Sweet friends

This is a sweet little friend of Ella. Her name is Audrey McClain. We blessed that the McClain family will actually stay in Costa Rica as missionaries. So we won't have to say good-bye just yet.

Surprise Birthday Party

We pulled off a surprise Birthday party for the girls in February. They were truly surprised. We had a great time with friends. We had a princess piñata, of course! It always surprises me that little girls who play "princess" all the time, have no problem smacking the face of a beautiful image of a princess in hopes of the getting the candy. The girls really seemed to enjoy their party.

School in Progress

I wanted to update you on my classes and answered prayer. As you have probably read I have 2 hours of Grammar and 2 hours of Language this trimester. Last trimester in my grammar class I had a Great teacher, but one thing that was really hard for me was the amount of homework I was given. The practice is always really good, but it was really hard to finish all the homework and still maintain home life. However this trimester praise the Lord I have much less homework. And as a result I am able to spend more quality time with the girls in the afternoons.

Another praise is that I am understanding things much more quickly and easily this trimester. I know the only way to explain this is people are praying and God is answering. Thank you for those of you have prayed. The difference of this trimester from last not only benefits me, it benefits Ryan and the girls and most importantly my relationship with the Lord. Thank you again for praying.

David and Golaith

Avigail, Ella and I were talking about the David and Golaith and like most kids they are very familiar with theVeggieTales version. I said, "now you do know that Golaith was not really a Pickle, and Avigail intelligiently said, "of course I know that"....pause, pause. During this pause, I am thinking phew we have not influenced our children into thinking Golaith was a giant pickle. When all of a sudden Avigail says, "he was a cucumber." My side still hurts from laughing so hard.

Classes

I want to update all of you of my classes, but there is so much to try to communicate. Like a typical woman, I could easily jump all over the place to tell the story, so I will try my best to be clear (in case there is a man reading this…)

I approached this trimester with a lot of fear. I liken this trimester to childbirth the second time. Now hold on, I’ll explain more. With Avigail’s birth, I was really excited but really had no idea what to expect. With Ella, I knew it was going to be hard and how much pain there would be. The first trimester of language school, I really didn’t know what to expect and I was excited. And the second trimester, I know how hard it was so I’m bracing myself. The blessing that childbirth brought was incredible, one trimester of language school has brought incredible blessing as well. It is pain with great purpose, just like childbirth!

The first couple of days were not very good. It was obvious that I hadn’t practiced during the break as much as I needed to. I really felt that I was in the wrong class, because it seemed I wasn’t at the same place in understanding as other students. So I prayed that God would make it clear what I should do. I wanted to be in the right class to learn the best. I talked with the director and she said that she wasn’t going to move me, because of how well I had done last trimester. She told me to wait a week or two and if it was still the same then we would talk about it. But she said she would be surprised if I didn’t start doing well. What??? Oh yeah that’s right, I prayed that God would make it clear where He wanted me. He made it clear.

Praise God things are clicking much more now. Someone is praying!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you. The other blessing is that I don’t have as much homework as last trimester. Last trimester I had up to ten pages a night. Now….I have 2!!!! That is much less overwhelming.

Prayer for Next Trimester

At times through this last trimester I was definitely "entangled with the affairs of (learning of Spanish) this life". It was difficult to balance my roles *Child of God, *Wife, *Mom, and * Learner. These are my priorities, but they have at times shifted in importance.

It's a terrible and yet a good thing to want to do well at being a "learner" We are told all our lives that we need to get good grades, unfornately that voice still speaks very loudly. I have done well in my classes as far as grades are concerned, but truly I have caught the coat tails of the other students. I don't learn quickly, but I eventually get it, it just takes a lot more time for me. I pray quite often for my learning to come quicker, but I have a strong feeling God wants to teach me through it. Ryan reminded me that God was the one who gave me my learning style, and so with that being said I need to learn to be grateful for what God has given.

My specific prayer requests:

~ I desperately wish to have a balance with my roles as a Child of the King, Wife, Mom and Learner
~ That I would not be "entangled" with the pressure and load of all the roles.

Thank you for your willingness to pray.

Hi, My Name is Keeley

Wow, it's been so long since I've written I thought I would reintroduce myself. So sorry it has been so long. Really I think I just came up for air in the last 2 days. Hold on to your hats and I'll share what has been going on the last 4 weeks or so...

It seemed like in my Grammar class our teacher was on the fast track and so I had a great deal of homework and had no time for anything but family and homework. Then....

December 7th -14th, I had 5 tests (in one week) I don't even think I had that many in one week in college.
December 14th, we moved to another house.
December 15th, - we helped our neighbors move to La Cruz, Costa Rica (6 hours away).
December 16th - we travelled to Nicaragua to renew our visas. (see Ryan's blog about our crazy experience)

December 22nd, I have enjoyed a relaxing day. I am getting more and more settled in our new home. And the best part about today was my new nephew being born! My sister Juli had Trey Joshua at 10:15 am. Praise the Lord!

I'm CCCCCCCCCooold!!!!!!!

What????? Can you believe it's "cold" here? I have been wearing sweaters and sleeping with blankets. Really in Kansas City or Colorado 60 degrees would be very comfortable but here...it's really chilly. I can't believe that I'm wearing sweatshirts and sweaters in Costa Rica. I'm sure glad I brought a few long sleeve shirts. I guess in a month or so it will get much warmer. The rain stops and the sun comes out all the time. I can't wait. I sure miss the sun. There's a spiritual picture in there somewhere, eh?

Learning 3 Languages

Yes, I said 3. Not only am I learning Spanish as a second language and I am learning Canadian. I have 3 people from Canada in my classes. And actually all of them are becoming really good friends of ours But I am noticing something that keeps coming out of my mouth as a result of being around them. It's a 2 letter word that can used all the time if want. It's a great word, "eh"? It's a great day, "eh"? It's a little cool, "eh"? Endless options, "eh"?

(p.s. the 3rd language is English, I have found out from my grammar in Spanish how much I am learning about English grammar. I must have missed a few days in my grammar classes in English)

To the Beach, To the Beach, To the Beach

We had a great opportunity to get away this past weekend. We went with four other couples from school to the Pacific Ocean. The resort we went to was all inclusive and had a private beach, great swimming pools for the girls. Three great meals a day with the monkeys right at our side.

We unforntunately found out the hard way how powerful the sun is here in Costa Rica. We all got burned. I forgot to put sunscreen on my lips, which is always a recipe for fever blisters. Ryan and the girls were lobsters on their bodies. So next time we will use SPF 50 and REAPPLY! Poor things!

We had a great time at the beach. But the girls had much more fun at the swimming pool. They had 2 kid pools that were just perfect for our girls. The weather was just perfect the whole time we were there.

I included the pictures of our trip. Enjoy! Click here

In My Weakness His is Strong

Several messages I have heard lately have talked about God can only be strong when we are (I am) weak. Jeff Adams said in a message after the Summit "it is not who we are, it is who we are not." We have definitely seen how needful it is for us to just trust and know that He has everything under control.

I'm sure many of you have seen the video on "Team Hoyt", but I saw it for the first time a couple of weeks ago. I was a blubbering fool when I saw this story. For those of you that haven't seen it or don't know the story, it is a man that has a son that was born with his umbilical cord around his neck and as a result had cerebral palsy. He is unable to walk, talk, eat without assistance. This young man asked his dad if he would compete in a race with him. Which meant the dad would run pushing him in a wheelchair, swim pulling him in a boat (raft) and bike with him riding in a specially crafted bike. The thing that struck me the most was the look on this young man's face while his dad pushed, pulled and biked with him. His dependency on his father was critical. He had no other choice. In that complete dependency, he had so much joy on his face. It looked exhilarating! I want to be that way with my Father. I want to learn to be so completely dependent on Him for everything and in everything. I know that with that kind of dependency comes joy and exhilaration!

If you haven't seen this video check it out, and if so, maybe watch it again from the perspective of you being the one in that chair being pushed by your Father. Youtube "team Hoyt".

Faithfulness

Commit now to be faithful later...if you don't, faithfulness most likely will not happen when the storm hits.

Building a Brick Wall

If you will picture with me a brick wall, a completed brick wall. One thing that we take for granted is its strong foundation at the bottom. We don't think about everything that goes into building a structurally sound wall. There are a lot of things that are very important. Where you build the wall has to be just right. The ground must be level among many other things. Once the actual construction occurs, you must have the right amount of space between each brick. There must be enough mortar between each brick. Each brick must be placed perfectly level. Where and how the bricks are placed effect all the other bricks.






Where I am going with this? I have seen that learning Spanish for me is very much the same as building a brick wall. I know the picture is the completed brick wall (learning Spanish well). However, as I am learning the foundational things of Spanish. It is critical to get the foundational things right. Each brick needs to be placed just right. However, my desire is to worry more about the completed project. I understand completely the need to make sure the foundation is right and that it happens one brick at a time. I don't want to fret about each and every brick. I want to focus on the prize at the end.



My attitude to this point has been really relaxed about not quite understanding everything I have been taught, because I knew it will come. I am focused on the big picture!

Okay, here is the truth..... That is not like me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have always wanted to be the best at everything or at least to do it very well. God to this point has given me a relaxed attitude. I am so grateful for it. So, please pray that God would continue to give me this attitude.

This is a VERY intense program. A lot things are taught in a very short amount of time. Things are coming at us very quickly. I don't want to get worked up about things. Don't get me wrong I want to do well. But not to fret about not getting A's! The object is to learn to speak Spanish! And that is exactly what I want to do.

Brain Pain

Yikes!!!! College was definitely a few years ago for me. Now I have to at a much older age, listen intently in a classroom for 4 hours, study 3 hours per night and be able to remember how to ask how someone is in another language. When my spanish battery is running low I can potentially ask someone how their mom is when I want to know their name. And when they ask me how I am my response is only gracias. You just have to laugh at yourself sometimes (and for me much more than others).

Days of our Lives

Our schedule dramatically changed. We went from 120 miles per hour to about 2 miles per hour. Once I finished putting the house together there really wasn't much to do.

In the morning we would spend time in the Word. Then we would eat breakfast, wash the dishes, sweep the floors, do laundry if needed. Then the girls would play until lunch then we would go through the same routine of cooking and cleaning. Then the girls would take a nap and Ryan and I would check our email. Hoping to hitch a ride on the neighbors wireless. Then we would look at each other and say "what do you want to do?" By 3:30pm because of boredom I started making dinner. So we would be finished with dinner and dishes by 5:30 or 6:00 pm. Then what? It is pretty funny to go from sooooo busy to hardly anything. Whoa, what a change.

Speaking of change, starting next week we will start our classes and we will wish for the days of having nothing to do. Our orientation has been very informative. And one of the things that has been made very clear is that this will be the hardest year of your life. One lady on staff, who was also a former student said while she was learning Spanish at the Language Institute said it was the hardest year of her life and she had 57 other years to compare it to. Oh my gosh!!!! Wowee, hold on for the ride. And know that God is still on the throne.

Trusting God

Ella is still have troubles sleeping at night, so as a result mama is have troubles sleeping at night. As I was up with her last night, I was praying to God to help her sleep. And feeling a little panicked about how I would be able to go school, sit in classes all morning with little sleep. I was frevently praying that God would change Ella's sleep habits so I can get some sleep. Then the thought occurred to me that I can trust God with everything and should trust Him in everything. Even my sleep. He knows what I need, all of what I need. I just need to trust Him.

White Tile

We have white tile throughout our house. Oh my goodness does it ever get dirty. Every day I have to sweep. One day as I was sweeping, I thought the floors are very similar to my spiritual life. If I don't clean up every day by spending time in God's word it get's very dirty and it is very obvious to anyone walking by. My floors sure look clean when they are clean, but it takes a lot of work to maintain it's cleanliness. I have to be disciplined to stay on top of it.

Chastening

I just happened to be reading "My Utmost for His Highest", (which I have not made part of my daily routine for a long time), and was blown away by this entry for August 14th.

"Depise not the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him." Hebrews 12:5. It is very easy to quench the Spirit; we do it by depising the chastening of the Lord, by fainting when we are rebuked by Him. If we have only a shallow experience of sanctification, we mistake the shadow for the reality, and when the Spirit of God begins to check, we say - oh, that must be the devil.
Never quench the Spirit, and do not despise Him when He says to you - "don't be blind on this point any more; you are not where you thought you were. Up to the present I have not been able to reveal it to you, but I reveal it now." When the Lord chasens you like that, let Him have His way. Let Him relate you rightly to God.
"Nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him" We get into sulks with God and say - "Oh, well, I can't help it; I did pray and things did not turn out right, and I am going to give it all up." Think what would happen if we talked like this in any other domain of life!
Am I prepared to let God grip me by His power and do a work in me that is worthy of Himself? Sanctification is not my idea of what I want God to do for me; sanctification is God's idea of what He wants to do for me, and He has to get me into the attitude of mind and spirit where at any cost I will let Him sanctify me wholly.

The Final Countdown!

Five days left until we leave for Costa Rica. Wow, I can't believe it is finally here. For a long time it seemed so far away, but now...OH MY GOSH!!!!! There is a lot do. With all the craziness going on, everything has gone really smoothly.

What's left to do is pack up, clean up and say some final goodbyes (or see you laters). It's a long list of things but it will get done. And what doesn't...oh well!

The girls have been troopers through all this craziness. They would go to the other house and play, watch movies while we were purging and cleaning. They are getting carted here and there and just going with the flow.

They are still having rough nights. They aren't sleeping well. But that will pass (which I'm very excited for). I'm sure it will help to have more of a routine back in our lives.

It was difficult on Sunday to say goodbye to so many good friends. God has truly blessed us. But to me it is also very exciting because I know, because I have experienced it, that we will gain more great friendships. So we are gaining, not loosing!

Operation Potty Training Part Two - Successful

Whooohooo!!! We have success! Praise the Lord. Ella is doing GREAT! She has had no accidents in 7 days. It was a little rough at first, but she is doing great now. Thank you for praying.