home again!!

i'm realizing that it's been a long time since i've posted anything! that is probably a good indicator of how incredibly busy we have been! we are now halfway through the first trimester at Palabra de Vida, and that is hard to believe! time has gone so fast!! a lot, though, has happened! let's see . . . we have gotten pretty accustomed to the teaching life and all that comes with it (still learning new things every day, but we feel pretty comfortable in what we are doing), we got to attend the LAM retreat at the very beginning of March (bryan already wrote about it ages ago in his blog, but it was an encouraging, refreshing experience), bryan has begun coaching basketball for high school and elementary school (and somehow i got recruited to help with the latter), and we continue to help out at Guizaros (the mission for the underprivileged kids) and at church (bryan in the praise band). we are also getting to know our students better every day and look forward to opportunities to minister to them . . .


just this Sunday, we returned home from a retreat we went on with our 10th & 11th graders. it was a lot of fun & surprisingly very cold! here are some pictures so you can see some of the faces we see every day:

the whole group!
getting some food on the way there!

playing with ropes (the 4 girls in the middle are my students!!)

this was the most popular place all weekend!

praising God!

the girls serenading the boys (a big tradition here)

we all did lots of crazy, scary challenges, see bryan's blog for more!

brrrr!

me too, me too!!

one of my students cheering up Natalia with songs!
it was really foggy as we were driving out of the valley the camp was in!!

yes, it really was this bad!!

please continue to pray for:

- our relationships with the Lord and with each other

- our effectiveness as teachers and mentors

- the basketball program

- a possibility of a girls' bible study

- our hearts that miss family very much

thanks so much for your love and support!!

phew!!!

it's the weekend! things here have really changed - before, when we weren't teaching, we weren't sure which days were which . . . now, we are learning to look forward to weekends again! it has been a busy (to say the least) 3 weeks!!!

let's start with the staff retreat . . . it was a really great experience for us, because even though we had been around the school since november, we didn't know many people. we got to know a lot of the teachers and other staff members, played lots of initiative/team-building games, listened to lots of talks, and ate some excellent food. it was a fun time, but it's also safe to say we were exhausted by the time we were finished! here are some pictures from our time there:

(our first group skit/cheer . . . somehow I ended up in the air!)

(I haven't laughed so hard in a long, long time! we were trying to get a ball to come to the top of this tube with holes in it . . . the pressure was so much that inevitably a finger would move a little bit and the girl on my left, Vivi, would get squirted right in the face and I couldn't do anything about it!!! and I didn't even think about being on the bottom . . . I was soaked at the end of it . . .but it was a good time.)

(Bryan's group playing some balloon game - trying not to drop it, I assume?)


(trying so hard to listen & not fall asleep . . . it's even easier to space out when it's your second language!!!)

(playing some goofy game on Saturday night . . . Bryan's left arm, me, Kristin, Isaac, Alfredo, Ligia, and Eduardo)

last wednesday, the 7th, we started the school year. I of course, was pretty nervous to begin, but things have gone pretty well so far. the kids are a lot of fun, and we have been able to do some different activities in class that have allowed me to get to know them a little bit. bryan is A LOT busier than me, I don't even know how he's doing it . . . he's pretty much in class from 7:30 til 3:10 most days with a lunch and one period for a break . . .for some reason, that doesn't sound like a lot of work, but believe me, we are both wiped out by the end of the day (the HOTTTT weather might also have something to do with that). he is enjoying his classes though, too. here's a picture of us on the first day with two other english teachers, ashley & kristin:

we are also excited because we both have 10th & 11th graders, so we get to go with them for their annual retreat to Savegre, an adventure camp. they are a really great group of kids, so we are looking forward to another opportunity to get to know them better. here's a cute story: on valentine's day, the 11th graders (seniors here) were selling serenades, and they convinced bryan to buy me one. it was a really neat experience, the kids sang/played so well and were so cute . . . I wish I would've had a camera even though I know it's something I'll never forget!

so other than that, we haven't been doing much . . . somehow though, we have gotten involved in practically every music ministry there is available here . . . at church, at the Guizaros mission, now at school for chapel, and we've also been recruited to help out at the LAM retreat in March. it's a lot of fun, and we're excited about the opportunity, but we covet your prayers so that we don't get worn out from all of the practices added on to our already busy school schedule!!

(this is us playing in chapel last wednesday with gilberto on keyboard and johann on the drums)

bryan is also about to start up a basketball program in the high school. surprisingly, he has about 40 kids interested, so hopefully it turns out to be a success! some of my 11th grade girls also found out that I had been a cheerleader way back in the day and are trying to convince me to start a squad . . . i told them we'll have to see (it's been such a long time)!!

well, i should go, i'm actually thinking about making dinner for once . . . but thank you so much for your prayers & please continue to pray for us, specifically for:
- energy for planning, teaching, and other activities
- good health as we were both fighting little sicknesses for a while
- our students/classes, that they would grow in their english abilities & also in their faith
- our car, which has been having some small stalling issues
- our relationships with God & with each other, especially now that we are so busy
- our safety in all that we do
- our hearts that are still longing for home at times
- our nephew Jeremiah's 2nd birthday on Feb 24th!

goodnight!

is it really almost february??

i can't believe how quickly the time has gone! i feel like we were just celebrating Christmas, and now here we are, about to start the school year!! let's get y'all up to date:

we had a really nice Christmas here. it was of course hard to be away from family, but we enjoyed a simple holiday, got to talk to our families on our internet phone, spent some time with the Befus family, and watched fireworks go off all around us. what a difference in traditions . . .

a couple of mission teams came down from the states to help out with some projects on campus here. among the things they've done . . . torn down/rebuilt walls in the library, painted classrooms and desks, built shelves for the classrooms, painted a beautiful mural of the creation story down by the science rooms, and painted the tennis court and gym floor!! what a blessing they were! the school looks great and we had fun getting to know them a bit!

we started teaching an english intro class in january (for students whose english levels were not up to par). we met 5 days a week for 4 hours in the morning (for about 3 weeks). and did you know, it's really hard for seventh graders to pay attention for 4 hours, even with games and breaks?? haha, it was a good experience though, and the kids told us that they feel like they learned a lot. we just finished last wednesday & hope the students will be better prepared to start this new year.

speaking of the new school year, it begins next week, on february 7th. all teachers began on thursday with staff meetings. there are a lot of new teachers this year, and so far we have just been getting to know each other and listening to different talks on all different aspects of the school. tomorrow we are going on an overnight staff retreat, and then we're back on wednesday to really get into planning for the year. we also found out which classes we'll be teaching. we both managed to stay in the high school & are very excited about that . . . bryan will be teaching three level 2 classes & a level 5 class, while i will teach two level 4 classes. our friend kristin, who is another english teacher, will be taking levels 1 & 3. it should be a fun year! i of course am a little nervous to begin, but i am happy to have the classes that i do, and i know that God will help me get through it!! it's also a blessing for the school to know that the kids will have the same english teacher for at least a full year (many years, they've had 2-4 teacher changes). so all in all, it's shaping up to be an exciting year!

we've also had fun getting involved with the church that we've been attending. bryan joined one of the praise teams, and we've been meeting some other young couples from the area. i'm hoping that those will develop into some friendships for us :) on saturdays, we've also been helping out with the ministry across town that feeds and does a bible lesson for disadvantaged children. it's been a good experience, altogether humbling and enriching!

well, that's about all i have for now! we hope everyone has been enjoying this new year! thanks again for your support and prayers, they mean so much to us!! (check out our latest prayer requests using the link on the left of this page.) take care & God bless!

the cutest nephews ever . . .

Dios Ha Sido Bueno

This Christmas season has given us a chance to do a lot of reflecting & if we have learned one thing, it's that God has been good. He's been faithful. He's blessed us beyond imagination. And He's only just begun . . .

Sometimes, especially during this time of year when we are used to being with family (& also now that we have a new baby nephew), we begin to long for "home." We are tempted to wonder why we are here & if we might be better off back in Ohio . . . and then we start to think about our journey thus far. And it hits us that, wow, God has guided and provided so much in our lives. He has been so good, what reason do we have not to trust Him??

Its an amazing feeling to look back on the last year and see God's goodness in action. To begin with, God has given us this unique opportunity to serve His people in Costa Rica. Leaving in September, we were not entirely sure what life would look like here. And while it has of course been a transition, we can now see the many blessings that He has poured out on us . . . He has kept us safe and healthy. He has given us brothers and sisters in Christ who have encouraged us and kept us laughing. He granted us an enriching experience at the Spanish Language Institute. He helped us adjust to a new town & community. He blessed us with a home and even a car to help us get around. He led us to some fulfilling assignments at LPDV and gave us a vision for next year. He has blessed us with a vibrant church to attend. He has given us ways to stay in touch with our families (and within those families, a love that knows no borders). Through all of it, His hand has been on us.

For this reason, we trust that God will continue to be faithful in our lives as we strive to serve him here in Costa Rica. We're so excited to see where next year leads us!!!

Thanks so much to everyone for your prayers, encouragement, & support. May God richly bless you this Christmas and also give you a chance to reflect on His goodness.


"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."
Prov 3:5-6

more mail info . . .

I got some advice from an official Post Office employee, Denise Bardash. Here's some additional information that might help if you're looking to mail something to us (Thanks, Denise!) . . .

"Certified mail is a service only for within the states and not foreign mail. Best way to send in a secure manner and with recorded delivery is by using Registered mail with return-receipt request. Registering requires you. the addressees, to sign for the mailpiece and sign the return receipt, which is then mailed to sender as proof of delivery. Mail piece needs to be secured with tamper-proof paper tape which the window clerk should be able to do for sender or can be purchased at local stores. Any other type of tape is not acceptable as it can be resealed with no evidence of being opened...only paper tape is secure."

Address & Phone Number :)

We finally have an address & phone number! How exciting, huh?
I don't want to post it on the blog here for security reasons, but if for some reason you did not get our email with all of the information, just send us an email at brkandel@hotmail.com & we will be glad to share! Goodnight :)

The view from here!

Happy Thanksgiving! We hope that everyone is doing well, with full stomachs & full hearts . . .

I am happy to share with you all that we have settled into our new apartment & it's beginning to feel a little like home. We are getting to know San Antonio de Belen, the bus routes, and the good places to buy pinapple (very important). We have been involved in a few different areas at the school (many many English placement interviews, some staff meetings, and some other miscellaneous work). We also had a neat experience serving with a bible school/food ministry for poor children in a city close to here. . . Overall this month has been an amazing opportunity to meet new people and to see God at work in the lives of many.

Thought we'd share some pictures with you so you can get an idea of life here . . .

Our apartment:
(the view from our bedroom on a clear morning)
(the view from our bedroom on a rainy afternoon - where did the mountains go??)

The bus stop (about a 5 minute walk from our house) & the surrounding neighborhood:


A street in downtown Belen:
The beautiful Catholic Church in Belen:

Our Thanksgiving Celebration:

(Robin with another missionary teacher, Kristin)

Thanks to everyone for your support through all of this! We wouldn't be here without you!!

Moved again!!

Just a quick post to let everyone know that we are pretty much settled into our new apartment in San Antonio de Belen. We managed to find some furniture, washer-dryer, fridge, stove, and a couple of other things. Still far to go to make it a home . . . We also have been working on getting internet and phone and whatnot, and it´s been a little frustrating, but now we can proudly say we are owners of a cell phone line! It was too difficult to try to get a land line here. . .
Anyways, we have been doing some things at the school so far this week, mainly observing and helping out with classes. This weekend we are going to help out with some entrance testing and interviewing, which should be fun. They have several other projects that they´d like us to help out with, so we will definitely be busy over their break, which is a good thing!
We really think we are going to like it here, and praise God for his provision. Please continue to pray for us as we seek God´s guidance for our work here. Thanks to everyone for all of the encouragement with comments, emails, and prayer. We really appreciate it & miss you all!!

Moving on . . .

Tomorrow is our last day of classes at the Spanish Language Institute. In many ways, we are excited and in other ways, it's difficult . . .
It's taken us longer than we expected to feel comfortable where we are, but I'd have to say that we have somewhat settled into San Francisco de Dos Rios. We have really been blessed with a loving host family and have had some wonderful opportunities to get to know them. They say that they are sad to see us go, and we can honestly say the same. We've also had a neat experience at the language school, with some fun classmates and excellent professors. We've marveled at the beauty of the mountains in the morning. We've figured out where we can go to get notebooks, shampoo, and some great coffee. And its all flown by. . .
Monday we leave this area & with some help from some missionaries close to LPDV school, we should be into our condo by Wednesday. We're still working out some minor details, such as: how do we get electricity, where should we get a fridge, and when can we get our keys?? We know though, that God has it all under control. We're so thrilled to be on our own, and to begin our work at LPDV, but we know that its going to be another transition. We'll need to learn all about San Antonio de Belen and how life flows over there. We'll need to learn how to be somewhat self-sufficient in our own home. We'll need to learn where and how God wants to use us at LPDV. But we are excited because we know God has called us to this life and that He is faithful. There have been a couple instances which have prompted me to think about going home this week (the fact that many of the students are going home now that they're done with language school, and also the fact that we had a return flight that we weren't able to exchange that flew out today). A part of me thought, how awesome would it be to go home where I am comfortable and see all of the people that I love??? But much of me thought, I don't think I would feel fulfilled going home now. Our journey is just beginning.

Please continue to pray for us as we take this next step in our mission. Please pray specifically for:
- Our individual relationships with the Lord (We want to be fully equipped for our mission.)
- Our relationship with each other (I don't think we've ever spent this much time together & while it's great, it's something new for us.)
- Our daily safety (There have been a couple of incidents in our neighborhood here and we don't know exactly what the area we are moving to will be like.)
- Our move to the condo (That we would find all that we need to make a home.)
- Our move to Belen (That we would get to know the area and also make new friendships within the community.)
- God's guidance in our roles at LPDV

Thanks to everyone for your encouragement, we deeply value all of it.
God's peace be with you . . . goodnight