Relationships
Dennis chaperoned 13 teen age surfer boys to a surf contest on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica. The county office donated a 15 passenger van and a driver, plus the entrance fees for 14 contestants to surf the national circuit contest in Limon, Costa Rica. It is an 8 hour drive so Kyle and the kids opted out of going to this contest, so it was just Dennis and the boys! Between heats and painting mustaches on anyone who fell asleep Dennis said it was the best bonding time he has had with all of them. He had been worried that once they arrived in Limon it would be hard to keep the group together as there would be lots of their other friends and temptations, but they formed an inseparable pack. The kids did great in the contest although they were late the second day and some of them missed their heats. More importantly though, they all had great attitudes, helped out and were respectful and thankful. They can not wait for the next trip!
Be and make Disciples of Christ
Please pray for the high school students from Parrita that attend our group as they are Pura Vida’s evangelists in the high school. We start our bible studies this coming month and it is up to these kids to bring their friends. We have gotten to know many of their friends already as they have come in to see the surf shop, but it is one thing to bring a friend to a surf shop and quite another to bring them to a bible study. To prepare our youth for this task Dennis just finished a series on evangelism. Reminding them to love without an agenda; be respectful; earn the right to be heard; have a passion for the lost and to pray without ceasing. We can not wait to see the fruits that grow on their vines!
Be a blessing to the community
Mardi Gras Esterillos: Fun for the whole family! The ex-pat community in Esterillos does not need an excuse to have a party, but they initiated an annual Marti Gras day anyway. With a parade, face painting, live music, street vendors and games for the kids it is a very fun event with proceeds going to benefit the local school. Pura Vida was present in the Parade as the official street sweeper. We decorated the car with trash and had the kids run around picking up trash behind the car as it moved along the parade route. They cleaned more than half the streets of Esterillos and filled two huge trash cans!
Depend on the Holy Spirit
Sometimes it seems like there are so many needs that we will not be able to stay ahead of them, but God always provides! We thank you all for your continued prayers and financial support but with the addition of “the boys” to our family we see miracles monthly in terms of money: Anthony was going to a private school which was being paid for by the family that he was living with previously. When he moved in with us they stopped paying his tuition, but we did not know. When Dennis went to register him at the public high school for this year they needed his transcripts from the previous school but when Dennis went to get his transcripts from the private school we found out about the debt and they would not release his transcripts until it was paid. We were in a bind. We did not have an extra $700, but the school worked out a payment plan and they did not even require us to put our car on the papers as collateral!
Prayer requests:
– family time/boundaries (saying no to good stuff)
– citizenship and residency issues
– errands in San Jose this month
– safety and health
– breaking of cultural patterns that excuse immorality
Family Notes:
Selah: Has five teeth, is crawling and is developing quite a strong personality!
Elias: Loves kinder, he wanted us to drop him off at the gate on the first day! He is friends with everyone and is learning to draw beautiful pictures and count!
Kyle: Is baking up a storm. A friend gave us an old oven that they did not use anymore and Kyle’s love of baking is blessing everyone’s tummies!
Dennis: Dennis is in peak surfing shape as he has lost some weight and has started to do some stretching.
Anthony: Has had many opportunities to develop himself as a professional, with training and sponsorship leads.
Josue: Is learning to be responsible for himself, he is starting to remember to bring his dishes in from his room, etc.