I just wanted to let everyone know that we will be going back to Costa Rica again on October 27th. The September trip went very well and we have a lot of people to visit and study with and hopefully lead them to obey the Gospel. Please continue to pray for the work in Costa Rica as we continually endeavour to show the light of Christ to everyone we meet.
I have not been able to keep up with the blog posts like I thought I would and I am not sure I will be able to. It takes a lot of time to say everything I want to say and it has just become harder and harder to keep up with everything else going on. At some point I have to prioritize and right now my time is better spent putting in extra time studying my bible, studying Spanish, etc. So what I will do from this point forward is that I will make the time to do 1 or 2 posts summarizing each trip. I won't be able to go into as much detail, which is unfortunate, however I will be more than happy to tell anyone that is interested, everything that they want to know. Just contact me by email or phone. Evenings from 8:00-10:00 are the best time to call me (kids in bed by that time)
raboindavid@hotmail.com
501-804-7475
We truly feel that the fields are ready for harvest in Costa Rica and the work there is becoming more and more promising with every minute we are there. We are excited and blessed that the Lord has allowed us to be a part of his plans and we look forward to the journey ahead and what we will find down the path that he has set before us. Thank you so much for your prayers and your encouragement is very much appreciated.
Showing posts with label Gospel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gospel. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Building Relationships
The next day (Tuesday) we had the first part of the day free because Myra had to work. We had arranged to be back at her house later that afternoon because she wanted to introduce us to some of her neighbors. Hopefully we would gather up a few people and then have a church service that evening.
Earlier that week we had met another Nica, housekeeper, named Maria and we called her that morning and arranged to go to her house in Atenas. We arrived at her house that morning and met her husband Rider. Maria asked us if we would like something to drink and asked if we liked Coca Cola. We all agreed that would be wonderful and she said something to her husband and then proceeded to walk out the front door. I could not see her once she went outside but Kalina could and once she was a few steps past the edge of the door, she took off running down the road! Kalina did not know why until she came running back a couple minutes later with a 1 liter bottle of coke in her hand. There was a little store down the road from her house and she had run to buy us something to drink. I was constantly amazed how these people that had so little to give would go out of their way to give food and hospitality to a bunch of strange Americans.
We had a very good conversation with Maria and Rider, telling them about ourselves and why we were in Costa Rica. They told us about themselves as well and Rider showed us a Bible that someone had given him. He liked reading the Bible but unknown to him, his Bible was not the correct word of God. It was a version that had been twisted away from the truth by Man. We gave him a Spanish Reina Valera Bible and explained to him the difference. He was grateful for the Bible, and we were very encouraged by their interest. We told them about Myra and her family and where they lived, thinking that they might know each other. They did not know each other, however, we found out that their daughter lived a few miles from Altos de Naranjo. Maria was planning to take the bus to go see her that afternoon so we offered to drive her there instead. She gladly accepted and wanted us to meet her daughter and family. They had some things to do before then so we agreed to come back to pick her up after lunch. We drove back into town to get something to eat, very encouraged that we had made another promising contact.
After lunch we arrived back at Maria's house to pick her up. It turned out that her other younger daughter and son were coming along too. We barely had enough room but they are small people, so we made it work. The place we were going was on the road to Altos de Naranjo where Myra lived. When she told us to turn I was amazed because it was down a very small road that I had never seen before because it was almost hidden in the vegetation. It never failed that we thought we were getting to know a certain area pretty well and then we go down a little road that looks like it goes nowhere and find more small country communities. There are a lot of people living in the most unlikely places in this country. What looked at first to be a small country road turned out to be a private driveway for a very big expensive house hidden away in the jungle. It turns out that Maria's son in law was the grounds keeper for the house and several acres of property surrounding it. He and his family had a nice little house (rustic cabin by US standards) not far from the main house that the owners had provided for them to live in. We did not get to meet him since he was out working somewhere but we did meet Maria's daughter. She wanted to show us around so we followed her as she guided us through the amazing landscaped grounds that her husband took care of. It was easily the most beautiful tropical landscape I had ever witnessed. We did not stay long but we invited Maria and her family to come to the church service we planned to have that night. We gave her our number and asked her to call us and we would come pick them up if they wanted to attend.
That afternoon we arrived back at Myra's house and spent a little bit of time talking and we met one of her neighbors, Jose, for the first time. Yes this was the same Jose that I have already mentioned. After a short time we started walking up the hill to visit the neighbors and everyone came along with us. The first house we came to actually ended up being the only home we had time to visit that night. The homeowner was an older man named Victor that owned several houses and a some land in the area and had lived there for most of his life. He also had a daughter and her two teenage children living there with him. He invited everyone to sit down on his porch and it was not very long before we were talking about the Bible with him. We quickly learned that he was very passionate and knowledgeable about the Bible. I must admit that I only caught bits and pieces of what he was saying because he talked very fast and ran his words together. Some people are easier to understand because of how they talk and this was one of the hardest to understand that I had come across. I found out afterwards that even Keith was having a hard time, but he was able to keep up with him enough using the scriptures as a mediator. This guy was a very eager talker and it did not take much from us for him to launch into a speech about his beliefs on certain topics. When Keith started talking about baptism he immediately got excited talking about the love and grace of God and how wonderful he is to save us from our sins and that baptism is not required for Salvation. Our ears perked up when he said that and I just smiled to see that Keith was already turning to a verse he wanted to read. Once Victor finished his point Keith simply pointed him to 1 Peter 3:21. Keith did not comment he just asked Victor to read the verses and it was amazing to see how quickly Victor quieted down and did not say anything. Again Keith asked him to read Mark 16:15-16. Again as Victor read you could just see his mind churning, this was new information, these verses did not agree with what he had been taught. He also had him read Acts 2:38 and Romans 6. We could tell that we had someone with a good heart sitting before us. He did not try to argue with the scriptures, he was just speechless as he absorbed something that had been there all along. This was a man that already had faith in God and in his word. He had just been taught incorrectly and had never been exposed to the whole truth of the bible. Another thing that we had discovered part way through the study is that Victor's eye sight was not good enough to read his bible anymore, he had simply been quoting verses to us. We had run into this problem before and we had brought a few pairs of reading glasses with us. We had a pair that worked for him and he was so excited that he was able to read his own Bible again. It was wonderful to see the joy in his face about something that we take for granted. I don't know how long it had been since he had not been able to read. Once we gave him those glasses he rarely looked up. We gave him a lot to think about and did not want to overwhelm him. So, we left soon after that thanking them for the hospitality and hoping to talk to them again in the future.
One other thing that I need to mention is about Jose. He had come with us and as we were studying with Victor, he had his Bible out that we had given him and he was listening intently and following along the best he could. I kept an eye on him the whole time and could not help but be impressed by his attention. When we left Victor's house I talked to Keith about it and he agreed that we needed to spend some time studying with this young man. Keith had spent a few minutes on the walk to Victor's house talking to Jose and he had a good feeling about him as well. It was getting late and Jose needed to get back home since he had to be at work early in the morning. So we headed back to Myra's house for the planned worship service.
We had a good service that night and everyone really enjoyed the singing and fellowship. We got to bed pretty late that night but it was a very fruitful day. We continued to be encouraged by the responses and interest we were receiving in our efforts to teach the gospel.
FYI, Keith, John and Jordan just got back from Costa Rica yesterday and I will try to post something summarizing their trip soon.
Dios les bendiga,
David
We had a very good conversation with Maria and Rider, telling them about ourselves and why we were in Costa Rica. They told us about themselves as well and Rider showed us a Bible that someone had given him. He liked reading the Bible but unknown to him, his Bible was not the correct word of God. It was a version that had been twisted away from the truth by Man. We gave him a Spanish Reina Valera Bible and explained to him the difference. He was grateful for the Bible, and we were very encouraged by their interest. We told them about Myra and her family and where they lived, thinking that they might know each other. They did not know each other, however, we found out that their daughter lived a few miles from Altos de Naranjo. Maria was planning to take the bus to go see her that afternoon so we offered to drive her there instead. She gladly accepted and wanted us to meet her daughter and family. They had some things to do before then so we agreed to come back to pick her up after lunch. We drove back into town to get something to eat, very encouraged that we had made another promising contact.
After lunch we arrived back at Maria's house to pick her up. It turned out that her other younger daughter and son were coming along too. We barely had enough room but they are small people, so we made it work. The place we were going was on the road to Altos de Naranjo where Myra lived. When she told us to turn I was amazed because it was down a very small road that I had never seen before because it was almost hidden in the vegetation. It never failed that we thought we were getting to know a certain area pretty well and then we go down a little road that looks like it goes nowhere and find more small country communities. There are a lot of people living in the most unlikely places in this country. What looked at first to be a small country road turned out to be a private driveway for a very big expensive house hidden away in the jungle. It turns out that Maria's son in law was the grounds keeper for the house and several acres of property surrounding it. He and his family had a nice little house (rustic cabin by US standards) not far from the main house that the owners had provided for them to live in. We did not get to meet him since he was out working somewhere but we did meet Maria's daughter. She wanted to show us around so we followed her as she guided us through the amazing landscaped grounds that her husband took care of. It was easily the most beautiful tropical landscape I had ever witnessed. We did not stay long but we invited Maria and her family to come to the church service we planned to have that night. We gave her our number and asked her to call us and we would come pick them up if they wanted to attend.
That afternoon we arrived back at Myra's house and spent a little bit of time talking and we met one of her neighbors, Jose, for the first time. Yes this was the same Jose that I have already mentioned. After a short time we started walking up the hill to visit the neighbors and everyone came along with us. The first house we came to actually ended up being the only home we had time to visit that night. The homeowner was an older man named Victor that owned several houses and a some land in the area and had lived there for most of his life. He also had a daughter and her two teenage children living there with him. He invited everyone to sit down on his porch and it was not very long before we were talking about the Bible with him. We quickly learned that he was very passionate and knowledgeable about the Bible. I must admit that I only caught bits and pieces of what he was saying because he talked very fast and ran his words together. Some people are easier to understand because of how they talk and this was one of the hardest to understand that I had come across. I found out afterwards that even Keith was having a hard time, but he was able to keep up with him enough using the scriptures as a mediator. This guy was a very eager talker and it did not take much from us for him to launch into a speech about his beliefs on certain topics. When Keith started talking about baptism he immediately got excited talking about the love and grace of God and how wonderful he is to save us from our sins and that baptism is not required for Salvation. Our ears perked up when he said that and I just smiled to see that Keith was already turning to a verse he wanted to read. Once Victor finished his point Keith simply pointed him to 1 Peter 3:21. Keith did not comment he just asked Victor to read the verses and it was amazing to see how quickly Victor quieted down and did not say anything. Again Keith asked him to read Mark 16:15-16. Again as Victor read you could just see his mind churning, this was new information, these verses did not agree with what he had been taught. He also had him read Acts 2:38 and Romans 6. We could tell that we had someone with a good heart sitting before us. He did not try to argue with the scriptures, he was just speechless as he absorbed something that had been there all along. This was a man that already had faith in God and in his word. He had just been taught incorrectly and had never been exposed to the whole truth of the bible. Another thing that we had discovered part way through the study is that Victor's eye sight was not good enough to read his bible anymore, he had simply been quoting verses to us. We had run into this problem before and we had brought a few pairs of reading glasses with us. We had a pair that worked for him and he was so excited that he was able to read his own Bible again. It was wonderful to see the joy in his face about something that we take for granted. I don't know how long it had been since he had not been able to read. Once we gave him those glasses he rarely looked up. We gave him a lot to think about and did not want to overwhelm him. So, we left soon after that thanking them for the hospitality and hoping to talk to them again in the future.
One other thing that I need to mention is about Jose. He had come with us and as we were studying with Victor, he had his Bible out that we had given him and he was listening intently and following along the best he could. I kept an eye on him the whole time and could not help but be impressed by his attention. When we left Victor's house I talked to Keith about it and he agreed that we needed to spend some time studying with this young man. Keith had spent a few minutes on the walk to Victor's house talking to Jose and he had a good feeling about him as well. It was getting late and Jose needed to get back home since he had to be at work early in the morning. So we headed back to Myra's house for the planned worship service.
We had a good service that night and everyone really enjoyed the singing and fellowship. We got to bed pretty late that night but it was a very fruitful day. We continued to be encouraged by the responses and interest we were receiving in our efforts to teach the gospel.
FYI, Keith, John and Jordan just got back from Costa Rica yesterday and I will try to post something summarizing their trip soon.
Dios les bendiga,
David
Monday, August 15, 2011
The Power of the Gospel
Well now that we are caught up to the beginning of our July trip I am going to do another Star Treky time warp on you. Because of the circumstances I am going to tell you about the second half of the trip first. The reason for that is because we spent the first 4 days in the Cacao area because we had high hopes for Jorge and Lisseth. Even though those 4 days did not bear the kind of fruit we had hoped, it was still a beneficial use of our time. We became even closer and more connected to this family and also ended up meeting all their immediate family members in the area as well. But I will tell you about that later. For now I want to tell you the story of our new brother and sisters in Christ.
This was on day 5 of the trip and we had planned to go spend more time with Myra and see if we could make more contacts in the town where she lives. Altos de Naranjo is the name of the place which I just told you a little bit about in the previous post. We called Myra that morning and she was home and very eager for us to come visit her. Altos de Naranjo is only about 10 kilometers from Atenas but it is on a very curvy, steep, pot-holed road, so it takes about 20 minutes to get there. It is just one of countless beautiful drives in a country that is busting at the seams with God's creation.
Once we arrived we noticed there was a new little girl around the house named Franci. She was Myra's granddaughter and we would meet Myra's oldest daughter and husband later that day. Once we settled in and started talking to Myra we were amazed. We had only spent a short amount of time with her and her children. We had studied the Gospel with her in May but we had expected to spend more time studying with her in the hopes of reinforcing how she needed to obey the Gospel. What we found before us now 2 months later was a woman that was convicted. She had been talking to her neighbors about us and about the Gospel. She had obviously been studying with her children as well. Her daughter Neyci wanted to be baptized and she had talked to 2 more of her neighbors that had expressed interest as well. We were floored. Here was a woman who had been convicted by the Gospel and with no urging from us had already been talking to her neighbors about the Gospel as well. She had already been laying some of the groundwork for us to continue preaching the Gospel in this area. You will probably notice that we did not baptize Mrya yet, but make no mistake she is ready and willing. She explained her reasons for waiting and she assured us that she would have removed any roadblocks and that she would be ready to be baptized the next time we came to Costa Rica.
We were really blown away by Mrya's spirit the more we talked to her. She told us about something her daughter Neyci had dealt with recently that was really awesome. She told us about how Neyci's school required the children to go to a religious class about the Catholic religion. At one point they demanded that they all bow before the statue of the virgin mary. Neyci refused and said that she was not Catholic and would never bow down to the virgin mary. Myra was very proud of Neyci because she had grown up in a Catholic family and had decided when she was 9 years old that she was not going to be a Catholic. Myra had been raised with something that she recognized was not the truth and she had rejected it. She had been looking for the truth of God her whole life and praise the Lord she recognized His truth and power through the Gospel. I was just so amazed by the abundant harvest that the Lord had set before us. All the modest expectations we had were blown away by the sincere heart of this woman who saw the truth and grabbed on with both hands.
Neyci was at school at that time but Myra assured us that she was ready to be baptized this afternoon. So we talked to her about a possible place to baptize her and it turns out there was a perfect spot down at the river below her house. We hiked down the narrow muddy trial to the river to see how it looked and she was right, you could not ask for a better place for a baptism.
After talking to Mrya for a few hours we decided to leave for a little while and come back around 3:00 when Neyci came home from school. Well we decided that this would be a good time to do some more exploring of the surrounding areas. As we drove around we found more and more steep, narrow scary roads and breathtaking views. In this area of the country you find more people and small communities down every road. Another thing that is different from the US is that there are always people walking around and there is always people out and about. The people are very friendly and easy to approach and talk. The sense of community and friendliness we have encountered most places we go is very encouraging for us. It is much easier to meet and talk to people when they are already out in a public place and you don't have to feel like you are intruding into their homes.
We arrived back at Myra's house about 3:30 in accordance with "Tico Time". We heard about "Tico Time" before we ever came to Costa Rica but we have been repeatedly exposed to this method of always arriving late for appointments. It is just another example of how their way of life is much more relaxed and unscheduled. Sometimes it can be annoying for those of us (myself included) that like to be on time (aka a few minutes early) however you really have no choice but to adapt. Once you slow down you start to realize that sometimes we are probably to structured and schedule oriented in the US. It seems to leave us no time to "stop and smell the roses" as the saying goes. How many times have we all passed someone by that may have needed help but we were running "late" for work and felt like we could not take the time. Seems like we need to figure out the real priorities in life.
When we got back to Myra's house we met Myra's daughter Lorena and her husband Edwin. They were here visting during the week. Their daughter Franci was 5 and they also had a 8 month old little girl. Edwin was very quiet and reserved at first but after a couple days he was much more comfortable and talkative around us. It did not take long and we were ready to Baptize Neyci. We all headed down to the river where we had been earlier that day. As we were walking hiking down the trail I was a little nervous and working over and over in my head to memorize what I needed to say in Spanish. I was still a little bit in shock that we were about to welcome a new Christian into the world in Costa Rica. I always had high hopes but I try to temper my optimism with realism so that I am not crushed by defeat. I guess that is what I get for underestimating the power of the gospel! I could tell that Neyci was very nervous and excited as I took her confession then led her into the water but other than that I was oblivious to the world around me. I must admit that I was so worried about messing up the words, and I was so focused on the task at hand, that it did not hit me until it was done what had just occured. As Neyci stood up out of the water, she was laughing and smiling, and I realized that she was my sister now. We were connected by a bond stronger than blood, she was my sister in Christ! I knew the words that I wanted to say this time without much thought, "Bienvenidos mi hermana en Cristo" (Welcome my sister in Christ).
I wish I could explain the feelings that went through me the rest of that day, and as I sit here looking at this picture they all come flooding back. I don't think that I can really explain it but if a picture can truly say a thousand words than this one says the most to me.
Luke 15:10 says Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
After the baptism we spent several more hours talking and getting to know these wonderful people better. As we were walking back up the hill to the car that night Keith and I talked about how greatly God had blessed us and how this was no longer a dream but a reality. Neyci was only the first of a bountiful harvest that the Lord provided and we are now committed more than ever. The Church of our Lord Jesus Christ is alive and well in Costa Rica, Praise the Lord!
I apologize for the delay in getting this post out but I hope it was worth the wait. I will try and get the next one ready a little faster Lord willing.
Dios les Bendiga,
David
This was on day 5 of the trip and we had planned to go spend more time with Myra and see if we could make more contacts in the town where she lives. Altos de Naranjo is the name of the place which I just told you a little bit about in the previous post. We called Myra that morning and she was home and very eager for us to come visit her. Altos de Naranjo is only about 10 kilometers from Atenas but it is on a very curvy, steep, pot-holed road, so it takes about 20 minutes to get there. It is just one of countless beautiful drives in a country that is busting at the seams with God's creation.
Once we arrived we noticed there was a new little girl around the house named Franci. She was Myra's granddaughter and we would meet Myra's oldest daughter and husband later that day. Once we settled in and started talking to Myra we were amazed. We had only spent a short amount of time with her and her children. We had studied the Gospel with her in May but we had expected to spend more time studying with her in the hopes of reinforcing how she needed to obey the Gospel. What we found before us now 2 months later was a woman that was convicted. She had been talking to her neighbors about us and about the Gospel. She had obviously been studying with her children as well. Her daughter Neyci wanted to be baptized and she had talked to 2 more of her neighbors that had expressed interest as well. We were floored. Here was a woman who had been convicted by the Gospel and with no urging from us had already been talking to her neighbors about the Gospel as well. She had already been laying some of the groundwork for us to continue preaching the Gospel in this area. You will probably notice that we did not baptize Mrya yet, but make no mistake she is ready and willing. She explained her reasons for waiting and she assured us that she would have removed any roadblocks and that she would be ready to be baptized the next time we came to Costa Rica.
We were really blown away by Mrya's spirit the more we talked to her. She told us about something her daughter Neyci had dealt with recently that was really awesome. She told us about how Neyci's school required the children to go to a religious class about the Catholic religion. At one point they demanded that they all bow before the statue of the virgin mary. Neyci refused and said that she was not Catholic and would never bow down to the virgin mary. Myra was very proud of Neyci because she had grown up in a Catholic family and had decided when she was 9 years old that she was not going to be a Catholic. Myra had been raised with something that she recognized was not the truth and she had rejected it. She had been looking for the truth of God her whole life and praise the Lord she recognized His truth and power through the Gospel. I was just so amazed by the abundant harvest that the Lord had set before us. All the modest expectations we had were blown away by the sincere heart of this woman who saw the truth and grabbed on with both hands.
Neyci was at school at that time but Myra assured us that she was ready to be baptized this afternoon. So we talked to her about a possible place to baptize her and it turns out there was a perfect spot down at the river below her house. We hiked down the narrow muddy trial to the river to see how it looked and she was right, you could not ask for a better place for a baptism.
After talking to Mrya for a few hours we decided to leave for a little while and come back around 3:00 when Neyci came home from school. Well we decided that this would be a good time to do some more exploring of the surrounding areas. As we drove around we found more and more steep, narrow scary roads and breathtaking views. In this area of the country you find more people and small communities down every road. Another thing that is different from the US is that there are always people walking around and there is always people out and about. The people are very friendly and easy to approach and talk. The sense of community and friendliness we have encountered most places we go is very encouraging for us. It is much easier to meet and talk to people when they are already out in a public place and you don't have to feel like you are intruding into their homes.
When we got back to Myra's house we met Myra's daughter Lorena and her husband Edwin. They were here visting during the week. Their daughter Franci was 5 and they also had a 8 month old little girl. Edwin was very quiet and reserved at first but after a couple days he was much more comfortable and talkative around us. It did not take long and we were ready to Baptize Neyci. We all headed down to the river where we had been earlier that day. As we were walking hiking down the trail I was a little nervous and working over and over in my head to memorize what I needed to say in Spanish. I was still a little bit in shock that we were about to welcome a new Christian into the world in Costa Rica. I always had high hopes but I try to temper my optimism with realism so that I am not crushed by defeat. I guess that is what I get for underestimating the power of the gospel! I could tell that Neyci was very nervous and excited as I took her confession then led her into the water but other than that I was oblivious to the world around me. I must admit that I was so worried about messing up the words, and I was so focused on the task at hand, that it did not hit me until it was done what had just occured. As Neyci stood up out of the water, she was laughing and smiling, and I realized that she was my sister now. We were connected by a bond stronger than blood, she was my sister in Christ! I knew the words that I wanted to say this time without much thought, "Bienvenidos mi hermana en Cristo" (Welcome my sister in Christ).
I wish I could explain the feelings that went through me the rest of that day, and as I sit here looking at this picture they all come flooding back. I don't think that I can really explain it but if a picture can truly say a thousand words than this one says the most to me.
Luke 15:10 says Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
After the baptism we spent several more hours talking and getting to know these wonderful people better. As we were walking back up the hill to the car that night Keith and I talked about how greatly God had blessed us and how this was no longer a dream but a reality. Neyci was only the first of a bountiful harvest that the Lord provided and we are now committed more than ever. The Church of our Lord Jesus Christ is alive and well in Costa Rica, Praise the Lord!
I apologize for the delay in getting this post out but I hope it was worth the wait. I will try and get the next one ready a little faster Lord willing.
Dios les Bendiga,
David
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Rewind Summary
Well in light of the latest trip and the need to catch up, this post is going to combine the last two days of our trip in May. I know everyone is probably really wanting to know more about the current trip but I need to get this done or I will never get around to it. It is also important because I have not yet told you how we met Myra and her family.
On Saturday we planned to go visit a lady named Myra. She was the housekeeper of the house we had rented on the first and second trip to Costa Rica. Dora, the owner of the house had introduced us to her and we intended to go see her and see what happened. We all met up at Dora's house and after the introductions we all headed over to Myra's house which was about 20 minutes from Atenas in a town called Altos de Naranjo. As we came to find out this is a somewhat remote little town. It is basically at the end of the pavement and you don't go there unless you live there or you get lost. It is a beautiful place on the side of some very steep mountains. We arrived at Myra's home and met her children Neyci, Deybin, and Xotchi. They were all well behaved and shy when we first arrived but they opened up more, the longer we were there. We simply talked and got to know one another at first but before long Deybin wanted to show us the river. The river was a short hike (or shorter fall) straight down a very steep hill. The trail we were following really looked like a rainwater gully and it happened to make a clear path to the river. John tried grabbing hold of a branch as we were going down but he grabbed hold of more than he wanted since it had 1"-3" long thorns covering every last inch of it. So, we made it down safely and only slightly scratched and explored the river. Deybin also showed us one of the swimming holes that the locals use for bathing. After the hike back up we talked a little more and Myra gladly allowed us to come back the next morning to study with her. We were supposed to have church services at Jorge and Lisseth's house Sunday afternoon at 2:00 so it would work out well to study with Myra Sunday morning.
We headed back to Myra's house in the morning and studied the gospel with her. As we went thru the study it was apparent that she already had a good understanding of the Bible. She was very adamant in her belief in the Reina Valera bible that we use as the true word of God. She told us stories of Jehovah's Witness and Mormons coming to talk to her and trying to convince her to use their Bibles but she refused. She also told us how her whole family was Catholic and she was raised a Catholic. When she was 9 years old she had seen enough that she decided that she was not going to be a Catholic. She went against her family and made a stand for what she believed. She was able to quote several verses including the entire chapter of Psalms 91 without hesitation. She agreed and understood everything we studied, and when we left we had high hopes that she could become a potential convert.
It was time to head over to Cacao for the church service but most of the group needed to eat lunch and we were running a little behind. Kalina and I along with Sherry and our two kids agreed to go ahead and go meet Jorge and Lisseth at the agreed time and keep them occupied until everyone else arrived. When we arrived the kids were asleep in the back so I walked over to let Jorge and Lisseth know we had arrived. I had planned to go back to the car in about 20 minutes to check on everyone. This was actually the first time we had met Jorge; he had always been at work every other time we had visited. His friend Norman was also there and we immediately started up a very animated conversation. He was very nice and excited to finally meet us since he had heard so much about us. We talked about a lot of things and I was trying so hard to keep up that I must have lost track of time. Kalina and Sherry and the kids walked in and I said, wow that was a short nap. Kalina just looked at me, and said, short? It had been almost an hour and a half......I was completely shocked, it had felt like 30 minutes at the most. Time flies when you are trying to have a conversation in another language. My brain is really fried by the end of the day after all the mental gymnastics. I was glad I was able to spend that time getting to know Jorge, he is a very kind soft spoken person and you could tell he loves his wife and children very much.
The rest of the group arrived and it had started to rain so we would not be able to do the service outside as planned. So we crammed about 25 people into Jorge and Lisseth's little house, it was very cozy. We had several of the neighbors attend as well so we had a nice sized group of people in attendance. The singing went very well and Keith gave a very powerful lesson on the Gospel. We did not have any responses at that time but we are encouraged by the interest and the sincerity of the people at Cacao. After the service Kalina and I had to head back since we were both getting sick. The rest of the group stayed and visited with everyone for a few more hours. We all enjoyed the time we spent meeting and making relationships with the good people of this little hidden community.
We continue to have high hopes that we will find individuals that want to obey the Gospel and serve the Lord in this area and we will continue to pursue that goal. As you will see soon, we visited this area again on the recent trip in July. This concludes my summary of our Costa Rica work in May. The next post will get started on the trip in July.
Dios les bendiga,
David
On Saturday we planned to go visit a lady named Myra. She was the housekeeper of the house we had rented on the first and second trip to Costa Rica. Dora, the owner of the house had introduced us to her and we intended to go see her and see what happened. We all met up at Dora's house and after the introductions we all headed over to Myra's house which was about 20 minutes from Atenas in a town called Altos de Naranjo. As we came to find out this is a somewhat remote little town. It is basically at the end of the pavement and you don't go there unless you live there or you get lost. It is a beautiful place on the side of some very steep mountains. We arrived at Myra's home and met her children Neyci, Deybin, and Xotchi. They were all well behaved and shy when we first arrived but they opened up more, the longer we were there. We simply talked and got to know one another at first but before long Deybin wanted to show us the river. The river was a short hike (or shorter fall) straight down a very steep hill. The trail we were following really looked like a rainwater gully and it happened to make a clear path to the river. John tried grabbing hold of a branch as we were going down but he grabbed hold of more than he wanted since it had 1"-3" long thorns covering every last inch of it. So, we made it down safely and only slightly scratched and explored the river. Deybin also showed us one of the swimming holes that the locals use for bathing. After the hike back up we talked a little more and Myra gladly allowed us to come back the next morning to study with her. We were supposed to have church services at Jorge and Lisseth's house Sunday afternoon at 2:00 so it would work out well to study with Myra Sunday morning.
It was time to head over to Cacao for the church service but most of the group needed to eat lunch and we were running a little behind. Kalina and I along with Sherry and our two kids agreed to go ahead and go meet Jorge and Lisseth at the agreed time and keep them occupied until everyone else arrived. When we arrived the kids were asleep in the back so I walked over to let Jorge and Lisseth know we had arrived. I had planned to go back to the car in about 20 minutes to check on everyone. This was actually the first time we had met Jorge; he had always been at work every other time we had visited. His friend Norman was also there and we immediately started up a very animated conversation. He was very nice and excited to finally meet us since he had heard so much about us. We talked about a lot of things and I was trying so hard to keep up that I must have lost track of time. Kalina and Sherry and the kids walked in and I said, wow that was a short nap. Kalina just looked at me, and said, short? It had been almost an hour and a half......I was completely shocked, it had felt like 30 minutes at the most. Time flies when you are trying to have a conversation in another language. My brain is really fried by the end of the day after all the mental gymnastics. I was glad I was able to spend that time getting to know Jorge, he is a very kind soft spoken person and you could tell he loves his wife and children very much.
The rest of the group arrived and it had started to rain so we would not be able to do the service outside as planned. So we crammed about 25 people into Jorge and Lisseth's little house, it was very cozy. We had several of the neighbors attend as well so we had a nice sized group of people in attendance. The singing went very well and Keith gave a very powerful lesson on the Gospel. We did not have any responses at that time but we are encouraged by the interest and the sincerity of the people at Cacao. After the service Kalina and I had to head back since we were both getting sick. The rest of the group stayed and visited with everyone for a few more hours. We all enjoyed the time we spent meeting and making relationships with the good people of this little hidden community.
We continue to have high hopes that we will find individuals that want to obey the Gospel and serve the Lord in this area and we will continue to pursue that goal. As you will see soon, we visited this area again on the recent trip in July. This concludes my summary of our Costa Rica work in May. The next post will get started on the trip in July.
Dios les bendiga,
David
Saturday, July 23, 2011
We planted, we watered, God provided the Miracle Grow
We just returned from Costa Rica last night and I am still in awe. I am in awe of the power and the glory of God. I know the verses, I understood the concept, but I did not fully comprehend it until now.
1Corinthians 3:5-9Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? (6) I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. (7) So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. (8) Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. (9) For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
John 4:35-36 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. (36) And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.
Now I understand it a whole lot better because I have seen it and felt it. I have seen the power of the Gospel work even though I was unable to "explain" it like I wanted to. My limits with the Spanish language does not mean that the message of the Gospel was not heard and understood. I think that the biggest thing that hit home from this trip is that I need to spread the seed and then get out of the way and let the word of God convict the honest heart.
Luke 8:15But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.
I think when you have faced a long period of un-interest, failure, and rejection you can start to think that you are not doing something right. You are not explaining it right, you think you need to spend a large amount of time explaining what the Bible means. Don't get me wrong, I think that a lot of times we are doing it wrong and making it more complicated than it is. However we need to realize that we are going to spend a lot of time on people that in the end do not care and their heart is hardened. When the Gospel finds a good heart, the word of God is sufficient on it's own.
Heb 4:12-13For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (13) Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
I apologize for the mini sermon but my brain and my heart are just about to explode with thoughts and emotions and I needed to let some of it out.
Well for those of you that have not heard, the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ is alive and well in Costa Rica! Praise the Lord!
I will go into more detail in the coming days and weeks and tell their stories more fully but I could not wait to let you know how God has provided a bountiful harvest in Costa Rica.
Jose is an awesome guy, can't wait to tell you more about him.
This is Lorena, she is 20 years old and has two little girls.
Lorena was also very nervous before but I think the water was a little cold.
1Corinthians 3:5-9Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? (6) I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. (7) So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. (8) Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. (9) For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
John 4:35-36 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. (36) And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.
Now I understand it a whole lot better because I have seen it and felt it. I have seen the power of the Gospel work even though I was unable to "explain" it like I wanted to. My limits with the Spanish language does not mean that the message of the Gospel was not heard and understood. I think that the biggest thing that hit home from this trip is that I need to spread the seed and then get out of the way and let the word of God convict the honest heart.
Luke 8:15But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.
I think when you have faced a long period of un-interest, failure, and rejection you can start to think that you are not doing something right. You are not explaining it right, you think you need to spend a large amount of time explaining what the Bible means. Don't get me wrong, I think that a lot of times we are doing it wrong and making it more complicated than it is. However we need to realize that we are going to spend a lot of time on people that in the end do not care and their heart is hardened. When the Gospel finds a good heart, the word of God is sufficient on it's own.
Heb 4:12-13For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (13) Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
I apologize for the mini sermon but my brain and my heart are just about to explode with thoughts and emotions and I needed to let some of it out.
Well for those of you that have not heard, the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ is alive and well in Costa Rica! Praise the Lord!
I will go into more detail in the coming days and weeks and tell their stories more fully but I could not wait to let you know how God has provided a bountiful harvest in Costa Rica.
This is Neyci, she is 13 years old.
Neyci was very nervous before the baptism and very excited afterwards!
This is Jose, he is 21 years old. This picture was after his Baptism but we all noticed that he had worn his best clothes for this important event. He is smiling about his new Bible.
I will fill you in on all the details later but I could not wait to introduce you to your new Brother and Sisters in Christ in Costa Rica. Please remember them and their family in your prayers, this is a very important and fragile time for them. We are of course worried for them since we could not stick around longer. However they now have God on their side and they all know each other so they will be good support for each other in the trials ahead. Praise the Lord.
-Dios les Bendiga,
David
Friday, July 8, 2011
Status Update
I must apologize that this post does not contain any details of the rest of our trip. I wanted to let everyone know that by the grace of God we will be returning to Costa Rica on the 14th of July. Yes that is next week and we have been very busy trying to get ready for the trip. There is an endless amount of things I want and need to do in preparation for preaching the gospel in a foreign country, in a language that I still have a lot to learn about. So especially in the last couple weeks I have not had time to work on the blog. I feel terrible that I have not even caught you up on the last trip before we go on another one. There are still two very busy and fruitful days to tell you about. I thought about just doing a summary in less detail on those days but I think there is too much that needs to be told. So Lord willing I will still get those details posted soon. Please keep us in your prayers that this trip will build upon the success of the previous trips, and that he will watch over us.
On another note, I would appreciate it if those that are reading the blog would post some comments to let me know what you think. Just wondering if anyone else is interested in all these details or maybe no one is reading it.....If you don't want your comments viewed publicly then please send us an email at footprintsincostarica@gmail.com
Dios les bendiga,
David
On another note, I would appreciate it if those that are reading the blog would post some comments to let me know what you think. Just wondering if anyone else is interested in all these details or maybe no one is reading it.....If you don't want your comments viewed publicly then please send us an email at footprintsincostarica@gmail.com
Dios les bendiga,
David
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Spreading the Seed
Friday came along and everyone had high hopes for the day. We were going back to the village by the river in Cacao. We had bible studies set up with Lisseth for that morning and then with Karen and her family in the afternoon. Keith asked if I would be willing to lead the study with Lisseth, and I was very willing of course. I was however very nervous since my Spanish is still a work in progress. I had made some notes ahead of time that I hoped would help, and I prayed that the Lord would make sure that his message was understood in spite of my own shortcomings with the language. Of course I did have Keith right there with me to help as needed so that helped a lot. The thing that gave me the most comfort however was this verse: 1 Corinthians 3:5-7. Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. I knew that I was not that important in what we were trying to accomplish. The Gospel was the important part, we just needed to spread the seed and let the Word of God go to work. Matthew chapter 13 contains a wonderful parable about spreading the seed of the gospel. I love how this parable relates to us the simplicity of spreading the Gospel but also shows us how the growth of that seed can be so easily destroyed by the trials and cares of this life. We had high hopes this day that we had found that good ground that Jesus speaks of in verses 8 and 23. Only time will tell what sort of ground these people are rooted in, and what kind of heart they have for the truth.
As we arrived and found a place to sit, Lisseth rounded up Julio and Jorge. She wanted to make sure that they were present for this study, and I took that as a good sign that this was important to her. Lisseth's husband Jorge was at work, so unfortunately we was not able to attend. Once we got started we led her through the gospel plan of salvation. I simply read the verses and repeated or emphasized where appropriate and let the Word speak for itself. There were a few spots where I felt some explanation was called for, and I called on Keith to help me out when my limited vocabulary failed me. The longer we studied it was apparent that Lisseth had used that old Bible of hers and had not just left it on the shelf. She listened very intently but she was also not afraid to jump in with a question or comment. We were very encouraged by her open and honest spirit not only during the study but during the entire time we spent with her. The study went very well and she seemed to understand everything we discussed. We continue to pray that this study and future studies will help Lisseth and her family to obey the Gospel.
The study lasted for a few hours and once it concluded Lisseth was kind enough to offer us lunch. It always made me feel bad to eat their food when they had so little to give. However it would have been rude to refuse such a selfless gift given with sincerity. We enjoyed the homemade tortillas and fixings and then it was time to move on to the study at Karen's house. I must admit that my own foolishness caused me to miss most of the study with Karen and her family and friends. I had walked back to the car to get more water bottles and made the mistake of locking the keys in the car. I had set them down in the back to pick up the water bottles and then locked it from the door. I saw the keys sitting there as the door swung shut and I just about dislocated something trying to stop the door. My hands were full so unfortunately I failed in that attempt. I was obviously not very happy with myself but I stood there a minute considering my options. My first thought was to try and call someone that could get someone down here to get in the car. After checking the cell phone, there was no signal. At this point Keith had already started the study and I knew I had to get this fixed or I would be useless with worry. I trudged back up to Lisseth's house in frustration, explained the situation to Kalina and tried to explain to Lisseth what had happened. I was marginally successful and was able to explain that I needed a hanger if she had one. Now I have never had to break into a car before so I went looking for anyone that could help out. I went looking for Jeremy, not because he is an expert car thief, but because he is a very handy guy and I figured if anyone could help it would be him. Well my luck continued to hold out, he had no idea what to do. But as always he was game to give it a shot. Well after several minutes of hair brained ideas and failed attempts, we were about to get discouraged. But thank the Lord that one of the locals wandered by about then. I explained the problem and he quickly showed us how it was supposed to be done. With his help it did not take long and we had the door open, problem solved.
We hurried back to Karen's house to find it packed to the gills. Her house had a sizable back deck/balcony where everyone was gathered. This deck was about 15 feet above the ground below and I was not convinced that it was structurally sound. There were probably around 20 people crowded onto it so I just stood back and observed from the edge of the deck as the study was coming to an end. It was wonderful to see the Gospel preached to such a large group of people. Lord willing, the Word found some good ground to start growing in that day. They finished studying and a few people drifted out, but someone wanted to sing some gospel songs. They had a few copies of a paperback book with some songs in it. I think they wanted us to teach them some new songs. Keith was able to find a few that we were familiar with and we all chimed in the best we could. There were very few books and there was not one close enough for me to see. I knew the tune and the english words so I found myself humming the tune in an effort to contribute something. I was eventually able to get to where I could see one of the books and that was a huge help. There was a little girl there that was really getting into it, you could tell that she loved to sing.
It was a great day and we were all very encouraged by the reception that we were given. The Gospel was preached to 20-30 people and all of them showed a willingness to listen and learn. There were no heated arguments or confrontations about differences in belief. I think everyone already understood that the Word of God was the truth and they were just eager to learn more about what it says. There is a heavy Catholic influence in Costa Rica and even the devoted Catholics tend to be uneducated about what the Bible really says. The good news is that there is an inherent respect for God. The challenge going forward will be to help them see what God really wants from them.
One other thing of note happened before we left for the day. Keith talked to Lisseth and she agreed to allow us to hold our Sunday worship service in her home or outside weather permitting. We set up a time for the coming Sunday afternoon and then headed back to Atenas with joy and thanks in our hearts for the many blessings of the day.
The next day was Saturday and we had another potential contact to follow up with. Until next time....
Dios les bendiga,
David
More pictures of these peoples homes from the river side
As we arrived and found a place to sit, Lisseth rounded up Julio and Jorge. She wanted to make sure that they were present for this study, and I took that as a good sign that this was important to her. Lisseth's husband Jorge was at work, so unfortunately we was not able to attend. Once we got started we led her through the gospel plan of salvation. I simply read the verses and repeated or emphasized where appropriate and let the Word speak for itself. There were a few spots where I felt some explanation was called for, and I called on Keith to help me out when my limited vocabulary failed me. The longer we studied it was apparent that Lisseth had used that old Bible of hers and had not just left it on the shelf. She listened very intently but she was also not afraid to jump in with a question or comment. We were very encouraged by her open and honest spirit not only during the study but during the entire time we spent with her. The study went very well and she seemed to understand everything we discussed. We continue to pray that this study and future studies will help Lisseth and her family to obey the Gospel.
It was a great day and we were all very encouraged by the reception that we were given. The Gospel was preached to 20-30 people and all of them showed a willingness to listen and learn. There were no heated arguments or confrontations about differences in belief. I think everyone already understood that the Word of God was the truth and they were just eager to learn more about what it says. There is a heavy Catholic influence in Costa Rica and even the devoted Catholics tend to be uneducated about what the Bible really says. The good news is that there is an inherent respect for God. The challenge going forward will be to help them see what God really wants from them.
The next day was Saturday and we had another potential contact to follow up with. Until next time....
Dios les bendiga,
David
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Return to the River
Thursday, the day had finally come when we could go back to see the wonderful people we had met on our last trip down to the river. I finally found out that this was in between the towns of Cacao and Carrillos. Everyone was very excited about going back to see these people that had touched our hearts so deeply. The newcomers were all excited as well since they had heard so much about this place.
We had set up a time to meet everyone at the park in Atenas. We were the first ones there, and while we waited I walked over to the bank to restock on colones. When I got back to the car I discovered that Kalina and Keith had ventured into the park to observe some kind of children's activity that was going on. They were doing some kind of presentation about nutrition. He had started up a conversation with a man and wife that was watching the children and had their phone numbers and names. I was so glad that Keith was able to come with us, he has so much that he can teach us about spreading the gospel. He was constantly talking to people we came across and he made contacts and connections with people and made it look so easy.
Once everyone was ready to go we made the 30 minute drive to Cacao. This was a bit of a challenge since I had a little trouble remembering how to get there. We got to one point and I was not sure which way to go so we asked directions from a local that was walking down the road. Keith talked to him and in no time he just jumped in the car with us. Now the problem with trying to tell someone where you are going is that you need to know where you want to go. While I knew where I wanted to go I did not have any good way to explain it to him. I knew it was by Cacao so I asked him to get us to Cacao and I hoped that things would look more familiar once we got there. Praise the lord, everything started looking very familiar and before long we dropped off our guide and I was able to get us the rest of the way there based on my memory from the last trip.
We parked the cars and walked across the rickety bridge, it all looked mostly the same. There was a house now where there had only been a wood frame before. One or two of the lower lying homes were not there anymore, probably victims of the fast rising river. The older couple that had been here before was no longer around; they may have found a better place to live. Overall not much had changed but there were a few people that we remembered from the last trip that did not live there anymore. We slowly worked our way from house to house, talking to everyone that was willing. Everyone seemed to remember us and it was nice to see how the children had all grown in the last 10 months. We had heard that the electric company had sold this land and it was not clear what would happen to these people and their homes. So it was nice to see that they still had places to live and had not been kicked out.
We had a few things with us for the children that we had brought along with us and we handed out little toys, crayons, and coloring books as we visited with everyone. As we worked our way to each house we came to Karen's house. Karen is the mother of Jaxsonia, the 13 year old girl that stuck in the hearts of John and Heather on the last trip. John and Heather have a daughter that is the same age and it really touched their hearts to see this girl and how she and her family lived. Well, Karen remembered us and she asked me where our daughter was? She remembered our youngest daughter Leia that had come with us on the last trip. We told her she was doing well and that she was staying with her grandparents. She was delighted to meet our oldest two, Olivia and Logan. I think she was a little surprised that we had 4 children all together. One thing that I have really noticed is that our children have helped us connect with several of these people. There is something about a child that brings us all together. Anyone that has children, rich, poor, or anywhere in between has stories to share that we all deal with. We all have the same stories of fun, frustration, struggles, and joys that is part of raising children. It is just another example that no matter where we live or how much money we have, we all deal with the same problems and joys in life.
Roman 2:10-12 says, But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: For there is no respect of persons with God. For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law.
After we all spent quite a bit of time talking to Karen, she invited us back at 2:00 for homemade tortillas. We gladly accepted the invitation and then it was time to go eat lunch at Bohemia's house. Bohemia is Kathia's sister, and she lives right up the hill from the river. In case you don't remember you can read about the first time we visited her on the last trip by going back and reading the older posts from last year. She made all of us a very good casado, but she made way too much and stuffed us all. Logan was exhausted and he just leaned over against my leg and took a nap during lunch. Then once we were done with lunch it was time to go back to Karen's house and eat tortillas!!
We had set up a time to meet everyone at the park in Atenas. We were the first ones there, and while we waited I walked over to the bank to restock on colones. When I got back to the car I discovered that Kalina and Keith had ventured into the park to observe some kind of children's activity that was going on. They were doing some kind of presentation about nutrition. He had started up a conversation with a man and wife that was watching the children and had their phone numbers and names. I was so glad that Keith was able to come with us, he has so much that he can teach us about spreading the gospel. He was constantly talking to people we came across and he made contacts and connections with people and made it look so easy.
Once everyone was ready to go we made the 30 minute drive to Cacao. This was a bit of a challenge since I had a little trouble remembering how to get there. We got to one point and I was not sure which way to go so we asked directions from a local that was walking down the road. Keith talked to him and in no time he just jumped in the car with us. Now the problem with trying to tell someone where you are going is that you need to know where you want to go. While I knew where I wanted to go I did not have any good way to explain it to him. I knew it was by Cacao so I asked him to get us to Cacao and I hoped that things would look more familiar once we got there. Praise the lord, everything started looking very familiar and before long we dropped off our guide and I was able to get us the rest of the way there based on my memory from the last trip.
Getting ready to walk across the bridge to the left.
We parked the cars and walked across the rickety bridge, it all looked mostly the same. There was a house now where there had only been a wood frame before. One or two of the lower lying homes were not there anymore, probably victims of the fast rising river. The older couple that had been here before was no longer around; they may have found a better place to live. Overall not much had changed but there were a few people that we remembered from the last trip that did not live there anymore. We slowly worked our way from house to house, talking to everyone that was willing. Everyone seemed to remember us and it was nice to see how the children had all grown in the last 10 months. We had heard that the electric company had sold this land and it was not clear what would happen to these people and their homes. So it was nice to see that they still had places to live and had not been kicked out.
We had a few things with us for the children that we had brought along with us and we handed out little toys, crayons, and coloring books as we visited with everyone. As we worked our way to each house we came to Karen's house. Karen is the mother of Jaxsonia, the 13 year old girl that stuck in the hearts of John and Heather on the last trip. John and Heather have a daughter that is the same age and it really touched their hearts to see this girl and how she and her family lived. Well, Karen remembered us and she asked me where our daughter was? She remembered our youngest daughter Leia that had come with us on the last trip. We told her she was doing well and that she was staying with her grandparents. She was delighted to meet our oldest two, Olivia and Logan. I think she was a little surprised that we had 4 children all together. One thing that I have really noticed is that our children have helped us connect with several of these people. There is something about a child that brings us all together. Anyone that has children, rich, poor, or anywhere in between has stories to share that we all deal with. We all have the same stories of fun, frustration, struggles, and joys that is part of raising children. It is just another example that no matter where we live or how much money we have, we all deal with the same problems and joys in life.
Roman 2:10-12 says, But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: For there is no respect of persons with God. For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law.
After we all spent quite a bit of time talking to Karen, she invited us back at 2:00 for homemade tortillas. We gladly accepted the invitation and then it was time to go eat lunch at Bohemia's house. Bohemia is Kathia's sister, and she lives right up the hill from the river. In case you don't remember you can read about the first time we visited her on the last trip by going back and reading the older posts from last year. She made all of us a very good casado, but she made way too much and stuffed us all. Logan was exhausted and he just leaned over against my leg and took a nap during lunch. Then once we were done with lunch it was time to go back to Karen's house and eat tortillas!!
Jeremy and Sarah playing with the kids
Karen making tortillas
As everyone walked down the road to Karen's house, I realized I had forgotten something at the car so I went back while everyone else continued on. As I was walking back I noticed that someone had come home while we had been eating lunch. This was the woman that had asked us to pray for her husband the last time we were here. I recognized her two sons, I could see them through the open door. I called to them and asked if their parents were home. The oldest son jumped up and called to his mother as I stood waiting by the door. As she came to the door, I could tell by her expression that she remembered me. It was a good feeling to know that these people remembered us from a short visit almost a year ago. Well we talked and I made sure and got her name burned in my brain this time. I am bad about forgetting names so I made sure to do better this time about remembering everyone's name. Her name was Lisseth and her oldest son was Julio (9) and younger son Jorge jr. (7). Her husband Jorge was at work and thankfully we were able to meet him eventually. Lisseth invited me into her modest home and we talked some more. After a little while, Kalina came looking for me and found me talking to Lisseth. Well Lisette evidently remembered my wife even more because she greeted her with a hug and kiss on the cheek, she was very happy to see her. One thing that I loved about Kalina is that she was not scared to try talking to people in Spanish even though she had not progressed as far as I had. She had a very limited vocabulary but it was amazing to see how she was still able to communicate with a little bit of Spanish and some creative use of her hands and expressions. Kalina and I talked to her for a couple hours and we ended up looking at pictures of her and her family and listening to all the stories about each picture.
From left: Jorge, Lisseth, Logan, Kalina, Olivia, and Julio
We also ended up talking about her Bible, she had showed it to us last year and it was in bad shape. Thanks to a generous donation from a Church in the US we had brought a lot of bibles with us. So I brought her a new bible to replace her extremely water damaged one. I also gave one to each of her boys and you should have seen how excited they were. Lisseth had told us how her boys loved to read and they would read their Bibles all the time. She showed us the little Gideon New Testament Bibles that they had protected with a small leather wallet. I gave the Bibles to Lisseth and she called the boys in and gave them the Bibles. They just looked at them with a confused look on their face until she explained to them that it was a new Bible just for them. Julio literally started jumping up and down with excitement, I could not help but laugh with joy to see how happy he was. Keith eventually made his way there and we finished up by setting up a Bible study with her for the next day. We ended up completely missing Karen's tortillas but spent valuable time strengthening a relationship with a woman with a good heart. Lord willing that relationship will bear spiritual fruit in the future. It turns out that we also had a study date set up with Karen and her family for the next day as well. I was not present to know how that came about but I will see if John can post something about it.
Language barriers did not stop Jonah, Olivia and Logan from making friends
It was another great trip and we were able to strengthen relationships that look very promising and willing to learn the Gospel. I will talk about the Bible studies that we had in the next post. Stay tuned and God bless.
-David
Monday, April 18, 2011
Prayers for Costa Rica
Well it is getting close. It is now 4 weeks until we go to Costa Rica and everyone is excited and ready to go. The lord has blessed us beyond measure and he has provided us with the means to make this a fruitful trip. We pray that we are able to make good use of those blessings and bring the light of the gospel to the people of Costa Rica. This post is really all about asking for your prayers for our upcoming trip. Philippians 4:6 says; Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. We cannot succeed in this work without the Lord on our side. We ask that you would please remember us in your prayers. I ask that you pray that God's will be done in Costa Rica and that he watches over us to keep us out of harms way. We are only his servants in this work and we want him to be Glorified in everything we do. All we want to do in Costa Rica is spread the seeds of the Gospel, provide a little water and then let God provide the increase. So please remember all of us in your prayers and also remember to pray for the people of Costa Rica. We hope and pray that we will find open and willing hearts that are ready to receive the Gospel.
If we have time we will try to post some updates on the blog while we are in Costa Rica. If we don't have time we will make sure to fill you in once we get home. Thank you for your loving support and prayers.
Dios les bendiga
David
If we have time we will try to post some updates on the blog while we are in Costa Rica. If we don't have time we will make sure to fill you in once we get home. Thank you for your loving support and prayers.
Dios les bendiga
David
Monday, January 10, 2011
Costa Rica in 2011
Happy New Year to everyone. I hope you have all had a blessed year in 2010. 2010 was an awesome year for us and Lord willing we are looking forward to another year of blessings beyond measure. It has been a while since we posted anything so I thought it would be nice to give everyone an update. We have been doing some research on possible travel dates to return to Costa Rica. Prices for flight will more than likely determine the time we travel since they fluctuate so much and we obviously want to get the cheapest rates. Right now it looks like the cheapest tickets we can find are during the first 2 weeks of May. The best we can find is around 300 per person from Dallas to Costa Rica those first 2 weeks of May. If anyone out there knows of any way to obtain cheaper tickets please let us know. Between now and then we are going to be talking to our contacts in Costa Rica and working on possible plans while we are there. As we know from our last trip, God has a way of changing our plans and we will be more than happy to be flexible as needed. A couple things that we would like to do is visit the community in Alajuela that we visited during our last trip as well as visit the Orphanage in Atenas that we did not get to the last time. We are going to be looking at some things that we could do to provide for the needy and let you know what we have planned so that anyone that wants to donate to help has a good idea of where the money will be going. We would like to have some "projects" planned and you will be able to specify what you would like to donate for and 100% of your donation will go directly to the needs of the people. We still have a lot of planning and praying to do but I thought everyone might like to know what is coming up. Please keep us in your prayers and Dios les bendiga.
-David
-David
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Lord Give Me Neither Poverty Nor Riches
One of the verses that comes to mind when I think about what happened to us while we were in Costa Rica is this.
Isa 42:16. And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.
We have explained to everyone the sequence of events that led up to this point and I still get goose bumps thinking about how God works in our lives. Our plans made sure we made it to Costa Rica but from that point all those plans went awry. But he took our misfortune and turned it into a blessing. He took this group of blind people with good intentions and showed us a better path. He showed us possibilities and gave us hope in a very powerful way. He led us down paths that we did not know. He made a seemingly complicated task simple. He just laid it all out there right in front of us ready for us to grab hold.
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