Trick or Treat!

Tractors!!!

On Sunday we went on a hay ride that good friends of ours, Charles and Heather, set up. We stayed around afterwards to drive the tractors with Charles... Joshua LOVED it. You'll notice that Charles is actually letting Joshua do some of the driving by himself.

Pumpkin Carving

Last night we carved a pumpkin. In the beginning Joshua was more fascinated by his new sippy cup than the pumpkin. But by the end of the nigth we had to do everything in our power to peel him away from the front window where he just stared out the window proclaiming "pumpkin, pumpkin!"

One cute story is that I asked Joshua where we should keep the pumpkin when it is all done and he said "right here." so I told him that we should put it outside so that all the people could see it. We lit the candle and took the pumpkin outside. After we set it down Joshua turned around excitedly and said "People see it. People see it. Then he started to walk down the stairs to go find the "people."

Hopefully someone will see it and tell Joshua they like his pumpkin.

Cranky and the Hook

Joshua is very much into talking right now... there is one story he tells over and over... its the story of Thomas and the Jet Engine... he tells it as Cranky and the Hook.

Susanna at 1 Month

Andando Por Las Calles (Walking the Streets)

I spent last Tuesday in one of the poorest neighborhoods of San José, Costa Rica. As soon as we arrived I began talking with a pastor who works in the neighborhood on a regular basis. He turned to us and said:  

 ¿Ve a estos dos niños? Su padre los abandonó y su madre trabaja de cinco en la mañana a siete cada día. Los vi andando y andando por las calles cada dia. 

Translation: Do you see these two children? Their father abandoned them and their mother works from five in the morning to seven each day. I see them walking and walking the streets every day. 

As I looked at these two children, a 5 year-old girl and a 3 year-old boy. my heart was broken. I couldn’t believe it. These two little children, fending for themselves on the street every day from 5am-7pm!?! Could it be true? How could a father and mother be in such a desperate situation that they let their children wander through such a neighborhood all day?

Sure enough, the entire time we were in the neighborhood these two children would wander past us on a regular basis, showing up for a meal the pastor offers to children of the neighborhood every Tuesday and sticking around for the afternoon bible club. I never did get the opportunity to talk directly to these children as they often shirked from attention and kept to themselves. But the image of those two children will always be with me. This little girl and her brother are the type of children for whom Casa Viva is offering hope. 

It is children like these who are sleeping in a bed, loved by a family, eating three meals a day, and attending school. When I think about these two children who continue to wander the streets of a very dangerous neighborhood, my prayer is that God would intervene on their behalf and cause the local government and local churches to act on their behalf.

My Dad Would Be Proud

For years my dad has faithfully carried a handkerchief in his back pocket. He has probably done this since he was a young boy, because his dad does it too. For years he has lamented the fact that his boys don’t carry one around.

Dad. Yesterday I carried one, and it was a life saver.

Every time I come to Costa Rica I have a very hard time with allergies. Part of it is the different plants and climate, but for the most part I think its the prevalence of humidity and warmth leading to mold in a lot of places. I came prepared this trip with a brand new box of Wal-Dryl antihistamine and the handkerchiefs my dad gave me ten years ago when I left for college. For some reason I have kept them in my sock drawer ever since.

They saved many a runny nose yesterday and will at least through the end of my time here in Costa Rica.