Vacation Bible School ~ Juan Pablo Style

The first mission team of the year did a three day VBS in Juan Pablo. The boys enjoyed participating.

Passing Out School Supplies

Shameless Plug

We have 27 kids coming by the team house tomorrow to pick up their school supplies and uniforms we have been busy collecting. These kids, by the Grace of God, have all been sponsored.

Pictured above are Woody and his sponsored child, Weyner. We welcome (and encourage!) anyone who wants to come and meet their child.

As I sit here planning for tomorrow, making a spreadsheet, comparing our records to make sure noone has been missed, I found myself looking at the pictures of the kids that have not been sponsored. I laid my head down and prayed for them, that God would provide. As I was praying I thought of my blog. This may have been my mind wandering, or it may have been the Holy Spirit whispering that if I am willing to blog about Freakishly Tall Scary Masked Puppet People, why not this?

The parents of Juan Pablo remember when Nick came by and took pictures for the sponsorship program. They have been asking Spencer and he has had to explain that WE are not personally sending all of Juan Pablo to school, that people like YOU in the states select a child to sponsor and fund it.



This ministry was born out of personal relationships with these kids, and mission teams coming down and wanting to help. It certainly wasn't something WE had planned when we moved. God's plans were different.

You can read more about it here.

Now, I know that God is sovereign, and I know that His provision this year will be exactly what He wants, but how awesome and how humbling that He chooses to use us.

Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory Ephesians 3:20-21a

Freakishly Tall Scary Masked Puppet People

We came across this sight near Central Park this week. It has something to do with the festivals honoring the Santo Cristo de Esquipulas, but I'm not quite sure how.

The children run around and taunt the Puppet People until they finally give chase and everyone runs down the street. All in good fun.

Ant Wars

Butterflies ~ Museo Nacional

Zebra Longwing

Julia Longwing

Gray Cracker

Fishing at the Farm

We spent a couple days at Duke and Candy's farm in South Georgia. The kids enjoyed fishing, everyone caught a catfish.

The boys were fascinated by their mini biology lesson as Duke cleaned and filleted the fish. We had fish for dinner and it was delicious!

888 Challenge

I read about the 888 Challenge today and thought it would be a great motivator for me to get to those books lurking in the back of my mind.

The idea is to come up with eight lists and include 8 books to read in each list during the year 2008.

My Lists:

Non-fiction - Family
1. Power of a Praying Parent by Omartian
2. The Fruit of Her Hands by Wilson
3. You Can't Make Me but I Can be Persuaded by Tobias
4. Peacemaking for Families by Sande
5. The Most Important Place on Earth by Wolgemuth
6. The Heart of Anger by Priolo
7. The Age of Opportunity by Tripp
8. Don't Make Me Count to Three by Plowman

Spiritual Growth
1. Starving Jesus by Gross
2. Quaker Summer by Sampson
3. Get Out of That Pit by Moore
4. Messy Spirituality by Yaconelli
5. The Ragamuffin Gospel by Manning
6. Soul Cravings by McManus
7. Jesus, the One and Only by Moore
8. The Prayer That Changes Everything by Omartian

Classics I Should Have Read a Long Time Ago
1. Pride and Prejudice by Austen
2. The Mysterious Stranger by Twain
3. Farewell to Arms by Hemingway
4. Animal Farm by Orwell
5. 1984 by Orwell
6. The Pearl by Steinbeck
7. The Yearling by Rawlings
8. Tom Sawyer by Twain

Banned Books
1. Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn by Twain
2. Farenheit 451 by Bradbury
3. Bridge to Terebithia by Paterson
4. Of Mice and Men by Steinbeck
5. The Giver by Lowry
6. My Brother Sam is Dead by Collier
7. All Quiet on the Western Front by Remarque
8. Mirandy and Brother Wind by McKissack

Newbery Winners
1. Johnny Tremain by Forbes
2. Rifles for Watie by Keith
3. The Slave Dancer by Fox
4. Number the Stars by Lowry
5. Jacob Have I Loved by Paterson
6. The Grey King by Cooper
7. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Taylor
8. Island of the Blue Dolphins by O'Dell

Young Adult Fiction
1.Stormbreaker by Harowitz
2. Daughter of Time by Tey
3. Byzantium by Lawhead
4. Court of the Stone Children by Cameron
5. Blue Ridge Billy by Lenski
6. Hitty: Her First Hundred Years by Field
7. Moccasin Trail by McGraw
8. Little Britches by Moody

Historical Fiction
1. Across Five Aprils by Hunt
2. Rebels of the Heavenly Kingdom by Paterson
3. Red Badge of Courage by Crane
4. Year of Impossible Goodbyes by Choi
5. Kiss the Dust by Laird
6. Under the Hawthorn Tree by Conlon-McKenna
7. Number the Stars by Lowry
8. Phoenix Rising by Hesse

Childhood Favorites
1. Little House in the Big Woods by Wilder
2. Winnie the Pooh by Milne
3. Alice in Wonderland by Carroll
4. Peter Pan by Barrie
5. Caddie Woodlawn by Brinks
6. Prince Caspian by Lewis
7. Ginger Pye by Estes
8. Runaway Ralph by Cleary

Monkeying Around

While staying in Quepos, Costa Rica we were able to enjoy a Monkey Tour Boat Ride. The Capuchin Monkeys came into the boat and would eat right out of your hand. It was hard to get clear pictures, though. The one above is the 'shot of the day'.

Spencer

Umm, Alix, you have a little something in your hair.

Seth

Thank you, Grandpa, for the great experience!

Leaf Frogs and Poison Dart Frogs

These are our frog pictures from our day at the Butterfly Farm in Jaco.

The Gaudy Leaf Frog, a worldwide symbol for Tropical Rainforests.



Barred Leaf Frog

Masked Tree Frog

Strawberry Dart Frog

Yellow Striped Dart Frog. I learned that when captive, these poison dart frogs are less poisonous. A diet of fire ants is thought to be what makes them deadly.

Green and Black Poison Dart Frog Our guide was telling us they can tell where they come from by which color is dominant, black or green. If I remember correctly, the black ones come from the Caribbean coast.

Now, if we could just see some in wild...