a machete and a sling shot!

It is amazing how simple the tools can be to do a job in a country other than America. The gardener took out a tree today with his machete and a tool he made. After taking out one branch, he found the part that looked like a slingshot, tied  rope to it and there you go, the tool he needed.

Denny and I have a funny story about taking a tree out at his parents house, Denny was up the tree with the electric chainsaw, Dad was holding the rope. This tree was huge. When the cantaloupe man came through yelling LOPES, get your lopes here, Dad dropped the rope and went shopping for lopes! Our 10 year old nephew was part of the spectating crowd so Denny yells for me and Michael to hold the rope. We were both under 90 pounds, the tree branch was absolutely huge. We still laugh about it till this day.

So today as the tree, not quite as large as Dad's came down I was thinking of this story in our history.

I wasn't quite sure why he left these tall shoots instead of making a stump. Denny said, trust him! He had something in mind. Later he appears with 2 air plants, nailed them into the tree and said there! That is beautiful! I agree! I have no idea where he walked to find them but I am glad he did!

..and the bday continues!

The fiesta started on Wednesday at CINCEL with the staff, on Denn's actual birthday I took him to a Mexican restaurant that was wonderful, but basically it was a quiet day. The next day we attended a field fellowship prayer retreat, then after that a missionary family asked us to stop by for a surprise. Their teenage daughter had made and decorated a birthday cake! precious! Then that evening friends from church took us to dinner to celebrate. This restaurant was way up in the mountains and the drive, the food, the fellowship was delightful!

Happy Birthday to my favorite man....

Denny's birthday is tomorrow. Since the teachers go on break tomorrow till September 1, they had a little fiesta for him today! Really special. Special staff, special boss! He told them that for his birthday they wouldn't have to come to work tomorrow. They really cheered for that, although that was already a given!

Graduation August 2014

Graduation is always special, no matter where it is, or no matter what school it is! CINCEL's is an event like few other. Missionaries come to CINCEL to learn the language and to learn a second culture. What always amazes us is that we greet these missionaries at the airport, get them settled into their apartment, their children into school, take them grocery shopping, hold their hands basically because they don't know the language yet, then they graduate and participate in the service in this new language of theirs. amazing! Their foundation in Spanish is well grounded and it is only up from here!

In December we decorate the chapel for Christmas, in April we decorate it for Easter. In August we have started a new tradition, we decorate it for Costa Rica! It truly was lovely and I feel honoring to our host country.

Our six missionary students are going to Mexico, El Salvador, Ecuador, and Guatemala.