God has blessed me with a beautiful, smart, and hilarious wife. Sherry is amazing. This week has been very stressful for me. In our Spanish Phonetics class, I am struggling with pronunciation of several different combinations of consonants and vowels. I have three major exams in the next two days, and I was focused on that. It was really beginning to stress me out.
Today, we went to a restaurant called Granes de Oro, Grains of Gold. In Costa Rica, the Grains of Gold are coffee beans. This restaurant was recommended to us by another missionary. It was a very nice place, but it wasn't too expensive. It was nice to go with another couple to celebrate Valentine's Day.
While we were there eating, Sherry had us laughing with her quick wit. The way she sees things is amazing. My stress just melted away. I am truly blessed to have such a great wife by my side. She is a blessing to our family.
Who in your life is a blessing? Maybe you know someone who can help lighten the mood in a room full of stress or anxiety. Is there a friend or family member that is hilarious? I know that God has a sense of humor. He put a UPS driver with a history teaching degree together with an E.R. nurse and is sending them to the jungles of Paraguay to reach the Guarani Indians. What can be funnier than that!?
Jesus had to have a sense of humor. He brought together 12 of the most unlikely people to start the Christian church. These twelve included fishermen, tax collectors, and rebels. Can you imagine the jokes or stories told around the dinner table and on the long walks between ministry opportunities. Peter probably told Matthew, "I once caught a fish THIS big!"
As I mentioned before, this week has been difficult. Yet during all of this, Sherry was able to unknowingly help relieve some of my stress. I am still nervous about the exams, but I do know that everything will be okay. Her sense of humor and comedic timing has helped lighten my load. I thank God for her and people like her in my life. Take some time today and thank the people in your life who make you laugh.
Blessings to all,
Charley
Part of the language school experience is to go on "field trips" or Paseo's together. Yesterday, we went on our first trip to the canopy. It really was a lot of fun. We went to a place to go zip-lining. It was near the volcano called Barva. It was beautiful and amazing. On our website, there are some pictures from the trip.
The purpose of Paseo's are not just for fun. It is a chance for all of us students to get out and see some of Costa Rica, learn more about Latin American culture, and a chance to get to know the teachers outside of school. It was a great time of fun and learning. We were able to use some of our newly acquired vocabulary and phrases with our teachers and the people who work at the canopy.
The scenery was beautiful. There is nothing like flying through the air at 30, 40, or even 55 miles per hour across rivers, lakes, and through the trees. Then, you climb up to the next platform, hook up, and do it again. The things you see from 75 or 100 feet in the air is amazing. The pictures do not really tell the story.
It reminded us of many things. It is amazing what God has created in this world. The beauty, variety, and the way it all works is amazing and wonderful. How can someone not believe in God when they are confronted by the very beauty of nature. In the canopy, we saw many wonderful things. We were also confronted with the danger of nature. One of our classmates was injured when she failed to put stop herself before hitting a tree. The workers at the canopy gave us instructions about how to stop before we hit the tree. Our classmate just simple did not do it in time. Even though she did not do it on purpose, it still happened. It is a reminder of how we need to keep focus.
We are beginning a new chapter in our lives and ministry. We want to begin well. Even though everything looks beautiful, and we feel like we are having fun, we need to be careful of the dangers. We need to not only begin well, but we need to keep on our guard that we will finish well.
There are many things in our life that can keep us from finishing the race we have started. Things like: pride, jealousy, anger, not completely trusting in God, to name just a few. We must keep up our guard and follow the instructions laid out before us. Sometimes, people fail. They may not have meant for it to happen, but they did not follow the direction and leading of the Lord. As a result, they failed. What is sad is that no matter how successful their ministry was, after they failed, it did not matter. All people will remember is that they failed.
What is even more amazing is that God still loves us. We continue to fail Him, time and time again, but He continues to love us. In fact, He loves us so much that He sent His Son to die for us in order that we would be able to have eternal life. When we think about His love for us, it should be humbling. We do not deserve it, but we still get an opportunity to receive it. WOW!
Blessings to all of you,
Charley & Sherry
We had our first real ministry opportunity this weekend at the Costa Rican National Royal Rangers (Exploradores del Rey) campgrounds. It was the Campomento Nacional, National Campout. It was in the jungles of Costa Rica. Man, it was beautiful, hot, humid, gorgeous, hot, humid, fun, hot, humid, and amazing. The coolest part was that 43 royal rangers received Jesus Christ into their lives for the first time. WOW!
Jeff and Danette Cooper are the missionaries who head up the Royal Ranger International ministry in Costa Rica. They have three children: Zach, 14; Lucas, 7; and Maddie, 4. They are a really neat family, and they have a big heart for all the children here in Costa Rica. Several churches from San Jose came to the campgrounds and set up their tents, campsite, and entrances. Each campount, Jeff adds another thing the campers need to do to get points toward winning the trophy. It was impressive to see the creativity of over 300 boys and girls at the camp. It was the first time they made entrances to their camps and roped them off. They used a lot of the knots that are taught in the Royal Ranger handbook. It was fun to be a judge and photographer/videographer at the Campomento Nacional.
There are many wonderful and strange things in the jungle. Our first morning there, we were woken up by Howler Monkeys. They call them Congo Monkeys here (pronounced with a K and long O's). They started howling at 4 in the morning. Sherry said they howled all night long, but 4 a.m. was the first I heard from them. I guess I was tired. Then, Freddy Cooper (Jeff's dad) and I went at 6 a.m. to judge the campsites. It was fun and a lot of walking. Man, it was hot that early in the morning. I sweated through my clothes by 6:30. To see some of what went on at the campgrounds, please check out our website. We have put many new pictures on the website: www.mattixfamilynews.com.
God is good, and He was there in the middle of the jungle in Costa Rica. We could feel His presence (even while sweating a gallon or two of water an hour). The theme of the camp had to do with super heroes. Superman and Spiderman were tempted by the Joker, two Cat-girls, and the Riddler to drink the Toxic Potion. They were promised extra powers if they drank this potion and served the Joker and his minions. Then, Batman came in and reminded Superman and Spiderman that if they prayed and confessed their sins to God, He would come and save them from the evil ones. The kids at the camp really got into it. They were yelling for Batman to come and save the day when Superman and Spiderman drank the potion. Then, they cheered really loudly for Batman when he showed up. It reminded me of what Jesus did for us. He is the ultimate superhero for everyone. When we need Him, He is there. When we think we don't need Him, He is there. No matter how we treat Him, He still love us. No matter how others treat us, He is there for them. In fact, HE DIED FOR THEM. Isn't that an amazing thought? He died for everyone, not just us! Everyone should have the opportunity to hear about this amazing, more than super, hero.
Blessing to you all,
Charley
God has blessed me with a beautiful, smart, and hilarious wife. Sherry is amazing. This week has been very stressful for me. In our Spanish Phonetics class, I am struggling with pronunciation of several different combinations of consonants and vowels. I have three major exams in the next two days, and I was focused on that. It was really beginning to stress me out.
