A Divided Nation

Never has the United States of America been so un-united. The current political and social climate throughout our nation is rife with acrimony, turmoil, vitriol and fear. At the risk of alienating friends on both sides of the aisle, I would like to offer some perspective.

First and foremost, God rules and reigns above all nations…including the USA. Daniel 2:21 needs to be etched into our hearts and minds in the next several months. God “changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others.”

Some would say the last presidential election was stolen. Others would say that the current president saved the nation from tyranny. Both sides fall woefully short as they faithlessly shout ire at each other forgetting the pre-eminency of God.

God alone raises up kings and takes them down. Just as surely as the Bible asserts that God raised up Donald Trump as POTUS in 2017, he also raised up Joe Biden in 2021.

Who God allows to become the nation’s next President remains to be seen. But of this we can be certain: God alone raises up kings and takes them down.

Because of this certainty, I plead with my Jesus-following friends: Let us reduce the rhetoric and vitriol. A couple of Scriptures quickly come to mind…

“Do not let any unwholesome words come out of your mouth, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs.” (Ephesians 4:29) Those who name Jesus as Lord are never to demean, belittle or otherwise disparage anyone. This includes former President Trump and current President Biden.

In laymen’s terms, we need to chill the badmouthing. The verbal disdain that my friends who vote Blue have toward former President Trump is shocking. And it is exceedingly dishonoring of King Jesus.

On the other hand, the mocking and denigrating of President Biden by my friends who vote Red is equally dishonoring to God.

Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Peter wrote to early Christ followers who were subject to the tyranny of Nero. Among many other heinous crimes, Nero would strap the living bodies of Christians on stakes, douse their bodies with oil and light them on fire to illuminate his evening garden parties.

Knowing this, Peter writes: “Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.” (1 Peter 2:17)

Whether our President is Blue or Red, obedient Jesus-followers must “honor the emperor.” There is no fine print that allows an exception to this no matter how passionately we may feel. This includes what we say to others and what we post on social media.

One final thought. I am old enough the remember the tumultuous protest marches against the Viet Nam War. I can recall the rancorous Chicago Democratic Party Convention in 1968. The Chicago police were viewed as thugs and the rioters were heroes. At times, it felt like our nation was coming apart at the seams.

But I do not remember the turmoil of that season reaching the level of today’s verbal savagery. Over and over, I hear overwrought people (both Red and Blue) screaming that the future of our democracy is at stake in the upcoming election. Really?

Is God dead? Has he taken a vacation?

If the future of our nation is ultimately in the hands of either Trump or Biden (or anyone else other than God), we would be in a very sad plight.

Dear readers, God is good. God is faithful. God is in control.

Would everyone please take a long, deep breath?

Family Travels

Living in Costa Rica has resulted in our doing a great deal of traveling to stay connected to our family. Pam and I are on our way home after many days of travel. It’s been a whirlwind trip…but loads of fun.

Pam left Costa Rica on May 24 heading to Santa Rosa, CA. Her flight went through Dallas/Fort Worth before arriving in San Francisco and taking the shuttle up to Santa Rosa. Several members of the Bond clan were gathering for a milestone event. The celebration culminated with a tattoo party. Pam got her first tattoo and the rest of the family added to their collection.

Pam said getting the tattoo hurt like crazy and she wouldn’t do it again. But the milestone event was more than worth it.

I left Costa Rica on May 31 passing through Miami before meeting up with Pam in Philadelphia. It was cool to meet in the Philly airport. Pam had traveled from San Francisco and I had come from San Jose, Costa Rica. From there, we boarded another plane taking us to Burlington, Vermont where we spent time with Rachel and her two daughters, Audrey and Eden.

We had an amazing week! Rachel had invited us so we could “look after” after Audrey while she took Eden to New York City for her 8th grade graduation trip. While they were gone, we spoiled Audrey by being “doting grandparents.”  Pam and I were also able to do some home improvement projects at Rachel’s condo. It made us feel really good to serve Rachel and to spend quality time with her family.

The highlight of the trip was attending Eden’s 8th grade graduation. It was the most personal and beautiful graduation ceremony we’ve ever attended. What an honor for us!

Saturday, June 8, we flew from Burlington, Vermont to Las Vegas, Nevada to visit dear friends, Terry and Becky Wolverton. Pam and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing our friends and exploring the amazing community where they live, Anthem, Sun City. I was even able to knock out two swims at the community pool.

We are now on our way home. It’s Tuesday, June 11. Pam has been traveling for 19 days. I have been traveling for 12 days. It’s been a wonderful trip. When we moved to Costa Rica, I’m not sure we realized how much travel would be in the offing. But traveling is part-and-parcel to our calling to stay connected with our family while we serve with English Christian Fellowship.

Speaking of ECF, we’re now averaging 160+ in attendance. As a result, we are preparing to launch a second Sunday service on August 4. We will offer services at 9:30 AM and 11:00 AM. Please pray for this. Sustaining two services will require doubling our number of volunteers and introduce many new challenges. However, we are grateful to God for ECF’s continued growth and vibrancy.

Warmly,

Steve and Pam

I Love Baptisms!

I have had a conflicted relationship with baptism. For most of my ministry career, I served within a fellowship of churches that historically, in my humble opinion, over-emphasized baptism. Baptism was called, by some, an essential step of salvation. I recall one well-known leader saying that it was actually in the waters of baptism that salvation occurred.

In contrast, I have been a firm believer my entire life in the historic Reformation position that we are saved by grace alone through faith alone. Baptism is an important step of obedience, but not linked to salvation.

When we launched Summit, I wrote a series of teaching documents to articulate our church’s position on several key issues. The first one I wrote was on baptism. The primary reason I wrote it was to keep people from my denominational heritage from filtering into Summit and confusing people with an over-emphasis on baptism.

At one point, a couple wrote Summit’s church planting agency a letter with a $50 donation. They explained that they wanted their donation used to plant a church with “correct” doctrine on baptism…not a Baptist church like Summit.

At another point, I was involved briefly in a tug-of-war about baptism in our fellowship’s national magazine. He was a titan in our brotherhood and I was a nobody. But I stood my ground. We are saved by grace alone through faith alone. Baptism is a step of obedience in response to being born again through faith in Jesus.

But it’s not as if I have underplayed the importance of baptism. To the contrary, by God’s grace, I have seen thousands of people baptized in the ministries I have overseen. I used to chuckle to my friends by saying, “For a church that doesn’t ‘believe in baptism,’ Summit certainly does baptize a whole lot of people!”

That journey joyfully continues at English Christian Fellowship in Costa Rica. This past weekend, we baptized 14 people. Some were baptized on Saturday morning as part of my Rooted group. Others were baptized on Sunday before church. In each case, it was beautiful to see people step forward in their faith by publicly declaring their allegiance to Jesus through the waters of baptism.

What a weekend of celebration!  

On another note, some will recall the eventful saga to obtain my Costa Rica Drivers License. It has been nearly a one-year journey with multiple trips to multiple offices and paying multiple people. Today, I am happy to report, I finally received my license.

But it wasn’t without its pitfalls. Last night as I was reviewing my documents for this morning’s “final” appointment, I realized the medical exam had lapsed that I was required to have. It’s only valid for six months and my process had taken much longer than that.

As a result, I got up early, skipped the gym, and went to the DMV yet again. I arrived at 7:00 AM and was able to get a new exam. (To be honest, it’s quite humorous to call it “medical exam.” But that’s another story.)

From there, I headed over to the bank for my “final” appointment. I arrived at 7:30 AM and my appointment was not until 9:20 AM. So, I sat in a corner market drinking hot chocolate until I began waiting in the bank line at 8:30 AM. Finally, I was called to the appropriate desk at 9:30 AM. Ten minutes later, I walked out with my Costa Rican Drivers License. Finally!

As I mentioned in an earlier blog, when these things happen, quite often Pam and I look at each other and say, “Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore.”

But we’re still enjoying the adventure!  

Steve

What's In Your Dash?

Forty-eight years ago, I met Ki Sung Kim at the Torchbearer Bible School in Holsby Brunn, Sweden. I was a young believer, not yet one year old in my faith. Ki Sung was a fire-breathing Jesus-follower who was the first believer from South Korea to be given permission to travel to Sweden for Bible school.

Our hearts were knit together during early morning prayer meetings. Ki Sung’s spiritual roots were forged in the prayer kilns that Korea was famous for in the 1960s and 1970s. Ki Sung knew how to pray with fervency and passion and he carried me along in his wake during our eight months together in Sweden.

A few years later, while I was in seminary in the Chicago area, we reconnected briefly while Ki Sung served in ministry in Grand Rapids Michigan. After that, we lost contact.

About a year ago, Ki Sung tracked me down via Facebook. It was a sweet reconnection! This past week, Ki Sung and his wife, Sara, visited Pam and I in Costa Rica. We’ve had beautiful moments reminiscing and catching up on the past 45 years of our lives and ministries.

One thing has become clear to me. Life goes by quickly. In the blink of an eye Ki Sung and I are no longer “spring chickens.”

At graveside services, occasionally, I ask people to reflect on “the dash.” A tombstone usually has the name of the deceased with their date of birth and the date of their death. Between the two dates is a dash. That’s all the time we live here on earth. For some it is a longer period, for others it is shorter. But all of us only live once. We only have one “dash.”

This week sharing with Ki Sung has made me reflect on my “dash.”

How about you? What’s in your “dash?” Are you doing anything that will make any difference in eternity?

The Gift of Lifelong Friends

Pam and I met Dan and Tammy for the first time when they arrived in Chile as interns in 1983. They were in the first group of college interns sent from Eastside Christian Church. Eastside was our sending church and we received interns every summer for several years. But the first group was special for many reasons, including Dan and Tammy.

We had our interns serve in church services six nights a week. It was exhausting and exhilarating at the same time. I have an enduring vision of Dan pouring his heart out with passion on the last night of the week’s services…pleading for the young people to come to Jesus. He was passionate. He was convincing. He was anointed. Several young people came to Christ that evening. All these many years later, I know many of them are still serving the Lord.

Dan and Tammy got engaged in Chile. Their relationship was nurtured in the caldron of white-hot ministry. Over forty years later, they are still sold-out for advancing the cause of Christ.

After both our families returned to the USA, Dan and Tammy settled in Indiana. They led a church and learned through the school of hard-knocks how difficult it is to remain in ministry. For every ten people who begin only one remains in ministry at the end of their career. 90% quit along the way. There are hundreds of reasons to quit.

But there is only one reason to say at it. God places a fire into the soul of the minister that cannot be extinguished even by the forces of hell. That fire still burns in Dan and Tammy.

Twenty years ago, we invited Dan and Tammy to move to Reno to plant a new church. Dan officed at Summit for six months as he built his core team. I gave him visibility every week by letting him offer the communion meditation. He was called “Communion Dan.” In fact, some folks in the Reno area (with a smile on their face) still call him that.

Dan and Tammy took about 50 people from Summit when they planted Outlook Christian Church. They have had their ups and downs, as does everyone in ministry (if they’re honest). But they have stayed in the fight. They have remained in the saddle. They have continued to pour out their lives to point people to Jesus, shepherd them, and grow them up in faith.

Today, Outlook is a thriving, vibrant church, largely because Dan and Tammy did not quit. The spark they both had 40+ years ago on the streets of Chile still burns within them…that the name of Jesus would become famous and that the world would be different because of the footsteps they have trodden.

Tuesday morning, Pam and I had the joy to eat breakfast with Dan and Tammy. They were passing through San Jose on their way to visit a friend who will be inaugurated as the new Mayor of Limon, one of Costa Rica’s most important cities.

We’ve known each other over four decades. Once, Dan and I both had dark hair. No more. Now, I have very little hair and Dan is completely grey. On the outside we are aging.

But on the inside the passion for Jesus and his kingdom remains. To have friends is a gift from God. To have friends in ministry is an even richer gift from God. But to have lifelong friends in ministry is almost beyond words. Dan and Tammy are true treasures!

The Benefit of the Doubt

People are almost always the problem. People don’t do what they said they would. People complain. People disappoint. People hurt us. The list goes on and on.

So, why do we keep hanging around people? Wouldn’t life be simpler if we just shut the doors and keep everyone out?

I’m afraid not. Do you know why? Because WE are people. It’s not just “them;” it’s us. We don’t do what we said we would. We disappoint. We hurt others.

If we close the doors and shut everyone else out, we still have the problem. It’s true that people are almost always the problem. But WE are people. WE are the problem.

This is compounded in any organization, especially in the church. After all, the church is made up of people. Broken people. Redeemed, yes, but still very broken. People just like us. We are all a mess!

I’m seen this play out recently at ECF. Our tiny church is experiencing growing pains. Growth is good but it also means we bump elbows more frequently. In the past few weeks, we’ve had people misunderstand each other. We’ve had people jump to conclusions. We’ve had tempers flare. It’s not been pretty. And I have often been the worst offender.

For the past three decades, I’ve made it a point to tell the churches I’ve served that if we don’t love well, then we’ve missed it. Jesus made this crystal clear. “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35)

Love is the ultimate litmus test for Jesus followers. Not doctrine (although doctrine is important). Not strategy (although strategy is important). Not staffing and budget (although both of those are also important). Love is what matters most.

So, the question is this: how do we love one another well when we are redeemed but still fumbling broken people? How do we love each other well when we are such a hopping mess? I’ve thought about this often down through the years.

This is one key I’ve discovered that’s vital: Give people the benefit of the doubt.

In the Apostle Paul’s eloquent description of love in 1 Corinthians 13, he slips in this tiny but very poignant phrase: Love “always trusts.” In the older translation it says love “believes all things.”  

These phrases capture one of the keys to loving well when we’re such a messed-up bunch of redeemed Jesus-followers.

When people don’t do what they said they would, give them the benefit of the doubt. Don’t immediately think the worst. Maybe they forgot. Maybe something more pressing came up. “Always trust.” “Believe all things.”

When people complain, give them the benefit of the doubt. Don’t immediately think the worst. Maybe they had a fight with their spouse. “Always trust.” “Believe all things.”

When people disappoint and hurt us, give them the benefit of the doubt. Don’t immediately think the worst. There is always more to the story. “Always trust.” “Believe all things.”

When I do this, I have less stomach acid. I give more grace. And I love better.

When I don’t do this, I get frustrated. I think the worst. And I don’t love well.

I chose to follow Jesus 49 years ago. But I have to make the choice every day to continue to follow him. This shows up in many ways. Especially in the way I love people. I’m guessing it’s the same for you. Let’s give the benefit of the doubt. At home. At work. At church. Always.

Leadership Matters

A church rises and falls with its leadership. One of the great joys that Pam and I have experienced while serving with English Christian Fellowship in Costa Rica has been the growth of our leadership team. We recently held an all-day offsite to celebrate what God has done over the previous 12-months and chart direction for the upcoming 6-months. 

Commitment—The first thing that stood out was the level of commitment from our core ministry leaders. As I listened to their reports about what has been accomplished, I was amazed at our leaders’ self-sacrificing commitment to advance the cause of Christ through ECF’s ministry. The majority voluntarily invest 10+ hours per week in their areas of ministry. It was inspiring to be in their midst.

Creativity—ECF is still very much a church plant. As a result, all of our ministry leaders must find creative ways to meet the needs of our emerging congregation. For example, one of the fastest growing demographics at ECF is Kids Ministry. These kids come from English-speaking families who live in Costa Rica. A strong common desire is to make friends with other families with young kids. With that in mind, our Kids Ministry organizes a Kids Monthly Meet Up for families the first Sunday every month after church.

Change—An axion in church growth is “what got you here may not get you there.” Change is a constant in a developing and growing church. The needs change. The leaders change. The ministries change. The processes change. As a result, the people who thrive in a church planting environment must be flexible and give lots of grace. In a rapidly shifting organization, it’s not uncommon for people to inadvertently bump into each other. I’ve seen this time and time again at ECF. And time and time again, I’ve seen grace extended and flexibility demonstrated among ECF’s leaders.

Communication—One of the most important results of the recent offsite was communication between ministries. Every leader was able to hear from the rest of ECF’s ministries what they’ve accomplished, what they’re planning and what challenges and opportunities are on the horizon. Communication is vital for team cohesion, especially because we regularly add new leaders and others cycle off.

Candor—Candor is invaluable in creating a healthy team culture. We have tried some things at ECF that have not worked. There’s no shame in this unless we fail to admit when we’ve blown it, or when we’ve tried something that did not work out and we sweep it under the rug. For example, we’re still trying to figure out a workable small group strategy for our mobile congregation that lives in a world of insane traffic gridlock in the evenings. We’ve tried some things but still haven’t figured it out.

Courage—A church-planting friend once said, “Church planting is like building a house with cards. One strong breeze can knock it all down.” Established churches often have the “three B’s”—budgets, bodies and buildings. These can bring a sense of stability and permanence that church plants may not have. Because of this, I give a standing ovation to ECF’s ministry leaders who have had the courage to “hitch their wagon” to our dreams of growing a thriving new English-speaking congregation in the Central Valley.  They are one courageous bunch!

As I said at the beginning, it continues to be an honor for us to serve at ECF alongside an incredibly gifted team of leaders!

Warmly,

Steve and Pam

25 Years

This past weekend, Pam and I participated in the 25th Anniversary Celebration of Summit Christian Church. We were flooded with warm memories and deeply meaningful connections with people we loved and served alongside for over two decades. Summit continues to be a healthy, life-giving church which now runs over 3,000 in attendance.

When we first arrived in Reno in 1998, we stayed in the Peppermill Hotel. Early one morning, Pam was awakened by a still-small voice that whispered, “Valley of Baka, Valley of Baca.” Pam wondered what that meant and opened her Bible to Psalm 84:6. “As they pass through the Valley of Baka, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools.”

Pam looked out the window of our hotel and saw the dry high-desert stretching to the horizon. At that point, she realized God was calling us to help transform the valley’s spiritual landscape. That whisper-from-God helped to cement our call to plant a church in the Reno/Sparks area.

By faith, we could see a long-term future where springs of living water bubbled up throughout the region. In our first vision document, we tried to capture this by boldly stating: We want to help transform the spiritual landscape of the Truckee Meadows.

Much has changed in the past 25 years. When we arrived, the area was known as a graveyard for pastors. In general, churches were small and too-often-visited by splits and moral failure.

When we launched Summit, one local pastor asked, “What church did you split from?” I told him we were a brand-new church plant. We were not a split from any church. The pastor told me he had never heard of that taking place in the area.

Scroll ahead 25 years. Now, there are several thriving churches in the Truckee Meadows. God has not only moved miraculously at Summit. He has also moved throughout the valley. Summit is not the only robust church in the area. A few previously existing churches have grown much stronger. Other church plants have also popped up in the past two decades. Along with Pam and I, scores of men and women of God have poured their lives out to advance the cause of Christ in Reno/Sparks.

Together, we have made a difference.

This morning, as I flew out of Reno heading back to Costa Rica, I looked over the valley and I could say with certainty: By God’s grace, in the past 25 years, the spiritual landscape of the Truckee Meadows has been transformed.

Not completely, of course. There is still much to be done. But a rising tide raises all boats. As God blessed and grew Summit, he also blessed and grew other churches in the valley. Today, the big “C” church in the Truckee Meadows is thriving, healthy and making an increasingly powerful impact.

To God be the glory! Great things he hath done!

Adventures in Banking

When we first arrived in Costa Rica, I noticed that every bank has a special teller window for “older folks.” I knew I was old enough to qualify but my pride wouldn’t let me take the short cut. As a result, for several months I waited in the “normal line” (sometimes for a very long time) before I could see a teller.

Eventually, I got over my pride and started using the “older folks’ line.” Sometimes it’s faster and sometimes it’s not. Like last week, for example.

I went to the bank to take out cash. However, the cash machine gave me all large bills, so I was forced to see a teller. Swallowing my pride, I sat in the “older folks” line. There were three people in front of me. I thought it might take 10 minutes tops. I was wrong.

As I sat waiting, I noticed the older gentleman at the window having a leisurely talk with the teller about his kids, his grandkids and any number of other topics. I kept trying to make eye contact with the teller to visually nudge him along. After all, I was waiting in line. Impatiently.

As I sat there, another older gentleman sauntered up to the teller to ask a question. As he walked past me cutting to the front of the line, he mentioned under his breath that he just had a “small question.” But it turned out that he, also, engaged the teller in jovial banter about local soccer teams and grandkids.

By this time, the gentleman sitting next to me assured me that he had very quick business. He would only be with the teller for a moment.  

I’m not sure how, but people here seem to have radar that I’m a gringo. I think I dress and look like everyone else around me. But something about me appears to scream that I’m not from Costa Rica. The guy next to me apparently sized up the situation: an impatient gringo was frustrated that the line was not moving more rapidly. He was right.

He looks at me and says, “Don’t worry. My business will only take a moment. I just have to pay my insurance bill.”

So, imagine my shock when he begins to chit-chat with the teller about his kids and grandkids and politics and sports. My eyes were drilling a hole through his head from the back side. His business may have been short, but his conversation was way too long for my taste.

Finally, it was my turn. I spent less than two minutes with the teller getting my change and I was gone. No small talk. No idle chatter. Just business.

I thought about it later and wondered if I had missed an important cultural nuance. People matter. The bank teller knew his clients and they mattered to him. The small talk I witnessed was important to everyone. It was a social hour. I was the only one bothered by it. No one else seemed to care about the wait. It was life. And a pretty nice life at that.

My mom used to walk quickly. She was always on a mission to get somewhere fast. I picked that up early on. For most of my life, I have wanted to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible.

But quicker is not always better.

Connection matters. People matter.

Costa Rica has a lot to teach me. I hope I learn.

Merry Christmas!

I will always treasure the memory of my first Christmas Candlelight Service. It was our first Christmas serving in Wisconsin. The church had windows along both sides of the worship center. As we held up the candles to sing Silent Night, it began snowing outside. Through the windows, I watched the glistening flakes fall as the candles flickered inside. In that iconic moment I felt like I was inside a snow globe. It was magical.

Since then, I have presided over hundreds of Christmas Candlelight Services. They never grow old. Every time we lift the candles to sing Silent Night it takes my breath away.

This year at English Christian Fellowship was no exception. A record-crowd of 235 people gathered. We kept bringing in more and more seats. We even had to “borrow” stools from the hotel bar but we still had people standing in the back.

The message at Christmas is essentially the same every year. But I never grow tired of proclaiming it: God loves us. God reached out to us in Jesus. God offers us grace and forgiveness.

This year, Pam and I are especially grateful to those of you who follow us and pray for us. Our lives are rich and fulfilling. We are incredibly blessed! Thank you!

I’m writing this blog on Christmas Day on the plane from Costa Rica to Santa Rosa, California. The Bond family will gather over the next several days to reconnect, laugh and create new memories. Pam and I look forward to some precious time with our clan.

On another note, some of you will recall the saga I began several blogs ago recounting my travails to get a Costa Rican Driver’s License. The saga continues.

Last week, I had another appointment at the Costa Rican DMV.  (To get the appointment, I paid $70 to my clandestine “DMV appointment maker.”) I had completed all the requirements the DMV-lady laid out for me three months earlier. But I’ve been around the block a few times. So, I didn’t really expect to walk out with my new license. I was not disappointed.

When I sat down with the one-and-only person who is the queen of granting foreigners Costa Rican Driver’s Licenses, she looked across her desk and said, “Well, Mr. Bond, I think I might be able to take care of you today.” At that point, she combed through my thick pile of paperwork. She carefully read each page and then even more carefully re-read each page. Finally, she took her official stamp and stamped each page...really hard.

At this point, I was thinking, “Wow, Steve, you might actually get a license today!” (I was wrong.)

When she finished, she told me to stand up and follow her. I thought, “Well, this seems strange. I guess there’s another door to walk through.” It felt a bit ominous. For some reason, I felt like I was being led toward a firing squad.

She led me downstairs and I was asked to sit across the desk from another lady. This new lady also read and re-read my thick pile of paperwork. Then, she typed, very slowly, some information into a computer. I sat quietly…waiting for men with rifles to appear.

After about 15 minutes, this new lady said, “Well, Mr. Bond, you’re all set.” I’m thinking, “But where is my Driver’s License?”

I know better, so I sat quietly until she added, “You can now make your appointment with Banco de Costa Rica to get your Driver’s License.”

I looked at her and smiled and began to chuckle out loud…a lot. How silly of me to think that I might actually get my Costa Rican Driver’s License in the Costa Rican DMV! No, that’s not the way it’s done here. “Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore!”

So, I made my appointment at Banco de Costa Rica. The first available date was February 12, 2024. It now looks like I may get my Costa Rican Driver’s License next year.

Pura Vida (Pure Life) is a common saying in Costa Rica that is used in a variety of situations. I’m not sure if there is an exact English equivalent. But the closest thing might be “Chill out…it’s all good.” However, my guess is the person who coined that saying never had to get their Costa Rican Driver’s License.

But it’s still good counsel. As we enter 2024, Pam and I send you this Costa Rican New Year’s greeting: Pura Vida!