The last two months ...

Well, we have had a wonderful, yet busy two months since our last entry. As you can see from the pics below, our Christmas was packed with friends, family, fun, trips and even a paper Christmas tree! DeNiel's parents came from Missouri and we went to the beach, a coffee plantation, a nice restaurant up the mountain, and a few other fun places. We really had an amazing time together. The week went very fast! Our Nicaraguan family came to our house for a Christmas dinner. The children got stockings and a gift. They were very thankful. It was Pascual's first Christmas to celebrate as a Christian! Please continue to pray for this family. Pray for consistency with our Bible Studies and pray that Pascual Jasmina will invite others to join us.

We are still learning Spanish like crazy! Pray for us as well, that we will continue to learn the language and more importantly, to stay fervant and committed to our daily time with the Lord.He is good! Thank you for your prayers. God has been faithful.

"Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen." 1 Timothy 1:17

The Reason We're Here

The Lord has blessed us here in Costa Rica. Our family has the honors of being a part of a Bible Study with some nationals here! What a blessing! This is Pascual and Jasmina's home. They have 2 little girls, Jasmine & Sarita. Pray for salvation and for others in the area to join with us in this time of studying the Bible together. Pray that the truth will shine through and that the Bible Studies going on here will remain active. GOD IS GOOD!

Supper Time!

September 29, 2008 5:30 pm CR time

Since you cannot join us for dinner, this one is for the family & friends that are missing the calm Gillen children. They are really excited about this meal they are eating. This is a typical evening with Kylie, Brooklin and Jacob.

Mastering the Language

This is a video of Anthony and Jacob practicing their Spanish. Listen how well Jacob pronounces the words. It is amazing! We have been working hard at the language. At Jacob's school they ONLY speak Spanish-no English. He probably knows more than we do!

We made it to Costa Rica!

Here is a video to go along with the pics above of the kids on the plane to Costa Rica.

God blessed our travels to and through the airports. We finally made it to our home in San Jose' at around 11:30 pm on July 24th. We are one hour earlier than Central Standard time (that is until the time change).

Costa Rica

We have Internet access now! We are planning to keep our blog a little more up-to-date! We will be posting some pictures of our time at Nanna & Pappa's house. Then you will get to see more pictures (but prettier) like the one below here in San Jose', Costa Rica!

Believe it or not, I could not find any other pictures for our blog at this time! This was taken in down town San Jose' right after our trip to the zoo (on Saturday, Aug. 9th). There came a torrential down pour but the girls couldn't resist holding this sweet lady's hand for a pic. We are really enjoying it here.

Fun at the Farm

The kids are having a blast at Momo and Poppy's house. They have been playing with their pony "Magic." We are leaving St.James on Sunday the 13th and headed to Nanna & Pappa's house! We will fly out to Costa Rica on July 24th. Thanks for keeping us in your prayers!


The goats are behind...wondering when Brooklin and Kylie will ever pet them?!?



Brooklin is so good with Magic.




Jacob is feeling left out, but will have hardly nothing to do with the horses up-close!

You can tell that Kylie is loving this!

"Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12

Bible-storying

Most missionaries are going to places where the people are illiterate. In the United States we usually don't think about this much because we are one of the top literate countries in the world. While here at our orientation, we are learning to "story" or share the gospel/Bible orally and with pictures. Some of the art work below is an example of storying with pictures.

Brooklin drew a picture of the man that fell asleep in the window.

An eagle sculpture by Brooklin.

In awe of His wonders

"I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth." Genesis 9:13ff

Sunday Night Cultural Worship.

This is the beautiful rainbow that God gave us last Sunday after our outdoor African Worship Service. I wish the picture could capture the true beauty. God is really at work here at FPO. I am in awe of His wonders.

First day of school

This is Kylie and Brooklin's first day of school. They have absolutely LOVED it. So far they have went on a field trip to the IMB office building, Maymont Park, and they make all kinds of really fun crafts.

Here we are at ILC in VA! This is Kylie, Brooklin and Jacob unpacking on our first day. They all share a room, but it's pretty spacious. The girls have bunk beds and Jacob has been sleeping in a big boy bed!