After classes ended, we had to say goodbye to a lot of missionaries that we got to know when we first arrived here in Costa Rica. Most of them had completed their term here at CINCEL, and they were ready to leave and serve on the field that God has called them. We were sad to see them go; however, we were excited for all of them to start their journey in their own mission countries.
It felt almost like a ghost town here at CINCEL over the Christmas break. We thought it was going to be a long and lonely vacation, but surprisingly we were able to do a lot of things together as a family, and we were also able to spend some good quality time with each other playing, painting, and (would you believe)... studying our previous Spanish lessons. We are eager to learn the language, so we tried to practice our vocabulary with the locals as much as possible and also practiced conjugating verbs with each other as often as we could. We were also able to visit a few local spots here in Costa Rica, and we also got to spend a whole week with Phil's mom, dad, and sister, Isabelle. Our girls were excited to spend time with their grandparents and aunt while they were here in Costa Rica. What a blessing it was for them to be here with us.
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| Photos with our missionary friends |
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| Saying goodbye to the graduating students' kids |
Spending Christmas and New Year in Costa Rica was a great experience. The Ticos are known to be very warm and hospitable. We got to try their traditional food known as tamal which is almost similar to tamales from Mexico except that the tamal has a slightly different flavor, and it is wrapped in banana leaves instead of corn husks.
Fireworks are also popular here during the Christmas and New Year season. You can see a few fireworks every night, and on the actual eve of Christmas and New Year, you will see and hear them everywhere in the city..unlike in the States, fireworks are only allowed in certain cities. When we asked a few locals how they celebrate Christmas and New Year, most of them said they either go to the beach, or go camping. Living in the States, we think about snow, scarves, beanies, and cold weather, but when you are a Costa Rican, you think about spending Christmas with the sun and sand. It was fun to experience Christmas in a warmer and more tropical environment.
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| Costa Rican tamal! Photo from www.caroincarolina.com |
Fireworks are also popular here during the Christmas and New Year season. You can see a few fireworks every night, and on the actual eve of Christmas and New Year, you will see and hear them everywhere in the city..unlike in the States, fireworks are only allowed in certain cities. When we asked a few locals how they celebrate Christmas and New Year, most of them said they either go to the beach, or go camping. Living in the States, we think about snow, scarves, beanies, and cold weather, but when you are a Costa Rican, you think about spending Christmas with the sun and sand. It was fun to experience Christmas in a warmer and more tropical environment.
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| Costa Rican New Year! Photo from informationcostarica.weebly.com |
Now that the holidays are over, we are ready to start a new semester. We are expecting 4 new missionaries to join us this semester. It will be a smaller group since we will be 7 adults and 2 kids compared to last semester having over 25 students in total. It will be different for us, but we look forward to the opportunity of having deeper connections with everybody!
We are thankful for the time that we have spent here, and also we are thankful for the new semester ahead of us. We are so blessed for God's provision and also for all our partners for helping us make this dream a reality. There are 3 1/2 months left until we graduate!
Thank you for staying with us on this journey, and we pray that the Lord will continue to bless you and your families this year 2016.
Happy New Year from the Gendreaus!
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