The Hendersons ~ On a Journey 4 Him Weblog...

December Prayer Newsletter

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Dear Prayer Warriors, Family, and Friends,

 

It's hard to believe that another month has passed us by so quickly!! 

 

We trust that you had a very thankful Thanksgiving.  We hope the weeks ahead will be a joyous focus and celebration of HIM!! 

 

We have attached our prayer newsletter for the month of December.  Please share it with your Sunday School classes, mission groups, friends, family, and other prayer warriors.  We COVET your prayers and your support in this month's Lottie Moon Christmas Offering!!!!! Your generosity directly affects us as your Southern Baptist IMB missionaries.

 

Thanks for your continued support.  We love you!  May God bless you in all that you do!

Merry CHRISTmas,

Journeying 4 Him from Costa Rica to Peru,

Brian and Felicia Henderson

www.REAPsouthamerica.org

“Our vision is to disciple new believers among the Americas and

equip them to fulfill the Great Commission to the ends of the earth.”

 

Busy Weeks Before We Get Ready to Journey On

The weeks and days are fluttering by. Weekend before last, B. and Sky. attended Camp La Cumbre, for a Father/Son Retreat. It was located about 2 hours away from us. Fifteen minutes after they caught a ride with friends, Sy. experienced her "first" earthquake. We were sitting on the couch, and it felt like someone grabbed our apartment and gave us a GOOD shake. It registered 5.1. It was pretty close to the surface and in distance to us. She headed for cover in our small bathroom, located under the stairway, and I headed to open the door. B. and Sk. didn't even feel it in the SUV.

They had a great weekend of challenges. The theme centered around "Heart of a Warrior," and they were challenged to do things, like rock-climbing, leaping off of a platform, etc...to overcome fears and trust in their faith. B. has posted many pictures on his Facebook. I haven't even taken the time to look at all of them. The weather was VERY cold there. It was at 8,000 feet in the mt ns., and the temp. was in the 50's. You must remember there is no heating/air.

Over all, it is cooling down here in C.R. December is the "coolest" month. The temperatures seem to go up and down. When the sun is down and when it rains, it cools down. I was freezing in the high 60's, and I am not one to get cold too easily. We were walking around in jackets in the apartment. It's damp, and the air is brisk. Today, it was warm again. I am not sure how to dress myself or the kids.

Last week was very busy. Syd. and attended a birthday party for her friend. I assisted. Lots of little giggling girls. Fun, fun! Sy. had a blast! Directly afterward, I walked with another friend to El Rey, which is a great store similar to Dollar General and is located a distance from our apartment. By the time I got there, the back of my feet were covered in blisters, but I survived. It was fun to watch my friend speak in Spanish to the saleswomen. I need to overcome my timidity and do that!!! On Wed. of this week, there is a big Christmas party for disadvantaged children here in C.R. Churches and classmates have taken names and bought from wish lists for these children. It was fun shopping for needy children. I am going to help paint faces at the party.

B. and I both took a cold mid-week. Stuffy noses and coughing. Not fun. B. did get a Z-pack at the pharmacy. All one needs to do is go in and ask. We had our last ESL meeting on Wed. Thanks for your prayers. Although B. felt bad, the teaching went well, as well as the preaching and singing/music. One of our students sang along during the music. Her voice is beautiful. Afterward, she came to me, and told me that she felt like God wanted her to give me a message...."Don't be afraid. God has went before you. He is protecting you and  your family."  I couldn't help but to cry. God picks us up when we get down. The language has really been taking its toll on me. I am much better at reading and writing it, than I am at speaking it. It takes to long for me to piece the words together. I am also a little down because we will be moving right before Christmas, saying goodbye to friends that we have really grown close to. Then, of course, we will be away from our families back home.

I had 3 tests at the end of the week. I didn't have but one night to study (Wed. night AFTER ESL) for one of the tests...50 words in dictation, 5 professions with 5 sentences for each (descriptions), and memorize and say 10 professions orally. I was a LOT overwhelmed, felt yucky, and was stressed. Thank God He provides. I passed all 3 tests.

We had 2 additional earthquakes during the week. The one on Thurs. was a small tremor/wave. I wouldn't have noticed it had B. not pointed out our laptops trembling. It was smooth. It didn't even register. On Friday, we were sitting in our last class, and it felt like someone gave me a BIG shove from the back of my desk. It was sudden and in one motion. It registered as a 5.2. Neither of the kids even felt it; they both were in classes also. I felt kind of dizzy for a long time after. It felt kind of like my car had been rear-ended. HAHAH.

We had an IMB meeting Friday evening from 4 till 8. Mothers were able to leave at 6 since the childcare ended at that time.

Sat. consisted of hanging out with family and friends. We hopped a public bus to downtown. Wow--it's busy there. People were EVERYWHERE. We've been warned time and time again to be on caution for thieves there..to watch your pockets and belongings. I don't carry a purse on the streets here for safety. I also don't wear any expensive jewelry. B. bought me a stainless steel ring that I wear for a wedding ring. We found a Christian bookstore. We also bought a teeny, tiny Christmas tree and a few decorations. Sy. was so excited!! After checking out the artisan market, we headed back to our house via the bus. Sk. had stayed with his buddy for the day, and we picked him up, freshened up, and caught a taxi to the mall. We met our friends and checked out this SUPER huge Christmas tree that they were beginning to decorate a few weeks back. Decorations were completed. It's beautiful!!  It stands about 50 ft. tall. WOW. The mall is 2 story, and it stands from the bottom floor to the top.

Continue to pray for our safety on the streets and in our houses and other places. With November and December, armed robberies and thefts heighten. People will go to any length to get into your house to steal computers, etc. A house several blocks away had a hole cut into the side of the wall, but the thieves were caught before they entered! Another used a crowbar to barge into the house, hold the residents at gunpoint, and they were robbed.

After church on Sunday, we crashed AFTER Sy. helped me decorate our beautiful, 2 ft. (maybe?) Christmas tree. A day of rest. We needed it. We all are well now, and we enjoyed the sleep.

I'll post pictures of some of the sightings later in the week. Now, I must go recite verses in Spanish of the Roman Road, and also orally recite 4+ pages of verbs in past tense. Did you know that each verb changes accordingly to the subject and tense!!???  Too much info. for this old, tired brain.

One more prayer request--We will be taking our ECO evaluations on Friday. These evaluations are oral and are given by professors from the institute to evaluate the level of language that we are at. Pray that we will not be nervous, that we will be able to listen and comprehend the evaluator, and recall and speak accordingly to the true levels that we are on.

Tonight is our final night of ESL for this term. Our last hour of teaching begins at 4 PM. Directly afterward, there will be a special message and singing/music presented. Please pray that NOTHING will hinder tonight's presentation and festivities (attendance, speaker, music, etc.). Pray that MANY will come to know and accept the truth that Jesus is Lord.

Riverboat Ride in the Rainforest

This weekend, we finally got to go on the riverboat ride in the rain forest that was canceled a couple of weeks ago due to the downpour we were receiving that particular morning.

We traveled about 2 hours into and over the mountaintops to get to our destination. We live in a world of mostly concrete and city with mountains in the distance, but when get to venture away, we get to see beautiful countryside, farms, lots of grass, rivers, wildlife, and trees and foliage. Costa Rica is a very beautiful land with some very beautiful-hearted people.

First, we had breakfast, consisting of scrambled eggs, gallo pinto, fried cheese, fruit (papaya, watermelon, banana), fried bananas, coffee, and fresh juice (papaya, banana, pineapple, etc.). We traveled a little further, and then we arrived at the boat ride. Sk. decided he didn't want to ride, but he overcame his fear quickly. The river was big, and the water was muddy. We clambered aboard, as Ronnie and the driver helped us on. The first thing we spotted was a caiman sunning on the side of the bank. Ronnie called out to the howler monkeys in hopes they would reply. Soon, they did. We spotted many of them high in the trees as we floated by. The driver backed the boat up, and let us idle so we could observe them some more. Sk. tried out his howler call, and then he realized, with a sweet smile, that he had been videoed.  Download Sky

Birds, huge trees with vines hanging into the edge of the river, iguana resting in tree limbs and on the banks, and other exotic lizards were along the way. A few people swam in the edge of the water. Ronnie told us this wasn't the time to swim, but during other times of the year, the water is crystal clear, which makes for good swimming and helps one to easily look out for crocodiles and caiman. We had a monkey cry out to us from a tree branch that was over the water. It was if it were crying, "Hey!  I am up here. Look at me!" We saw a few houses along the way. It was interesting to see the many lines stringing down from their houses and surrounding trees to keep their boats from floating off.  We also saw a boat "taxi" picking up a gentlemen from the riverbanks.

After we left, we stopped at a small gift shop to take a potty break, and then we headed to our next destination. There, we checked out butterflies and cocoons in their butterfly gardens. Then, we ate at a buffet. We had a choice of salad, noodles, pasta, rice, beans, grilled steak, chicken, and a few other items. It was very yummy! We ate outside the restaurant overlooking the river, Rio Sarapiqui, which is the same one we traveled via boat earlier. At this point, it has become more shallow and VERY rocky. Many people white water raft in this area. There's also zip lining and other things you can do. After we ate, we walked a trail into the rain forest. The river could be heard through the trees and beautiful foliage, running swiftly through the rocks. We came to a huge swinging bridge, which was about 3 ft. wide, 250 ft. across, and stood about 100 ft. above the rocky river. I was surprised that Sk. didn't complain at all because he is VERY afraid of heights. He darted across with my other lady friends and children, while I clambered behind, taking photos along the way. It was a gorgeous view. It was breathtaking to observe God's creation and just how magnificent He is!! We came out along a road, and followed it back to the van. Along the way, we passed people riding bicycles or walking alongside the road. All were very friendly and curious to see a bunch of Gringos walking through. Here, we had our cameras, and we definitely looked like tourists. In the city, it isn't a good idea to sport around your cameras, unless you want them taken from you! Before we arrived back at the van, we had to cross a beautiful old bridge. Looking at my pictures, Mom said it reminded her of the old Merrill bridge.

This was a very relaxing trip. It is great to take our minds away from perifrasis, reflexivo verbos, and the many other things of learning the Spanish language. All we had to do was lay back and enjoy the ride and view.

In the upcoming weeks, please pray for our fluency in speaking the small amount of language and vocabulary that we've learned. We will be tested at the end of the month by the school and our mentors to see what level we've accomplished. There's a lot in our heads, BUT we need to be able to SPEAK it!!

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