Pablo & Judi Kauffman

We're back home in OH after 4 1/2 weeks away in FL, sandwiched around visits to Costa Rica and Nicaragua. What is home? Florida was my home during adolescence. Costa Rica was once home for nearly 3 yrs. to both Judi and I. Now we're living in the apartment next to the house in OH that we called our home for 7 yrs., waiting for the call from the Spanish Consulate that would send us on to a new home in Spain. While in Florida Rick & Janet Miller made us feel right at home in their house. We did more than eat desserts with them!

Our final weekend in FL, my brother Lloyd directed a male voice choir made up of men from both the Sarasota area as well as various points out of state, in which I had the privilege of helping. Singing feels kind of like "home."

My sisters, Lois and Ruth, came down from Alabama for the weekend. Here we are in the home of Lloyd and Mary. We miss our oldest brother, Ken, who has been "home" now, with the Lord, for a little over a year.

Even though it was cold back in OH, it was good to be at home with our church family. It was also good to see how the grandchildren, especially the two little granddaughters Malia and Nakeah, have adapted to their new homes here on earth with Kevin & Kristin and Kenton & Karissa respectively. It looks like they've adapted very well!

Kai and Noah are budding musicians.

Or are they budding preachers-in-waiting?

It was good to have the whole family together in our home today. We even took a family picture.

So, where is home? Right now, it seems like it's where we happen to be at any given moment. God is here. We are here. Wherever we are together, we are at home.

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From Jan. 22-Feb. 5 Judi and I helped on an eye team in Nicaragua. Many of the poor cannot afford eye care, so when free opportunities arise to get it, they come from near and far, some as early as 4 am to stand in line.

First, they get checked for distance vision.

Then an auto-refractor is used to measure the interior of the eye.

To determine the eye's health, an optician looks at it from far

and from near, with the help of translation.

A couple of days we had to go on standby generator when the electric went out. This little guy had to be quieted down with some baffles and a makeshift muffler.

Sadly, some people (below) had damaged eyes and could not be helped. Others needed cataract surgery, and were sent to the hospital where a doctor from our team, Kenlyn Miller (not shown), operated on them.

For those needing glasses, the prescription was compared with a data base of used, donated glasses which the team had brought down.

If available, glasses were found and fitted.

The smile tells it all!

It was good to work with old friends like Larry & Dot Chupp

and Levi Miller. If you know them, you know they add life to the party!

We were also able to get out to the beach one evening

where we ate fresh fish (excuding the head!).

On Sunday we visited the church where Marcos Orozco pastors,

and visited Sara Miller's (our daughter-in-law's mother - upper left) sister-in-law's (lower left), sister (not pictured), who had been in Spain and gave us some very good advice on how to adjust to life in Spain.

Since we bused from Costa Rica round trip, to and from Nicaragua, it meant two border crossings. We didn't have to wait much, but this truck driver apparently did!

Our time in Costa Rica and Nicaragua was very positive, and we're now back in Sarasota to finish out making contacts, planning to leave for OH on Feb. 11. No word yet on visas. The Consulate said it could take 6-8 weeks, and we've now completed seven. Keep praying!

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