Merry Christmas!!! Feliz Navidad!!!

For unto us a Child is born,

Unto us a Son is given;

And the government will be upon His shoulder.

And His name will be called

Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

This scripture is very traditional of Christmas, but have we really thought about what it means to us?  It isn't all about a child.  It is about the Child that would be so much more and it describes it in detail. This passage has been taught about in service on Sunday and it was read again in the Christmas eve service that I went to at another local church.  We sang about it in service and it is definitely sinking in.

This Christmas, I am celebrating it in Costa Rica among new friends.  The Lord has been faithful to grant great people to hang out with and celebrate this blessed day.  At a distance, I would like to wish my friends and family a blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

I love you all very much and I thank you all for your support and encouragement.  May the Prince of Peace be your Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God and Everlasting Father!

Basic Needs

How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? 

And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? 

And how shall they hear without a preacher? 

And how shall they preach unless they are sent? 

As it is written:

“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, 

Who bring glad tidings of good things!” 

Romans 10:14-15

How often when we read this passage, do we find an exact basic need that we just know must be fulfilled?

We have been getting to know the kids more and more, as well as understand their background and difficulties.  With each one we get to know, our heart becomes attached to them.  With many of them, our heart also breaks for the difficulties and trials that they go through, hoping that in some measure we can be a blessing to them and make a lasting impact.

Gustavo!

In a previous update, I spoke of Gustavo.  One of the primary reasons his behavior is a bit unruly is because he gets easily bored in classes, particularly because he does not yet know how to read.  He is 8 years old. Because of his behavior, the teachers in school have given up on him.  They report him to the principal, who in turn, reports him to his mom.  His mom has pulled him out of school during his second attempt at first grade, as opposed to being passed by the teachers without knowing how to read, as some other kids.  It is so sad that this is not an unusual story.  The hardest part is that the parents will pull them out of school, or leave them in school although they do not learn how to read, but do not or are unable to teach them to read, as many of them cannot read themselves.

Our team visiting with Gustavo's family

We visited Gustavo and his family and got to know them a bit better.  They are from Nicaragua originally.  He has an older brother and a baby brother, and is surrounded by cousins.  His mom and dad work a lot, so he is always hanging out along the street or at his aunt’s house with cousins.

Gustavo with his grandma visiting from Nicaragua, his mom,
his baby brother and his cousin.

The Lord has put it on my heart to try to teach Gustavo to read.  I have begun giving him private reading lessons and I have been amazed that he responds really well with me alone.  We get to hang out and I am using learning applications on my iPad.  This has been stretching for me, as I have never done it, but as I have been stepping out, Gustavo is interested and engaged, and as long as there are no other distractions, I can see him learning.  The beaming glow of excitement when he comes to learn is heartwarming to say the least!!!

During one of our learning sessions

It is slow and I don’t know how far we will be able to get while I am here, but I am hopeful that once he is able to learn to read and write, he will do much better in school as he won’t be as bored.

There have been some very sweet moments, some bittersweet and others that have been heartbreaking.  One example of the bittersweet moments is when I was asking him if he would like me to teach him to read.  He proceeded to tell me that we all (short term missionaries) come and leave, and leave him alone.  This was very hard, but the Lord had me answer that although it was true that I was leaving, that if I taught him to read, that it was as if a little piece of me stayed with him.  He agreed and we have stepped forward down this path together.

Gustavo, his baby brother, Stuart, and I

I am determined to prayerfully love him consistently, to express that my love is because Jesus loves him even more and to see him reading, writing and loving Jesus.  There are barriers that surround his heart and only the Lord can fully melt them, but He is working! Every time we have a lesson, he always asks “¿Mañana otra vez?” meaning “Tomorrow again?”.  Once he came late, but he normally comes early, even an hour early today, which is so not "Tico-Time"!!!  (Note: "Tico" is "Costarrican" and "Tico-Time" is always late!)

Gustavo praying with Rebecca during Kid's Club

There is also another boy, who is 11, that doesn't know how to read either.  It is almost a crime that at that age he wouldn't know how to read and keep going through grades.  He also needs this personal attention, so I am praying about teaching him too.  I have yet to speak with his mom and him about this, but the burden is there.  Please pray that the Lord will lead me wisely as this is not normally what the program does, but it is very necessary to minister to this basic need of these kids that the system has failed.  Please pray for these kids!

Making application from Romans 10:14-15 … 

How can they read the Bible if they cannot read?

Life goes on...

Wow, I can't believe time has passed so fast since I last sent an update!  Sorry for not communicating more often.  The days fly by with busyness and activity.  Other days, just allow us to catch up on laundry, groceries, etc.  Then Saturdays I have been cleaning quite a bit, cooking and practicing for worship for Sunday and still barely time to write to you all.  I have worked on this same update for a while now, so some of the information is a bit older than the other.

We have definitely exchanged our clouds of rain for clouds of dust.  The dry season has been going on and we haven’t had rain for several weeks.  On about two occasions it cooled down and the wind picked up, clouds came, a drizzle fell and all was gone.  Last night, it finally rained and it was such a blessing and it was a wonderful refreshing feeling.  Today, it is actually kind of dark, but it never rained.

It seems like this month has been one of injuries and pains, yet the Lord has shown Himself faithful as always.  Toward the end of last month, I ended up taking a tumble off a bike and hurt my ribs quite a bit.  I am all better now, as far as that is concerned.  Then Sydnie, one of my teammates, severely hurt her foot playing soccer.  For both of us, on each occasion, we ended up going to Liberia (1.5 hrs away) to find the clinic that had X-Rays where we could find out if there was a fracture.  Praise the Lord that neither one of us had a fracture!

Last Monday, after my ribs were almost completely well, I was trying to get out of the way of a car on the narrow road both the church and the apartment are on.  I ended up slipping and sliding down the slope on the side of the road and scraping my knee.  It is getting better and healing, but not as fast as I had hoped.  I guess it has become a bit frustrating to continue dealing with injuries.

I have been playing guitar somewhat regularly at church for worship and also for Bible Club.  It has been a blessing and I am certainly enjoying it.

When I entered into Costa Rica, I was given a 60 day visa.  At that time, it seemed like a long way away, yet shorter than the other two team members.  Well, I am about 10 days away from the expiration of that visa.  Next Monday December 3, a small team of ladies from the church will be driving south to Rio Claro, Costa Rica to minister to the ladies at another Calvary Chapel outreach from the church in Villarreal, where I am serving, to setup a ladies Christmas event.  This town is close to the Panama border, so I will be going with them and taking some time to cross the border and renew my visa.  Please pray for safe travels and grace with the visa.

Our last days of PFK and Bible Club for the year are very quickly approaching.  The kids are soon out of school, some graduating and we will be taking a break from the program for the school break.  The church will be re-locating to another plot of land in the same town but across to other neighborhoods.  Please pray that the Lord will direct our steps during the school break to invite new kids of the new neighborhoods for the upcoming year.

Team Costa Rica Video ... The Arrival!!! and PFM Update

This month, I have been privileged by having my story included in the Potter's Field Ministries update newsletter.  The story about me can be found here:

Many Are the Plans...

The entire newsletter talks about all the aspects of the ministry and can be found here:

Potter's Field Ministries - October 2012

This is our first video from the field!

This song (the Spanish version) has been our theme this month
(I am suspecting it will be for the entire time here)!

The Good, the Great, and the Somewhat Scary

I would have lost heart, unless I had believed

That I would see the goodness of the LORD

In the land of the living.

Wait on the LORD;

Be of good courage,

And He shall strengthen your heart;

Wait, I say, on the LORD!

-Psalm 27:13-14

Nothing like the Lord to give us the strength to work and be blessed in the midst of anything He has chosen!!  How wonderful to believe we will see the goodness of the Lord and even to see it fulfilled!!!  Waiting on the Lord should produce that strengthening!

We have now been in Costa Rica just shy of three full weeks. We have had lots of rain, which is understandable, given that it is the rainy season. It has been quite hot for me, not as much these past three days, a couple of days ago it was perfect... Although I am told this is the cold time! Today, it is beautiful and sunny and feels great in front of the fan! :) The heat will come as the dry season starts, beginning at the end of November or so.

Regardless of the future weather changes, I have learned to appreciate more than I had anticipated my rain jacket and pants! They have been invaluable, particularly since we walk everywhere!

I am starting to get the hang of things and get into a routine to work and do things according to our schedule. There are some things that I am figuring out, like how long it takes me to wash a couple of shirts and underwear or how to dry them fastest, since we wash by hand.

For the “Manos del Alfarero” (Potter’s Field Kids or PFK), which is Monday – Wednesday, Emily and I teach English on Monday.  Last week, we were using “Simon dice” (Simon says), to teach them body part names and motions in English.  During PFK, I help out with homework or studying for tests with the kids on Tuesdays and I help out Don Victor with making the meals on Wednesday.  The first time I was helping them study, I felt unqualified.  I hadn’t read the material beforehand (not that I had the material to read ahead of time), so I was scrambling to read it and make it useful to them as we reviewed.  Sophia, one of the girls in the group I was helping study, was telling me she had no idea and I felt like I didn’t really do much to help her.  This was in the photo on the previous blog.  Several days later, she came up to me to give me a huge hug and thank me for helping her study because she got 100 on her test!!!  I was so blessed and touched!!!!

I have started teaching the Bible class on Thursday's Bible Club.  This is the day that all kids come and registration is not required.  I end up teaching the same passage for 30 minutes with variations for 3 different classes of different ages in a row, so by the end, I am a bit overwhelmed, but so blessed!  It's awesome to see kids learn of the Lord and get excited about something new. I have started asking them for prayer requests and it is so sweet to hear the things that have been burdening their hearts and praying for them.

We have several packets of letters from people from the US to the kids.  Most of these are in English and we need to translate them, so Sydnie and I have been working slowly on translating them.  We will then share them with the kids and get letters from them in Spanish.  Those will also need to be translated to English to send back the States.  It feels strange to read other people’s correspondence, but it is sweet to know that the kids will be blessed with the letters.  Some kids have quite a few, but others don’t have any, and that is sad to us.

One of the things that are part of our job that I seem to enjoy the most is kid’s visits.  I have a list of names and phone numbers of all the parent’s kids.  I call the parents and after a complicated set of conversations to figure out where they live and when we can go, we set out to go see them.  The calls are complicated because there are no addresses and everything is X meters in Y direction (N, S, E or W) from a specific landmark.  As we don’t know the area well yet, the landmarks are not that useful to us.  I have gone on a couple “exploratory” walks with Corey, Emily and Sydnie to find out where the kids live.  What makes the visit special is that we meet the parents, learn of their family and their lives.  It is more personal than the group time we get with the kids at PFK or Club.

I so love taking pictures and I was given the job to take profile pictures for some of the kids … of course, I am enjoying it and having fun calling them aside to get the shot!

The Bible Club (or “Kloob” as pronounced in Spanish) is so fun, particularly because we get to do songs with the kids!  After Sydnie, Emily and I had been singing “Armor or the Spirit” (thanks Pastor Donathan) to Pastor Phil and Rebecca’s kids, and it was such a hit, I took to translating it to Spanish and it works!  Last Thursday we tried it out at Club and sang it both in English and Spanish with the kids.  It was a complete hit and the kids kept asking to sing it again!  We will have to do it again and get a video!
This photo is from another occasion at Club:

Singing during Club

There has been some heartache too.  Some of the letters that we have for translation are for kids that are no longer in the program for a variety of reasons.  It is sad to have these letters to kids that we don’t have there.  Additionally, the PFK program Monday-Wednesday has a lot of specialized and prepared materials that the kids register for, so if children are not registered, they are invited to come Thursday and register in January for the next session.  This is hard for me, as I would just love to invite them all in, but I understand that we aren’t able to.

Another aspect that has been bittersweet is the departure of Matt & Brooke McClain and their kids, Ethan, Isabelle and Audrey.  Of course, we knew the McClains, who have been heading up the program here, would be departing, but it was interesting and bittersweet to be part of the departure process.  We were just getting to know them and it was a blessing to hang out with them and learn different responsibilities from them, but we also witnessed how the people in the church and the kids in the program were deeply moved and hurting by their departure.  They had impacted so many people in the Spirit of the Lord and the love of Jesus as we would hope we all do.  We shall see them again in Montana when we return in April and that is exciting!

Left to Right: Betty, Sydnie, Brooke, Matt, Emily and I

At Restaurant in Tamarindo with the McClains

The same day that the McClain’s left, Betty also left to Montana and eventually home, so now our Costa Rica team is down to the 3 of us.  She is greatly missed!

Full Costa Rica Team before Betty left

Last week Monday, we came across our first scorpion!!  We were cleaning at the church under the sink and Sydnie grabbed one of the cinder blocks and there it was!!!  Inside the block!!  Corey killed it for us, but it was enough to scare a bit!

Our first scorpion at the church.  About 4 inches long.

The next evening, Tuesday Oct 23, after PFK, we had our first earthquake of 6.3!  That night I kept feeling aftershocks when I was about to fall asleep, so I had a very hard time falling asleep. Wednesday morning, we had early devotions at the beach.  It was very sweet, although we had them at a restaurant, because it was raining, actually started pouring the moment we got to the beach!

We have gone to the beach a couple of times, so here are a couple of shots of how much fun we were having!

Today, I was privileged to play the guitar for the Sunday morning worship service at church.  The Ladies’ Choir from the church sang, Eddie (one of the brother’s from the church that also works with PFK) played the guitar, Sydnie played the djembe (pronounced “jim bay”), Daniel (another brother from the church) played the cajon.

Tonight, I hung out with the kids in the kid’s room during service and I made a new friend: Matías.  Isn’t he adorable?

One of the kids that have stolen our heart is Gustavo.  I was told he is 8 years old (he looks about 8), although he says he's 10.  He tries to get into the class with the older kids thinking it will bring him some different lesson or advantage.  He is super smart and quite mischievous.  He just makes me laugh every time, although sometimes it takes all of me to keep a straight face to ask him to come or sit down.  There is a horse that comes to the outside of the fence at the church, where we have PFK and Gustavo claims it is his, so it takes all of our effort to get him to come to class when the horse is there.  He, like many of the kids, lives really close to the church, so we get to see them when we walk to church, the “pulpería” (little grocery store), or around the neighborhood.  I completely loved when one day as we were cleaning at the church, he was riding his bike by the church and shouted "What time is it?" (in English), so, I responded in English too and he said “Thank you!” in the sweetest English, as he rode off.

Gustavo!!!!

It is relationships like this that make my time here worth it all.  Any eternal impact we may have on the lives of these children is priceless.

More photos at the Costa Rica 2012 Album

Key to Missionary Work (by Oswald Chambers)

Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ’All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations . . .’ —Matthew 28:18-19

The key to the missionary’s work is the authority of Jesus Christ, not the needs of the lost. We are inclined to look on our Lord as one who assists us in our endeavors for God. Yet our Lord places Himself as the absolute sovereign and supreme Lord over His disciples. He does not say that the lost will never be saved if we don’t go— He simply says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations . . . .” He says, “Go on the basis of the revealed truth of My sovereignty, teaching and preaching out of your living experience of Me.”

“Then the eleven disciples went . . . to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them” (Matthew 28:16). If I want to know the universal sovereignty of Christ, I must know Him myself. I must take time to worship the One whose name I bear. Jesus says, “Come to Me . . .”— that is the place to meet Jesus— “all you who labor and are heavy laden . . .” (Matthew 11:28)— and how many missionaries are! We completely dismiss these wonderful words of the universal Sovereign of the world, but they are the words of Jesus to His disciples meant for here and now.

“Go therefore . . . .” To “go” simply means to live. Acts 1:8 is the description of how to go. Jesus did not say in this verse, “Go into Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria,” but, “. . . you shall be witnesses to Me in [all these places].” He takes upon Himself the work of sending us.

“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you . . .” (John 15:7)— that is the way to keep going. Where we are placed is then a matter of indifference to us, because God sovereignly engineers our goings.

“None of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus . . .” (Acts 20:24). That is how to keep going until we are gone from this life.


This devotional really blessed me and I wanted to share it, even if it is a week behind the original.

From Oswald Chamber's My Utmost for His Highest for:
October 14

Safe Arrivals and First Impressions

I have now been in Costa Rica four full days. We are starting to adjust to the schedule and discovering what we will be doing.  The weather is very hot and humid and of these four days, including our arrival day, it has rained three of them, although not all day.

On plane from Newark to Liberia

My last Dunkin Donuts Hazelnut Iced Coffee for a while and my Devotional

Beautiful Islands from the plane

Arriving in Costa Rica

Proof I am here!

I arrived at the airport in Liberia, Guanacaste, Costa Rica on Tuesday, October 9, about an hour after Sydnie and Emily had arrived. At the airport, they were given 90 day visas. It is unclear to me what purpose the Lord may have in that I only got a 60 day visa, but I am sure that the Lord will make it clear.  Betty was already here and when we arrived, the meeting was such a sweet blessing! It is awesome to be together as a whole team, although Betty will be leaving in two weeks to return to Montana and, ultimately Uganda, where she lives and serves.  She will be sorely missed come that time.

We are in Villa Real and our closest town is Tamarindo. We are living in two of a set of three apartments, with a fellow missionary working with the local Calvary Chapel in the third one.  The apartments have one room, bath, kitchen and a dining/living room. They are very quaint and nice.  We share a roofed porch with rocking chairs to sit out in cooler breeze.  The owner's house is right across the lawn and we have two dogs that guard the property.

The primary ministry involves the Potter's Field Kids or "Manos del Alfarero" (literally Hands of the Potter) and the Bible Club. The PFK program is an after school program where kids register to come for the year. They are provided with Bible Classes, help with their homework, games, sometimes ballet for girls and wrestling for boys, art class and a hot meal for dinner.  The PFK program is Monday-Wednesday. The Bible Club is Thursday nights and it is open for all the kids in the community. We have songs, games, skits to share the gospel, Bible Study, help with homework and snacks. I will be teaching the Bible Study for the kids club in Spanish. I am also anticipating translating the Children's Bible Curriculum from English to Spanish.  All of these take place at the Calvary Chapel Villa Real facility, so during the day, we also help with cleaning, organizing and preparations for the program.

The Church Entrance

Introducing us the first PFK day!

Helping some kids with Studying for a Test

Kids in PFK (Potter's Field Kids) Program

A sign outside of the church.  A quote from Isaiah 45:22

Other areas to minister in include calling and visiting the kids in the program, babysitting for Pastor Phil and Rebecca or Matt and Brooke, translating for fellow interns that don't speak Spanish (and potentially visitors, as it is a tourist area) and communicating with Potter's Field Ministries staff about how things are going with the kids program.  Sydnie and I are learning some songs and practicing with the worship team and in about 3 weeks, we might be doing worship for the church services.

The apartments are on the same dirt road as the church at about a 5 minute walk.
About 5 more minutes is the plaza where we have a "feria" or market with fresh fruits and vegetables to buy at great prices twice a week. We went today and got great vegetables (and greens, Pastor Donathan) for a couple of days! We already have some fruit! The pineapples and avocados are the best!  Yesterday, with the plantain we bought, I made "tostones" (twice-fried plantain crisps) with chicken Sydnie made. It was a hit!

Our first meal ... we had salad the next meal, Pastor Donathan!!!

Saturday, we went to the beach... Yeah, I know, suffering for Christ ... Ha ha ha ha. It was really nice. I was blessed to buy a really cool Jesus fishy hat that says "Dios es fiel" (God is faithful) on the bill. At the same shop where I bought it, the owner was a believer and after talking about what we are doing in Costa Rica, the after school program and the Bible Club, she expressed interest in sending her granddaughter to the Bible Club! She lives in the same town and knows the church! Lord willing, she will be there next Thursday!

We could definitely use prayer for our involvement with the kids and getting to know them. We want to establish good relationships with them to most effectively minister to them.

For more photos see:
Goggle Costa Rica Album