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Now that I know our time is winding down here in Costa Rica, I find myself trying to grasp onto every last little bit of life here that I can.  It seems that everywhere we go I take my camera and try to snap a picture.  So many things are just a normal part of life here. . .and I want to remember each little detail.  So here are a few of my favorite most recent photos!

A typical neighborhood pulperia or store

Church in Sarchi

So pretty. . . 

I LOVE all the bright colors of the Sarchi painings!

World's largest oxcart!!!  Beautiful.

Even the park benches have the classic oxcart painting details.

Typical fruit stand

Frutas y Veduras 

Sometimes the older, the better!!  

I think this one may be my favorite.  An old adobe house.  Love the texture, color, history, everything!!

Chicharones.  Mmmmm! :o)

Playa Hermosa

Well, with the clock ticking down on our time in Costa Rica, we decided to take advantage of a few days off of school to make a quick trip to Guanacaste and enjoy the sand and sun of the beautiful Costa Rican beaches with our family and our friends the Twitchells.  What a great time!!!  The boys love to go exploring this rocky area!

 Ahhhh . .  .I could stay forever!!

 Austin in his Baywatch audition!  :o)

Highlights of the trip:  Granizados con dos leches on the beach (like a snow cone but with powdered milk and sweetened condensed milk poured over it too.. . .very tico!!)

 Agua de pipa. . . cold and fresh on the beach . . .Mmmmm!!

 Friends and fun in the pool!!

 Part of Autsin's birthday present:  a three hour boat ride with snorkeling!!

 Nothing like having great friends there to share it all with!!

 Zach with a baby Octupus (the water was sooooo blue!!)

 Wyatt riding in the front of the boat!!

 The boys with a sea horse they found while snorkeling!

 Each night the sunset got prettier and prettier!!

 

 My four sweeties at sunset the first night!

  

Wyatt with a lizard he found . . . all smiles!!

 El Capitan on his birtday!!

 We rented a private house with its own pool!!!  This is the view from outside my upstairs bedroom window.  Yeah, I could get used to that!!

 My gang!

 

 The Twitchell gang!!  The very bestest of friends!!!

A great vacation!!!  The End.  (a kiss from my sweetie at sunset!!)

Faithful. . .

Standing on this mountaintop
Looking just how far we've come
Knowing that for every step
You were with us
Kneeling on this battle ground
Seeing just how much You've done
Knowing every victory
Is Your power in us
Scars and struggles on the way
But with joy our hearts can say
Yes, our hearts can say
Never once did we ever walk alone
Never once did You leave us on our own
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

Every step we are breathing in Your grace

Evermore we'll be breathing out Your praise
You are faithful, God, You are faithful
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

Never once did we ever walk alone
Never once did You leave us on our own
You are faithful, God, You are faithful
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

These above lyrics are from a song that I love that Matt Redman sings that is called "Never Once." As we face yet another big change in our lives, it is good to look behind and look ahead knowing that we never have been nor will we ever be alone. I am so very, very thankful for a faithful God who is always there with us!!!

P.S. If you don't know the song, you can listen to it here: Matt Redman with Never Once (Live).

Ch. . ch. . ch. . changes. . . .

OK, so some big changes are getting ready to happen with the King family. We are super excited to see how God is working and moving. I, personally, have been a bit of an emotional roller coaster!! While very excited to be a part of the OCC family, I am mourning a bit the whole idea of leaving a country and people who have become such a big part of me. Costa Rica will always keep a big piece of my heart, and I plan to visit often!! Here's the official release from the school:

President Matt Proctor ANNOUNCES: DARRIN KING has been hired to serve on our faculty in the areas of MISSIONS, NEW TESTAMENT and GEOGRAPHY. Darrin and his wife Chrissy are both OCC grads and have four children: Zach, Austin, Chloe and Wyatt. After Darrin graduated from OCC in 1992, he and Chrissy moved to Tegucigalpa, Honduras as part of a multi-national church planting team.

Seven years later, they left a thriving young church there in the hands of the nationals and returned to the States, where Darrin served as the Intercultural Minister of Christ's Church of Oronogo, MO., reaching out primarily to the Hispanic community. The Kings returned to Latin America in 2004, where they have been overseeing a multi-national team of missionaries in Costa Rica.

Last year, Darrin completed a Master of Arts in Intercultural Studies at Lincoln Christian Seminary. They served recently as missionaries-on-campus here at OCC. Darrin and Chrissy bring a genuine love for the Lord, a heart for God's global mission, an outstanding track record of crosscultural ministry, an energetic connection with students and a desire to train up workers for the harvest field.
They will begin this fall.

WELCOME TO THE CAMPUS - DARRIN and CHRISSY KING

Lady Ise

One of the wonderful things about being a teacher is that I am always learning. As I read, research, prepare for classes, I am always coming upon something new. Sometimes it is practical. . . a new idea to use in classroom management. . . an exercise to teach a concept . . .an illustration that makes clarifies. Other times it is a quote or an author or a poem I had not discovered yet. I love this. It's like stumbling into a room I thought I knew already and finding a treasure chest hidden in the corner. Today's treasure was a female Japanese poet known as Lady Ise. I discovered the following poem:

Field-Burnt Over

My body is like

A field wasted by winter.

If only

I, like the field burnt-over

Awaited the return of spring.

--Lady Ise

I loved this imagery, so began to look around a bit more and discovered these other gems of Asian poetry:

I Have Always Known

I have always known

That at last I would

Take this road, but yesterday

I did not know that it would be today

--Ariwara no Narihira

Not Speaking Of The Way

Not speaking of the way

Not thinking of what comes after,

Not questioning name or fame,

Here, loving love,

You and I look at each other.

--Akiko Yosano

Why Should I Be Bitter

Why should I be bitter

About someone who was

A complete stanger

Until a certain moment

In a day that has passed

--Saigyo Hoshi

Just thought I would share my treasures of the day!

Enjoy

January 2012

2012. . . . 12 pictures to summarize January. (My goal is to do this for each month. . .we'll see how I do!!)

Click on the collage to see it bigger.

Here are the captions starting at the top left and moving left to right!

1) Mom and Dad came to visit over New Year's! This picture is taken at the beach town of Puntarenas.

2) The 6 Kings on Zach's 18th Birthday!

3) First day back to school for 2012!

4) Zach smiling with his 18 candles and double chocolate cake!! (who wouldn't smile at that!!)

5) Tia and Tara Reilly came back to Sojourn with a group from their US school!!

6) Mmmm, a morning tradition. . . a big cup of Costa Rican coffee in my favorite mug!

7) My gang. . our first family picture in 2012 at the beach in Puntarenas

8) The 5th anniversary of our church in Tres Rios

9) Ahmet came back to visit for the anniversary! So good to see him again!!

10) Happy birthday to my sweet, sweet friend Carolina!!

11) Happy New Year!! Welcome 2012

12) Quite possibly my favorite picture of the month. My sweet Wyatt and I!!

We're baaaack!

We are back home in Costa Rica and are finally unpacked and settled (more or less) into our home here!! I will try and take pics soon!! In the meantime, a pic of the new teenager with Mom:

And a few photos of our recent trip to Santa Maria de Dota. Such a beautiful little town tucked into the valley. I love all the different churches in each town here and always try to take a picture when we are traveling. Here is the one in Santa Maria.
I also love all the old homes and the bright colors one finds around here. Case in point, below, I love the rusting tin roof, the little diamond window in that peak, the wooden house boards:

and the sweet iron turquoise gate in front of the house.

I'll try to update soon with some house pics.