Christmas Time!

New Christmas outfits that aunt Amy made

Taylor trying to put a bow in her hair...eh, on her head, anyway :)


Opening gifts with Maw-Maw and Dop






fireplace at Ram Luna, a restaurant overlooking San Jose

Girls in their new rocking chairs that ah-ma and ah-pa Holley bought for them

Mom's new haircut


Beautiful view from a restaurant overlooking San Jose

Our trip to Volcano Arenal with Maw-Maw and Dop (Dewett)


Friend we met on the road going around Lake Arenal (he's kin to a racoon)

Christmas Dresses (thanks uncle william and aunt darlene)

Kamryn Loving on Taylor after they got into the diapers

Watching fireworks in amazement




Merry CHRISTmas! We enjoyed spending time with Maw-Maw and Dop over the past week and a half: we went to visit volcano arenal, opened presents, ate at a beautiful restaurant overlooking the city and did lots of shopping. We miss you guys already!

We hope that you had a great Jesus-filled CHRISTmas! Although we didn't have family here to celebrate (on Christmas Day) with us, we were able to celebrate with other missionaries and had a great time. We want to thank you for your support of the Lottie Moon Christmas offering that allows us to be here... and allows people all over the world a chance to hear the gospel message. Please pray about giving (at any SBC church) if you haven't already done so.
Check back in a few days for some more pics.

Kamryn giving thanks

Taylor says thank you as well, but we couldn't get her to do it on camera. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Giving Thanks!

As you celebrate Thanksgiving in the states, remember to take time to enjoy being with family and friends, but remember to first take time thanking God for all He's done this year. We have so much to be thankful for! Here in Costa Rica, of course, Thanksgiving is not celebrated since it is an American Holiday. We will be getting together with other missionaries to celebrate tomorrow evening, but during the day we'll be in school just like any other day.
We're thankful for the support you give to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, which has allowed us to come to the mission field. Of course we'll miss being with family and friends in the States during this special season, but we know that we are where God wants us.
Kerri remains involved in her weekly Bible study, and is rotating teaching with some other ladies. Please continue to pray for these ladies attending, sometimes these ladies don't have the money for food, clothes or housing... but most importantly these ladies have a need for a relationship with our Savior. Please pray that God would continually draw them to Himself through this study and that God will meet their physical needs as well.
I am involved in a Bible study as well, and was supposed to have taught for my first time last night, but it was canceled. So next week, remember me on Tuesday night in your prayers as I teach for the first time as well as the family we're working with, because you know it has to be frustrating listening to a Gringo butcher their language.
We're posting some more pics of the girls as well as some recent weekend adventures. My (Ted) parents will be arriving here on December the 12th, so please keep them in your prayers as they travel. We can't wait!

Three Saturdays ago, 4 other missionary friends and I went on a 4-wheeler tour about an hour outside of town- great getaway for a half day!

Last weekend, I went hiking in the mountains outside of town with some other missionaries to a cross which can be seen atop one of the surrounding mountains on a clear day.


The girls are getting bigger and cuter all the time

Long Time, No Post!

Well, so many times it seems like we don't have many new or different things going on, so it's harder to update more regularly. I would like to take the time to say how proud I am of my wife for leading her first bible study this past week, in Spanish! After having a couple of weeks of nobody showing up, they finally have started getting some girls coming back. Please continue to pray for these young ladies and the girls leading the study as well.
The guard I was working with ended up getting a job elsewhere, so we're trying to reconnect with him, or find others to start with. Also keep this in your prayers as well.
The girls are still doing great and getting bigger all the time. We praise our God for protecting them from sickness and harm. They are both little monkeys who try to climb on everything. They love playing and laughing together. Taylor is standing, but doesn't seem in a hurry to walk just yet. Kamryn has started standing on her own without holding on to anything, but doesn't want to take steps just yet, either. We're not pushing them, because from what we understand, it's good for them to crawl for a while, so we'll let them do it when they get ready. They are doing so many things and seem to learn new stuff all the time.
We thank everyone for all your prayers and we also ask that you would pray for our houses in the states to close soon as well.

milestones

As you can see, they are getting into EVERYTHING! They decided to help mom rearrange their closet here.






The girls are of course getting bigger and doing more all the time. They are on the verge of walking, and Kamryn has even taken a step a couple of times. Taylor is now working on her 7th tooth and Kamryn barely has one that has come through. All the Costa Ricans comment on how much hair Kamryn has while Taylor has none, so we usually respond that Taylor has all the teeth and Kamryn all the hair. They get lots of attention, I guess because of a combination of things: they're babies, they're twins, and they have bright blue eyes. I know everyone loves babies, but it is amazing to see how much Ticos adore them. They will literally roll the car windows down sometimes and hang out the window as we're walking by at a redlight just to look at the babies. I even had a bus driver turn the bus at an angle in the road and stop traffic so I could cross with the girls in their stroller! It's almost comical how they just love babies.

All is well in the health department, except that Taylor has a slight ear infection, so pray that will go away. Other prayer matters include: 1)The sale of our homes in the States. They've both been lease-purchased, so now the purchases need to be completed, which is looking pretty dim on one house. 2)Also, Kerri will be teaching a Bible study in Spanish for the first time a week from Tuesday! That's exciting and scary for her, but I know she'll do a great job. Pray the girls will show up and be ready to receive the Word. 3)A friend and I have been trying to start a Bible study with one of the street guards here, but so far he's only shown up for one study. Pray for wisdom for us whether to pursue this or try to start somewhere else. I think Ticos sometimes would rather just say they're coming so they don't hurt your feelings. 4)Lastly, please pray for our understanding and communication of the Spanish language. Going in, I think we were naive about how difficult it would be. Thanks for keeping up with us and we treasure your prayers and support.

Happy Birthday to Kerri!

Tomorrow is Kerri's birthday, so if you get a chance be sure and tell her happy birthday. I wanted to take the opportunity also to update what's been going on lately. Our blog has been pretty much focused on us as a family and of course on showing off pics of our girls so friends and family can keep up with how well they're doing and how big they are getting. As we are beginning to get to the point where we can actually be more involved in ministry, we hope to use the blog to give updates on ministries and let you know specific prayer requests. We'll still put pics on, of course, but want to keep everyone more updated on the whole reason we are learning Spanish to begin with. We're excited about the opportunities the Lord is giving us to serve Him, even though we are completely inadequate.
Kerri will still be involved in the bible study with young women, and will begin also to teach within the next few weeks to couple of months. Keep her in your prayers as she gets ready for this step, and pray also for the girls to be open and to trust Christ.
I had one of the street guards approach me about helping him learn english. So I invited a friend who knows Spanish a little better than I to help out, and we began a Bible study with him this past week. This guard is lost, but seems interested. Pray with us also that his family, and perhaps even more people, would get involved in the study and come to trust Christ as Lord and Saviour.
Thanks again for all your prayers, support and love.

These are a few pics from our trip with Kerri's parents to Volcano Arenal. Gorgeous place with lots of wildlife and tropical landscaping. You can really see some of God's handiwork in many places in Costa Rica, and Arenal is one of them. We really enjoyed our time with family, inspite of our little fender bender in the rental car which will cost a pretty penny. Anyway, God is always good, in good times and bad. Keep us in your prayers as we begin another term of language school. Kerri was able to take one class again which changed to the afternoon, but she is just happy she is still able to stay with the girls at home. A friend and I will begin a bible study with one of the street guards tomorrow night, which will hopefully lead to one with his family or with more guards. Kerri continues to be involved in the bible study with the young women and is enjoying that. Thank you all for your prayers, enjoy the beautiful pics of Costa Rica, and come see us if you get a chance.