A New Year

We hope you had a wonderful winter break! Kendra and I were blessed to spend time in Texas during December and January.  For those of you that don't know, our school year in Costa Rica is from February to November.  Our winter break was a very restful time. Texas is still full of cedar.... It is always hard to say goodbye to friends and family when we head back to our home in Costa Rica, but knowing that we wont have to deal with cedar makes the trip easier. 

We are very excited about what God is doing in the life of Colegio Metodista.  As part of the Christian Education department, Kendra has been assigned as the Director of Programming and I the Director of Discipleship.  We are each leading a team to help us with our tasks and working with other groups within the Christian Education Department.  More and more people are beginning to share an intrinsic value for the salvation of students at the school. 

E. Stanley Jones  was a 20th-century Methodist Christian missionary and theologian. He is remembered chiefly for his inter-religious lectures to the educated classes in India, thousands of which were held across the Indian subcontinent during the first decades of the 20th century.  Jones ministered to the wealthy and elite of India.  The poor need Jesus.  The rich need Jesus.  The hope for our students at Colegio Metodista is that they would experience being loved and cared for and that they would develop a burden to seek after truth and compassion. 

Would you join us in this?  We are praying that each of our students would continue on after Colegio Metodista to be successful, that their lives be rich in love, and that they know the love of their Creator.


- Spencer and Kendra Thomas

Meditation Words

-----Meditation Words-----

Meditating is only for ninjas and wizards... FALSE! Our perception of what meditation is has in part been twisted by movies. When I think of meditation, the first thought that comes to my mind is the Ninja Turtles. There is a specific scene in one of the movies where they have to meditate as a punishment. Balancing expertly while trying not to be distracted by pizza. Of course they fail, for it is common knowledge that the Ninja Turtles' greatest weakness is pizza. 

Being mystical does not make meditation. Reciting mantras does not make meditation. Mental gymnastics does not make meditation. We claim meditation to be a difficult practice although many of us already do it daily, simply on the wrong things...

We are so prone to meditate on "worry". We fill our minds with obscure realities and sometimes empower those false-realities with a voice loud enough to influence, or even overrun, day to day life. Practicing meditation is important. It is not a question of whether or not we meditate, it's a question of what do we meditate on. The meditating part, for us, is inevitable. The material on which we meditate is subject to change.

One of my biggest pet-peeves is when people say "like" over and over again for filler while speaking. Example: "It's like, a thing when like, you have to like, do that thing". Figure out what your trying to say, and like, say it... This annoys me to no end! I am not perfect, and I have a confession. When I was in high school I developed this weird habit of saying "and, a ummm" for filler while speaking. It was a terrible phase. Every sentence would contain "and, a ummm" before, after, or in the middle. It took 4 long weeks to finally break this atrocious habit. 

Our perception of reality is subject to the contents of our meditations. When we meditate on worry it obscures our vision of God's promises. It causes doubt and frustration towards God. Jeremiah 29:11 is a fact. Our perception of reality is twisted by meditating on worry and God's promises will appear far away. It is our choice to practice meditating on other things... better things... the best things.

It took 4 weeks for me to break the silly habit of saying "and, a ummm". I challenge you to spend the next 4 weeks being intentional about the things with which you fill your mind. The purpose is twofold:
-First, to break the habit of letting worry obscure the reality of God's promises.
-Second, to develop the daily practice of giving your thoughts to something worthy.

"Spencer's Guide to Practicing Christian Meditation 101"

1- Scripture. Have it with you. From a book into your heart. 

2- Catch yourself meditating on the wrong thing? Start thinking about the verse you decided to memorize.

3- Ponder scripture while you drive, bike, or walk to work. 

4- Daily repetition. Practice, practice, practice.  

Let's meditate. 

Here is content to meditate on:

"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer." Psalm 19:14

"The soul is dyed by the color of your thoughts."

Prayer Words

-------Prayer Words-------

"And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words." Matthew 6:7

More words does not mean better. I sometimes find myself trying to imitate the cadence of people who I think to be "good" at praying. It's silly. What usually ends up happening is that I'm so focused on trying to sound a certain way on the outside, that the inside becomes babble. 

I enjoy a multitude of hobbies! Kayaking, fishing, frisbee, skateboarding, video games, playing guitar, and on and on and on. Kendra, my wife, will sometimes have to make me pause and evaluate the priority of my hobbies. Since moving to Costa Rica, these are the priorities of my current hobbies: 

1- Coffee drinking. 

2- Reading

3- Guitar/music

4- Games (Basketball and video)

To be the best at any of these hobbies a person has to practice. I'm so horrible at basketball, but I'm better than I was 3 months ago because of practice. Playing guitar takes a TON of practice. There has to be enough time spent learning and developing muscle memory so that holding a guitar and navigating the strings becomes second nature. We must practice praying. 

Everything we find important, we practice. What are some of the things you purposefully practice? What are some things you unintentionally practice? I realized, a few weeks ago, that I unintentionally practice having a bad attitude every morning when I first wake up. I don't like it. I'm not a morning person. I had practiced having a bad attitude every morning. Having a bad attitude in the morning had become second nature! I'm still not good at waking up in the morning. It's exhausting. But mornings have gotten easier with practice. Practicing getting up, and drinking coffee.

Practice praying so that it becomes second nature. Spend enough time in prayer daily developing "muscle memory" so that holding a prayer and navigating a conversation with Jesus becomes part of your nature. Drinking coffee has made my morning practice of having a good attitude easier. Opening the bible makes the practice of prayer easier. 

"Spencer's Guide to Practicing Prayer 101"

1- Use simple words. "God, I want to know you. I need you. Help me practice being in your presence."

2- Be honest. With yourself, and with God. 

3- Pray with an open bible. 

4- Daily repetition. 

Let's pray.

"See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" 1John 3:1

Dear Jesus, I want to know this love. Amen.

ONE YEAR IN COSTA RICA: An Interview

Cowboy, PHD in barking and play.
Loves Spencer and Kendra.

Hello and welcome! Thank you for being here with me, I am Professor Cowboy_Yeehaw and today I will be interviewing two of my favorite people.  Spencer and Kendra Thomas will answer my questions, together and individually, about their first year as full time missionaries in Costa Rica. Let's get started!

Let's bark! ... I mean, go!

Question-

How long have you been married, and when/why did you move to Costa Rica?

Answer- 

Married January 3, 2015.  We started praying about Costa Rica in February of 2015.  We knew, just by looking at each other, that Costa Rica was where we needed to be.  Why did we move? Because we were invited.  Seeking God's will is the only way a person can find peace.  

Question-

What is your mission field? 

Answer-

Our mission field is Colegio Metodista.  It is a private school with students from pre-k to high school graduation.  We primarily spend time with grades 7-11 (there is no 12th, they graduate at 11th).  We have spent the last year starting bible study small groups.  The purpose of these groups is for students to become Disciples of Jesus through meaningful Christ-centered relationships.  

Question-

What are some things you didn't expect to encounter after moving to Costa Rica?

Answer-

     Kendra: "I didn't expect a lot of things.  Principally, communication is difficult. Not just a language barrier, but a way of thinking that was different than mine. When I prepare for a meeting or event I am obnoxiously early. My coach always said '10 minutes early is on time.' As we learn Spanish one thing sticks out to me. 'I am early/late' does not translate. A person may say 'it is early.' However, that is quite different. Perhaps it is not the largest hurdle we have had, but this has proved to be the greatest learning experience. Although living with the Turrialba Volcano has also made life more interesting. With it's most active year in a long time, we now know the varied pleasures of regular ash fall."

     Spencer: "This is going to sound really dumb... but the food.  There's no tex-mex.  I was really excited when someone told me Costa Ricans do tamales.  Costa Rican tamales are not Mexican tamales, not even close.  In my mind I associated Latin America with Mexico and Mexican food.  So when we got here and I asked 'Where can a gringo get some tacos?' and they told me Taco Bell, I wasn't expecting that."

Question-

Looking back over your year, what has been the most difficult part of moving to another country"

Answer-

     Kendra: "Being away from family.  Our family is particularly close. We were so fortunate to be together for the Christmas Season, but missing my grandparent's Memorial Day BBQ and Mother's Day or the crazy annual Pumpkin Patch my mom's youth do every year is hard on the heart. Those times when the family comes together to celebrate and sometimes even argue, but then everyone takes a nap and feels better... those are the times you miss."

     Spencer: "Family, also.  On Kendra's side we have 6 nephews/nieces and on my side we have 3 boys.  So only getting to see them a few times is hard.  It's strange but true, I miss not being able to see how much they've grown.  Every time I see my nephews, they are noticeably bigger/stronger and harder to wrestle.




Question-
What gives you the most joy?

Answer-
     Kendra:  "Seeing the spark in a student's eye as they become excited to talk about the Lord and their faith. Being friends with these students, mentoring them, walking beside them as they discover what it means for Jesus to be Lord of their life, is the greatest joys.
     Spencer: "Seeing our students start to seek the Lord and take personal responsibility for their faith.  The absolute biggest blessing has been getting to share the gospel with someone who has never heard or opened the bible before."




Question-
What things do you miss most?

Answer-
     Kendra:   "The food! I miss sausage gravy, Whataburger, and Tex-Mex. Good Texas food with family and friends."
     Spencer: "Whataburger. Fishing.  Kayak.  The river.  But family most of all.  My mom and dad and my sisters family.  QUESO cheese dip!"




Question-
What is something you'd like to share that you've learned over the last year?

Answer-
     Kendra:   "Aside from some new cooking skills, I've learned to communicate better. As I said earlier, it is a struggle. I always took advantage of the whole English language to tell people about my faith, but when English is someone's second language, or if you are speaking in a new language, it is of the utmost importance you be clear with that message. The one thing we cannot afford to get wrong is sharing the Truth.
     Spencer: "Throw away all your pride.  It won't help you.  It will only hurt you and the people around you.  Having to be right or heard, because of pride, will not lead anyone to the Cross of Christ.  There is nothing I can do to change a persons heart.  Get rid of pride and make more room for the Holy Spirit."




Question-
Being your dog, I see you leave me at home every day... Where are some of the cool adventures you've been on?

Answer-
     Kendra:   "White water rafting and hiking through the rainforest have been my favorites! Beautiful views and fast paced fun!"
     Spencer: "Beaches, volcanos, and Panama.  But my favorite place in Costa Rica is Rio Tarcoles. It's know as 'The Crocodile Bridge' and it does not disappoint.   It was something I watched on the Discovery Channel as a kid and dreamed about seeing in person."

Crocodile Bridge

Manuel Antonio National Park

"I'm ready... take me with you" -Cowboy

Thank you for your prayers and support.  We are grateful for you. 

- Spencer, Kendra, and Cowboy Thomas