Dear Praying Friends:

 

Here's a quick update on the Smith family.  Our date of departure is drawing close; here comes some information along with a few prayer requests.

 

We have completed our final "road trip," this one to say, "Good-bye" to family in Ohio and Virginia.  Everything went well.  We returned home a bit tired (after driving more than 3,000 miles), but we've recovered fairly well.

 

We have our airline tickets to Costa Rica.  We will be flying out of Tampa on the afternoon of May 21st; that's less than three weeks away!!!  We'll fly to Houston and connect with our flight to San Jose, CR.  Our scheduled arrival time there is around 8 pm.

 

Thanks to some helpful "advance work" by our teammates in CR, the McMahans, we have secured a 3 br furnished apartment that's about a 10 minute walk from the language school.  What a blessing from God!

 

We are in the process of packing our few belongings, separating the "stuff for Costa Rica" from the "stuff for Ecuador."  Two friends are helping us with the Ecuador stuff.  Rick & Theresa in Alabama are flying to Guayaquil in June to help their daughter and son-in-law move to the States, and they will be taking four trunks filled with our stuff, which they will put with our other stuff that's in storage there.  Alden in Bradenton will store the rest of our "Ecuador" stuff in his storage area for the time when we will go to Guayaquil next year.  We thank the Lord for the kindness of His saints.

 

There are lots of little details we're dealing with now. 

 

----Please pray that we'll be able to get all the necessary computer files transferred to our new laptop;

     the big computer isn't going to CR.

 

----Please ask the Lord to send buyers for our cars.  One has over 190,000 miles on it; the other is 15 years old. 

     Both run great, but the pool of buyers for such used cars is small!  (And if you know someone who needs

     good family transportation or a sporty antique, get in touch!!!)

 

----We are wrapping up our lives in Florida.  Missionaries say, "Goodbye" a lot, but that doesn't make it easy. 

     But being able to stay in touch by e-mail is certainly a blessing.  Please pray us through the "goodbyes," and

     remember to keep in touch with us by e-mail!!!  And don't forget that our kids need e-mails from your kids!!!

 

----Even though we've lived in Latin America for three years, it's been 2 1/2 years since we've been there.  We'll

     have to pass through the "culture shock" process all over again.  Not only that, but what we experience in

     San Jose will be different from what we encountered in Guayaquil; so we are really heading into

     "the unknown." We trust that you will uphold all of us by your prayers.

 

The Lord has richly blessed us with a large and loving team of prayers and supporters.  We praise Him!

 

     "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!

     How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! . . .

     For from him and through him and to him are all things.

     To him be the glory forever!  Amen!!!!"   (Romans 11:33, 36)

 

We'll be in touch again in about six weeks, Lord willing.

 

Your servants for Christ's glory,

 

Ron & Peg Smith