Visiting Parents

The last couple of weeks have been very busy. As I announced on our last blog, I was going to write several blogs and post them. Well, I did write several blogs, but I failed to save them. Now I have figured out how to set the automatic save. Hopefully, there won't be anymore mistakes like those. I am planning on posting some more this week. So, please keep checking back.

My parents flew into San Jose, Costa Rica on July 9th and stayed for 10 days. This is a picture of them with our kids at the Cataratas La Paz, the Peace Waterfalls. The river is called La Paz, and in this area it has a lot of waterfalls, hence the name.

Anyway, we had a really good time. My dad loves to take pictures as well. So, between the two of us, we have a lot of pictures. I hope to get some more posted on our website soon.

During my parent's visit, we went all over this country. Well, not entirely, but we went a lot of places. They were able to visit the volcano, Arenal, downtown San Jose, Cartago, Alajuela, Heredia, Puntarenas, and many other locations. My dad's favorite part of the trip (besides spending time with the grand kids, of course) was the time the entire school went to Cafe Britt. Cafe Britt is a place that makes coffee. They harvest the cherries, separate and classify the beans, roast, package, sell, and deliver them to stores. It was a neat experience, and my dad, being a coffee-lover, loved the entire time we were there. I enjoyed it as well, and I learned what a really good cup of coffee really tastes like. The picture on the right is Sherry holding some seeds that can be planted, and if they are watered, fertilized, and have the correct temperature, you might have 25 pounds of coffee per year starting 4-5 years after you plant them.

Anyway, we really enjoyed our visit, but we miss them greatly. It was hard saying, "Good-bye" at the airport. When you think about, we are not promised tomorrow. So, will we ever see them again? I sure hope so, but if not, then we have tremendous memories. My dad is fond of saying, "Go make some memories!" I think he is wise in saying that. It is important to make some good memories with the ones you love.

Go make some good memories today with your family and friends,

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

Father Son Campout

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

Chaz's Birthday

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

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

BUS SYSTEM IN SAN JOSE

A few blogs ago, I wrote about traveling around San Jose. I told you about the taxi system here in Costa Rica. Today, I have put a picture of another form of transportation-the BUS. This is the most common form of transportation (along with walking) for most of the Costa Ricans. You can pretty much "catch" a bus on any main street and go anywhere in the country. You might have to take two or three different buses, but eventually, you would get to wherever you wanted to go. This is picture of a bus in downtown San Jose. This is actually a pretty nice bus. There are a lot of different types of buses. I think I have only seen a few that were the same. Most are pretty safe. Some, you wonder how they are even working.

They make frequent stops along their route to pick people up and drop them off. The bus stops are hard to figure out. There are some that are marked and have seats, and then others are just in the middle of the street (actually sidewalk).

Most of the buses cost from 145 -220 colones. That is about 25-50 cents in U.S. money. So, it is cheap, but sometimes it is difficult to know which buses to take. If you can learn the bus system, it is the cheapest way (though it is really slow) to get around.

Another difficult thing for me is the seating. All of the seats are so close together, that I cannot sit in them very easily. My knees are jammed into the seat in front of me in almost every bus. If we are not going too far, I usually stand for the entire trip.

To "catch" a bus is similar to catching a taxi. Wait on the side of the road until you see the bus you need to get on. They have destinations painted on the front windows of the bus or signs in the windshield. Once you see it, you have to wave it down. IF IT STOPS, you must get on quickly and move to the back of the bus. Usually, I get on last to pay for the family. Now, when you are nearing your destination, you pull a cord or push a button that sends a signal to the driver. Most of the buses have a sign that lights up and a buzz or beep that sounds to warn the driver that you want to get off at the next stop. It's usually pretty effective, but sometimes the driver doesn't here it or he doesn't want to stop.

It's not too bad to take a bus around San Jose. It's cheap! It give you a lot of exercise because you usually have to walk to a bus stop and then to your final destination. You get to see a lot of different and interesting people, and you get to see more of San Jose. If you are walking along the street and a bus is coming, just make sure you do not step into the street. The bus will not stop for you.

Blessings to all! Please feel free to drop us an email or give us a call. That information can be found on our website: www.mattixfamilynews.com.

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