Tico Tuesday, October 28th

I just got a massage, which was ridiculously good...and cheap! ($30 for a whole hour of massaging!) But, I can't really write a whole Tico Tuesday on that. So, before I melt into sleep I will tell you about the family excursion we had with the Bible Home on Sunday. Some 250 people: including the children and their families at the Bible Home, house families, and various other staff members all gathered together at the place where we went to for camp with the kids earlier this year.

Several of my girls did a great job in the dance they choreographed and presented for everyone, we had a time of worship, pool time, games, and of course, lunch and coffee break. It was a fun day and I loved watching the kids with their parents. It broke my heart to see some parents so impatient and irresponsible with their children,while it warmed my heart to see others being so loving with their children and really enjoying their time together. The end of the day was really sad to see one boy sobbing as he had to say good bye to his mom and her eyes filling with tears as she tried to comfort him. I sat next to him on the bus home and tried to help distract him, but driving by the airport did the trick. We were on the road that goes by the foot of the runway and a plane was taking off so we paused to watch it. Of course, we were on the far side of the road and another bus had the same brilliant idea of stopping, so it did, obstructing our view of the plane completely, but we still got to see it as it went over us. I never realized how fascinating flying was to kids before I started serving at the Bible Home. But seriously, people just come down to the airport to watch planes take off and land and they love it! Flying is something that seems so common to me, but to these kids it is just a dream. Interesting to think about...
May God open our eyes to the gifts he has given us and keep us from taking anything for granted!
Carrie

Tico Tuesday, October 21st

I was going to write to you about my trip to the beach this weekend, but today there were two activities at the Bible Home that are much more worth writing about! We're in the middle of a big campaign about being Guardians of Treasures. The treasures include ourselves, our rights and responsibilities, practicing virtues, self-care and proteccion and many more. Today the children went on a treasure hunt all over the Bible Home and each grade at school ended up with a box with chocolates, treasure-related stickers, and a promise for a prize for their class next week. It was a lot of fun to watch them search for clues, sing the song about protecting themselves, and find and dig up their treasures!

Then in the afternoon we had a visit from several missionaries with a ministry called OneBody. They make these booklets with daily readings. Over the course of the year we are reading the whole New Testament! Today they (including Koreans living in Honduras, Panama, Costa Rica and Korea and I think a couple other countries) came to do a review game at the Bible Home. They had asked our kids to memorize 14 verses from Proverbs 10 in 2 weeks. I was blown away at how well the children had learned these verses! I am so proud of them! The activity was a lot of fun-the kids were really enthusiastic and I think their knowledge blew our visitors away!
Thanks be to God for all the treasures He gives, especially those we find in His Word!
Love,
Carrie

Tico Tuesday, October 14th

Another Missions Day at AWANA at the Bible Home has come and gone. Last year I was in the States recovering from a marathon, so, it was good to be back for it.

 The stands we set up were more impressive than ever. The Nordics had an amazing boat they made of cardboard, a little house and a Christmas tree forest. The Japanese had a handmade cherry tree, a bamboo shelter and a real sushi chef, the Danes from Greenland had a huge block of ice the children had to walk on barefoot, and in Fiji we had sand and water. I don't think I will ever assimilate the cultural value that Ticos place on physical appearances. It is so not me. But having such impressive stands is fun and our enthusiasm gets the kids excited and helps them learn about the need for Jesus all around the world... I guess I just kind of have this thing for missions. ;-) jajajaja. It was a great day, the kids all learned a ton, and it was a lot of fun! Oh, and during manual time, my boy wants me to make up a song for almost every verse now (did I tell you I made up a song for him for 1 Thessalonians 4:17 since it was so long and complicated?) So, now John 1:12 has a song, and thankfully I already knew one in Spanish for Psalm 119:105. And, I have now pulled a tooth out of a mouth that was not my own. My kiddo had one that was super loose, so I offered to pull it (so we could get on with the Scripture memorization). He accepted without any further convincing, and it came right out, no problem. I felt like I took another step into adulthood...or something like that. ;-) I do pretty much anything I can for my kiddos!
Thank you again for your constant prayers and support! God uses you to bless and sustain me here! God's blessing, peace, and joy be with you,
Carrie

Tico Tuesday, October 7th

It's over! This year's Bible Bee has come and gone. I didn't tell you much about the prep since I've been so excited with about Mujeres Ejemplares, but there was a lot that went into this year's Bible Bee! This year, we separated the pre-k kids through the first graders and did a totally separate activity for them while the rest of the kids went from game to game, cheering hard and showing how much they've learned in their daily devotions over the course of the year.

 Thanks be to God, it went really well! This year our theme was "Jesus is my Lifesaver" (oceanwise, not candywise), so all the teams were different kinds of shells and sea creatures. It was just great! Before the Bible Bee, kids were reciting the verses they had to memorize to me and I was incredibly proud of them. They all appeared to have a wonderful time. One game was a ring toss, and of everyone on the team, the little second grade girl landed both rings on a bottle every time she had a turn! I think my favorite was the one pictured here though. The kids had to put on the flippers, swim ring, and goggles as the made their way around the room and then answer the question with all the gear on. It was really funny! The kids did great, and the house moms outdid themselves with making pom-poms, arm bands, masks, head bands, and other random things to identify their team. The activity with the little kids went too, though it was a bit hard and it was the first time we'd done anything like it. At least I learned from it! Even though this was my third time coordinating the Bible Bee, I am still learning a lot about coordinating, communication, and working with others. This year I didn't get near as stressed as I have in the past though. That was a real gift! Thank you so much for continuing to pray for me. I really need it! I have come a long way, but I can see I still have so much farther to go! God's grace is indeed amazing.
God's grace, peace, and joy be with you this week!
Carrie