Weee’rrreee Baaaacccckkkk!

Hi Friends!

We have been back in Costa Rica for a full week now! We are all so happy to be back.

The arrival: Last Saturday my parents flew in early and I came in later in the day. My parents took their dogs in the airplane cabin with them and they said the dogs did really well the whole time. They too seem to be adjusting nicely. There was a nice taxi driver who came and gave us a hand with everything and took us back to the house, although he spoke no English. The next day we unpacked and cleaned the house a bit and by Monday we found a washing machine and dryer. The rest of this week has been busy with getting settled in, lots of grocery shopping and such. We went into Alajuela and went to a store called PriceMart. It’s pretty much the Costa Rican Costco, they even have Kirkland brand. We were able to find a lot of brands that we recognize and they were still very affordable so we stocked up on a lot of things. We have also found a car to purchase. One of the brothers is moving to Panama and has a good car for sale at a very affordable price. We are so thankful!

The house: Later this week we came to the decision that we won’t be staying in the house we are currently in. We live next door to a gym that bumps work out music from 5 am – 9 pm Mon-Friday. Just one week here and it’s taking a tole. Then we have a bit of mold, termites and critter issues in this house. We’ve all been losing sleep from the many noises in the night. All in all it’s enough that we feel we should leave. We just happened to find another house in an area of Grecia that we were looking at before. It’s a gorgeous American home with hot water throughout! Right now the house we are in only has hot water in the showers. So I will be posting pictures of the new home when we get in and settled.

Our brothers and sisters: We went to our first meeting back on Tuesday night and it was so wonderful to see our new friends and meet new ones who have moved into the hall and some who are visiting the area. We received a really warm “Welcome home” from everyone and they even announced our arrival. Today we were out in service and I (Meg) got my first call. I was out in service with a few other sisters. Sharon and I went to a door and spoke to a nice man who had spent 13 years in New Jersey and new English very well – although he only claimed to know a little – and he took the magazines. As we were walking down the hill Darleen & Sue had just called on  house and the mother said they don’t speak English. A few minutes later a young girl comes out of the house and chases down the sisters to tell them she speaks English. Darleen went over the first paragraph in the Truth tract with her and then asked me if I would like to follow up with the young girl next week. So we made an appointment next Saturday to come back and study another paragraph with her. So in just one short street we got 2 very great calls. My parents went with another brother and sister in their car – I’ll have to let my mom tell you about their first day back in service here.

The weather: Well it’s definitely the rainy season and for the most part, what we were told about it before is coming true. Its been generally clear and gorgeous in the mornings and then it rains in the afternoon or evening. We’ve had some pretty good rain along with thunder and lightening. It is a bit humid when the clouds roll in but it’s like being at the beach really, it’s not miserable at all. The temperature has been really moderate and pleasant, probably a high of low 80’s but probably not much more than 82.

Tomorrow we will be going to the meeting and then afterward there is a gathering for a family that is leaving. We are so sad to see them go since we had met them last time we were here and we have been so anxious to spend more time with them. This wonderful young family moved over from Hawaii and have spent as much time as they could here working where the need is great and now they need to return home. They will be definitely be missed.

So that’s all from me for now. I’ll keep checking in and sharing experiences with everyone. Give all the friends our love and please pass around the blog site to anyone who is curious about hearing of our time here in Costa Rica.

– Meg