Packing...

• Well...It is done. I just got finished packing all of our stuff into 8 trunks ready for thier flight to Ecuador. We actually have a bit of room left so we are going to take some of our comrades some coffee, and also go buy some new umbrellas for us. I don't think I had owned 2 umbrellas in my whole life, and then we came here and we have had at least 6 just this year. We only have about 3/4 of one right now, in other words it has seen better days and is basically a piece of junk. The other 5 or so ran off in the back of taxi cabs. We are still in the dry season here in Costa Rica so it really hasn't rained since January. But there are only 2 seasons in Shell, Ecuador, wet and wetter. So we want to have a little protection with some new umbrellas when we get there.
• Yesterday at church was pretty awesome. The church knew it was the last Sunday for us as well as our fellow classmates. So they had a nice service and they had us all share a little bit, and then they all gathered around us and "commisioned" us, sending us to all the various parts of Latin America with prayer. It was pretty awesome, there was a sweet prescence of the Spirit there.
• After church we went to eat lunch with some friends which was a good time, although Becca just about got splatted as she crossed the street afterwards. We were going to hail a cab to get home, but the best spot was across the street, which meant we had to cross two lanes of traffic, some railroad tracks, and then two more lanes of traffic. We all made it across the first two lanes just fine. We all stood on the railroad tracks waiting for a time to cross the other 2 lanes and we all made it except for Becca and one of Brookln's stupid flip-flops which fell into the middle of the road (I had Brooklyn in my arms). I didn't even know that Brooklyn had lost her shoe, until our friends told me and just then I looked back onto the road to see it get run over twice. (That part was pretty funny really.) Also this whole time there is this really really loud horn sounding from somewhere. You must understand, loud horns and thier various rythms and chimes are very common so I didn't think anything of it. Also, every single railroad track that I have seen here has been out of use for many years. You now may know where I am heading with this. Becca is still out on her "island" made of the only working railroad in San Jose, that loud horn is the train coming, and she cannot cross into either the lanes behind her or in front of her because of vehicle traffic. Obviously she made it to the other side or else I wouldn't be writing this, but she did almost get hit by a bus trying to get Brooklyn's stupid flip-flop in the middle of the lane. Anyway, lesson to self, a horn that sounds like a train just might be. (That was the first train we had seen since we were in the States over a year ago. We had lost our fear of railroad tracks and trains thinking they didn't exsist here. DUH!)
• To continue this sad (or funny depending on your perspective) Becca story did you know she is going deaf? When we got our physicals for our visas about a month ago the doctor told Rebecca that she had a wax plug in her left ear. No big deal, just put this "potion X" in your ear and it will all disolve and drain out. Well, now her ear is more plugged than ever after putting in "the potion" and she ends up talking a little louder and tilting her head to hear you. It is kinda funny. She did tell me that is feels less plugged up and is clearing out today. Keep praying for my beautiful pregnant deaf wife. :)
• I also read somehthing neat on the internet the other day. I tested this in our Spanish classes last week and it worked there also. The toerhy syas taht we can bclliaasy udntsraed any wrod as lnog as the fsrit and lsat ltetres are in tiehr paelcs. Our minds automatically correct for what we see and they read it correctly. Isn't God's creation of the human body and mind amazing?! Of course if you are dislexic (sp?), this may be a problem.
• On a final point, Costa Rica had their "Super Bowl" of soccer this past Saturday between the two best national teams. I really wanted to go but I couldn't find anybody that wanted to go with me. Supposedly those type of games, they are called "Classicos," are very crazy. If you are able to go, watch, and return to your house without any infraction or seeing something crazy, then you consider it almost a miracle. There are fans that go just to fight. Whether their team wins or loses, they will fight before, during, and after the game. If the ref's make a bad call, it is common for people to throw bags of urine, bottles, toilet paper, whatever, on the rest of the crowd. All this crazyness exists and alcohol isn't even allowed in the stadiums, unlike almost every sporting event in the States. So needless to say I watched it from the comfort of my home, and it was still crazy, because all the surrounding community lit fireworks upon every goal, yelled in unison with refiree calls and goals, and generally they were just loud. It is pretty neat to see the PASSION for futbol (soccer) that the Latins have. I'm sure nothing will change in Ecuador. By the way dad, Sapprisa beat La Liga 2-1.