Lost in Translation

I was typing this on our laptop the night before we left Costa Rica. Unfortunately, our Internet service provider shut off our service at 12 midnight about five minutes before I finished. I'm going to leave it just as I wrote it. We're in MN right now, enjoying time with family.

December 19, 2005

Wow, it's almost midnight here, and we're putting the final touches on a change of country. The bad news is we'll be leaving at about 5 a.m. tomorrow, and the good news is that we'll be getting back to Iowa about 3:15 p.m., si Dios quiere (if God wills).

Quick updates. Just a few quick thoughts before I get back to helping Holly finish the packing. First, my last weeks of school went well. I was asked to give a testimony at the graduation (in Spanish of course), and it went well. Also, my exams were relatively enjoyable.

To borrow the words of another missionary, the Colombian consulate took round one in the battle for religious visas. We didn't have the right authentification on two documents, so we'll have to wait until we get to Chicago to see how round two goes. It's possible that some government offices may be closed in Bogota, which would slow the process. Please pray! We already have tickets for January 10th, but without the visas we'll probably have to delay our flights. By the way, this whole process has taught us to trust God more. "Why Lord?!?" "Oh, that's right, You're the sovereign Lord of the universe . . . a couple of stamps on a piece of paper don't thwart Your plan."

Special thanks. We've had to say goodbye to many good friends in Costa Rica, and we're very thankful to God for His faithful servants here. We're also thankful for each of you who plays a vital role in God's ministry through us. More than anything, we're thankful for Jesus Christ who died in our place and rose again.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Jonathan, Holly, Lucas, and Eliana

P,S. We plan on being in Iowa, Minnesota, and Chicago for the three weeks we'll be in the U.S. We'll be updating our blogs on a regular basis when we get to Colombia, so we invite you to follow the first steps of our transition to the country.