Merry Christmas y Feliz Navidad

Merry Christmas to all, I do not have a picture for this blog, but I wanted to write and wish everyone a Merry Christmas. I hope and pray that this Christmas season is a great one for each and every one of you. We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year. 

We are all doing well. We are celebrating Christmas today with almost all of our family. It is fun and loud, but hey, it is family. The kids are running around having fun, and the adults are trying to think and doing stuff on computers. I think there will be a lot of playing games here in a little bit. I know there will be turkey, ham, and all the fixin's. 

Don't forget to celebrate Jesus today. He is the reason for today. One good way is to sing "Happy Birthday" to Jesus. We like to read the Christmas story, speaking of which, I need to go. We haven't read it, yet. I need to make sure that it happens.

Feliz Navidad y Prospero Año a todo de nuestro amigos que hablan español. Uds. son muy importantes a nuestra vida. Quisieramos que este Navidad es muy feliz y uds. podrían tener mucho tiempo con su familia. Nosotros estamos aquí en los estados unidos con la familia de Charley. Es muy importante estar con su familia durante la Navidad. Gracias a todos por su amistad y su ayuda en nuestra vida.

Feliz Navid y Merry Christmas,

Charley

Graduation

Well, we finally made it. We have graduated from language which basically means we have learned all we are going to learn here in Costa Rica. Now, we go to Paraguay to continue learning Spanish as we try to adjust to a new life in a new country. Please pray for us as we learn how to live in Paraguay.

Please pray for the kids as, once again, they have to adjust to a new school, new church, new friends, new house, new country, new city, new culture, new food, and new life. As parents, Sherry and I always want to protect our children, but there are some things we cannot keep them from. One of those is growing up. Chariti is now 14. She is an awesome young lady. Please pray that she continues to allow God to work through her. Kaylee is almost 13, and she is amazingly talented. Please pray that God helps us mold her talents to be used for him. Chaz is now 10. He is amazingly gifted in "communication" and love for people. Please pray that God helps us shape this "gift of communication" into something that God uses for His glory.

Graduation came and went so fast. We had an exam the day before graduation. So, there wasn't really time to sit back and reflect. Today, we are in the process of packing and cleaning our apartment. I am taking a break while Sherry is still working. Shh! Don't tell her! Anyway, it is a sad and happy process. We are sad to be leaving great friends and teachers here at Cincel. (I would like to give a shout out to the Ghetto Crew here, you know who you are!) Also, we are excited and happy to be heading out on a new adventure with God.

Why would I say adventure? For me, every day is an adventure with God. Some people have more extreme adventures than others. For example, Sherry is crazy. We went to a National Park here in Costa Rica. There were many trails to choose from, but Sherry chose one that was rough! Again, she tried to kill me! It was muddy, slippery, wet, and we had to climb up and down rocks, logs, and through more mud. Several times, I fell or slipped and caught myself on a branch. But you know what, if we wouldn't have gone on that trail, we would not have see the beautiful view of the ocean that we saw.

An adventure with God might not take you to the jungle or language school in Costa Rica, but I guarantee it will take you places you never thought you would go. Maybe God is challenging you to step out of your comfort zone and take on the nursery at your church, children's church, lead a Sunday school class, start a Bible study group, talk to your co-workers about Jesus, or simply make a meal for a hurting family. All of these adventures will change you life. So, if you want to remain the same, don't do them! But if you want a real adventure, step out in faith and start working for God. I promise you one thing, your life will NEVER be boring.

Blessings,

Charley

Living Word Assembly of God Church in Ontario, New York

I can't believe I forgot to post this blog. I wrote it almost a month ago, but I never posted it. So, I added a little more to it, and I am posting it today.

We had this amazing group of people come to Costa Rica for a week or so. They were on a short-term mission's trip. Some of them went to help build a church that needed a building, badly. Several of them stayed here at the school to work on our apartment.

Before they arrived, our apartments was basically all white. It was nice, clean, and comfortable. However, when they left, the apartment completely changes. It is colorful, bright, and warm. It is more like a home that you feel good about inviting people over to see.

This team is an amazing group of people from Ontario, New York. They are from a church that I would love to visit because of the heart, passion, and love the team members showed to our family. This church, Living Word Assembly of God, must be an amazing place to go to church. If they have people like this team in their church, then they have the type of church that I would love to attend. If you are ever in Ontario, New York for vacation or if you live near there, you need to go and check out this amazing group of people.

Thank you, Living Word, for your dedication to the work God has called missionaries to do. Thank you for making our lives a little more comfortable. Most of all, thank you for being so encouraging and kind to the Mattix family. We pray that God continues to bless you all as you continue to serve Him.

Blessings,

Charley

Zanahoria Grande or Big Carrot

The other day, I went to the feria or market here in San Jose. I should have taken my camera. There was this huge table stacked about two feet high with a bunch of these huge carrots. I bought one just to see if it tasted any good. It was just like a regular carrot, but it was huge.

Chaz thought it was awesome. So, I had him pretend to put it into his mouth while I snapped a picture of it. He couldn't stop laughing.

It's amazing what you can find at the feria. There is this fruit that looks really disgusting, but it tastes really good. When you open it, the fruit (that you eat) inside looks like snot. I'm not kidding! If this type of stuff came out of my son's nose, I would put him on an antibiotic. For me, it is hard to get past what it looks like to eat it. Sherry and Chaz love them. I finally gave in to the peer pressure of Sherry, and I tried it. It really tasted good, but I think I will stick to the pineapples and bananas.

Sometimes, there are things that don't appear to appetizing. In other words, we don't really want to do it just because it seems too difficult, or maybe, it doesn't look inviting. There are things in my life that I thought I could never do. I remember thinking about 12 months ago that there is no way I would every be able to speak Spanish. Well, a little over two weeks ago, I preached my first sermon in Spanish. Was it perfect? No, but God helped me do it, and I actually preached in Spanish. It didn't seem possible. It seemed too difficult, and I knew it was going to take a lot of motivation and hard work. With God's help and a whole lot of patience from my teachers, I can honestly say that I can communicate (a little) in Spanish.

So, if there is something difficult, and let's just say it, ugly that you are facing today, have a little chat with God. Ask for his help and jump right in. Who knows? Maybe you will find it is much better than it first appears.

Blessings to all,


Charley