What are we really doing here?

John wrote:
We just started our second week of school. I can’t believe it. We’re past the application process, the appointment process, the training, orientation, and more orientation here in Costa Rica. No more anything. No more talking about it, dreaming about it, wondering if we will ever start. We are finally doing what we have waited so long to do. And what is that? Well I will get there shortly.

But first let me tell you what a normal day for a father and mother, who are in language school with 4 small children, looks like.

5:00 am – 6:00 am: Wake up, shower, time with the Lord.
6:00 am – 7:00 am: Wake, dress and feed kids and prepare lunches. (who has time to actually bathe them).
7:00 am – 7:30 am: Walk to school, drop off kids and get to class.
7:30 am – 12:00 pm: School. Grammar, Phonetics, Conversation
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm: Pick up Jaxson/Avery, walk home, eat lunch, lay kids down.
1:00 pm – 2:15 pm: Hopefully get one hour of studying done and practice Spanish with our maid. Jessica goes to knee therapy.
2:15 pm – 3:00 pm: Walk back to school, pick up Parker/Allyson, back to our casa.
3:00 pm – 5:00 pm: Spend time with kids and complete any errands.
5:00 pm – 5:30 pm: Dinner
5:30 pm – 6:30 pm: Bathe kids (you can relax. yes we actually do bathe them), kids homework, homeschool in reading Parker, Avery and Jaxson. Help Parker with his homework.
6:30 pm – 7:00 pm: Devotions, “herd the cats” for bed, bedtime.
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm: Cram all homework/studying we can in, while trying to keep at least one eye open.
9:00 pm: Lean over, kiss the stranger next to us in bed and go to sleep for the next day.
9:30 pm: Finally fall asleep after actually talking and reacquainting with each other.

So now that you know what we do, go take a nap for us (at least two hours please) and come back and finish reading this thing.

Welcome back. So does the above schedule answer what we are REALLY doing here. Well, I hope not. Because what we have been reminded here is that, though we are here to learn language, we are not students. We are missionaries. “Sent out ones” who are here to also learn Spanish. So plainly put, we (you and me) are here (on this earth, in our jobs, on our teams, with our friends, in our schools, in our neighborhoods) to be spreading the gospel to as many people as we can. And as Jessica and I learn more Spanish we will be able to accomplish that better everyday here in CR. I am thankful for the reminder that we all need to ask ourselves once in a while, “What am I really doing here?” So please be praying that God gives us opportunities to do what pleases Him most, give Him glory for what He did for you and me at Calvary.