Christmas, 2023
This has definitely been a year with many blessings and challenges! We are thankful to God for His strength and guidance through it all.
Robert has been working pretty well seven days a week for the last several months as he seeks to put food on the table and pay the bills. Since Roxanne finished her time as a teacher at Sojourn Christian Academy in June, we have not had the benefit of her steady income. God provided a full schedule of English students for Robert and occasional translations that have helped us through this half of the year. He continues to coordinate the interpreters’ team at Union Church, where everything is bilingual. He also continues to study Hebrew and he taught one online Eschatology course this year.
Roxanne will begin working at KTS in mid-January, teaching English and Science to fourth, fifth, and sixth graders. She is really excited about joining the KTS team but knows that it will be yet another big learning curve for her. Please pray for her as she adjusts to her new school and group of students. Thankfully, the school is only five blocks from where we live, so she can walk there!
Having a long break to rest and recover from her exhaustion, Roxanne has been diligent in writing (her fifth book in the Zemblanity Murder Mystery series will be published sometime at the beginning of next year!) as well as starting a regular author newsletter for her subscribers. If you are interested in getting on her author newsletter list, please let us know!
Robert has been training to run sprints in the national competitions for several months now, but only a couple of weeks before the competitions he unfortunately hurt his knee (an old injury from high school!) Hopefully, he will be able to compete in the Masters division in 2024.
To boost his performance, he started taking a new supplement called Activ Greens. Not only did it do wonders for him, but Roxanne started drinking it as well, and within a couple of weeks had eliminated her plantar fasciitis! If you are interested in finding out more, we will gladly send you information.
Roxanne became aware of her diminishing hearing about fifteen years ago when we lived in Honduras. No one told us that hearing aids would detain the deterioration of her hearing, nor were we told that hearing loss affects memory! We did nothing about it. When she recently went to get tested again, we discovered she has only 60-65% of her hearing. Unable to pay for the better hearing aids, we opted to go into debt to buy the kind that hook over her ears. She struggles with them, however, as they constantly fall off and often hurt her ears. Pray that she will adjust to them. She will need to get different glasses that would make their use easier.
It has been wonderful having Julianna living with us here in Costa Rica. She works from home as a travel agent four days a week and commutes to work across town once a week. This year, she began a relationship with Daniel, who has become like a member of the family. We play table games and spend time together every weekend. After an accident, which left Danny with a head injury, he was grateful for our prayers and support, as well as those from people at church. He prayed to receive Christ as his Lord and Saviour, and we have been sharing gospel truths with him whenever he comes to visit. For his birthday, we gifted him a beautiful study Bible. Please pray for his continued healing from his head injury and growth in his spiritual walk.
Our son, David, continues to struggle with chronic depression. It has been a very difficult year for him. Please lift him before the throne of grace for healing, restoration, and provision.
We look forward to 2024 with great anticipation for what God will do in and through us. May He fill your home with His love, peace, and light this Christmas and New Year!
Grateful for His goodness and mercy,
Robert & Roxanne
