU squeaked by A&M to join the Sweet 16 for the first time in 6 years. There's one problem and it's hazardous. We play number 1 ranked Duke on Thursday.

We're missing March Madness in Baton Rouge and not just for the Basketeball. Yesterday was the annual St. Patrick's Day parade. What makes it special is that the parade passed by my grandmother's house and the event has turned into a huge family reunion, drawing family from as far away as Texas (west) and Florida (East). Yesterday, we had a play-by-play. My mom called us and described every float, every band as it passed, and the goodies that each person was catching. As she did, we played the slide show from past parades on the parade web site. Pretty cool, huh? BTW, the bottom screen is the TV...on it you can see the ongoing phone call with my mom. We plugged her into the TV so everyone could walk around while still hearing the parade. Can't wait for the pics Carrie.

A day in the life of Susie

Everyone, I figured that I would take you guys to school with me today and introduce you all to mis amigos y mis maestros. The large class with all the intelligent looking spanish speakers is my Grammer Class. The hombre in the blue shirt on the first row is my teacher, Oscar. I have him for 2 hours. He is pretty easy to understand but we are getting into some pretty hard stuff right now. The Guy pointing at the chalkboard is my Fonetica teacher, Harold. He and his wife just had a baby last week. What can I say about Fonetica except I stink...we say alot of things that sound like a-blah-bla etc. It actually is really helping us pronounce things correctly. The lady in orange is Rita, my conversation teacher and the guy with her is Micheal (aka Miguel) He, my friend Beth and I get into alot of trouble because we laugh ALOT!!! Especially when we aren't suppose to. All we do in conversation is, well, talk....in spanish and laugh. And there is a pic of me at my desk in grammer just to prove that I am actually in school. As hard as it may seem to believe. Thanks for coming along with me. Miss you all and wish you were here.

HALLELUJAHHHHH!!!

Praise the Lord! We just recieved word that the IMB has all of our paperwork for our visas back from the Costa Rican Consulate! It is wonderful timing because our Regional Leader from the IMB is coming to Costa Rica on Saturday and will hand deliver the paperwork to us. We still have to have the visa approved by the government here, but as long as our paperwork is in the process of being approved, we WILL NOT have to leave the country! Thank you for all of your prayers in this. Please continue to pray that we recieve approval! Our 90 days will be up on April 3rd so time is drawing near. Praise the Lord!
We will update you when we have our visa!

His.
Susie

Dishwasher

When Patrick started kindergarten, I went back to work. Arnold and I talked about what I was gonna do with my very first paycheck. I decided that I really wanted a good dishwasher. So Arnold researched it and I spent more than I thought I would but I ended up with a stainless steel Kitchen-aid dishwasher with all the bells and whistles. This was one thing that I knew I would miss when I sold my house. And becoming a missionary, I was pretty sure that I would not have one waiting for me when I got to my new house. Surprisingly enough, dishwashing time has become one of my most favorite times of day. From my sink, I can see out my back wall (there is no wall on the back, only a screen) and after dinner, I witness the most spetacular sunsets every night over the mountain tops. I always call Arnold & whatever kid is near to witness the ever changing masterpiece. What a blessing. I don't even miss my dishwasher. So, be careful what you hold onto, the Lord may have something wonderful in store for you if you just let go.

Safety in Numbers

Well, in the number 17,400, there is plenty of safety. That is the number of persons receiving Chirst at the Luis Palau Festival this weekend in San Jose. It was a fun, but tiring weekend of work from 9am to late afternoon, but worth the efforts of the more than 18,000 workers that helped at the festival. Over 200,000 attended the festival, with over 400,000 total ministered to during the whole week. Thank you Lord for letting us be a small part of what you are doing in Costa Rica while we are here. Pray for the follow-up.

Click Here for the whole story.

Fabulous Foto

I love taking pics. I love taking pictures of children and really fancy black and white photos. Well, my hubby, or better known in Costa Rica as Arnoldo, surprised me and took the fabulous photo above during our mission trip to San Carlos. (He said that Alisha really didn't want to look down) but WOW! I am amazed and so impressed and I might add that I am really jealous that I was not the photograher. Just wanted to share this beautiful pic with my dear friends! Enjoy! WOW!

His.
Susie

Citywide Gospel Revival

Worldwide known evangelist Luis Palau is holding a HUGE outdoor revival this weekend. It began last night and will be all day today. It is being held at a large park about 3 miles away from our home. Tons of Latin Christian Music Artists will be performing alongside Mr. Palau's teaching. They have medical clinics, areas for the kids etc. It is a very big event. They are expecting up tp 200,000 people. Our school (it is a christian language school) is involved in helping in many ways. Arnold has been on traffic and parking patrol. (If people thought he looked like a tico before, he certainly does now with his bronzed face) The kids and I will walk there today around lunchtime to see Arnold for lunch and then partake in the activities. Please be in prayer for today....that hearts will be softened and that souls will be reached and that we can truly be the hands and feet of Jesus to this part of the world.

GIVE ME AN A!

YEAHHH! My children just recieved their first report cards in a different country and each one of them made all A's. Please continue to pray for thier progess and their adjustment. Good job kids! Mom and Dad are so proud of all of your hard work!!! Now if Mom and Dad can pull off all A's on their report card! The pressure is on!

Note to self.....don't leave a note!

A few weeks ago, I left our empleada, Carlotta a note that we would like to have fried chicken for dinner. Anixously anticipating pollo frito, I walked into the kitchen where there was NO fried chicken. I figured I had either wrote something wrong or maybe she didn't know how to cook pollo frito. I never confronted her because it really wasn't a big deal, I was just craving it. Well, Tuesday night we had a call informing us that the electricity in all of San Francisco De Dos Rios would be off during the day from 7:30 am until 3:00 pm on Wednesday. So deciding not to rely upon my poor spanish to write Carlotta a note, I typed my message into Babel Fish online for a quick and accurate translation. I left the message for her that there would be no power, which meant our water wouldn't work either. I told her not to cook anything for dinner and that the power would be off. I also let her know that I had left her water in her buckets for cleaning. When I returned home, Carlotta informed us that the electricity had only gone off for a brief time. She also informed me that she could not understand even ONE thing that I had written. After a 20 minute discusion concerning the correct way to write it, we realized that not only had she not understood that the electricity would be off, but that she also didn't realize that we didn't need dinner cooked. We were surprised that she had dinner cooked but even more surprised at how much she had cooked. We had a large pot of red beans, a rice cooker full of rice, A pot full of spaghetti, mashed potatoes and homemade tortillas. She feeds us well and is a great cook! Guess I won't bother leaving a note next time.

The B-I-B-L-E (S)

For the second day in a row we have news of a special delivery! Our dear friends Guy & Harvine were so sweet and fulfilled a huge need that we have encountered here in Costa Rica. While packing our luggage, we were pressed for weight so we made the decision to bring our english study bibles and one bi-lingual Bible, thinking that we would buy 4 more when we arrived here. When we arrived, we were surprised to have dificulty finding any bi-lingual Bibles. Guy & Harvine found out about our struggle and went on a search for some for us. We just recieved 4 brand new bi-lingual bibles. It will help out so much in our studies, in our classes at church and in witnessing to the lost. That means so much to us! Thank you so much! God Bless you!

His,
Susie

Surprise, Surprise

What an exciting day! On our break, I went to the mailroom and found a small slip of paper addressed to me. It was a notice saying that I had a package at the post office. I was so excited that I wanted to skip the rest of school (which it wouldn't take much to make me want to do that). So, I anxiously awaited our trip to the post office. After school, Arnold and I hiked to the post office and picked up a package from my sweet friend Cynthia and her family. On the way home we decided it was a good idea to wait until the kids got home to open it. Boy was that hard, kinda like Christmas. When they finally got home and we were able to open it, it was so much fun. There were all kinds of goodies in there....peanut butter! Kraft Mac & Cheese, Chilli mix, Crunch & Munch, SWIFFER Dusters (I am so exicted!) Mechanical Pencils and lead (Arnold's exact favorite kind of pencil & he was needing them so bad) Plastic Hearts with Candy for the kids and notepads. That was such a sweet and thoughtful gift. It made our day just to know you were thinking of us! Thank you my Symphony for everything. It really made our day!
I love you and miss you!
His,
Susie

Hands-n-feet to San Carlos

A group of 49 language students went on the mission trip to San Carlos. It was a beautiful 3-4 hour drive around and through lush green mountains and valleys. At one point it looked like we were utterly at the end of the earth. It was an amazing moment as I was looking out thinking that we were allowed the great honor to witness His love being spread to the ends of the earth.

We arrived late on Friday night and stayed at a camp for volunteer missionary teams. We all had specific jobs but all knew to be VERY Flexible. One crew left early to pour concrete and two other crews went different ways to paint. Before leaving for VBS, all of our team picked up paint brushes and rollers and got to work painting a new building at the camp. When we arrived at our VBS sight, about 85 children were waiting grinning ear to ear. We sang, worshipped, played games and took their picture for a picture frame that they had made to take home. Everything went very well, except during the game time. (which I was in charge of) One of the little boys was jumping rope and fell and he broke his hand and his elbow. Praise the Lord that our cement crew was across the street and was able to help. The little boy, named Victor, went to the ER in an ambulance and was back before we left. As we drove away, he was waving and smiling ear to ear. It was a nice trip but I wish that we would have had more time with the children. Maybe we will be able to go back next tri-mester. After our jobs were complete, we were brought to some natural hot springs (hot tubs) for about 1 1/2 hours then we went to dinner. Arnold an I both had fish. It was delicious. It made for a relaxing evening. Please pray for these children in San Carlos, that they may know the Maker of heaven and earth and that they may call on His name to be saved. Here are a few pics just click on slide show

San Carlos Trip

Just a quick word: We are back from San Carlos Safely. We are so tired, but promise an update tomorrow.

Here are a few pics

Mission to San Carlos

Our family will be leaving today at 3:30 pm to go on a mission trip this weekend to San Carlos. It is about 3 to 4 hours away. Arnold and Ben will be working with construction and Alisha, Patrick and I will be helping with a Vacation Bible School. Please pray for our safe journey and especially for the Lord to be glorified in all that we do. Please pray that although there will still be communication issues, that each person see the love of Jesus through us. We love you all and appreciate your prayers and encouragment.
God Bless you all!

His,
Susie

???VISA???

Hey Everyone, We need your prayers. Before we left Virginia, we were told that Costa Rica had changed their regulations for obtaining a student visa. So all of us coming here, had to scurry around and order documents and police reports and have them notorized and sent to our states for authentication and then to the US for authentication and then to the Costa Rican Consulate for whatever they had to do and then they are suppose to come here to complete the process. Well, we had everything that we could do, in place before we left the states but there seems to be a delay in processing. You see the problem is that we are not suppose to be able to remain in this country over 90 days without leaving. As the days fly by, we are becoming more aware that this is a real possiblility. We would have to ride on a bus for 13 hours to Panama or Nicaragua and stay out of the country for at least 3 days. We could view this as a potential get away for the family and if it comes down to it and we have to, then that is what we will make of it....but we really need to stay put and study if possible. Please pray for the Lord's will to be done in this situation and that whoever has their hands on our documents at this time is very efficent and sends it through quickly. God Bless you all and we love you bunches!

No thanks, I don't drink.

I was in a rush for school last week, but knew it was my day of the Spiritual Emphasis week to pray in Spanish, so I turned to my new best friend: Babelfish. It has been great for most things, so I typed in my prayer in English, wrote the Spanish version down and bolted out the door.

...well it's a good thing I review my prayer before class because I wanted to say:

"Lord send your Holy Spirit during this week of Spiritual Emphasis."

what I would have said was:

"El señor envía su alcohol santo durante esta semana del énfasis espiritual."

That's right, I would have asked God to send His Holy Alcohol!!!!!!!