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| Bridget & Paul at national museum |
I (Paul) have been reading an
autobiography by Aziel and Marian Jones. The book is titled “Double
Vision: Reaching a Tribe for God, Raising a Family for God.”
The book shares about the lives of a family living, growing, and
ministering here in Costa Rica. It has been a real pleasure and
privilege to get to know some of the “kids” who grew up here and
are now carrying on the ministry started by their parents (at God's
prompting of course).
One background aspect in this book is
about learning Spanish. It turns out the fine school they attended
in 1953 is the same Spanish Language Institute we are attending now.
The school just celebrated it's 70th year during our first
trimester.
It was during the Jones' time at school
that a young couple, Jim and Elisabeth Elliot, stopped in to see
Elisabeth's brother who was also a student at the language school.
The Elliot's had recently been married in Ecuador and were on their
honeymoon.
To quote the book, “Language study is
neither dramatic nor glamorous, but all our previous training and our
knowledge of the Lord were locked securely within us until we
mastered Spanish...We needed Spanish just to get around!” Even
though Bridget and I won't be doing translation work we certainly
understand the importance of being able to share the Lord and be able
“to get around”. My written commercial flight exam will be in
Spanish, so I will be focusing more on this during and after this
trimester.
Even though I would rather be at the
airport I realize the importance of this time to just focus on
learning Spanish. I do take time occasionally to meet with the
director of AeroVital as we plan for the future. I made an
appointment with the head of security at the U.S. Embassy here. We
were able to share our vision and in return were glad to know the
risk to us is minimal as Costa Rica is proactive in dealing with
criminal elements. The security officer thought our approach was
appropriate and therefore did not discourage us in any way. As
AeroVital makes progress toward getting our own operating certificate
we will be required to have Standard Operating Procedures established
for our respective operation and aircraft.
*Pray that we have God's wisdom for the
steps we take.
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| Lance's visit in December |
We are now several weeks into our
second trimester at the language institute. Our Christmas vacation
here was full and long. Our son Lance and a friend came to visit to
see what the parents were up to. He also brought presents for us to
have a little family Christmas fun. Of course having them join us
was the best part. As usual the time went by too fast but not before
taking them out to the ministry center in the interior and then
around San Jose to collect a few souvenirs and gifts for family back
home. In Costa Rica, Christmas time and the New Year is celebrated
in a huge way. Parades, music, drama performances, and a lot of
fireworks. Did I say a lot of fireworks? Every night for a month,
huge displays (like the 4th of July in the USA) over
different districts of the city. We live on the second floor and
from our window were able to get our fill. We had reviewed and
practiced our Spanish during the vacation and were ready to settle in
for more classroom Spanish. We have new teachers, but the same group
of students from last term and are comfortable working with them,
blundering through our mistakes together with humor and humility.
Bridget flew home to Oregon for her
mothers memorial service the first weekend in February. It was a
good time as the family came together to celebrate the life of her
mother, Rosemary. Bridget was glad she went and we are grateful to
those who helped with airfare, travel, and lodging. Thank you!
As I have mentioned earlier, “Language
study is neither dramatic nor glamorous...” it is just plain old
hard work and a lot of study. Bridget and I are a good team and we
work together often. There is a lot of merit to learning a second
language when you are younger.
Our return tickets for the U.S. are for
May 1st. Please let us know if you and/or your church
would like a visit from us. We would love to share about our vision
here in Costa Rica. Even though the internet can be sketchy at times
the best way to connect with us is via our e-mail:
paulnbridge@gmail.com
Blessings,
Paul & Bridget
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