Following the Call: July Fun!

July is always our busiest month! We host a team that puts on a huge VBS and the rest of the month is full of teams!

Check out our month!

ENJOY!

July started with the VBS! Decorations and lots and lots of FUN!

The theme this year was To Mars and Beyond

The entrance to the multipurpose building

On the first day, the kids had so much fun that most of them passed out!

Yep!

Uh-huh

Nope

Down for the count

The worship in the morning and the afternoon is always a favorite part!

Dancing

Worshiping

A couple of girls from Emme's school helped us interpret for the camp!

At the end of the day we are a little crazy...yes, that is 6 of us--and a big balloon in the car!

VBS always includes waterballoon fights....

Yuli lost the water balloon fight.....

Yes, that is my son....sort-of!

In July we welcomed a total of 4 teams for the month of July! We were super busy, but we welcomed some amazing teams and met a lot of new friends!

VBS team from GCC, New Jersey

We also welcomed a family team from Canvas Church in Tennessee.

Family team from Canvas Church, Tenn

We also welcomed a youth group team from Calvary Baptist Church in Pennsylvania

Calvary Baptist Church Team, PA

We also welcomed a team from Christian Life Center in Illinois for a week. It was an amazing team!

CLC team from Ill.

Leyton got to meet some new friends from the team. They hung out and watched a movie--it was all boys!

Leyton and the boys

He also got to be a boy and ride his bike and make jumps with friends

We got to use the pizza oven and made lots of yummy pizza!

That's a good looking pizza oven!

Leyton and his bike jump!

We got to go the the Children's Museum with a team and they took the Children's Home kids and the missionaries. We had a good time

Leyton as a soldier

They let kids do anything--like hang upside down from balconies!

The team left some Combos....something I haven't had in like 7 years!

We also got to go with the team to La Paz Waterfall Gardens as a family along with the Children's Homes and Eliel and his family.

Emme as the butterfly whisperer

Leyton and Josue

Again....I left my phone.....

Sophie, Bruce and Emme selfie-bombing my phone

Any time we can, we watch movies to relax as a family....we love our outdoor theatre!

Watching Bumblebee

Before Sophie left, we went to the Starbucks farm here in Costa Rica. It was so beautiful and it was a really good tour...not to mention good coffee!

The presentation of coffee in a siphon--so good!

Leyton got a present from a friend who is studying geology. He sent him a couple of special lights and some rocks that glow different minerals. He loved it!

Checking out the glowing rocks

Emme and I have been trying to spend more time together--now that she is older--to have more talks to just check in.....

Went to have coffee while Leyton was at club at school.

July was the annexion of Guanacaste. So we celebrate with traditional dress in Costa Rica. The daycare kids always wear their dresses and it is so beautiful!

Love all the colors

We had a going away party for Sophie before she left....all of us had a good time!

Good bye selfie!

Dropped Sophie off at the airport....it was a sad day, but we LOVED having her here!

In July we also got to witness two of our friends getting married, Jorge and Ruth. Bruce cooked the food and we got to celebrate with them on the special day.

Jorge and Ruth saying their vows.

The kids and I got to go with a team to Manuel Antonio National Park. It was a fun and beautiful day!

The team at the beach

Also in July, I had a special visitor come through on vacation! Miako is one of my bestest friends from graduate school and she was vacationing with her family in Costa Rica and made a special trip over to the Abraham Project and had dinner with us. It had been 9 years since we had seen each other! It was such an awesome night!