Train Rides, Cow Tongue & Happy Anniversary

I am a few days late in posting our monthly “update”.  Please forgive.  Our lives have been running non-stop it seems, just as yours has I am sure.

We have had a few new experiences I wanted to tell you about:

• We took our first train ride to another city.  VERY cheap.  Less than $2 each!  We were able to visit one of the tourist sites there; the Basilica in Cartago, Costa Rica.  If you want to read the history, the construction and the details of what happens even to this day at this site, click the link provided.  It saddened me beyond explanation to discover:    In August the Basilica is the object of extensive pilgrimage and visitation by about 2.5 million believers throughout the country, many of whom join in the celebrated 22-kilometer walk to the basilica during the Romería. Though many people start the pilgrimage from locations all over Costa Rica, some, as a demonstration of their piety, choose to crawl the 22 kilometers on their hands and knees. Excerpt from wikipedia  Think about that for just a minute.
• Cow tongue.  Yes,  you read that correctly.  Now, some of you readers may have had this before, but not this Northwest Florida girl.  Nope.  That’s one of the several parts of a cow I have always declined even THINKING about ingesting.  However, our friend and fellow missionary, Carolina Sislo, cooked two in a crock pot with her special recipe (which she shared with the class in case any of YOU want me to pass the recipe on), and she made cow tongue tacos.  Jeff and I both ate one.  It had a similar taste to pot roast.  I probably won’t run to the store and buy a tongue to cook, BUT if I needed to eat it again, I would.

Tomorrow will be another new experience.  I can’t tell you what it is because Jeff is surprising me.  It’s our 35th anniversary–and we are just going to do something different than the normal fresh market run on Saturday.  I think he has a little cultural visit lined up.  I will let  you know after this weekend! 🙂   (We would celebrate our anniversary if we were home, so I’m thinking language school should be no different!  THIS is a biggie!  35 years!)

There’s one thing I WISH we could do but at this point cannot.  We can’t share pictures of all the amazing work God has led us to do….there are no bricks being laid….no children’s crusades going on….it’s just us.  Day after day, getting up, going to classes, listening hard, writing in a language we are trying with everything in us to comprehend.  We come home from classes and Jeff usually takes a long walk–sometimes we go together, sometimes I snag a fellow missionary girl (I’m still calling myself a girl, so anyone under the age of 90 qualifies) and we go for coffee down the street and encourage one another.

We are farther along-language wise,  than when we came, and we are learning more everyday.  It just takes a while.  I have noticed that I have difficulty now spelling ENGLISH words.  I have to really think sometimes about the word–especially if it’s one we’ve been using in class that is similar to the Spanish word.  We know you are praying…we feel it.  Please continue.  Some of you message us and tell you are thinking about us, praying for us, or that a Knight Transportation Truck was seen in your area…and that made you stop and pray for us.  Wow.  Do you know how that blesses us?   As we said during our itineration to as many churches as would have us, we wanted that truck to remind you to pray, and you are doing it!  We aren’t related to them, but wouldn’t it be nice to have them on board in support!

God has this.  All of it.  Every single moment of our days.  If you are wondering and worrying about something in your life, take a moment and remember that HE goes before you.  Always has.  Always will.

We have a grandson who just celebrated his 12th birthday (without us–insert sad face), but I recently found a note I had written and stuck in my Bible years ago, that he said to me:  “Nana, what if God slipped a note under my pillow that said He loved me?”  

Well, Jason, He does love you.  And He loves us– and every single person in this world.  So much so that He called people to do their best to let the world KNOW that He loves them–enough to send His only Son to die for their sins.  That same grandson had some awesome things happen just a couple of weeks ago, he was filled to overflowing with the Holy Spirit.  He called me and told me.  His words, “Nana, I was crying and smiling at the same time!  I just couldn’t stop”.  OH how I wanted to be there.  But God has chosen this time and this place and I cannot argue.  I wouldn’t.  But it doesn’t stop this “Nana heart” from aching.  This was God reminding me that HE has got them.

Another grandson called me on his way home this week from his first Forward Conference with Jentzen Franklin and told me how God had touched his life.  And he had a birthday this week.  Again, without us (insert another sad face).  What he said was, “Nana, I cried like I have never cried before.  I felt God speak to my heart.”  I asked him if he going to tell his mama? (I knew she would tell me if he didn’t)  “I’m gonna tell both of you!  I felt like God was telling me He wanted me to do what ya’ll are doing.  He wants me to take the Gospel to the world.”  (Insert tears and happy crying!)  He’s a 14 year old miracle.  All our grandkids are miracles, JUST LIKE YOURS!

God has shown His love in so many ways in the past months–but one last thing I want to share with you.   Several weeks ago I was having a difficult day.  On the heels of a sleepless night – and I was talking to the Lord about “Why did You call us?  What are we that You would choose us?  We are older than these young learners.  Will we be able to do what You ask of us?  Being away from family is much harder than either of us thought…”  The way the Lord answered my question was different, it came by way of a phone call from my baby sister, Aimee.

Aimee, had a dream about our middle sister, Wanda.  I had had several dreams about Wanda, and I always write them down–but I couldn’t remember Aimee sharing one in a long, long time, so I was eager to hear it:

“I dreamed about Wanda last night.  I dreamed she knew she was going to die, but she looked good and I put her little face in my hands and said, “When you get to heaven, will you ask Jesus to go ahead and come get us so we can all be together?”  And Wanda said to her, “Aimee, they all don’t know Him”.  Aimee said, “But they have all been told, because this ain’t a foreign country”.

When Aimee told me about it she said –-“that was crazy—I was only thinking of where I live.”

How I needed that reminder of why we are here.  We had made up our minds that we are willing to struggle if necessary with the language, and leave our precious grand babies and families at home…so others will have a chance to know Him.  They all won’t accept Him.  We already know that.  Just look at the United States of America.  But for those who WILL accept Him–we go forward.  As hard as we can.  Hurrying along the way.

I leave you with a few pictures.  The most important, my darling sweet man.  I am so thankful for him-for the past 35 years.  Married life for us has been the sweetest gift from heaven.  While it has not been problem or crisis free –The Lord has given us a love that continues –and I will be forever grateful for this giving, loving, serving, witnessing, man that God blessed me with.  The best daddy to our girls and best pa-pa to our boys.  Jesus has been so good to me.

Thank you again for keeping up with us! For praying–and believing!  That means more than you know!   If you are new here and interested in what God has called us to do and want to be a part, you can go to our AGWM site and support us in prayer.  Or perhaps you would like to partner monthly or even a one-time donation!  We are grateful for anything–and everyONE!

A Sunday morning after our walk to Star Bucks before church

© Angie Knight 2017.  All rights reserved.  Photography © Angie Knight 2017, Costa Rica.