Update from Costa Rica

Hi everyone,
Sorry it's been so long between posts, but I've been busy with advanced Spanish grammar. Aye papa! Sunday was a really good day. I worshiped with the congregation at the Evangelical Methodist Church in Alajuela. The music was inspiring, the preaching was encouraging, and the people were very friendly. Afterward Emilio, Zoraida (my host family parents) and I went to lunch at Rosti-Pollo, one of my favorite Costa Rican restaurants. We then picked up another student flying in for a one-month intensive at the Institute. She is from Chile but has lived in the States for seven years and is starting to lose some of her Spanish, so she decided to do the one-month intensive to get back to full fluency. After dropping her off at her host family home, we came home and enjoyed a relaxing evening watching television and talking.

My fellow classmate David and I have really been pushing ourselves in grammar class, because we want to take full advantage of this great opportunity. The teachers at the Institute do a great job of explaining the advanced stuff and helping us work through a lot of examples. It is very taxing, but I'm thankful for the new learning. Hopefully it will pay off in the long run. I continually pray for God to grant me favor with my Spanish.

We have been without water in the house a couple days this week, as the city tries to repair a broken water main. We have also been without electricity a few times, but as is common in Costa Rica and Venezuela, you just learn to roll with the punches.

Nancy and Chris are in Jacksonville for a few days visiting with family. They plan to visit my mother in the rehabilitation center where she is staying right now while she does her physical therapy following knee replacement surgery. I know she will be thrilled to see Chris, as well as Nancy. As always, thanks for your continued prayers. Please keep praying especially for the funds we need to purchase the Seminary property in Venezuela. We need to raise about 300K in the next several months. We are trusting God to provide through God's generous people, and we would deeply appreciate your prayers and your gifts. This is an excellent piece of property with use-able buildings already on it, and we are very excited about the ministry that will take place there. Much Love, Dan