July 2008 Ministry Update

June flew by and July is taking off from the runway! But here we are, reflecting on what has happened since our trip to USA in May. Floyd's Dad turned 80, and we had a gran family reunion and party. We enjoyed some crazy times with our own kids who all came to celebrate with us. Remembering "when" seems to be a favorite pastime for our crew. Laughs never cease.










Our daughter Alicia came with her two girls to visit us in late June while David, our son-in-law, fulfills a course requirement for his Ph.D., investigating water systems in Botswana, Africa. Pam has enjoyed this special time with them here in our home in San Jose. The girls bring a level of activity to the house that it has not seen to date! I did not know you could play "Polly Pockets" in so many places on the floor!


Anna and Ellie, our granddaughters, have had a big time in CR. They have visited where Poppi works at ESEPA Seminary and enjoyed many trips to the Central Market. We are about half way through this school term. I (Floyd) have been teaching Elementary Hebrew and Readings in the Hebrew Bible. The challenge has been to learn all the terms for Hebrew grammar in Spanish. The students have learned a lot from translating the books of Ruth and Jonah. Ruth, for sure, teaches us that we can all thank God for our "Kinsman-Redeemer," Jesus, who did not leave us destitute, but showed His grace to us and brought us into His family.

Jonah gives us many lessons of obedience and God's sovereign purposes in our lives. Running from God is never a successful course of action. Joyful obedience in whatever God calls us to do certainly makes life a lot simpler, not to mention keeping us from being "down in the mouth"!



What did you do on July 4th? What would you do if you were an American living abroad and wanted to celebrate July 4th? Well, the American community in Costa Rica has come together--not just missionaries, but ex-pats of all varieties from retirees to business people--to organize a July 4th celebration with the US ambassador and his family. This year we went with the grand-daughters to meet with about 4,000 other flag-waving Americans to eat hot dogs and slaw, cotton candy, popcorn and ice cream! We actually met the ambassador and got our picture snapped with him.


Pam and I have attended Comunidad de San Francisco for the last eight months, a church that meets in a Civic Center not three blocks from our house. The worship is Latin American in flavor, led entirely by nationals. Many students at the nearby Spanish Language Institute attend as well. It seems to be a good mix of cultures. A typical Sunday morning will stretch us to worship in prayer, singing and reflecting on God's word, all in Spanish.

We noticed that many missionary-students in their third and final term of study, as well as a few missionaries who reside and work in CR, still struggle with Spanish grammar. So Pam and I opened our home to a small group Bible study--of the Spanish Bible. We not only teach the truths of the Scripture text before us, but we also seek to answer questions anyone may have about the grammar we see in the texts of the Spanish Bible. The instruction takes place in both Spanish and English, whichever is needed to answer questions and learn. The Spanish subjunctive mood is a struggle to grasp for many English speakers. So meditating on paragraphs from 1Peter takes us often to "uncertain futures" and "concession clauses" and "purpose and clauses expressing wishes or desires." All these require the subjunctive in Spanish.

Never forget to pray for our continuing language learning. And now you can add to the list the other missionaries who are struggling to get the basic principles of Spanish down so that they may communicate God's word more effectively.

Prayer Points

1. Floyd has a trip to Cuba from July 23 to August 2. The purpose of the trip is to meet with leaders of the Seminaries there who have been cooperating with ESEPA to start up a Master's degree program in Bible and Theology. Please pray for safety and success in making the necessary arrangements to get this program off the ground later this year.

2. Pam will return to USA on July 30 to help our son Nathan and family move to Richmond, Virginia. He and Amie will begin a new ministry of church-planting there.

3. ESEPA Seminary will end its second term of the year on August 16. During the two-week break between terms, Floyd will return to USA to join Pam and speak in a couple of churches. We are seeking to raise funds for our ministry. Please pray for safety in travel and favor with the churches where we will be ministering the Word and sharing our vision for Cuba and Costa Rica. (If you are aware of other churches or individuals who may be interested in our ministry, please let us know! Thanks!)