Tico Tuesday, November 19

I am home from the States safe and sound. I thought it was going to be an exhausting trip, but it turned out the only real exhaustion was from the marathon I ran on Saturday. I finished in 3:59:52--almost 10 minutes faster than the one I ran in September thanks to cooler temps, pace runners, and lots of enthusiastic spectators. (That should really be a blog post in and of itself, but I doubt I'll have time for that before Christmas. Maybe I can get some pics on facebook one of these days?)
Other than that, the trip turned out to be quite refreshing. Along with a wonderful time at seminary the first week, I was able to see some friends I've known for a few years, make some really cool new ones, share at a supporting church, and see a number of other supporters and family members (and meet the adorable son of one of my cousins!). I put 769 miles on my rental car in one week.

One of my pretty cousins, her nephew, and me

I guess maybe I did need a little "break" from life here. I'd been burning the candle at both ends and eating a lot of oatmeal (the easiest, fastest hot meal to prepare). It was nice to not feel guilty for not cooking for a couple weeks! And it was really nice to get spoiled a little in other ways too: getting to take a bath for the first time since I can't remember, sharing wonderful conversation with my aunt as we kayaked on the lake, drinking super-yummy apple cider, going shopping and not having to pay an arm and a leg for quality things, sleeping in big fluffy beds, getting to sing show tunes and hymns around a real piano, etc. Have I mentioned yet how much I enjoyed getting to see beautiful fall colors?
Please keep praying for me as I make this final push to finish the semester well. Pray for the kids at the Bible Home too. This is an anxious time of year for pretty much all of them. The kids that know they are going home to stay at the end of the year stress and get all anxious, but so do the ones who will come back in January. House parents and the rest of the staff is often tired and yearning for vacation to come in December. Pray for all of us to finish the year well.  And in all we do, may we all do it as unto the Lord, for his glory, and not for ourselves or anyone else.
Sending you warm greetings and love from Costa Rica,
Carrie