A Few days of fall

Happy July 4th! Wow. It doesn't feel like July. Maybe it's because it's felt like July since the day we arrived last December 31st. (Six months already!) Mark says that's one of the hardest things about living in the tropics... we miss those benchmarks in your year that corresponds with the seasons of the year. No change in the land of the eternal summer.

I was expecting to have more news to share with you on my mom's condition, but the doctor's appointment scheduled for Thursday was postponed to Monday. Please do keep praying.

Psalm 62:11, 12 "God has spoken plainly, and I have heard it many times. Power, O God, belongs to you; unfailing love, O Lord, is yours."

Last month, Mark had a break between language school modules so we drove a few hours away from the city and up into "hill country." The British developed this area for tea in the 20's and 30's, so it has a fun colonial feel, plus the temps are moderate because of the altitude (a 70's and 80's during the day, and 60's in the evening). The town has a rustic feel, but is friendly enough to tourists to offer tantalizing tea and scones. (I think we had four hot drinks the first day we were there. Now that's a record for the tropics!)

 

One of the best parts was being able to wear jeans (without sweating buckets in them). Even little Abe donned a pair.

 

There were some nice hiking areas (although we ended up with a little more adventure one day than we had bargained for, since they were poorly marked). How nice to enjoy the incredible beauty of God's creation here without the heat!

 

The ferns were breathtaking at some points of our hike. They're in stiff competition with the orchid for "Rachel's favorite tropical plant" status. Amazingly, they estimate there are over 15,000 varieties of orchids in the world.