New House, Regional Baptist Convention & New Church Organization

Here are some pictures of our new house and some recent meetings that Aaron went to.

Happy Birthday to Evie

Evie's 3rd Birthday

We arrived in Puebla May 14, 2009 and Evie turned 3 May 15, 2009. I wasn't about to gip her again from having a birthday celebrated in a proper way. So we arrived in Puebla and quickly began to pull things together. We met some other missionaries on the 14th and invited them over and then we invited the 3 children that live next door to the guest house. It was really a spur-of-the-moment party but I think it turned out really well. I even made a cake for it and Sherry made homemade ice cream to go with it. We had a lot of fun that night!

I was telling my parents how different the Walmart experience is here. And they said take some pictures and show us. So I did. I was telling them you park underneath in a parking garage and then take escalators up to the store. The coolest thing however is how the basket wheels have a groove in them to where it sticks to the escalator and won't roll until the end of it. So inventive! Also pretty much everywhere you go you will also see parking attendants that like to help you back out of your parking spot for a peso tip. So that has been pretty hard getting used to. We now keep lots of small change on hand. I should've taken a pic of this, but one day Sherry and I were running errands and were sitting at a stop light in a line of traffic. There are guys who walk up and down the traffic with cleaning fluid to clean your windshield for a tip. So we were sitting there and Sherry was teaching me how to make the NO signal with your finger which is the pointer finger being waved back and forth. Well one of these guys came up and I told him no and he decided I wasn't telling the truth and I really did want it washed. So he started squirting my window and I told him no again. Then he hopped up onto my bumper to reach the rest of the window because our van sits pretty high. Keep in mind Sherry and I both are now telling him no and he is continuing. Then the light turned green and we were still sitting there because I couldn't drive with a guy standing on my bumper. Then of course the honking from other cars started. Finally he jumped down and even if I did want to give him a tip there was no time. Sometimes it could be helpful if you have a dirty windshield but this time it was just plain annoying. Oh well you have to give the guy credit for trying to make a living. Enjoy the pics!

The First Days in Mexico

Our first few days in Mexico were soooooo busy! We arrived in Mexico City (MC) and sat in traffic for about 2 hours and then finally made it to the guest house where we were staying. We unloaded our bags and then I (Gabrielle) couldn't decide if I was more hungry or tired. So I figured I would feel better after we ate. So we chose to go to Chili's! It was the best meal we have had in a long time. It was so good and tasted just like the states. After we ate I regained enough energy to attend a birthday party that night for another missionary family with another association. The girls had a really good time and we were able to have some cake and ice cream. The next morning was when we were scheduled to go to the immigration office to have our FM3s checked. We were so blessed to have a lawyer with us to guide our every step. Otherwise we would've been lost! That night we took it easy and rested a bit. The next morning we left at 5:15am to drive the hour and a half to Puebla from Mexico City. It was dark most of the way but by the time we made it to Puebla we were greeted with snow capped volcanos. Sorry I couldn't get any pics for you, but it was really pretty. We arrived in Puebla around 7:30am and later in the day looked at our first house which is the one we are currently trying to get a contract on as I type. Pics to come later! Below are our pics from Mexico City and a few from the city of Puebla. Next blog will be Happy Birthday to Evie! Have a great weekend!

First days in Mexico

The Final Days in Costa Rica

Last days in Costa Rica

Above is the link to the last few pictures that were taken on the final day we were in Costa Rica. We stayed in a Hampton Inn Hotel with a swimming pool the night before our flight because our flight was so early the next morning. So it was very helpful that this hotel was only 1 mile from the airport and they had a shuttle service to take us there. Which allowed us to get a few more Z's that morning! Stay tuned for the "First Days in Mexico" posted later this week!

Another Blessing

If there was an answer to the the question "Why did we have to wait to leave, God?", I think God would answer with "to give you the desires of your heart." One of the things we were heart broken over is the fact that we were going to leave before Ted and Kerri Dewett made it here with their precious twin girls,Taylor and Kameron, that we prayed so many prayers over a year ago when they were born at 25 weeks gestation. But God knew we really wanted to love on those girls so he delayed us here in Costa Rica to be here for their arrival. We were also able to take part in their 1 year birthday party that they had here in Costa Rica. It has been so wonderful to reconnect the friendship we had with Ted and Kerri back at Orientation in Virginia. Below are some pictures that were taken from their Birthday party that will allow you to see how God answered all of your prayers in their lives. I will let you be the judge! At the end of these pictures are a few I took yesterday and today of the girls and of Mylee and I's pedicures we went and had done along with haircuts. We had a really good time and Mylee loved her first pedicure.

Twins' First Birthday

A little break at the Beach

Last week, when we found out we were going to be delayed for a bit, we weren't sure what was going to occupy our time. As we were relaying our dilema to some other missionaries, they looked at us and said "why don't you just come to the beach with us?" So that is what we did. We went to The Doubletree Resort at Puntarenas. It is an all inclusive resort to where we didn't have to go find our food or pay extra at a restaurant. It was all included in the price of the room. So this was great for us since we didn't have anything to begin with since other missionaries moved into the home we were living. We decided to go on this trip Sunday and was headed there Tuesday afternoon. Nothing like being spontaneos. This hotel is on the beach but the girls had no interest in the beach just 2 of the 5 pools they had. Since Aaron and I just celebrated April 20, 7 years of marriage this was a great gift to each other. We even traded babysitting with the other couple we went with, 2 out of the 3 nights. Aaron and I were able to eat dinner at a nicer restaurant on the resort, walk on the beach, and then swing in a hammock while we talked about life. It was one of the best dates we have had in a really long time. So I guess Aaron redeemed himself from the Taco Bell dinner we had on our actual anniversary=). It was a wonderful week of relaxation, playtime and family time. We feel so blessed to be able to have taken advantage of the time God had given us to revive before we hit the ground running in Mexico. Enjoy the pics!

Puntarenas Beach

We Graduated!

Well we did it! We made it through one year of language school in Costa Rica. What a great year it was that we were able to do it as a family. We just loved it so much that we just decided to stay a little longer...NOT! We are currently delayed from heading to Mexico until the Swine flu settles down a bit. We don't have a travel date at this time and will be sure to let you know when we do have one. But for now we will keep working on our spanish, hang out with friends one last time and get this blog updated with new pictures. So below are pictures that were taking at our Graduation ceremony that we were able to be a part of because of our delay. This was actually a strong desire of mine that I layed to rest when we were told we would need to fly out on April 22. But God knew the desire was still there and blessed us with this closing of our school year. What a GREAT God we serve! Have a great week.

Graduation