TeamDuggan

Anna washes dishes while instructing our guest in the finer points of rinsing.

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Sunday on my own…a hike into the hills seemed in order. So I called my friend Rick to join me and we hiked into the cloud forest of the little mountain ridge called La Carpintera. Behind Rick in the first picture were five of the largest aloe vera plants I’d ever seen. Not pictured (but true) one had a central stem that rose 30 feet into the sky through the surrounding forest. In the second picture is seen the Central Valley area of Costa Rica where half the population of the country lives.

Nice hike up, but my bad knee (thanks to a little motorcycle accident in Pakistan many years ago) had some trouble coming back down. Time for some ibuprofen, ice, and a good book.

Anna and I were out tooling around and ran into a professional kids kart race…right in a mall parking lot. The drivers couldn’t have been more than six years old but they handled high speed turns like pros. Lots of fun but it sure made it hard to find somewhere to park!

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Typical food with long conversation is part of every dinner with friends all over the world. Costa Rica is no exception.

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Each month I schedule a personal retreat day to pray, think, reprioritize and refuel. Today I am in the mountains of San Ramon de Tres Rios.

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Sipping coffee with Cathi watching the clouds roll by and waving to the neighbors who are curious about the gringos.

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I’ve been asked to perform a wedding ceremony (in Spanish!) this December for a young couple who love each other dearly and are facing a challenging start to their marriage. Although I have known Michael for a couple of years, this was the first time we have met his fiance’. For some reason she wanted to meet us before the wedding! Maybe she wanted to make sure we could actually communicate in Spanish. So remember me on December 19 when I have to speak extemporaneously in a language that still is a work in progress.

It may just be a remote control car, but her driving style makes me nervous!

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This is a group of key church leaders in Costa Rica. Really.

Our home tends to be a gathering place for working out plans and setting direction for future work. As long as there is coffee, there is time to talk. Left to right: Tony – President of the Evangelical Free Church of Costa Rica, Ernesto – Leader and trainer of youth leaders, Jose – Director of church leadership development across denominations, Cali – a gifted teacher with a heart for youth.

My office is just inside this large window which has a beautiful view but also looks out onto the street. So the guys know when I’m in and we often find ourselves talking leadership development, team management and doctrine. Makes for a good mix!