We arrived in Huntington Beach in mid-December and were invited to see a youth ballet production of The Nutcracker. The girls were enthralled! Then, Grandma (Tom’s mother) hosted an Ice Cream Social for 8 of her granddaughters. She told them the story of the Three Trees, dressed them up in party dresses, and served them Dippin’ Dots! Christmas Day was a quiet day shared with Tom’s brothers and family, and a powerful reminder to me of God’s provision for us (see earlier post). Next, in true Marcus fashion, we had a Plaid Party! We all dressed in plaid, Tom’s Mom shared about the family history, and we were entertained by a bagpiper!
For New Year’s, we were invited to the mountains by Tom’s brother. We celebrated his wife’s birthday and our girls played for three fun days in snow –their first time ever! It was my first time back in snow after 11 years, so it was quite surreal for me. It seemed so new! It made me miss Canada!
In between all of these events, we had many visits to the library and local parks, days at the beach, playtimes with cousins, sleepovers, Target!, and donuts. We had slurpees and visits to Grandma and Grandpa's "candy store" - it's really a very classy country store! We met friends who have been faithful friends to us for the 6 years we have been in Costa Rica. Our girls enjoyed a couple of visits with their “dog cousins” June and Ruth, and got to walk them and dress them up. We attended our old church, NewSong, and visited with former mission team members. They were a great encouragement to us to stay faithful to the ministry God has called us to.
We also met with a former student who is now studying in Southern California. She has a heart for the Muslim world and is hoping to serve there after she finishes school. God used my Missions class to open her eyes to the need. Praise Him! I am excited to see what God does in her life. She will be a blessing wherever she goes.
I say a public “thank you” to everyone who made our time so wonderful. It was great to be back! We will miss you, until we meet again. Continue to be a blessing!