Isa.64:9...eye hath not seen nor ear heard ...things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

Two more weeks and the first trimester will be over. Praise the Lord! Only three more trimesters to go. Reminds me of counting down semesters in college. So glad when one was over and excited to start the next.

So we returned from three days in Panama yesterday. We went to the city of David about 45 minutes from the Costa Rica/Panama border. David has a big Jewish population. Can't you tell by the name? It's a very nice sized city. We could walk downtown from the hotel, and that was nice. It's super hot there, and we were all happy to have air conditioners in our rooms especially at night. There is a store called Conway that is owned by Target, and the o in Conway has the Target logo. Interesting. We had to take a cab there which usually cost about $2 each way, but everybody usually chips in so it isn't quite so expensive. And the best of course was a Momentos coffee shop similar to Starbucks close to the hotel. Absolutely heavenly! Also I asked Leticia to ask one of the workers in Conway if she knew a good place to get our hair cut. Sure enough, so we went there. $4. Great! And we learned that Betsy, the young lady who cut our hair went to an Assembly of God church. God truly does direct our paths.

One thing you learn to do in Latin America is to walk. I praise God that I've always been a walker. So to walk a couple of miles is not a big deal. Therefore we walked downtown more than once to go to the store Picadilly. Talk about cheap! I bought a nice looking watch for three bucks. No, it isn't an expensive brand name, but that's ok. If it gets stolen or it quits working, I won't cry or lose much. I'm sure batteries here cost more than $3. And my old, cheap watch is about ready to die, and all the coating has worn off, so it has a bronzed look! Totally different than any other watch I've seen.

We stopped on the way back in Dominical, I hope that's the name, for lunch. The place was playing 60's and 70's music which was interesting. But then I went to take a picture of the front of the place, and there next to the sign, up in the air, was an old van like the hippies use to drive. Well, that spoke volumes. And then I learned that this place was a surfer's paradise. So we all went down to the beach. No shells, only rocks of all sizes. And sure enough there were surfers out there riding the waves. And of course the usual venders selling their wares. Then back on the bus and away we went.

But I think of the greatness and bigness of God. I look at the expanse of the ocean and the sky, and I get overwhelmed by just how great is our God. His intelligence we can't even begin to fathom. And yet He knows me, everything about me, and He loves me anyway. But as I told Ritchie, He loves the prostitute down the street, too. That's just to keep things in their proper perspective. And we can't even begin to out love Him, or out give Him. I think about the things He asked us to give up in order to go to a foreign country, and when everything is looked at from a different angle, we realize that He gives back to us a lot more than we gave up.

And it's interesting the places you call home. We were all so glad to return "home" to CINCEL. Normally, everybody tries to get away from here. Most all feels like it's kind of like being in a prison. The scenery, what scenery? There isn't anything that's really eye pleasing here. The creek (people call it a river, but it's really a tiny creek)next to our living quarters, we call peepeecaca because it smells so bad. But we were all ready to be home! And we praised God for a safe trip and for not having any problems at the borders. Speaking of the borders. You have to drive your vehicle, however large or small, through this car washing thing to wash off the bugs, dust, or whatever before entering or leaving either of the two countries! We all thought that was a little amusing and strange.

So serving God is an adventure. Sometimes it's not so much fun, but in the end it will all be worth it. The things He has planned for us if we are willing to follow him definitely includes a cross, come and die, but also to live life to the fullest. And I pray that He keeps me on that potter's wheel always in order that I may hear those precious words, well done thou good and faithful servant.