Trust or Stupidity

We took our last little trip with our Costa Rican friends to Arenal. On the way home, we saw this big, bungee-jumping tower. We pulled over on the side of the road, and I snapped a picture of this guy jumping with a bungee cord wrapped around his ankles. At the bottom, there was a pool of water. He went about waist deep into the water and up and down. Now, I don't know about you, but I don't think I could do this. I don't know if this man had placed his trust (not to mention his life) in the hands of the owners of the bungee cord, or if he was acting with stupidity.

Now, I am not using that word to be mean, and I am not trying to put him down at all. To me, I do not know if I could place my life or the lives of my family in the hands of someone else. I am not afraid of heights, but I am terrified of the landing:)

It made me think of our life here on earth. We can act with stupidity and place our lives and souls in the hands of the owner of the bungee cord of lies, deceit, wickedness, worldliness, false idols, discontent, and disunity. You know the enemy I am talking about. He seeks to destroy our lives through many deceitful ways. Sometimes, he comes at us full force, and we know he is seeking to harm us. Other times, he sneaks up on us by using people to speak into our lives things that can harm our spirit. It's kind of like the bungee cords. You never know for sure if they are going to keep you from hitting the ground. Why place your trust in something that ends uncertainly?

Or, we can place our trust in Jesus Christ. We can place our lives and souls in the hands of the owner and creator of the universe. The creator of unity, truth, love, honor, justice, peace, Godliness, and contentment has made it simple for us to make sure we are safe. You don't need to climb the tower, strap on some unsafe bungee cords, and jump off the tower to find excitement in your life. The only true, pure, and everlasting excitement is a relationship with Jesus Christ. If you are not sure, just keep reading our blogs and see what God is doing in our lives. Why not place your trust in Jesus Christ today? Step out in faith and see what He can do in your life and through your life.

Maybe God has asked you to step out in faith and do something you don't think you can do. You cannot do it at all, WITHOUT GOD. Seek God's heart, seek God's face, and let Him work through your life today. Who knows? Maybe you won't need a pool to keep you from hitting the ground because you won't have to jump from a tower to feel excitement.

Blessings to all and Happy Thanksgiving,

Charley

Crazy Faces

Some of you have been wondering what happens to missionaries after almost a year at language school. Well, here is proof that it is not pretty. I think we all feel like this every now and then. If you cannot tell who in the world this is, don't worry, neither can we.

We are almost done, and we will be stepping foot in Paraguay for the first time in less than two months. We are excited and nervous at the same time. We are looking forward to seeing what God is going to do in our lives.

This past year has been tough, and it has stretched us in ways we did not know we could stretch. Sherry and I have actually preached our first sermon in Spanish. It was hard, but it was an awesome experience. It was neat to see our teachers crying. They have done a lot of work in our lives, and they have ministered to us in more ways than just learning Spanish. I will try to get some pictures of all the teachers and post them to our blog.

Thank you to all of you who are praying for us and supporting our ministry. You have made this year a successful one. You are amazing, and we thank God for you every day.

Blessings,

Charley

50th Birthday Party

No, I am not 50 years old, and neither is Sherry. It was the 50th birthday party of our academic director here at CINCEL. His name is Luis Solano. Here in Costa Rica, 50th birthdays are HUGE. There was a big celebration. The teachers catered in food, had a big birthday cake, brought in a string band, and we all joined together to celebrate Luis' birth. It was really a nice time, and he was completely surprised.

There are a couple of traditions that took place. A couple of weeks before, Sherry asked one of our teachers what a traditional gift was for someone turning 50. Here is the tradition. Years ago, a 100 colones bill (the money in Costa Rica) was the color of a roof tile. You can see that color on the edge of the piece of tile painted with a picture of Don Quixote on it. Because of the color of the tile and the 100 colon bill, the bill became known as Teja, which is tile in Spanish. The tradition is that for a 100th birthday someone would paint a tile and give it to you. The gift is called a Teja. For the 50th birthday, it is a tradition to receive a Media Teja, or half tile, painted. So, Sherry had a teacher bring a tile to school, and she broke it in half, painted it, and gave it to Luis for his birthday. He really liked it, and he was pleased that Sherry thought to ask what the tradition was.

One other interesting tradition is the piñata. Now, the reason why I am sharing this is amazing. Many birthdays in Costa Rica include a time for breaking the piñata. Luis, who just turned 50, had never had a piñata for his birthday. So, what do the teachers do? Of course, they buy a piñata, blindfold Luis, and have him hit it until it breaks. It was a lot of fun to watch. He was having a lot of fun, and for the first time in his life, he had his very own piñata.


Remember to take some time, laugh, have fun, and make a memory with your family and friends,

Charley

Patience and Perseverance

There is a town here in Costa Rica called Sarchi. It pretty much sounds like it is spelled (Sar-chee). It is a neat little town. Here are three pictures of three pretty cool young people. These three missionary kids are depicting a big tradition here in Costa Rica. They are pretending to paint the wheels on a painted cart. Painted carts are a national symbol here in Costa Rica. It looks like it takes a long time to do. I was talking with a gentleman at this place the last time we were there. He is 77 years old, and he has been painting cart since he was 7. He introduced me to his son, grandson, and great-grandson. They were all there painting. He said from start to finish, it takes 7 days to paint one cart. So, you can imagine the work put into each cart. He also told me there is no pattern or stencil made to trace or paint with. It is all done by hand and imagination. What is really neat is that each side is an exact duplication of the other side. I don't know how they do it, but it is really impressive.

I imagine it takes a lot of patience and perseverance. I have been thinking a lot about these two fruits of the Spirit lately. The Spanish language is beautiful, but man is it hard to learn. There are so many words that are close to English, but they are pronounced different. Sometimes, they mean something totally different. It takes a lot of patience (which I am learning) and perseverance. I just keep on keeping on, and eventually, I will be able to speak this language well. That is my goal.

Ministry is another difficult, yet beautiful thing in life. If we call ourselves Christians, then we are also ministers of the Gospel. We represent Jesus Christ wherever we are, at all times, and to a world that desperately needs Jesus Christ. What a responsibility! Sometimes, we get tired, frustrated, or we just don't feel like ministering to people. We don't feel good, and we don't want to show people the true love of Jesus. Well, ministry, just like learning a language, requires patience and perseverance. As we learn to trust in God and to be patient with others and with our self, then we can minister more effectively. Also, if we just keep on keeping on, we can win people to Jesus Christ.

I received an email, yesterday, from a very dear friend here in Costa Rica. His name is Jose Antonio Perez. I have written about him before, but this email really touched my hear and gave me a great deal of encouragement. In the email he writes, in Spanish of course, about our friendship and how much I mean to him. He encourages us by telling us that God is going to give us many blessing in the work we are about to begin in Paraguay. He also told me that I am the friend he never has had here in Costa Rica. Now, I don't know about you, but sometimes I don't feel like I really do that much to deserve such kind words. I do know that this man is like a brother to me. He has helped me, encouraged me, blessed me, taught me, and shown me many things. I would not have had this friend without patience and perseverance. Patience to learn and understand what I know of the Spanish language. Patience in trying to speak it and communicate with Jose Antonio. Perseverance to keep trying even after I fail or mess up with trying to speak. Perseverance in going to their house and visiting even though it takes a long time to get there. Patience and perseverance in developing a friendship that I believe will last a lifetime.

Did this friendship happen overnight? No, just like it takes a long time to paint carts here in Costa Rica, it takes a long time to develop true friendships, especially when you are trying to communicate in another language. With God's amazing grace and help and with a lot of patience and perseverance, I have a new friend. I am really going to miss seeing him every week. Con mucha paciencia y con la ayuda de Dios, yo tengo un amigo nuevo. Él es mi hermano en Dios y yo voy a extrañarlo mucho.

Blessings to all,

Charley

Friendships/Amistades

Friendships are important in life. When we first came to Costa Rica, we did not know anyone. Now, we have several friends from Costa Rica.
On the top left are sisters, Francini (right) and Natalia (left). This picture was taken on Chariti's birthday. Can you believe Chariti is 14 years old now? I know, I cannot believe it, either. The little baby is Fabiana. Isn't she adorable? I am her Gringo Uncle. She loves when I hold her and talke to her. She has me wrapped around her little finger. The picture in the middle is my friend, Randy. I call him "big" brother, and he calls me "little" brother. The picture on the top right is Fiarella. She is the oldest daughter of Francini. Fabiana is her baby sister.

The picture on the bottom left is my friend, Jose Antonio. He has helped me tremendously with my Spanish, and he has taught me a lot about Latin American culture. On the bottom right is one of our teachers and a good friend of ours, Roxanna. She is a riot! We have lots of fun with her and her husband, Jose Antonio. They live in Ciudad Colon, and we visit as often as we can. She can flat-out cook! Wow! We eat more than well when we visit there home. They have three children: Marianell, Jose Andres, and Gabriel. If you would, add their names to your prayer list. They have such big hearts, and they really want to minister to as many people as they can. Their immediate nees are health for their children, money for a micro-bus for taking people around Costa Rica and teaching them about their country, and another prayer request is for their business. There is a piece of land near their home that they would love to purchase. They want to use this land to build a cabin. They want to use this cabin to bless missionaries and students while they live here in Costa Rica.

Friendships are very important in life. Friends help us through tough times. In fact, a true friend loves us when we are ugly and when we are beautiful. A true friend will not kick us when we are down. A true friend will not put us down or build us up too high. These people are examples of true friends, and I am proud to call them my friends. They have blessed our family in more ways than I can count, and we are going to be sad to leave them in a couple of months.

Blessings,

Charley

El Dia de la Independencia

I finally downloaded the picture from September. These pictures are from the 14th and 15th of September. September 15th is Independence Day in Costa Rica. On Friday night at exactly 6:00 p.m., all of Costa Rica stops and sings the national anthem together. If they are in their homes or in the cars, they stop and sing. Then, all of the children gather and parade through the streets with "faroles." The picture on the left is of Chaz and his friend, Gabriel. They both have a "farole." The only word I can think of that can be used to translate "farole," is lantern. The story behind the farole is that on their day of independence, there wasn't any light. So, all of the children lit candles in a farole, or lantern, in order to read the letter of independence from Spain.

The other picture is of Gabriel in the parade on Independence Day. He was playing drums in the parade. Pretty much all of the children are in the parade. If you didn't know before, Costa Rica is one of two countries in the entire world that does not have an army. Our friend, Jose Antonio Perez, told me that this is their army. When I asked him what he meant, he said that our children make up the army of Costa Rica. Our army is education, the schools. The children even greet foreign dignitaries like armies do in other countries. When a foreign dignitary visits Costa Rica, the streets are lined with children welcoming them.

The national pride shown during this time was amazing. It was awesome to see children singing, dancing, and marching through the streets. Chaz was able to take part in this with his friend. He had fun, and he also was able to learn a lot about Costa Rica.

Do not forget where God has placed you. If you live in the United States, give God praise for allowing you to live in a free country like Costa Rica. Democracy and independence are great, but they will not last unless we stand up for them. The best way to stand up for democracy and freedom is on your knees. In Costa Rica, there is an important agreement up for vote this weekend. It is a trade agreement with the United States. In the United States, next year is an important presidential election. Both of these votes could change the future of both of these countries. We all need to get on our knees and ask God for His guidance.

May God bless you! May He keep you safe! May His face shine upon you, and may He give you peace!

Charley

Wow! How beautiful!

I realize it has been a long time since I last posted a blog. It has been busy here as we have begun our last trimester of language school. There is a lot of work to accomplish before we can graduate from language school. We have projects to start, finish, and present (all in Spanish). There are sermons to write and preach (in Spanish). Also, we have been asked to help teach some really neat kids in Ciudad Colon. We will be helping one of our professors teach English in her school. Last Friday, we started, and we really enjoyed it. We hope to be able to go every Friday and help teach.

On Monday nights, we have a dinner with some Costa Rican friends. I believe I have blogged about them before. There names are Randy, Nati, and Francini. We were honored to attend the wedding of Randy and Nati back in May. Anyway, this evening Randy told me that our pastor asked him to ask me if we would talk about missions in church one Sunday morning before we leave. I don't know whether to be nervous or excited. However, I do understand what an honor and privilege this is. If you can imagine what it takes to allow someone who doesn't really speak the language to get up in your pulpit and speak, then you can almost understand the privilege afforded to us.

As you take a look at the pictures above, notice the green frog on the left, and the very colorful frog on the right. Believe it or not, they are one and the same. It is an amazing creation by God. It looks all bland and kind of boring as it rests, but when it moves, it has vibrant colors and really looks amazing. In fact, in order to confuse it's predators, it moves quickly and leaves a ghost-like image in the space that it left. This gives it time to escape and survive.

As I look at the pictures, I think about my life before and after following the will of God upon my life. I was leading (what I thought to be) a good life. I was working for U.P.S. (making good money), and we really could have purchased any thing we wanted to. I was like the bland, boring, green frog on the left. I didn't know it, but my life was pretty slow and lazy. After we began the mission's process with the Assemblies of God, our lives changed forever. No longer do we have a normal, routine, easy day. We are in a foreign (to us) country, trying to learn a difficult language, making new friends, saying goodbye to some friends, trying to learn the METRIC system, and eating all kinds of strange and new foods. Our life, my life, is now much more colorful than it ever has been, and we are just getting started.

What is amazing about God is that He never fails us! He always keeps Him promises. Jesus came to earth and promised us an abundant life. Life is not meant to be lived in a normal, easy, lazy, routine way. I thought our life was awesome, and it really wasn't that bad. Now, I never know what to expect, and I love it. Is it hard? Yes. Is it fun? Yes. Is it worth all of the hard work? Yes. Is it worth the time? Yes. Is it worth giving up a good paying job? Yes.

To follow God is to really live. Am I telling you all to quit your jobs today and go to another country to tell people about Jesus? Yes, only if God tells you to. If you do not feel compelled to move to another country, you can still live for and work for God. Let me give you a quick lesson about missions. If you call Jesus your Lord and Savior, then you are a missionary whether you choose to be or not. How? Jesus is the Lord of your life, and He has told all Christians to GO and PREACH the Good News to all the world. I personally believe that the WORLD is wherever you are at RIGHT NOW! If you live and work in a community, then that community is your mission field. If you are married with or without children, they your family is your mission field as well. If you attend a church (if you don't, I recommend you start this Wednesday), then there is another mission field.

God loves you, and He would love for you to be a part of the team. It's football season, and you cannot score a touchdown if you don't get off the bench. Join the team! Support your local church with your attendance, prayers, tithe, and work! Support your missionaries with your prayers and finances! As a team, we can work together to spread the Amazing Message of God's unfailing love all over this world. Your life can change from a normal, green life to one that is full of color. You can be like the frog above. When you move in the will of God and work for God in YOUR world, you can leave an imprint on this world that will confuse the enemy and spread the love of Jesus.

Blessings to all,

Charley

Two Down, One to Go!

This past Friday, we attended our second graduation ceremony at CINCEL. Several of our good friends graduated and are headed to Mexico, Colombia, and Argentina. This picture is of all the faculty and the graduating students. I will try to name them all for you right now: from left to right; Alex, Maria Rosa, Rosita, Nicky, Janie, Paul, Kristi, Caitlyn, Ryan, Vicky, Kate, Guiselle, Yorleny, Lizbeth, Luis, and Roxana.

You can probably tell the graduating students from the professors. Our friends, Nicky & Janie Rider, Paul & Kristi Robinson, Ryan & Caitlyn Jordan, and Kate Freeman all graduated. The Riders are going to Mexico, the Robinsons are going to Colombia, the Jordans are going to Colombia, and Kate is going to Argentina. We will miss them all, but we will remain friends for life. They have all added something special to our lives, and we will never forget them.

To all of you who faithfully support us with your prayers and financial support, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We are almost done. We can almost feel and smell Paraguay. Although we are excited about going to Paraguay, we know that we need as much Spanish as possible before we leave Costa Rica. We will be working very hard for the next 4 1/2 months, and then we will be graduating from language school. We could not do this without your prayer and support. Again, thank you so much. Your investment in our lives and ministry will touch many lives in the jungles of Paraguay.

Blessings to you all,

Charley

Carts/Carretas

Here are some pictures of three different types of carts. The colorful one is the traditional cart of Costa Rica. These carts were used to take the coffee beans to the different ports for export to other countries. The farmers and indigenous people used them for hauling many things all around the country. There is a lot of pride placed into building and painting these carts. I met a man named Carlos in a town called Sarchi. His grandfather, father, sons, and now his grandsons have all been painters of these traditional carts. Carlos is 75 years young, and he is still working. He and I talked, in Spanish, of course, for about an hour. He was very nice, and he taught me a lot about these carts.

The other picture with the oxen, cart, and the man was taken on a small road near the Peace Waterfalls (Cataratas de La Paz). He was a funny man. He saw my dad taking pictures of him. So, he posed like that for this picture. Then, he waved and smiled as he drove the cart up the hill. It is a "little" different than the traditional carts, but I think it serves the same purpose. It looked to me as if he was heading home from a long day of work.

The other cart was at the Royal Rangers father/son campout. This was the camp workers and leaders cart. This was used to carry around the Roman leader, Caesar. Then, at the end of the camp on Sunday morning, they had a chariot race. This cart became stuck in the mud hole and didn't finish until well after the other carts. It was a lot of fun.

All different types of carts with many different uses. Some for recreation and some are used for working. Just like people! There are many different types of people. Some are hard workers, others like to play a lot, some are a mixture of both, but we are all important in life. There are some people who understand the importance of doing what God has called them to do. There are others who still are trying to figure out what God wants them to do. I do not know all that God wants me to do, but I do know this. He wants me to be ready for when He calls. I strive to hear the voice of God! I strive to be ready for the times He wants me to do something.

To hear about a time when God answered a simple prayer of two men from two different countries and two different languages, then be sure to read the next blog: A Simple Prayer Answered!

Blessings to all,

Charley

A THIEF IN THE JUNGLE

Hello again! This post is a different kind of story. Last weekend, we had a three-day weekend. So, we took advantage of the opportunity, and we took a trip. We went to an area of Costa Rica called Manuel Antonio. It is about four hours from the language school in San Jose. We really had a good time.

One of the reasons for this trip was to take a final big trip with a couple who have become really good friends of the family. Their names are Nicky and Janie Rider. They are missionaries to Mexico. They will be leaving language school in a little over a week and head off to Mexico. Also, we invited our friends, Randy and Nati, to come with us. They agreed, and we spent a couple of days together playing games, eating lots of food, going to the beach, and practicing our Spanish with them. If you do not remember these two people, then here is a reminder. They are our Tico friends who come over once a week for dinner to help us with Spanish. Also, they are the same friends that invited us to their wedding. What an honor!

The two pictures above are the reason for this blog. The place we stayed at was not enclosed. The bars on the windows kept humans out, but it did not keep our little friend here out of the house. He, and his buddy, ran across our roof, down the other side, in the kitchen window, and he stole a banana. (I think he has done this before) Anyway, it was a sight to see. I can be pretty sure when I mention that most of you have not had this happen to you in the States.

We had a good time just getting away from it all. The kids enjoyed the beach and seeing all the animals at the National Park. Here are some pictures of some of the animals we saw:
WHITE-FACED MONKEY













RACOON













CRAB (Look at the colors on this one)

Traditional Dance

Last Wednesday evening, we had the privilege of being invited to a celebration for Guanacaste Day. This is a day that Costa Rica celebrates every July 25. It is a day to remember the annexation of one of Costa Rica's provinces. The name is Guanacaste.

This picture is Gabriel, the youngest son of one of our teachers, Roxanna. He is doing a traditional dance from Costa Rica. Gabriel is 10 years old, and he has become a friend of Chaz'. In fact, the entire family has become close friends. When my mom and dad were here, Roxanna invited us to her home for dinner. They are a really neat family with big hearts.

It is there desire to help as many people as they can with whatever they have. Roxanna's husband, Jose Antonio, has told me that their desire is to purchase a microbus (basically a large passenger van). The reason they want to buy one is to be able to take students to different places in Costa Rica and learn more about Latin American culture. Jose Antonio also was dancing and teaching about the cultural dances. He desires for students to not only learn the language, but he really desires for them to learn his culture. He wants students to understand Latin Americans and the way of life here in Costa Rica. He also wants to keep the traditions alive so that others, in the future, will learn about what life was like in the past.

It was a great night! The dances were beautiful and they taught us a lot about Costa Rica. In fact, during one dance, all of the dancers came off the stage and grabbed a bunch of us up on the stage to dance. I didn't know what to do! I do not have any rhythm. Sherry did really well. I think she could really learn some traditional dances. Who knows? In Paraguay, the girls might learn some traditional dances and show them when we come home for itineration.

We hope and pray that you are all doing well. Every now and then, we receive emails or updates from the States about someone going through an illness, injury, or a tough time. Please be reassured that you have a missionary family praying for you. We know and understand the power of prayer. If you have a need, or you would just like to ask a question or update us on how you are doing, please drop us an email or give us a call.

Blessings to all,

Charley

Retreat to Arenal

Hello everyone! Sorry it has been so long since our last post. I will be writing several posts in the next few days. So, hopefully, I will get you all caught up on what is going on in the lives of the Mattix gang.

This picture is at Arenal. Sherry and Chariti, two beautiful young women, posed for this shot as the clouds moved away from the top of the volcano, Arenal.

We went to Arenal for a yearly retreat that the school, CINCEL, has, and it was really nice. The entire school went, and we had a really good time. We rested, a little, and then, we had several different training sessions. It was a good time of getting away from Spanish and spending a few days getting to know the other missionaries better.

Sometimes, we need to "get away" and allow God to speak to us. Now, I am not suggesting you need to get away from your family to hear from God. What I am saying is that we all need some time in our week to spend with God. How else are we going to hear from Him. We must have time to spend with Him.

Today, in chapel, a pastor from Texas spoke about staying connected to the power source. His illustration had to do with the jaws of life that firemen or rescue workers us to help recover people who are trapped in their cars after a wreck. He explained that one time, he and his partner were working to get a young person out of a vehicle. He heard his partner fire up the generator, the power source, but the jaws-of-life would not work. He looked back and saw that the power cords were not plugged in to the power source.

He went on to explain that many people in the church come every week and hear the power source. They know the power source is there, and they see Him working in other people's lives. Yet they don't feel like God is working in their lives. You know what? Maybe, we should stop and make sure we are CONNECTED to the power source.

So, today, take some time to check your power cords. Are they plugged in to the power source?

Blessings,

Charley
Don't forget to check out our website. As soon as I figure out what is wrong with my Adobe Acrobat PDF maker, I will post our newsletters.

Volcano "Eruption"

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

What Kind of Trees are These?

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

Toucan

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

Cracked-Up Corner

Chaz wanted me to make sure and write a blog about this spot that we used to walk by everyday on our way to school. I put pictures on the website of our first apartment. This was part of our way to Cincel whenever we had to go to a meeting, dinner, class, or see friends. It was only a five minute walk, and it was nice to do this every day. It gave us a little exercise and time to talk.

Chaz and Sherry always have pet names or funny names for a lot of things. They are a lot alike in this way. This corner, Chaz named Cracked-Up Corner. He was always saying, "Oh, we are almost home! There is Cracked-Up Corner!" It was always funny to hear him say that.

Many of you know Chaz' personality. He is a busy boy, but he has a great heart. There is not anyone in this school that he doesn't like. He is so nice to everyone, and he always wants to include everyone.

The other night, we had some Costa Rican friends over for dinner. We do this every Monday night. Chaz asks Natalia, what is your favorite color. I don't know what she said, but a few minutes later, he comes out of his room with a house he had cut out of paper. Of course, he had colored it with her favorite colors. He is truly a gift from God. He made them feel so special.

Also, whenever they talk to him, it is always in Spanish. This night, Chaz attempted to answer back in Spanish. They loved it! He always has the right thing to say or do to make people feel good. Does he ever get into trouble? I am wondering if he ever will be OUT of trouble. I love him, and I know God has a place for him somewhere in life. He already is a great asset to our ministry because of his loving and kind spirit.

Blessings to you all,

Charley

One down, two to go!

We have completed our first semester (we call them tri-mesters) at Cincel, the Assemblies of God Spanish Language and Cultural Acquisition school in San Jose, Costa Rica. The picture above is the group of people that graduated this semester, and they are on their way to their countries of ministry. They are all our friends, and we will miss them greatly. From left to right (front row): Karen Nichols, Tara Kenyon, Christina (Vanguard student), Lisa & Randy Parr, Monica Peercy, Michelle & Bob Perez; (back row) Gerritt Kenyon, Efrain & Katherine Figueroa. I hope I spelled all of their names correctly. I am sure I will hear from them if I did not. In my mind, I am confusing Spanish and English spelling. I did not realize it would be this difficult.

Speaking of difficulties, there are a lot of things that are hard for missionaries. We are finding out that one of the hardest realities is saying good-bye. In the life of a missionary, there are a lot of "hellos" and "good-byes." It's just a reality of life for all of us. I did not really understand this until we said good-bye to all of our family and friends in the U.S. Then, we began a lot of hellos and making of new friends in Costa Rica. At the end of our first semester, some really good friends left because they were done with language school. Again, it was very hard saying good-bye. Some of them, we will only see once every four years, possibly. Some, we will never see again until Heaven.

I don't want you to think that I am complaining in any way. In truth, I am not! I just want you to understand part of our lives, now. It is the same for many pastors and their families, or the military families all around the world. You move somewhere, work hard to make new friends, and a year or two later, you have to uproot your family and move. It's not easy on the parents, and it is definitely not easy on the kids.

Chariti, Kaylee, & Chaz are troopers. They are all very involved in their school. They are learning how to play soccer really well. They have made a lot of new friends. These last couple of weeks have been tough for them because several of their friends left as well.

In the midst of all the change, we had another change as a family. Housing became available on the language school campus. So, we moved into a larger apartment. It is a nice apartment with a lot more room. We really like it a lot, and we look forward to being so close to the language school. We have a lot more room and we are closer to most of the other students here. Also, three more families have finished raising their budget, and they are here ready to learn Spanish.

One thing we have learned very quickly is to remember that people come and go in our lives, but God always remains the same. Does that mean we are going to forget about everyone that has left or moved on from our lives? No, not in any way, each and every person has been part of our lives. God orchestrated this time together, and He has a purpose for bringing them into our lives. We are different people after we have been influenced by friends and family. God places different people into our lives to help us grow mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

Please feel free to email, write, or call us whenever you feel like it. We would love to hear from you.

All of our contact information can be found on our website: www.mattixfamilynews.com.

Blessings to all,

Charley

Easter

Greetings to all from Costa Rica. I thought I would write a little about Easter here in Latin America. It is very intersting to watch and learn about. We had an entire week off of school prior to Easter. It is called Semana Santa, or Holy Week. This is the same week that we went to the volcano, Arenal. I wrote about that a little while back.

Today's blog is about Easter Sunday and the three days leading up to it. On Thursday, the entire city of San Jose is completely shut down. Almost every business is closed, and people begin to get in a really somber mood. They seem very sad and are in mourning. It seems like they are expecting something bad to happen. In fact, most of the people act like Jesus is going to be crucified again. It is huge! All day Friday, they parade or walk around all of the Catholic churches making a lot of noise and mourning the eminent death of Jesus.

We were able to rent a vehicle for Semana Santa, and on Friday night, we wanted to get something to eat. So, we went for a drive to try and find something open. As we passed the Catholic church in Zapote (the area of San Jose we live in), there were a lot of people in the street marching around the church with noisemakers and crying and yelling. It was a lot different sight than we normally see in the United States. Well, we drove around for awhile, and we finally found a KFC open. So, that's where we had dinner that night.

Then, on Easter Sunday, we had a service at the school. All the missionaries in Costa Rica came, and we celebrated the resurrection of Jesus together. San Jose was almost like a ghost town. It was so quiet. Our service was nice. We had a service for the adults, and our friend, Monica Peercy (Missionary Associate to Mexico-she will be the children's pastor at a church in Mazatlan) held a children's service for all the kids, we all ate lunch together, and then, we had a traditional Easter egg hunt for the little kids. The picture above is Abigail Shrader. Isn't she cute? She's a missionary to Peru.

We had a good time, but I couldn't stop wondering about how the celebrate the death of Jesus and not the resurrection. The Latino people seem to build up all week to Jesus' death, and then on Saturday, it is all over. You know what? I didn't see any hope on any of the faces of the people marching around the churches! I wanted to scream out, "HE'S ALIVE! YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY AND MOURN BECAUSE THE MAN YOU ARE LOOKING FOR IS NO LONGER IN THE GRAVE! HE IS RISEN, AND HE WILL RETURN IN THE SAME MANNER AS WHICH HE LEFT!"

All people need to hear that the reason for Easter is the death and RESURRECTION of Jesus Christ. He is our hope! He is our salvation! He is our peace! He is love, mercy, justice, and grace! He is our all in all! He is everything we need and more! Please put your trust in him. Allow Him to come into your heart and just see what He can and will do for you.

The pictures above include Monica teaching the missionary kids sign language to a song, Chaz doing Easter eggs, and the girls just got back from their MK retreat (they are exhausted).

Love to all,

Charley

Arenal

Hello to all from Costa Rica. The Mattix family is doing well. Right now, Chariti and Kaylee are up on the mountain north of San Ramon at the Latin America/Caribbean Missionary Kid's retreat. They are having a good time. It has rained on them almost the entire time they have been there, and they have pretty much either been wet or muddy. Now, you may be asking how do I know this?

This past week was Semana Santa, Holy week in Latin America and around the world. We did not have school this week. So, we took advantage of this and went on a paseo, or trip. Sherry, Chaz, and I went to the volcano Arenal, along with three friends of ours. The picture you see is of the volcano itself. We were there for three days, and we only saw the top of the volcano once, for about 5 minutes. We were told that at night you can see it erupting. We never saw this, but we did here it a lot. It really was an amazing experience. In fact, Sherry and our friend began singing "God of Wonders" when we saw the volcano for the first time.

We saw a lot of interesting things. We kept wishing everyone was here to share this experience with us. God's creation truly is unique and amazing. As we drove around the volcano we saw coatis, monkeys, lots of birds, flowers, and many other animals. We were able to go on a Hanging Bridge tour. This was an amazing walk through the jungle. The tour lasted about 2 hours, and we walked over several bridges. We were literally in the jungle at the base of the volcano. It was awesome and breathtaking. We saw several monkeys, birds, butterflies, leaf-cutter ants, and an eye-lash viper. There will be pictures of these on our website. Be sure and take a look at some of what we were able to see this past week.

As Sherry and our friend, Monica (MA to Mexico) began singing "God of Wonders," I began to think how truly amazing God is. I thought how did God think of all these things? How did he come up with a coati or eye-lash viper? How did he make such a variety of landscapes, rivers, waterfalls, mountains, people, animals, etc. It is truly a miracle and a wonder. "God of wonders beyond our galaxy. You are holy, holy! THE UNIVERSE DECLARES YOUR MAJESTY! You are holy, holy!"

If you ever wonder whether or not there is a God, then all you have to do is go outside (not in the city) and take a walk around. Notice all the details in nature and in animals, it is truly a wonder that anyone would not believe that God exists. Yet, I often wonder if He thinks of me. This week, in the quietness of the jungle (it's not really that quiet), He met us there and He showed us a little of Himself in the nature around us. We had such a relaxing week.

Even though we never got to see the lava flowing at night, we knew that it was there. Even though we have never seen God, we know that He is always there. I can feel His presence in my life and in the world around me. No matter what happens, He is with us! He will be with us, and He will go with us wherever we are. God loves all of you, and He will be there for you! All you need to do is to believe in Jesus Christ, ask Him into your heart, and continue to develop your relationship each day. He will lead you, guide you, and go with you!

Blessings to all,

Charley

Men's Retreat

Greetings from Costa Rica. I had a very interesting weekend this past weekend. All the men from the language school went on a Men's Retreat. We went to the International Royal Rangers Campground (the same camp where we had the Campamento for the Royal Rangers). We had no idea what we were going to be doing. The leaders kept us all in the dark. So, we were kind of nervous before we got there.

It is about a 2 hour drive to the campground. After we got there, we went on a tour of the campground, and the leaders kept saying that we need to pay attention to what we see. It would be important later that night. Then, we had a class about surviving an emergency. There has been a lot of missionaries who either had an accident or were stranded somewhere. It is necessary to have an idea of how to survive a crisis. Sometimes, even here in Costa Rica, if you travel across the mountains there are mudslides, and you might be trapped on the mountain for a day or two. Jeff Cooper, an A/G missionary here, taught us how to be prepared in case of emergency. It was an eye-opening experience. Then, we had a lesson on spiritual survival. In the physical survival, we learned what we need to put in our survival kits and backpacks. In spiritual survival, we talked about what we do not need to put in our spiritual backpacks, what we need to take with us, and how we need to prepare for a spiritual crisis.

After a lunch of awesome french fries and hamburgers, we had a lesson on knot-tying and how to build a shelter. Then, we were given two hours to find a place for our shelter and to build it using a knife and some string. We were assigned a partner, and then we got to work. My partner, Bob Perez, and I built a pretty nice shelter using bamboo and several different types of small trees, palm fronds, and other leaves. After we were done, it was time for dinner. We had chili for dinner. It tasted awesome. Then, we went on a walk in the jungle. For some of it, we had to turn off our flashlights. There was moonlight, but man is it dark in the jungle at night! It was nice to be able to have other people around talking and walking together. I cannot imagine being lost in the jungle at night and alone. It would be really difficult. I remember the most important thing Jeff Cooper taught us. He said the most important thing was to NOT PANIC, just remain as calm as possible. I thought, yeah right, like I wouldn't be panicking if I was lost in the jungle. After this weekend, I think I might be able to survive and to get my family out of a crisis situation.

After we got back from the hike, Jay Dickerson, our director at Cincel and the other leader of the retreat, asked us where our accountability partners were. During the hike, they were told they would be going on another trail then us; however, they were tricked and they were captured by the enemy. You can fill in the blanks on the spiritual meaning of this. Then, we were told that they were being held captive in the "stable" near the ampitheater of the campgrounds. There were several guards with spotlights, flashlights, water balloons (filled with paint), and paintball guns. We were give 3 chances to go in, find a key, open a lock, and get our parntner out. We could not be "killed" with paint from the paintball guns or "water" balloons. We were given almost two hours and no "rules" except one. We only had 3 lives, and we must not allow our partner to get hit. After we found the key, we must lead our partner out of the prison. We must be willing to take the "hit" for them. So, we had to stand between him and the paintball guns.

It was a fun night. It was a man's weekend. We got dirty, we worked hard, we played hard, we prayed hard, and we got to know each other better. I cannot share everything that happend, but it was a lot of fun.

After that, we had a snack. We went back to the ampitheater, and what campout would be complete without a bonfire, praise & worship, and a time to share what God is doing in our lives. It was amazing! Men were men, and we shared our hearts with each other.

Then, we went to out shelter to try and sleep out in the jungle overnight. Bob and I did sleep on the ground in our shelter until it started pouring rain. I think it was about 4 or 4:30 in the morning when it just began to rain, hard! So, we left our shelter and jumped into one of the permanent shelters at the campsight. The picture above is a picture of our shelter. Needless to say, we didn't get much sleep. It rained all morning long. In fact, it rained all the way back to San Jose. We made it back safe, but really tired. I am still tired tonight, but it was worth it. One more thing, on the night we had to rescue our accountability partner, I did it. They never even touched me with a paintball. (Be sure and check our website for more pictures: www.mattixfamilynews.com)

Good night and God bless,

Charley