Beloved of God and ours,
By the grace of our Almighty Lord and Savior, we are sitting here in an Internet Cafe in Costa Rica! How long have we waited for this time to arrive?...as long as the Lord allowed.
We are so grateful for His love, His provision, and His amazing plan.
We arrived Monday evening, without a glitch. Our 3 boxes went through customs, and our gracious friend (and landlord) Gary was there at the airport to meet us. Upon arriving "home" we found "Gallo Pinto" waiting for us in the frig! Estelia, Gary´s wife, prepared the typical Costa Rican dish consisting of rice, black beans, onions, Salsa Lisano, and cilantro. It was DELICIOUS! We are so blessed to have this godly couple as our friends and neighbors - they truly make us feel at home.
Tuesday we headed to Perez Zeledon, to Dad´s farm, to bring in the New Year with family. The 3 hours and 45 minute drive is through the mountains, and is only one lane each way...it has its "ups and downs and turns". When we were almost there, Geiner felt something give in the brakes. It was tricky...they continued working as we headed down the mountain, but they felt strange. Sure enough, upon arrival to our first destination, they gave way. They were down to the floor, and no longer stopping the car. But how amazing is our God? He safely brought us through the dangerous road, and did not allow the brakes to finally give way until we arrived in a place where a mechanic could fix them. It just so happened that the mechanic´s name is also Geiner. He recently lost his 37 year old brother to alcoholism, and the family is broken and grieving. Geiner had a chance to pray with his mom and him, and offer some comfort, in the name of Jesus.
For now we want you all to know that we are here safe and sound, praising our Lord, and praying that you all bring in a new year full of blessings and praise for our Almighty God.
We will let you know as soon as we are "connected" at home.
Blessings from hermosa Costa Rica! Pura Vida! Thank you for your prayers. We will update as often as we can, and will try not to make them too long!

http://ccpuravidacostarica.blogspot.com/2009/12/greetings-from-costa-rica.html

Alvarado Missionary Page