Back in September, we got to say "hello" to a group from First Church of the Nazarene, Greenville, SC, who came to Costa Rica on a mission trip. Our first visitors from home! It was very special--just to be connected for an evening with people who know us, know our city, etc. And they came bearing gifts from our family and friends--much needed shorts for Gabriel (whose shorts from last summer somehow disappeared between Greer and Costa Rica), candy for the kids, chocolate chips, etc.
In early November, we said "hello" to a group from Mt. Moriah Baptist Church, Powdersville, SC who also came to Costa Rica on a mission trip. It was also a very special time as they all go to church with my brother and sister-in-law, niece, and nephew. I remember wanting to sit and talk with them for hours. I wanted to know what the weather was like at home, and they talked with us about the colors of the leaves and one lady shared with me pictures on her cellphone of her driveway covered in red and gold leaves. When it came time to part, I wanted to hug them all tight, and give them extra hugs to take back to my brother and his family!
At Christmas, when we arrived back in SC, what a great welcome from family and friends we received! We were able to see many people during our brief visit, and we were very thankful for all of those "hellos" we got to say.
Each trimester, we say "hello" to a whole new group of incoming students. We are looking forward to meeting them all this week when we resume classes. There are two new couples here with BMDMI. Tully and I went to school Thursday, during their new student orientation, and introduced ourselves. We were all able to get together that night for dinner and a time of fellowship and getting to know each other. We're excited to be here with all of them this trimester and look forward to getting to know them all better!
BMDMI Missionaries in language school: Jessie and Timothy Crabtree, us, Sheila and Paul Hosier, and Trisha and Kelly Lawrence
What a blessing it has been to finally meet you guys! I have followed your blog and read your newsletters regularly during the past year. Kelly & I greatly appreciate your hospitality and help in getting settled here!
ReplyDeleteSaying goodbye was very hard for us; neither of us have lived more than 15-miles from our family, let alone outside the state or US! We had comfort knowing when we said all of the goodbyes that we would definitely have many opportunities to say hello. Leaving our family, dear friends, and church family was hard; saying hello to new friends has certainly helped with the transition.