2 down, 1 to go.

We are 2/3 of the way done our language study here in Costa Rica. Last week we finished our 2nd trimester. It is amazing to think of how different our lives are now as compared to when we got here about 8 months ago. We have learned so much Spanish and also a lot about this culture. We have also been able to build relationships with many other missionaries and Costa Ricans as well.

Unfortunately, many of the people we were really getting to know well finished their time here and are now back home or in new homes in one of the many Spanish speaking countries. This, I think, is one of the hardest parts of our lives at this point. We are here temporarily with others who are also here temporarily. That makes building strong, deep relationships hard because you know those people won't be close by for very long.

We said goodbye to some really good friends, and we also said goodbye to our Costa Rican family. We will see them, but we have moved into an apartment in order to have some more space and privacy and also to get the opportunity to experience this culture in a new way. In addition to both of those, our language school had to let go of a third of its teachers because there aren't enough students. It was definitely a bummer to hear that one of my favorite teachers will not be back next trimester. I pray that the Lord would comfort these teachers and help them to find new jobs.

Since we are in the middle of trimesters, we also have new students coming in! Tonight, Ashley will go to the airport to pick up a family and about an hour later, I will do the same. We are 'big brothers' to two different families (we help them find a place to leave and show them around a little when they get here). We are excited to meet and get to know some more people who will be serving the Lord using Spanish!