14 June, 2008

Massive blackout hits D.C.

June 13, 2008 - 5:22pm
(WTOP Photo/Adam Tuss)

WASHINGTON - A blackout brought much of the nation's capital to a standstill for more than two hours Friday morning.

Frustrated officials muttered darkly about the "Friday the 13th" blackout as some government employees were given the rest of the day off.

The power went out at 7:25 a.m., idling arriving office workers outside darkened workplaces. At one point, Pepco reported more than 18,000 customers without power.

Pepco reported power was restored to all customers before 11 a.m.

Having the power go out can be a major inconvenience, trust me, I know. I must admit though that I laughed when I read this headline. I didn't read about anyone getting hurt as a result of the blackout, and if I missed it somehow I am not making light of that. It is just that here in Costa Rica, our power goes off at least once a week on average, sometimes more.

What tickled my funny bone is that you won't see headlines like that here, because it is such a common occurrence. Part of what I found humorous was the use of the word "massive". MASSIVE power outage.

OK, so maybe it was only funny for me. Thanks for trying to understand. :-)

My Heart Growing Fonder

We all know the saying that absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Today my heart has increased in fondness for my wife.

Keeley left last night (Friday) for a one night ladies retreat that is being put on by our Language School.  In addition to having the opportunity to be encouraged and fellowship with some other ladies, Keeley is also in charge of leading the praise and worship times.  It has been a lot of work for her to prepare for this retreat, but she has done a great job.Keeley1

The girls and I had a movie night last night, complete with popcorn.  We had a great time hanging out and laughing together.  This morning was pancakes and some cartoons.  I love spending time with our girls, so times like these don’t feel like a “big sacrifice”.

Keeley will get back around 5:00 PM this evening.  Both the girls and I are greatly anticipating her return, as home just isn’t the same without Mom there.  And although I try to show her how much I appreciate her all the time, opportunities to care for the girls and the home all by myself tend to accentuate exactly how much I value who Keeley is and how she cares for us in such an awesome way.

Thank you Lord for my godly wife, I am truly a blessed man.  :-)

10 June, 2008

Can’t Wait for August!

We love being in Costa Rica.  After all, there is no better place in the world to be than exactly where God wants you, and right now God wants us here.  God has blessed us with a fairly easy transition into the culture and has given us many good relationships here in our new home.

That being said, we are VERY excited for our visit to the states this August.  It’s not that we want to move back, but we definitely miss our families, our friends, and our church.

Having moved around a lot while growing up, I got used to being in new places and getting adjusted to new surroundings.  I never really remember missing a particular house, or a particular city, but I most certainly remember missing people.

Here is a quick summary of my moves:

  1. Born in California
  2. Moved to North Carolina shortly thereafter
  3. Moved back across the country to Washington State
  4. Next back to North Carolina
  5. Then on to Oklahoma
  6. Independence, Missouri
  7. San Mateo, California
  8. Independence, Missouri
  9. Missoula, Montana to help start a new church
  10. Back to Kansas City, Missouri
  11. And now, San Jose, Costa Rica

Lots of moves, I know.  Many people ask me if it was hard moving around so much.  I always explain that it was not hard, in fact it was my version of normal.  Having moved around all my life, I didn’t know any different.  In hindsight, God was preparing me for the part of His plan that includes moving to countries other than the one I was born in.  :-)

Please don’t misunderstand, I miss Kansas City summers where you open the front door of your house to leave and the heat hits you in the face like you just opened the oven door after your wife baked cookies, but most of all I miss the people and relationships there.

One of the blessings of moving to a new place is the new relationships that are waiting for you there.  So in addition to the existing relationships that are now a little further away (in distance), we get to make new friends in the next place God has us.

In August we will have been in Costa Rica, and physically separated from family and friends in the states, for one year.  It is amazing how the impact of not seeing someone for one year is amplified when you are several countries away.  So we are definitely looking forward to the visit. 

If you happen to be one of the people we are blessed to visit during our time in the states and we hug you a little tighter than usual, now you know why.  :-)

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