Today, a little after noon, we will board a plane here in San Jose that will take us away from a country that we have called home for over a year now. We have, in the mean time, acquired a better understanding and grasp of the Spanish language and, hopefully, an ability to share the good news of Jesus Christ.
There have been sorrows and joys, frustrations and blessings, hellos and goodbyes, tears and laughter, humiliation and success (in learning Spanish). But, especially, there has been growth in discovering how good and faithful our God is. He has provided for every need (using many of you) and loved us and nurtured us through a challenging year.
It has been a blessing not only to attend, but also to serve the school here. Tony served as chaplain one trimester and as student council president another. Beverly, in addition to studying, has been part of a women's Bible study group, served as cashier for the student council and as a friend and mentor to many. We have had challenges in learning a language that really likes to do strange and mysterious things with verbs and pronouns, but I think we are at a place where we can talk with people here in Latin America with some degree of dignity and something beyond a kindergarten level of communication.
We are thankful for the school and individuals such as Julie Chamberlain, director and Graziela Arguedas, academic director, as well as our teachers, Ana Silvia, Dixiana, Eugenia, Laura, Maritza, Marlene, Oscar, Patricia, Sandra and Tahiri. We appreciate the staff here as well who have been an encouragement and blessing to us. Finally, we have made lifetime friends who are going to all the world to share the good news of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We love and will miss you all.
And now it's on to Mexico - the goal and purpose of all of this. There are more friends and more challenges ahead for us and there is and always will be the same God over all of our experiences. It is such an adventure just to be obedient and watch God work. (You don't have to be a missionary, by the way, to experience that.) It is always worth the sacrifice and hardship to experience the blessing of saying yes to God's will.
Thank you again and again, to all of you who lift us up in prayer and with your support. We love you all!
Tony and Beverly
