We will worship today with about 150 loving and excited disciples & their friends today in San Jose, Costa Rica. The church here is so appreciate to NRC for sending multiple teams of young leaders (and a few not so young😀) to help them reach the next generation among their youth and on their campuses.
We spent Saturday morning sharing our faith with many 100's of people in the very busy downtown marketplace. We were prayerfully led to many open people who seek to know what God has planned for their lives. We met musicians, policemen, professors, beggars and several Americans who recently relocated to Costa Rica.
Our workshops to singles, married couples and parents were well attended and much appreciated on Saturday afternoon.
Pray for our worship service that meets today at a private school. Pray also for the bus ride to camp that starts today (no breaks and no snakes).
At our meeting with church leaders this afternoon from all over Central America, we hope to share some leadership lessons learned from Jesus about building high trust families and congregations.
We miss you all and love you very much!
Ross and Kim
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Buenos días! We’re off to another exciting day at the camp. The past 2 days have been filled with so many memorable moments its hard to describe. Last night was especially fun as Kristi, Ella Grace, Hannah and myself led the devotional right before we had s’mores. Some of the kids had never even heard of s’mores before, so it was cool seeing them make their own for the first time. I’m particularly proud of all the brothers and sisters from North River who have been serving so selflessly here. I also think it’s important to remind you that they saved their own money and took time away from their jobs to come to a place where some of them don’t even speak the language to serve from sun up to sun down. I hope you really encourage these folks upon their return. I know you’ve heard about Violeta, Jonesha, Brie and Jessica who have been here for more than a month. I’m going to have to make an extra stop at the store to buy more tissue because we won’t have enough to wipe away the tears that will be shed by those girls and all the folks here in Costa Rica who have fallen in love with them. Perhaps you haven't heard as much about Paola Pichardo who has been one of the main translators as well as serving tirelessly as a nurse. I’m grateful for her and Kim Mackenzie who helped nurse Hannah back to health after she bumped heads with another girl while playing soccer. She’s fine, and has a nice black eye to show for it! Hannah hasn’t skipped a beat, and was already up and at ‘em hours after getting hurt. Some of you may not know that Jacinto Hall is here as well. He’s been serving up the music to keep our spirits high. Nothing like the universal language of music to make things fun! He has also helped translating and counseling the boys. In fact, Jacinto and I met with Danilo (15), Bryan (14), Diego (19) and Andres (19) yesterday for a good, old-fashioned discipling group. It was so encouraging to hear some of them share they want to become missionaries someday. We shared our weaknesses and held onto the promises that we can do all things through Christ, despite our weaknesses. You’d also be proud of Jonathan Govan. He’s been a huge hit with everyone.He’s been in charge of all the games, throwing the football, playing card games, leading Bible studies — you name it. He’s a rock star for Jesus here! Michelle Wright has been an incredible influence here as well. She planned much of the program for the Singles workshop earlier and has been a joyful presence at camp each day willing and ready to serve in any way that’s needed. Such a team player. Michelle Hobbs has been an ever-present source of smiles for people. Every time I see her, she seems so joyful. She’s also taking tons of pictures, so I can’t wait to see them. Last night, Pam, Sonia, Barbara and my mother put together an obstacle course for the kids. They were blindfolded and had to rely on their teammates to avoid the pitfalls and make it to the end (sounds like a good spiritual lesson, huh?). All the kids were laughing and screaming directions at their friends to keep them from stepping on balloons or running into a chair. Too much fun! What’s also REALLY cool is to see how Cameron Mackenzie & Lauren Boyles have directed the camp. All of those years learning in the home of their parents and all of those years going to the Swamp have truly paid off. They have really poured so much of their time and energy into making this a time I’m sure these kids will never forget. And just so you know, we’re in the middle of the rainy season. It has rained at camp every single day, without fail. Bonfires have been cut short, schedules have been changed on the spur of the moment, yet Cameron & Lauren have handled all of this without any major problems. I love being led by the next generation!! And last, but definitely not least, has been the contributions of Mrs. Lin Ottenweller. For me, watching Lin interact, plan, teach, hug, cry, kiss and counsel is like watching Michael Jordan in his prime. God made Lin for places like this. It’s pretty cool to be on the same team with her. Thank you for all of the prayers for our meetings with the leaders. We have spent much of our time talking about team leadership. Putting Ephesians 4 into practice will be a huge benefit for the church here. We’ve had two separate times with various members of the leadership group to discuss these biblical concepts of leadership we feel has helped us tremendously at North River. Ross has given his heart and wisdom and vision to the church here and they have been so thankful to have an elder and an elder’s wife to talk to. They will definitely have their unique challenges in trying to implement this type of leadership structure, but they seem eager to learn and willing to listen to our suggestions. Tonight is the final night of camp, as it concludes Thursday morning. So, we’re really looking forward to the Talent Show! Kristi was working up a good sweat teaching a dance routine so I can’t wait to see how it turns out:-) There may even be some “Ring of Honor” sharing tonight, so I’m sure it’s going to be emotional, encouraging and massively bonding. We’ll keep you posted! Pray also for the weather to change because the roads to get to the Bri Bris have been washed out. They are hard to navigate in normal times, but with so much rain, the government has shut the roads down. Pray for sunshine!! Much love & Pura Vida! Jeff Before arriving I was anxious. I know, the Bible says “Do not be anxious about anything” in Philippians 4. Trust me, I obeyed the rest of that verse before coming: “but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God.” I prayed and prayed and asked many of you to pray for us. I was battling anxiety because I was worried my kids would struggle with food they didn’t like, living accommodations they weren’t used to and hanging out with kids they couldn’t understand and that couldn't understand them. I worried about the schedule being taxing on Kristi and the girls, especially the 4-5 hour trip to the Bri Bris. I wondered if I could communicate effectively through an interpreter. Would I connect with the church members? All of these things were running through my mind before leaving. Thankfully, the Estradas (Jose Luis and Elizabeth and their 2 children Vanessa [11] and Jose Carlos [7]) have been incredible hosts. The 4 of them slept in one room so that Hannah & Ella Grace could have a room, and so that Kristi and I could have a room. So even though this has been an obvious inconvenience for them, they haven’t shown it one bit. They exemplify 1 Peter 4:9: “Offer hospitality to one anther without grumbling.” The day we went to share our faith was truly encouraging. Although I must admit, that was another thing I was anxious about before coming. “Am I going to be effective walking up to complete strangers and inviting them to church?” So, off we went. Jose Luis and I paired up and I just walked up to a guy in his 20s, and asked him if he spoke English. He said a little. So I told him, in Spanish, that I wanted to invite him to my church. He didn’t blow me off. At that point, I gestured over to Jose Luis who began speaking to him in Spanish (whew!). It turns out the dude’s name was Jefferson:) When I told him my name was Jeff, he smiled. We got his phone number, and we kept on going. My heart was racing a bit, but I got into my “groove” pretty quickly. Soon after Jose Carlos and his friend Daniel Alonso joined us. I thought “I wonder how this is going to be.” Let me tell you what, those two kids were like modern-day Paul and Silas! They went up to folks unabashedly and preached! Here’s how it went down with one guy they approached: Jose Carlos: Hello! We want you to come to our church. If you get baptized you can have a new life in Jesus. Daniel: Yes, I want to read you a Scripture. (He reads Jeremiah 29:11 that is printed on the invitation cards). They hand the man the invitation, and then Jose Luis and I come over to talk to the man. Unbelievable. Totally blew me away that these two 7 year olds were that bold and convincing. After getting ignored, getting in some decent conversations, and everything in between, Jose Carlos needed to go to el baño. I told Jose Luis, “well, I guess the Holy Spirit is moving us to another area to meet people.” So we go and take care of Jose Carlos, and we start sharing again. While Jose Luis is inviting someone, I noticed a 20-something guy and I approached him. He spoke a little English (Amen!) and we seemed to have a good vibe between us. Jose Luis came over and got him speaking more and he said, “Just before you approached me I was thinking about God.” Wow! How name was Bernie, and he said he was very interested in coming to church. Soon after we met up with the rest of the team and heard many encouraging stories. I was especially grateful to hear Kristi was a “spiritual force” using her Spanish, Hannah was a huge help and outgoing; and Lin said Ella Grace even cried with a woman who began crying while sharing her story. Prayers were being answered! The next morning, we woke up and got ready for church. I was at the table in the kitchen with Jose Luis when his phone rang. It was Bernie! He needed more directions. Bernie made it to church and we pray he will begin studying the Bible this week. It’s encouraging to see how God has allowed me to experience all of that verse in Philippians, as now I am a holding on to: “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” I have so much more to share…..perhaps I’ll write another one later tonight. Along with the Mackenzies, we’ve had some really great talks with some of the leaders, Hannah had a minor injury, a boy shared at dinner last night that he is teaching EG some Spanish (hmmmm….) and Kristi is getting ready to teach the older girls some Zumba. Bible studies are happening with kids at the camp, and I’m sure you’ll hear more from the camp counselors about the impact the camp is having. So please pray!! And please forward the link to the blog to people in your family groups. We really need prayer!! We’re getting with some leaders tonight, so pray for the Holy Spirit to move powerfully!! Gracias!! It was not the typical Fourth of July for these Americans! There were no fireworks to be seen, no picnics to be had, but there certainly was a huge celebration for God today! The team started out this morning in downtown San Jose with a devotional and prayer. Disciples from the San Jose church met with us also. After the prayer we all split up and shared our faith all over town, it was amazing. The language was no longer a barrier, totally God!! The non Spanish speakers all learned how to introduce themselves and invite people to church and everyone did it, kids and adults alike. The result.... Hearts were open, studies were set up, one person that was shared with said the disciples were like angels, people gave us their numbers, and prayer list were started. All of us were so encouraged to see what God could do and how many people were reached. Then we had the workshops at the church. We had a singles workshop were singles from Nicaragua, Canada and of course the Costa Rica singles attended. It was a great time of connecting and getting deeper in our relationship with God and with each other. The married also had a workshop were Jeff and Kristi shared about putting God first, knowing and fulfilling your roles and putting God first. Following that the marrieds had a panel were parents were able Phase 2 of the Costa Rica mission team has landed, and we are so happy to be here in San Jose! Upon our arrival at the airport Thursday night, we were warmly greeted by several smiling disciples from San Jose. We instantly felt so welcomed and excited to be here! We are all staying in homes with the disciples and are quickly building great new friendships. To express how full, faith-building, awe-inspiring and simply encouraging this last week on campus was would be a nearly impossible feat. In fact, these last few days would be enough content with which to write a short novella. (But I'll resist on this post... Don't worry.) God is good! I would've never imagined an ending to these four weeks as amazing as this before coming here. We never imagined having so many--over 30!--college students studying the Bible on UCR's campus. I never imagined the profound sense of unity and camaraderie we feel with our Costa Rican family here that we do now. I never imagined having five new friends who are SO close to making the most important decision of their lives. I never imagined falling in love so deeply with tropical rainstorms, equatorial sunshine, green mountains, slow sloths, and hearing the words "Pura vida" after every sentence. And I definitely never imagined feeling more pride and joy for my teammates than I do: this awe, in particular, is what I'm filled with this morning. Last night, the last Saturday night for the majority of our team here, the Tico disciples threw us a raving fiesta (or rather, pachanga) to celebrate the end of our campus month. And What. A. Pachanga. :) We started off screaming our lungs out watching the Costa Rica/Mexico match (if you haven't picked up on it, fútbol is life here in Central America). Immediately after the final score was announced, there was no hesitation to put the music on and get on our feet to dance. And we danced for hours! Salsa, merengue, bachata, and the occasional Cha Cha slide filled our evening with so much laughter. It was an amazing way to have fun, bond even more with our siblings in Christ here (nothing says humility like gringo "rhythm"...), and enjoy our last night as a full team. At the end of the party, some of the disciples took time to share about the North River team, which was encouraging and humbling. Jordan and Kati are on the plane this morning headed home to Atlanta, and Jacob, Skye, Ryan and Beth will be following suit this week. There is no doubt in my mind that God hand-picked each one of our team members and brought them especially to San José. Jordan Zech's leadership, Kati's sincerity, Jessica's eagerness, Skye's childlike faith, Ryan's vulnerability, Jacob's work ethic, Violeta's zeal, Beth's worshipfulness, Carrie's depth, Joenesha's light-heartedness, and even all of our weaknesses have been powerfully used by God to create the exact team that was needed. I could not be more proud of my comrades in the fight than I currently am. This past month has been nothing short of an honor. On the fired-up days, on the exhausted days, on the weak days, on the scary days, on the faith-building days, and on the emotional days... the Spirit has guided, encouraged, strengthened, and stretched us. I wouldn't change anything about any day we've had on campus. I'm overwhelmed with gratitude to be here with these friends and co-warriors of mine, Tico and gringo. Thank you for those who have supported us with prayers, fasting, advice, financial help, or even comments on the blog. Every ounce of encouragement has been deeply needed! Please keep praying for the handful of campus students who are fighting to become disciples of Jesus, and who are so close to doing so. We love you! Pura vida! Brie
Carrie Hola!!! Wow! It is so hard to believe that our time here in Costa Rica is almost over! The past two weeks have flown by so fast but at the same time it feels like we have been here for that long! Today was probably one of the longest but most amazing days I’ve experienced so far being on Campus at UCR. It seemed like God was just blessing us immensely with encouragement through bible studies. Today Jacob and I were a part of 3 bible studies with 3 different guys and God is moving in the hearts and lives of all three. One of the guys, Bosco, who has been studying the bible for the last two weeks, was so grateful for the bible studies that after our study today he asked where he could find Ryan so that he could thank him for reaching out to him 2 weeks ago! Another awesome campus student named Luis had his first study today! Luis has such a humble and eager heart that he kept on asking for more scriptures and kept asking more questions so that he could keep learning more about God and how to have a deeper relationship with him. He also wants to come to church this Sunday! It seems like God is still full steam ahead here at UCR even though tomorrow will be our last day on campus! I know that it is going to be hard to leave campus tomorrow because of all the hard work we have put in there, but God is not done with this campus and we know that he will continue to move even though we are leaving. Please be praying for us as we have all made it our goal to get as many people to come to church as possible on Sunday! We miss you all and we can’t wait to see you soon!
JZ If anyone told me that God didn’t exist, I would tell them to follow our team around today. It was clear that God was working in the lives of everyone here: the team, those who had been studying for a while, and those who were recently met. Despite various challenges, we all have grown by leaps and bounds with tremendous breakthroughs in our faith! For me personally, I’ve been (re)learning how to put my complete trust and joy with God without fear of Him hurting me. That has been a deep personal battle for me over the past couple of years, but I am finally starting to see God through trusting, joyful eyes again! Today I saw two men cry, and another on the verge of tears. One instance that stuck with me was after bible talk today. I was able to speak to a guy named Christian who has been coming out over the past few days. I had spoken with him a few times before, but this time was different. With watery eyes, he explained how he wants to please God but is not able to give up certain things in his life; not because he didn’t WANT to, but because he thought that he COULDN’T. He was completely broken and humbled by his sin and it was beautiful to watch. It was one of those moments where God had His fingerprints all over it …and I just happened to be there. I absolutely love when that happens! Times like those are some of my favorite moments of being a disciple. We had a great talk, and soon after he got into a bible study with Jose Luis (the evangelist of the San Jose church). Be sure to keep Christian in your prayers! You see, for years Satan has used his mind games to discourage many in the San Jose church into believing that no fruit will come from UCR. But I am confident that the Universidad de Costa Rica will hold a thriving campus ministry in the very near future, and when that happens, people will look at it and think to themselves, “There must be a God.” Ryan Well, this is it! It's our last week on campus and it feels like it came out of nowhere. The time flew by. We've been praying that we give it all we've got on campus and to not feel like time is up already. Today we talked about making the most of every opportunity and not letting the last few days slow us down. I've been praying to let myself fall in love with Costa Rica. I want to leave here feeling like I gave my whole heart and didn't hold back. One of the biggest things I realized is how I can be so focused on my own goals and my own plans that if anything deviates from the way I think things should go, I can think that what I'm doing is pointless. I lose gratitude for the experiences and memories God has given me and I get frustrated wondering why things aren't going my way. Having incredible memories stops being enough if they don't serve the purpose of reaching my own goals. I'm so grateful that I've been able to see all of this before I leave so I can choose to make the most of my last week and let myself make incredible memories, give my all, love the people and serve God. God has been moving and there are a few solid bible studies happening. It would be amazing to see some students choose to make Jesus the Lord of their life before we go. Please pray that this last week on campus is powerful and that God moves in the lives of everyone who is getting closer to making decisions for Him. Love you guys! Thanks for all your comments, they really are encouraging. Violeta |