Here is another picture of the volcano, Arenal. This past weekend, the entire group of students at CINCEL went to Arenal for our yearly retreat. We stayed at Hotel Paraiso. It was a nice place with a great view of the volcano. A few times over the weekend, the clouds parted, and we were able to see the volcano. During one of those times, the volcano "burped" or had a small eruption. This is a picture of it a few seconds after it happened.
This was the first time we actually were able to see a volcano "erupt." The feeling of being so close to a live volcano is interesting. I don't know if I would call it fear, but you definitely think about how to get out of there if it would really erupt.
The retreat was good for us. We got away for a couple of days, and we attended classes on Conflict Resolution and Personal Communication skills. Now, you might be thinking, why would missionaries need this kind of training? Well, for one thing, it is much different communicating here in Latin America than in the U.S. Also, when several leaders get together and work in the same country or region, there can be communication problems or misunderstandings. This retreat gave us some tools on how to communicate and work through any personal issues that might present themselves.
I am reminded of how important it is to communicate to each other. We need to let each other, our brothers and sisters in the Lord, know about our needs, answered prayers, struggles, joys, valleys, and mountaintops. The more we tell each other about what God is doing in our lives, the more we can build up the faith of the body of Christ. It is very important to communicate our needs to one another, but I also think it is just as important to communicate the triumphs in our lives.
Yesterday, in prayer chapel, I was leading the prayer time. Every Friday, we write needs and prayer requests on the board, and all of the students join together to pray for these needs. I really felt like God wanted us to share what He has done in our lives. So, for the first 10 or 15 minutes, we went around the room sharing answered prayer requests that we had been praying for. It was an amazing time of sharing with each other. Then, after we praised God, we took each others burdens to the Lord. We laid hands on everyone who had a need, and we prayed for them. It was a sweet time in the presence of the Lord.
Take time today, and this weekend, and think of the things God has done for you this past year. Thank Him and give Him praise for working in your life. Also, take some time to encourage your brothers and sisters. Let them know what God is doing.
Blessings to all,
Charley
I have a question for everyone. We walk by these trees quite frequently, and I have always wondered what they were. They look very interesting, and the feel really soft and mushy.
DOES ANYONE KNOW THE NAME OF THIS KIND OF TREE?
If you do, please post a comment about it. I sure would like to know what kind of tree it is. Every time I walk past them, I wonder what they are. They are very different than any tree I ever saw in the United States. If you have any information, please let me know.
Blessings to all,
Charley
Good morning, afternoon, or evening (whichever time you are reading this)! It is 7 a.m. in San Jose, Costa Rica, and I have been up for over an hour. I know this is not "early" for a lot of you, but I would much rather sleep in until the last possible minute. Here, it is almost impossible to sleep past 6 a.m. because of the variety of birds, and the early rise of the sun. We have several birds that decide to wake us up around 4 a.m. The national bird is called: Yiguirro. The "y" is pronounced like a "j," and you can take a guess (like me) how to pronounce the rest. All I know is that it is one loud bird, and it likes to hear itself talk.
The picture on this blog was taken at a place called "Cataratas La Paz" or The Peace Waterfalls. It is a beautiful place with lots of wildlife and waterfalls. This toucan is found in the rain forests of Central and South America. Take a look at the bright vibrant colors on this bird. Isn't it amazing?
We have seen so many different and beautiful species of birds here in Costa Rica. I can only imagine what we will see in Paraguay. As I reflect on the variety of birds here, I cannot help but think about how amazing God is. This past week has been difficult, yet rewarding. New themes, new vocabulary, new verb tenses, and many other things have added to the stress of trying to communicate in Spanish. Yet, among all this, God still meets us here. In Spanish chapel this past Wednesday, the director of the Costa Rican Assemblies of God Bible School preached from Philippians 4:6,7. Let me quote it here from the NIV, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
This past week, I was really beginning to "worry" or become anxious about whether or not I am going to be able to communicate in Spanish. My personal struggle is the VERBS. Will I ever be able to master the different verb tenses and uses? For example, there are 5 different verbs just for "to be." How am I going to be able to speak?
The director talked about worry or anxiety, and how it does not do anything good for a person, spiritually or physically. He talked about praying and giving thanks for stress in your life. By praying and thanking God for the worries in your life, you are allowing God to work in your life. When we immediately give everything, everyday, to God, then the peace of God takes over and controls our every thought, our every purpose, our entire being, and our entire walk with Him. The "peace of God, which transcends all understanding," what a statement.
How do we get this peace? By prayer and petition with thanksgiving, presenting our requests to God: WE ASK FOR IT!
Will there never be fear or anxiety in our lives again? Yes, but when we start to feel anxious or worried about something, we just have to give it to God. Pray, and ask the Author of Peace to fill your life with peace. He is faithful and just to give you His eternal peace.
May the Lord make His face to shine upon you today, and may He bring peace into your life,
Charley
Greetings to all! We just returned to San Jose from the jungle for another ministry opportunity. We went for the Exploradores del Rey Father and Son Campout. Don't let the name fool you! There were a lot of fathers and sons there. The theme of this camp was Roma (Rome). Cesar was there along with his soldiers. It was really an interesting camp.
The first night of the camp, as the kids were coming of the bus, we had an attack on Rome. There is a picture showing a catapult launching something on fire. Yes, we launched flaming coconuts (that's me drinking coconut juice on the left) at the attackers. No, we did not hit anyone. They were 200 yards away, and the catapult (when it worked) only launched the coconuts 50-75 feet. It was fun for me to play with a catapult. I do not know if we could do this in a church parking lot in the U.S, though. Yet, it served it's purpose to really get the boys attention.
During the day on Saturday, a Roman soldier kept going around to all the boys to try and get them to drink "beer." It wasn't really beer, but the boys did not know it. He kept talking to them about how Cesar was the god above all gods, and it was interesting to hear what the boys were saying to him. They kept witnessing to this Roman soldier.
That night, there was a service at the amphitheater. Pictured here is Cesar with his Roman soldiers. The soldier on the left (not the boy sneaking in the picture-MK Jonathan Dallagher) came off the stage and into the audience and started talking to a Royal Ranger commander about Jesus. Then, he knelt and gave his heart to the Lord. The boys and dads all cheered.
Cesar appeared and figured out that he had become a Christian and had him "beheaded." The boys learned how to stand up for their faith and what they needed to be able to contend for their faith in Jesus Christ. Many came forward to give their hearts to Jesus, rededicate their lives, or to seek the in-filling of the Holy Spirit. It was an amazing time at the altars. I have put more pictures from the camp on our website: www.mattixfamilynews.com.
Here are some more pictures of the kids. There is a picture of Chariti with her new friend, Naomi. She is a really sweet girl. She ran around with us for most of the weekend. 
Also, Sherry was the camp nurse. She took care of a boy that had cut his
head open on a low-hanging tin roof. He had to be taken into town to get some stitches and a tetanus shot. The rest of the time, she mostly had to pass out Tylenol for headaches. She was a good nurse, and she was able to talk with a lot of people.
This camp was better than the last in one major aspect: I understood most of what was going on. So, I guess I am learning Spanish here. It was fun to listen and talk with a variety of people. God is really helping our family learn
Spanish.
Blessings to all who read this,
Charley
Greetings to all! Sorry that it has been so long since I last posted a message. The last couple of weeks have been very busy for the Mattix gang here in Costa Rica. We had AGTS classes, where Sherry and I learned more about how to minister effectively in the Latin American culture. We have been very busy back at work in our Spanish classes. Also, the kids had their last chapel of the school year at Sojourn (this is the name of the school they attend here in San Jose). The girls were part of a puppet team, and they did a really good job. You couldn't tell that it was fifth, sixth, and seventh graders behind the curtain. It was really nice. Chaz, and his age group of students, quoted a few scripture verses and did motions to some of the praise and worship songs. You could tell that they worked on it for quite some time.
Speaking of Chaz, you have probably noticed from the pictures that he had a birthday. Yes! Chaz turned 10 years old on May 19! He is officially in double digits. For his birthday, we celebrated by going to Feria (spelling?). Chaz took his dad, along with "Uncle" Nicky to the market, similar to the Farmer's markets in the States. He purchased a pineapple, a handmade wooden car, and some other toy cars. He had a good time. Later, he opened his presents, and we had Sherry's lasagna (it was so tasty). Then, we cut the cake. We forgot to purchase candles. So, Sherry, being creative, had Chaz blow out the lighter. Chaz thought it was great, and he had a really good time. Of course, Chaz had to have a lemon cake with white icing. I think his Granny got him hooked on lemon cake.
Well, we are all learning and growing in our Spanish. Thank you all for your prayers and support. God is good, and His mercy endures for ever. I thank God for His mercy, especially with Spanish.
Blessings,
Charley
Here is another picture of the volcano, Arenal. This past weekend, the entire group of students at CINCEL went to Arenal for our yearly retreat. We stayed at Hotel Paraiso. It was a nice place with a great view of the volcano. A few times over the weekend, the clouds parted, and we were able to see the volcano. During one of those times, the volcano "burped" or had a small eruption. This is a picture of it a few seconds after it happened.
