Beloved of God and ours,
By the grace of our Almighty Lord and Savior, we are sitting here in an Internet Cafe in Costa Rica! How long have we waited for this time to arrive?...as long as the Lord allowed.
We are so grateful for His love, His provision, and His amazing plan.
We arrived Monday evening, without a glitch. Our 3 boxes went through customs, and our gracious friend (and landlord) Gary was there at the airport to meet us. Upon arriving "home" we found "Gallo Pinto" waiting for us in the frig! Estelia, Gary´s wife, prepared the typical Costa Rican dish consisting of rice, black beans, onions, Salsa Lisano, and cilantro. It was DELICIOUS! We are so blessed to have this godly couple as our friends and neighbors - they truly make us feel at home.
Tuesday we headed to Perez Zeledon, to Dad´s farm, to bring in the New Year with family. The 3 hours and 45 minute drive is through the mountains, and is only one lane each way...it has its "ups and downs and turns". When we were almost there, Geiner felt something give in the brakes. It was tricky...they continued working as we headed down the mountain, but they felt strange. Sure enough, upon arrival to our first destination, they gave way. They were down to the floor, and no longer stopping the car. But how amazing is our God? He safely brought us through the dangerous road, and did not allow the brakes to finally give way until we arrived in a place where a mechanic could fix them. It just so happened that the mechanic´s name is also Geiner. He recently lost his 37 year old brother to alcoholism, and the family is broken and grieving. Geiner had a chance to pray with his mom and him, and offer some comfort, in the name of Jesus.
For now we want you all to know that we are here safe and sound, praising our Lord, and praying that you all bring in a new year full of blessings and praise for our Almighty God.
We will let you know as soon as we are "connected" at home.
Blessings from hermosa Costa Rica! Pura Vida! Thank you for your prayers. We will update as often as we can, and will try not to make them too long!
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Thursday, December 24, 2009
4 days to departure
4 more days????
Well it’s Thursday again!!! It is funny how a day can mean so much to a person…Other than celebrating our Creator’s entering into this world, meditating on His life, death and resurrection, we ought also to think about His redemption of those who accept Him and what all of this mean to us… I don’t know what it means to you but for us it means a chance to start all over again, a chance to make our lives new, rearrange our priorities and put His Kingdom first…if you would. We are about to launch on a mission, this is our last Thursday in December 2009 in the USA, at least for now, we will come for furlough if The Good Lord allows…yet I look back to the past 19 years that I have been here (US) and see the schooling of God’s plan and I see the future and expect growth. My wife and I have a lot to learn, we are students in the great ocean of God’s will, It is something, we look ahead and can’t see anything, but we walk with confidence…nothing is for sure except that through His redemption we are bought free, and based on that, we walk forth expectantly knowing that tomorrow is in His hands.
Merry CHRIST-mas, you all.
Well it’s Thursday again!!! It is funny how a day can mean so much to a person…Other than celebrating our Creator’s entering into this world, meditating on His life, death and resurrection, we ought also to think about His redemption of those who accept Him and what all of this mean to us… I don’t know what it means to you but for us it means a chance to start all over again, a chance to make our lives new, rearrange our priorities and put His Kingdom first…if you would. We are about to launch on a mission, this is our last Thursday in December 2009 in the USA, at least for now, we will come for furlough if The Good Lord allows…yet I look back to the past 19 years that I have been here (US) and see the schooling of God’s plan and I see the future and expect growth. My wife and I have a lot to learn, we are students in the great ocean of God’s will, It is something, we look ahead and can’t see anything, but we walk with confidence…nothing is for sure except that through His redemption we are bought free, and based on that, we walk forth expectantly knowing that tomorrow is in His hands.
Merry CHRIST-mas, you all.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Ok, real quick
We packed the car....
We visited with our dear friend Doyal and his beautiful wife Carol in Mesa, Arizona, some of you know them…and they are doing well. It was wonderful to remember our times with our beloved friend Rick Martin…We talked, we ate, we laughed, we prayed. We thank them for their fellowship, their love and hospitality, and offering their home for our stay that night.
We dropped off the boxes in Santa Ana.
We visited with our friend Daniel in San Diego. Again, we appreciate his wonderful hospitality, the best tour and best food in San Diego. Daniel is a wise young man and brother whose priority is to love the Lord. His friendship encourages our spirits every time we see him. His fellowship is missed here in Albuquerque, and it will be missed in Costa Rica as well.
We also visited Tucson, where we got to spend a little bit of time with our niece and nephews, and the rest of the family who live there. We said “hasta luego” (see you later), and we headed towards Albuquerque, where we arrived last night.
We will be leaving early tomorrow morning for Juarez, Mexico for the “Shoebox” trip. Please pray for us…for traveling mercies, and a fruitful outreach.
We visited with our dear friend Doyal and his beautiful wife Carol in Mesa, Arizona, some of you know them…and they are doing well. It was wonderful to remember our times with our beloved friend Rick Martin…We talked, we ate, we laughed, we prayed. We thank them for their fellowship, their love and hospitality, and offering their home for our stay that night.
We dropped off the boxes in Santa Ana.
We visited with our friend Daniel in San Diego. Again, we appreciate his wonderful hospitality, the best tour and best food in San Diego. Daniel is a wise young man and brother whose priority is to love the Lord. His friendship encourages our spirits every time we see him. His fellowship is missed here in Albuquerque, and it will be missed in Costa Rica as well.
We also visited Tucson, where we got to spend a little bit of time with our niece and nephews, and the rest of the family who live there. We said “hasta luego” (see you later), and we headed towards Albuquerque, where we arrived last night.
We will be leaving early tomorrow morning for Juarez, Mexico for the “Shoebox” trip. Please pray for us…for traveling mercies, and a fruitful outreach.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
27 days and counting-down!
Our house got smaller.....
Our journey begins this month by putting everything we own in Juan’s (my "adopted" father's)pick up truck and taking it to Santa Ana California, so that the 12 boxes can be shipped to Costa Rica in the middle of January 2010. There is no telling really when they will get there because the container doesn’t leave the coast until it is full. Because of low business the shipping company has closed the warehouse so now we have to pay for the storage, but God is good and this company is willing to give us a break in the price because of it.
On our trip we will be visiting and saying “good bye" to friends and family in Phoenix, and San Diego and at last in Tucson, Az.
As our departure time approaches we feel very, very, very excited, the uncertainty of what God has for us is as certain as the growth we experience… the Lord is awesome!!!!
The prayers of the people, the love of the people, the care of the people, it is all such a blessing to us. It humbles us to the point of our bended knees and we thank God for such a wonderful spiritual family. We are sooooo blessed!
27 days is all that is left, pray with us dear reader. Bring this ministry to the throne of grace and pray that God will use it mightily for the furtherance of His Kingdom…
We will be coming back (Lord permitting) Tuesday the eighth, only to turn around and go to Juarez Mexico on the tenth where we will be serving with Global Advantures on the Shoe box trip.
Please keep coming back to see what God is doing and also take advantage of the study tools on the right of this page.
Lord bless you and until next time…
On our trip we will be visiting and saying “good bye" to friends and family in Phoenix, and San Diego and at last in Tucson, Az.
As our departure time approaches we feel very, very, very excited, the uncertainty of what God has for us is as certain as the growth we experience… the Lord is awesome!!!!
The prayers of the people, the love of the people, the care of the people, it is all such a blessing to us. It humbles us to the point of our bended knees and we thank God for such a wonderful spiritual family. We are sooooo blessed!
27 days is all that is left, pray with us dear reader. Bring this ministry to the throne of grace and pray that God will use it mightily for the furtherance of His Kingdom…
We will be coming back (Lord permitting) Tuesday the eighth, only to turn around and go to Juarez Mexico on the tenth where we will be serving with Global Advantures on the Shoe box trip.
Please keep coming back to see what God is doing and also take advantage of the study tools on the right of this page.
Lord bless you and until next time…
Thursday, November 26, 2009
A Thanksgiving message
Psalm 50:14-15 (NLT)
Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High. Then call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.”
Here once again the Lord shows us that being thankful is about a practical style of life where the words “thank you” become a responsibility in the life of every believer, an action and a attitude directed towards the God of our Salvation, which prompts us to keep our word to Him. And the reward is sweeter than honey, soothing like water to the thirsty and food to the hungry…like peace to the afflicted. And at the moment we cry out to Jesus, He promises to respond and deliver us, and even more to give us peace without measure. Then all we have left is a feeling of eternal debt with the need to give Him glory!!!!
Psalm 100
A psalm of thanksgiving.
Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy. Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation.
Beloved of God and ours, have a happy Thanksgiving!
Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High. Then call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.”
Here once again the Lord shows us that being thankful is about a practical style of life where the words “thank you” become a responsibility in the life of every believer, an action and a attitude directed towards the God of our Salvation, which prompts us to keep our word to Him. And the reward is sweeter than honey, soothing like water to the thirsty and food to the hungry…like peace to the afflicted. And at the moment we cry out to Jesus, He promises to respond and deliver us, and even more to give us peace without measure. Then all we have left is a feeling of eternal debt with the need to give Him glory!!!!
Psalm 100
A psalm of thanksgiving.
Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy. Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation.
Beloved of God and ours, have a happy Thanksgiving!
Thursday, November 19, 2009
THIS WEEK – THINGS WE WANT TO SHARE
1) The last box. Our last box has been packed…we are ready, now we just have to take the boxes to Santa Ana, California to be shipped to Costa Rica in the middle of January.
2) The last day of work. This Wednesday was my (Denise) last day as a UNM employee. Bitter sweet was how I explained it. Bitter because I have to leave, but sweet because it marks the beginning of our new journey. My three and a half years at the A&S Advisement Center were rich in relationships. I am blessed that the Lord provided not only an incredible job, but also a treasured “work-family” and a precious care team member and friend. I especially appreciate their patience as we planned for our move, but were never quite sure until the very end when the Lord would be sending us out. Thank you, dear friends, for your love and support. And I can’t forget my students. They too were an integral part of my UNM blessings, and I have many precious moments to mark my time with them. I thank God for the time that He gave me there, and look forward to what He has in the future.
3) The Battle. Please continue to pray for the Lord to protect us, as family issues arise. How appropriate that the theme of the conference we just returned from was Spiritual Warfare. Beloved, the fight is not always in the street…sometimes it starts in our own hearts or in the front yard (our own family). The auto-destruction of those whom we love breaks our heart, but we learned that it is not under our control but God’s, and there we choose to leave it.
4) The Change. Transition. Our heart pumps faster as we prepare to go. Questions arise. Where should we start? How should we start? When should we start the bible study? Then we hear “WAIIIIT MY CHILDREN!!!!” ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.’ So we pray and wait for His direction.
5) The future. In the next couple of weeks we will be traveling. The first week of December we will be (if the Lord permits) saying good-bye to some family and friends in Phoenix, San Diego, and Tucson. Then we are going to help with Operation Christmas Child (OCC) in Juarez, MX. Then during the third and fourth week in December we are going to be here in Albuquerque opening services in prayer and being commissioned. After that, the date that we have awaited will finally be here - December 28th … a God date.
6) The rest. As we arrive in Costa Rica we will say good-bye to the old year and give path to the new year …we will seek the direction of the Holy Spirit to give the first step into the new journey in His precious will.
7) The Prayer Journey. Among other things we have been bringing the Costa Rican people before the throne of grace…for their hearts to be ready to receive the Word, for our hearts to be pure and in line with His, that His Word will first mold us, and second give us the wisdom and empowerment to teach it, and for God to continue to prepare and equip us. Please join us in these prayers.
2) The last day of work. This Wednesday was my (Denise) last day as a UNM employee. Bitter sweet was how I explained it. Bitter because I have to leave, but sweet because it marks the beginning of our new journey. My three and a half years at the A&S Advisement Center were rich in relationships. I am blessed that the Lord provided not only an incredible job, but also a treasured “work-family” and a precious care team member and friend. I especially appreciate their patience as we planned for our move, but were never quite sure until the very end when the Lord would be sending us out. Thank you, dear friends, for your love and support. And I can’t forget my students. They too were an integral part of my UNM blessings, and I have many precious moments to mark my time with them. I thank God for the time that He gave me there, and look forward to what He has in the future.
3) The Battle. Please continue to pray for the Lord to protect us, as family issues arise. How appropriate that the theme of the conference we just returned from was Spiritual Warfare. Beloved, the fight is not always in the street…sometimes it starts in our own hearts or in the front yard (our own family). The auto-destruction of those whom we love breaks our heart, but we learned that it is not under our control but God’s, and there we choose to leave it.
4) The Change. Transition. Our heart pumps faster as we prepare to go. Questions arise. Where should we start? How should we start? When should we start the bible study? Then we hear “WAIIIIT MY CHILDREN!!!!” ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.’ So we pray and wait for His direction.
5) The future. In the next couple of weeks we will be traveling. The first week of December we will be (if the Lord permits) saying good-bye to some family and friends in Phoenix, San Diego, and Tucson. Then we are going to help with Operation Christmas Child (OCC) in Juarez, MX. Then during the third and fourth week in December we are going to be here in Albuquerque opening services in prayer and being commissioned. After that, the date that we have awaited will finally be here - December 28th … a God date.
6) The rest. As we arrive in Costa Rica we will say good-bye to the old year and give path to the new year …we will seek the direction of the Holy Spirit to give the first step into the new journey in His precious will.
7) The Prayer Journey. Among other things we have been bringing the Costa Rican people before the throne of grace…for their hearts to be ready to receive the Word, for our hearts to be pure and in line with His, that His Word will first mold us, and second give us the wisdom and empowerment to teach it, and for God to continue to prepare and equip us. Please join us in these prayers.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Our trip to El Salvador.
Dear beloved of God and ours,
The conference has been a total blessing from the beginning when we were seated next to other missionaries from Costa Rica - Wayne who is involved with teaching inductive bible study method to bible students all over Central America, and resides in Costa Rica, and also Dave and Tamra who are near Tamarindo, in the process of learning Spanish and seeking the Lord on where He would have them settle. We will be keeping in contact with them, especially when we arrive permanently.
We heard from missionaries all around Central America, sharing what the Lord is doing in each of their ministries. It is very encouraging and revealing in many aspects. The theme of the conference is Spiritual Warfare - Putting on the Full Armor of God, and we have had a chance to hear some of the battles these warriors have been experiencing. The enemy definitely plants doubts in our minds to discourage us all....but as Paul says, we press on. These doubts are not something we are strangers to, and to know that others in the ministry have been there 17 - 30 years and still ask themselves "am I really called to do this?" was revealing because we know that the devil never lets up on placing doubts in our calling. But again we look up to Jesus and see, like Jeremiah, we will not be able to contain the fire of the gospel within us.
We met some old and new friends from Costa Rica: Phil from Tamarindo, who has been a pastor there for 3 years and has started teaching in Spanish; Wayne who lives in San Ramon with his wife Brooke, and teaches the Inductive Bible Study Method throughout Central America; Doug and Rosemary, who have a heart for coming alongside a ministry in Costa Rica, and will be attending language school in San Jose; and Victor and Nichol who we have known for two years now and are working with Jose Carrasco, and last but not least Dave and Tamra who are in Avellana.
Jose Carrasco
Heredia, CR
Tico Gang
The conference has been a total blessing from the beginning when we were seated next to other missionaries from Costa Rica - Wayne who is involved with teaching inductive bible study method to bible students all over Central America, and resides in Costa Rica, and also Dave and Tamra who are near Tamarindo, in the process of learning Spanish and seeking the Lord on where He would have them settle. We will be keeping in contact with them, especially when we arrive permanently.
We heard from missionaries all around Central America, sharing what the Lord is doing in each of their ministries. It is very encouraging and revealing in many aspects. The theme of the conference is Spiritual Warfare - Putting on the Full Armor of God, and we have had a chance to hear some of the battles these warriors have been experiencing. The enemy definitely plants doubts in our minds to discourage us all....but as Paul says, we press on. These doubts are not something we are strangers to, and to know that others in the ministry have been there 17 - 30 years and still ask themselves "am I really called to do this?" was revealing because we know that the devil never lets up on placing doubts in our calling. But again we look up to Jesus and see, like Jeremiah, we will not be able to contain the fire of the gospel within us.
We met some old and new friends from Costa Rica: Phil from Tamarindo, who has been a pastor there for 3 years and has started teaching in Spanish; Wayne who lives in San Ramon with his wife Brooke, and teaches the Inductive Bible Study Method throughout Central America; Doug and Rosemary, who have a heart for coming alongside a ministry in Costa Rica, and will be attending language school in San Jose; and Victor and Nichol who we have known for two years now and are working with Jose Carrasco, and last but not least Dave and Tamra who are in Avellana.
Phil
Tamarindo, CR
Wayne and Brooke
San Ramon, CR
Doug and Rosemary
Language School, San Jose
Victor and Nichol
Wayne and Brooke
San Ramon, CR
Doug and Rosemary
Language School, San Jose
Victor and Nichol
Heredia, CR
Jose Carrasco
Heredia, CR
Dave and Tamra
Avellana, CR
Tico Gang
The teachings were also very encouraging and refreshing with hope and trust in our Savior.
Teachings by David Eason, Jaime Siman, Sergio Lopez, Mark Presley, all from Costa Mesa, Rob Salvato from Vista, Fidel Gomez from Ft. Lauderdale, Carlos Bautista from San Salvador, and Bertin Almazan from Panama.
Teachings by David Eason, Jaime Siman, Sergio Lopez, Mark Presley, all from Costa Mesa, Rob Salvato from Vista, Fidel Gomez from Ft. Lauderdale, Carlos Bautista from San Salvador, and Bertin Almazan from Panama.
Tour of the house
This is where I'll be washing my dishes.
This is my kitchen, dining room, livingroom and office.
This is my kitchen, dining room, livingroom and office.
Thank You Jesus!
Looking out the front door.
Back corner of property. (All of these trees are about 70 feet tall).
Going towards the backyard from the front door.
Back corner of the house.
Our view of the backyard from the devo bench.
Our devo bench in the backyard and laundry room.
Our landlord's back yard is our front yard.
Peeking from inside the doorway.
Walking towards the house.
Looking out the front door.
Back corner of property. (All of these trees are about 70 feet tall).
Going towards the backyard from the front door.
Back corner of the house.
Our view of the backyard from the devo bench.
Our devo bench in the backyard and laundry room.
Our landlord's back yard is our front yard.
Peeking from inside the doorway.
The path towards the street, past the main house.
Walking towards the house.Thursday, November 5, 2009
Between Costa Rica and El Salvador
We are now traveling to El Salvador for the “Central American Pastors’ and Leaders’ Conference”… our heart is filled with confirmation of God’s calling to us “in such a time as this.” Once again the evangelical church is stained with the greed of pastors and people without scruples that take the name of our Lord to make themselves rich. It is exciting though to know that God will use us to make the difference, and bless the people of Costa Rica with the simple truths and principles of God’s Word… Thank you Jesus for being so merciful and full of grace.His grace abounds and our “cup runneth over”… our little house is beauuuuutiful, our landlord is a friend, a brother, and our fellowship and prayers with him are very fulfilling.
His wife is a Spirit-filled women who loves God and seeks opportunities to serve Him…
The Lord is good and we are ready………..Thank you for your prayers and love.
Stay tuned for updates from El Salvador!
Friday, October 30, 2009
SE VENDIO LA CASA!!!
Beloved of God, it is with great joy that we share the following.... YES THE HOUSE WAS SOLD for sure this morning….(YES,YEAHHHH,WOOHOOOOO) Sorry am loosing my composure …….God is so GOOD. And there is a wonderful God’s story to follow. But for now, thank you for all your prayers for what seems like such a long time.
Stay tuned for more…moving furniture as we speak.
In His loving arms
geiner and denise
The Lord has sent Jonathan and Rebecca (pictured with us here) to take over His house. They are truly a blessing and have been praying for the neighborhood for some time now.
Stay tuned for more…moving furniture as we speak.
In His loving arms
geiner and denise
The Lord has sent Jonathan and Rebecca (pictured with us here) to take over His house. They are truly a blessing and have been praying for the neighborhood for some time now.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
God is good all the time
Dear beloved of God and ours:
We cannot help but to apologized for the delay in updating our blog. It has been four weeks since we updated it last; definitely we want to do better…
So Let’s catch up! (We will actually have some pictures of these events some time next week. Thought it better to fill you in without further delay, and you can check back next week for posted pix. Thanks!)
Reception: First, we would like to give the King the glory that is due Him, and it is because of His mighty hand that so many people came and locked arms with us to put together an amazing Ministry Team that, together with Him, will bring Glory to His Name. It is for this reason that we had an extraordinary Missionary Reception on the 27th of September. The TEAM put together the most thoughtful, caring, and sweet reception we could have ever imagined. Let’s try to recap in order:
The greeting was rich in love. Our greeters had a display available with a sign-in book for guests to write something special to us (and they did!). But they also had a Bible there with our favorite verses marked off, and highlighters so that guests could highlight any scriptures they might want to share with us. It was a total blessing, and will continue to bring us joy every time we sit down to read these gems.
The worship: We were blessed with songs…in English and Spanish…led by the worship team from Calvary Southwest, and the Spanish songs sung by our sister from the CCAbq Spanish worship team.
The presentation: A couple of videos of Costa Rica gave our friends a flavor of the culture, beauty, and history of this beautiful country the Lord is sending us to. These were followed by Geiner sharing the vision the Lord has given us for the work we believe He will have us doing for His glory in Costa Rica.
The food: The culinary delights included authentic Costa Rican tamales, Gallo Pinto, and cabbage salad, and other treats loving prepared by family, friends, and team members to the enjoyment of the crowd. And let’s not forget the Costa Rican coffee!
The decorations: The Costa Rican flag, map, beautiful flowers on each table, and various other displays of Costa Rican customs and traditions set the mood, along with red white and blue balloons and streamers everywhere. The room was totally Costa Rican…and all prepared by our awesome team.
The silent auction: Wow! What can we say?! The items, the displays, the generosity…what an amazing blessing. We delighted in seeing the “winners” enjoying their prizes, and are eternally grateful for their generous successful bids.
The organization, the humbleness, the level of detail given to each area was filled with the love of Christ. For that reason we want to thank God, through His Son Jesus, who allowed us to experience blessings like this. And we want to take the opportunity to thank our much beloved team for their partnership and availability in sharing Jesus’ love to us. We love each and every one of you.
Next came the Medical Missions trip to Juarez:
We headed out mid-morning on Friday Oct. 9th. We were able to stop at “La Cocina” restaurant in Truth or Consequences and ate a delicious lunch. We continued down to El Paso where we stopped briefly to drop off some supplies for the hospital, and then headed to the border. One of our two vans was detained there a bit because it had all of our luggage and boxes of medical supplies, which prompted the border patrol to want to charge us taxes. However, the Holy Spirit used Meliton to share with the officers the purpose of our mission trip. They proceeded to give us their appreciation and let us go.
Needless to say, we arrived in Juarez later than expected, but were greeted with a delicious dinner of Frito Pie, prepared right there at the compound. However, we still needed to set-up the clinic for the next day, and did not get to bed until about 10:30.
At 5am we were up to breakfast, worship, and devotion, which gave us the boost we needed it to proceed to the improvised clinic at “Amigo Fiel”. By the time we arrived there we had people already waiting for us. So we put hands on immediately. We were blessed on so many different levels and so many different ways…but there were also times when it was heart breaking. Some of these people needed medical attention long before we got there. We saw people that hadn’t take their medication in months because they simply do not have the money to buy them. Then there were others that don’t have enough to eat as well. We saw a woman who had a stroke and didn’t know it. It was sad…but the reward was in seeing their faces lighting up because of God’s provision. By 5pm we had seen 233 patients! Thank God in His faithfulness, His goodness, and His mercy… He provided…He swiftly came to their rescue and the people saw what our good God will do through His people, if they only surrender to His call.
We returned to the compound for dinner and debriefing… exhausted and exhilarated at the same time. And we praised God for what He was able to accomplish through us on that day.
We woke Sunday morning ready to head back. We had breakfast together, and I (Geiner) had the opportunity to share a devotional with the intention of encouraging each other to continue to give the Glory to our King by sharing what He accomplished in just one short weekend in Juarez. The highlight of the ride home was the border crossing, where we experienced a slight delay because it seems that one of our team members has the same name as someone who they might be looking for in Nebraska! Needless to say, it was not him! However we were also able to enjoy a wonderful lunch at “La Posta” in Mesilla, NM.
So here we are, back in Albuquerque, waiting for the Lord to give us our next call to action. Our plans over the next few weeks include Geiner’s Chaplaincy training, a trip to El Salvador for the Central American Pastors and Leaders conference, and packing, packing, packing in between. We are hoping to have house-sale information for you soon, which will also bring with it an announcement of a leave date….so stay tuned!
Thank you for your patience with our lack of time to communicate….and may our Lord abundantly bless you in these days! We love you.
We cannot help but to apologized for the delay in updating our blog. It has been four weeks since we updated it last; definitely we want to do better…
So Let’s catch up! (We will actually have some pictures of these events some time next week. Thought it better to fill you in without further delay, and you can check back next week for posted pix. Thanks!)
Reception: First, we would like to give the King the glory that is due Him, and it is because of His mighty hand that so many people came and locked arms with us to put together an amazing Ministry Team that, together with Him, will bring Glory to His Name. It is for this reason that we had an extraordinary Missionary Reception on the 27th of September. The TEAM put together the most thoughtful, caring, and sweet reception we could have ever imagined. Let’s try to recap in order:
The greeting was rich in love. Our greeters had a display available with a sign-in book for guests to write something special to us (and they did!). But they also had a Bible there with our favorite verses marked off, and highlighters so that guests could highlight any scriptures they might want to share with us. It was a total blessing, and will continue to bring us joy every time we sit down to read these gems.
The worship: We were blessed with songs…in English and Spanish…led by the worship team from Calvary Southwest, and the Spanish songs sung by our sister from the CCAbq Spanish worship team.
The presentation: A couple of videos of Costa Rica gave our friends a flavor of the culture, beauty, and history of this beautiful country the Lord is sending us to. These were followed by Geiner sharing the vision the Lord has given us for the work we believe He will have us doing for His glory in Costa Rica.
The food: The culinary delights included authentic Costa Rican tamales, Gallo Pinto, and cabbage salad, and other treats loving prepared by family, friends, and team members to the enjoyment of the crowd. And let’s not forget the Costa Rican coffee!
The decorations: The Costa Rican flag, map, beautiful flowers on each table, and various other displays of Costa Rican customs and traditions set the mood, along with red white and blue balloons and streamers everywhere. The room was totally Costa Rican…and all prepared by our awesome team.
The silent auction: Wow! What can we say?! The items, the displays, the generosity…what an amazing blessing. We delighted in seeing the “winners” enjoying their prizes, and are eternally grateful for their generous successful bids.
The organization, the humbleness, the level of detail given to each area was filled with the love of Christ. For that reason we want to thank God, through His Son Jesus, who allowed us to experience blessings like this. And we want to take the opportunity to thank our much beloved team for their partnership and availability in sharing Jesus’ love to us. We love each and every one of you.
Next came the Medical Missions trip to Juarez:
We headed out mid-morning on Friday Oct. 9th. We were able to stop at “La Cocina” restaurant in Truth or Consequences and ate a delicious lunch. We continued down to El Paso where we stopped briefly to drop off some supplies for the hospital, and then headed to the border. One of our two vans was detained there a bit because it had all of our luggage and boxes of medical supplies, which prompted the border patrol to want to charge us taxes. However, the Holy Spirit used Meliton to share with the officers the purpose of our mission trip. They proceeded to give us their appreciation and let us go.
Needless to say, we arrived in Juarez later than expected, but were greeted with a delicious dinner of Frito Pie, prepared right there at the compound. However, we still needed to set-up the clinic for the next day, and did not get to bed until about 10:30.
At 5am we were up to breakfast, worship, and devotion, which gave us the boost we needed it to proceed to the improvised clinic at “Amigo Fiel”. By the time we arrived there we had people already waiting for us. So we put hands on immediately. We were blessed on so many different levels and so many different ways…but there were also times when it was heart breaking. Some of these people needed medical attention long before we got there. We saw people that hadn’t take their medication in months because they simply do not have the money to buy them. Then there were others that don’t have enough to eat as well. We saw a woman who had a stroke and didn’t know it. It was sad…but the reward was in seeing their faces lighting up because of God’s provision. By 5pm we had seen 233 patients! Thank God in His faithfulness, His goodness, and His mercy… He provided…He swiftly came to their rescue and the people saw what our good God will do through His people, if they only surrender to His call.
We returned to the compound for dinner and debriefing… exhausted and exhilarated at the same time. And we praised God for what He was able to accomplish through us on that day.
We woke Sunday morning ready to head back. We had breakfast together, and I (Geiner) had the opportunity to share a devotional with the intention of encouraging each other to continue to give the Glory to our King by sharing what He accomplished in just one short weekend in Juarez. The highlight of the ride home was the border crossing, where we experienced a slight delay because it seems that one of our team members has the same name as someone who they might be looking for in Nebraska! Needless to say, it was not him! However we were also able to enjoy a wonderful lunch at “La Posta” in Mesilla, NM.
So here we are, back in Albuquerque, waiting for the Lord to give us our next call to action. Our plans over the next few weeks include Geiner’s Chaplaincy training, a trip to El Salvador for the Central American Pastors and Leaders conference, and packing, packing, packing in between. We are hoping to have house-sale information for you soon, which will also bring with it an announcement of a leave date….so stay tuned!
Thank you for your patience with our lack of time to communicate….and may our Lord abundantly bless you in these days! We love you.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Missionary Reception
Good day beloved of God and ours, in the past couple of weeks we went to Philadelphia, which was a blessed time, not only because we visited family, but also because it was a beautiful time of sharing what we love and the One we love with those whom we love. And this gives proof to us that we are still here for a reason, a divine reason. Now we are back and continue in the process of preparation. We just lowered the house another $10,000.00 to $139,900. This is it, so the Lord’s will be done. This, through the cooperation of friends, but mainly because of the prayers of many of you and of course the conviction of the Holy Spirit, that didn’t allow us to just throw in the towel. I believe we are doing the right thing so we will stick around until we sell it.
Now in the meantime we continue moving forward….On Sunday the 27th of September, we will be having our “Missionary Reception” at Calvary Chapel of Albuquerque. It will be held at The Plex from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm and we would like to invite all of you to attend and taste some typical costarrican food…We will also have a “Silent Auction” with treasures that you definitely can use at your home, however we won’t be able to accept credit cards for the auction items.
Come and enjoy this time of fellowship, sending us off to Costa Rica. God bless you for that!
This will be the start of a perfect evening…immediately after the reception there will be a concert in the park at Calvary featuring “The Lively Hearts” …Please come and enjoy.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Blue Ocean, Blue Sky
Hola Beloved of God and ours,
This week was kind of slow in the movement toward Costa Rica, which becomes challenging at times. But the Lord has a way of renewing our strength, and we saw relationships healed, our target moved, and new ideas and events.
Sometimes we seem to believe that we know what God is doing. And He is quick to let us know that we don’t! This is our story: we are now one week closer, and that is all we can say for sure. But somebody said “blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be broken”…but they will be stretched! So as of right now we are going to quit giving you exact days, times, and locations (other than Costa Rica!), and will inform you AFTER God lets us know. Our vision is clear, but the way to get there is not. From our original plans we went from Escazú to the building in San Jose. Right now we are here. That we think we know for sure! But “…tomorrow will worry about its own things, sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matt 6:34. So we continue on one day at a time.
Through what we have learned this week and searching for the Lord’s will, I just so happened to stumble on something that God helped me realize, and that I hope will be of help for you too. We (Christians) might not see God’s hand when we are waiting, and while we are waiting we do a little thing here and there. The day goes by, and we think “there goes another day” and we didn’t accomplish what God wanted us to accomplish for today. So therefore, disillusioned, we sleep. “Tomorrow’s another day” we say. “We will do our best.” Spiritually speaking, sometimes we search for purpose when “purpose” is already there. I read something this week that helped me understand this a little better –
F.B. Meyer’s book, The Best from All His Work. We complain our life is at a stand still, or that there is a type of monotony in it. But God could have chosen us to be something different than what we are. And then we would have other types of hoops to jump through…but we would still have hoops. I realized that God chooses our circumstances, and that His plan unfolds one day at a time. In the words of F.B. Meyer, “Each day He gives us the opportunity of weaving a curtain, carving a peg, fashioning the metal. We know not what we do, but at the end of our life the disjointed pieces will suddenly come together and we shall see the symmetry and beauty of the divine thought. Then we shall be satisfied.” Every little thing matters to God. In our eyes it might be insignificant, but in the eyes of God it is a puzzle coming together. It is like our friend Matthew, or our nephew Cristopher, who do and say little things that make their parents say “WOW, this is my son!”
This week was kind of slow in the movement toward Costa Rica, which becomes challenging at times. But the Lord has a way of renewing our strength, and we saw relationships healed, our target moved, and new ideas and events.
Sometimes we seem to believe that we know what God is doing. And He is quick to let us know that we don’t! This is our story: we are now one week closer, and that is all we can say for sure. But somebody said “blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be broken”…but they will be stretched! So as of right now we are going to quit giving you exact days, times, and locations (other than Costa Rica!), and will inform you AFTER God lets us know. Our vision is clear, but the way to get there is not. From our original plans we went from Escazú to the building in San Jose. Right now we are here. That we think we know for sure! But “…tomorrow will worry about its own things, sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matt 6:34. So we continue on one day at a time.
Through what we have learned this week and searching for the Lord’s will, I just so happened to stumble on something that God helped me realize, and that I hope will be of help for you too. We (Christians) might not see God’s hand when we are waiting, and while we are waiting we do a little thing here and there. The day goes by, and we think “there goes another day” and we didn’t accomplish what God wanted us to accomplish for today. So therefore, disillusioned, we sleep. “Tomorrow’s another day” we say. “We will do our best.” Spiritually speaking, sometimes we search for purpose when “purpose” is already there. I read something this week that helped me understand this a little better –
F.B. Meyer’s book, The Best from All His Work. We complain our life is at a stand still, or that there is a type of monotony in it. But God could have chosen us to be something different than what we are. And then we would have other types of hoops to jump through…but we would still have hoops. I realized that God chooses our circumstances, and that His plan unfolds one day at a time. In the words of F.B. Meyer, “Each day He gives us the opportunity of weaving a curtain, carving a peg, fashioning the metal. We know not what we do, but at the end of our life the disjointed pieces will suddenly come together and we shall see the symmetry and beauty of the divine thought. Then we shall be satisfied.” Every little thing matters to God. In our eyes it might be insignificant, but in the eyes of God it is a puzzle coming together. It is like our friend Matthew, or our nephew Cristopher, who do and say little things that make their parents say “WOW, this is my son!”
Our Father loves our outdated cuteness when we do little things that represent Him well. F.B. Meyer says that those little things are the reflection of “the character in which we have to spend eternity.”
But little details build character to make a strong faith.
Luke 16:10a “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much…”
I guess it is how much you put into something you really believe in. David practiced with a slingshot, and the Holy Spirit directed the stone that put him “on the map” in the eyes of the Israelites. Also God kept Joseph pure in thought, so at the testing hour he said “no” to the temptress.
These two examples give us an idea of how preparation takes place. It goes back to what you do with God in your time alone. I picture David sitting at the base of a tree in a beautiful green valley, meditating on his next Psalm, overlooking the sheep that he pastured. Or Joseph in jail, joyful to see a new day even in the worst of conditions, yet seeking to help those in need and honoring his Father in heaven. Neither one of them was ever able to see the whole spectrum of their lives. And I bet there were times when they thought “is this my purpose...Who am I?”
Meyer quotes:
“Oh! Where is the sea?” the fishes cried,
As they swam the crystal clearness through;
“We’ve heard from of old of the ocean’s tide,
And we long to look on the waters blue.
The wise ones speak of the infinite sea.
Oh! who can tell us if such there be?”
The lark flew up in the morning bright,
And sang and balanced on sunny wings;
And this was its song: “I see the light,
I look o’er the world of beautiful things;
But flying and singing everywhere,
In vain I have searched to find the air.”
Sometimes it is like if a star would say “what am I good for?” and the Son would answer, “To reflect me.” Still hanging from the sky, seemingly not going anywhere, it fulfills the purpose God has for it. It is like the one star that came to the other and said, “What are you doing?” “Nothing” the other said. “And what about you?” “Oh nothing” …and all this while they are continuing to shine for another thousand years.
Who are we? We are stars in the infinite sky, shining in the emptiness of night, making beautiful the heavens. We are His creation in a space of time, shining for the Son, making beautiful the end result of His grace!
Stay tuned…
We will be holding our reception at Calvary on Sunday, September 27th , time and location to be announced, but we wanted to give you a preview of coming attractions.
We would like to thank “La señora Angelina” also known as Geiner’s mom, for all her hard work in creating the typical costarrican costume featured below and modeled by our precious niece, Deilani
But little details build character to make a strong faith.
Luke 16:10a “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much…”
I guess it is how much you put into something you really believe in. David practiced with a slingshot, and the Holy Spirit directed the stone that put him “on the map” in the eyes of the Israelites. Also God kept Joseph pure in thought, so at the testing hour he said “no” to the temptress.
These two examples give us an idea of how preparation takes place. It goes back to what you do with God in your time alone. I picture David sitting at the base of a tree in a beautiful green valley, meditating on his next Psalm, overlooking the sheep that he pastured. Or Joseph in jail, joyful to see a new day even in the worst of conditions, yet seeking to help those in need and honoring his Father in heaven. Neither one of them was ever able to see the whole spectrum of their lives. And I bet there were times when they thought “is this my purpose...Who am I?”
Meyer quotes:
“Oh! Where is the sea?” the fishes cried,
As they swam the crystal clearness through;
“We’ve heard from of old of the ocean’s tide,
And we long to look on the waters blue.
The wise ones speak of the infinite sea.
Oh! who can tell us if such there be?”
The lark flew up in the morning bright,
And sang and balanced on sunny wings;
And this was its song: “I see the light,
I look o’er the world of beautiful things;
But flying and singing everywhere,
In vain I have searched to find the air.”
Sometimes it is like if a star would say “what am I good for?” and the Son would answer, “To reflect me.” Still hanging from the sky, seemingly not going anywhere, it fulfills the purpose God has for it. It is like the one star that came to the other and said, “What are you doing?” “Nothing” the other said. “And what about you?” “Oh nothing” …and all this while they are continuing to shine for another thousand years.
Who are we? We are stars in the infinite sky, shining in the emptiness of night, making beautiful the heavens. We are His creation in a space of time, shining for the Son, making beautiful the end result of His grace!
Stay tuned…
We will be holding our reception at Calvary on Sunday, September 27th , time and location to be announced, but we wanted to give you a preview of coming attractions.
We would like to thank “La señora Angelina” also known as Geiner’s mom, for all her hard work in creating the typical costarrican costume featured below and modeled by our precious niece, Deilani
Friday, August 14, 2009
Traveling in God's timing
Beloved of God and ours:We have a new friend!!!!!!!!!!! We would like you to meet Matthew our buddy…An incredible 2 year old that God is using to minister to us. Faith is not something that we can fully understand but something that happens after you have believed. It is like traveling through time and then getting there….Where??????????? Exactly!! Where??? Wherever the Lord wants to direct our obedience while we don’t fully understand. This is Matthew, who in his young age and innocence, not fully understanding what he does, yields to the Holy Spirit to do things that are unthinkable for a child his age. This precious little boy prays for us by name (Mr Geiner and Miss Denise) and knows that our mission in life is to tell people about Jesus. Also, by his own choice, he decided to donate from his “life savings” to support the ministry in Costa Rica. You see Matthew’s mom was talking about us going to Costa Rica when we had the money to do so, and he said that he had money and wanted to share with us. His mom simply gave him his piggy bank and an envelope and told him that he could choose how much to give....he busily filled it up! .This child brought tears to our eyes and gave us a new prospective on faith. See faith and time go hand in hand and even though we didn’t totally understand it, now we look back and see how much He wants to give us His best… if we only let Him sometimes, and stop swimming against the flow of the will of God!!! Then we would discover the abundance of what He is offering.
For those who know us and have seen the struggles that we have experienced in the last couple months…you know our desire to be “there” ASAP! Yet, if we had left the 30th of June like WE had planned, we wouldn’t be in the position that we are today, with a furnished house and transportation waiting for us. We also would have missed the blessing that Matthew has brought to our lives and hopefully yours. We love you, Matthew, and we thank God for you!!!
In other news...we got the house. Yes we did rent it as of the 15th of this month. All we have to bring is clothes and books. God is abundantly good!!
We are one step closer!!!!!!!!! Even though the house hasn’t sold yet, we truly believe that we are very close… there is someone interested and is trying to be approved, so lets keep our hands together, our eyes closed and our faces scrunched.
What is next? Well we are actually packing books and some clothes, the rest is being sold or given away.
What is God teaching us? We are the work of His grace, what else can we ask for??…going to Costa Rica is about Him, and His care for us is our good. It is refreshing, and it provides for certainty in what we cannot see.
What is God teaching us? We are the work of His grace, what else can we ask for??…going to Costa Rica is about Him, and His care for us is our good. It is refreshing, and it provides for certainty in what we cannot see.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
ARE WE THERE YET ????
Beloved of God and ours,
Well not yet… the word that comes to mind is “be still and know that I am God.”
While we are still, He works, and starts putting everything into place…for example:
We have had great things happening in the past week, and also some that we don't understand... First the Lord provided for a car in Costa Rica, a nice Toyota. It all started a couple of weeks ago when, by looking on Craigslist, we found a car that was being sold by an American diplomat who was preparing to return to the US. We bargained for over a week and a half. I sent my uncle to check the car, and he returned with a positive report, which allowed me to feel confident that the final price agreed upon was very reasonable. The ministry is now the proud steward of a ’96 Toyota, just waiting for us to arrive. The gentleman is a former missionary who now works with the US government in Costa Rica.
In the meantime we were also searching for a place to live, and came across two places. The first one in Heredia, 25 minutes northwest of central San José and the second one 25 minutes southwest of San José, in Escazú. Both have ties to God’s guidance. The first one we found on Craigslist, and is a cozy one bedroom cottage on a beautifully landscaped property. It just so happens that in God’s providence the man who is renting the house is from Albuquerque, and used to attend Calvary, and continues to attend when he returns for visits. His wife is Costa Rican (Tica), and they live on the same property. Sadly, they had someone interested.
The second potential apartment is in Escazú, and is owned by a couple who lives in Albuquerque. We heard about this apartment when we attended the Spanish service at Calvary and greeted a new attendee, the owner, who recognized us from our Global Adventures profile. She explained that she is from El Salvador, and her husband was in Escazú that very day. They were attempting to bring their rent within our budget, since things are very expensive in Escazú.
About two weeks have passed and we are still looking. In the back of our minds we thought about the quiet little cottage in the foothills of Heredia, and before we knew it we received an email from the owner, saying that it was still available, and asking if we were still interested. Once again, one of my uncle’s will be visiting them on Saturday to see the little house.
On a different note…we received a call yesterday about the house here in Albuquerque, where basically we were informed that we need to lower the price yet another time, from $149,900 to $141,977, because the market has dropped, which is no surprise for some of you who have gone through the same thing.
Any way, we are trusting in our God, and we are putting into practice the "be still and know that I AM God" verse..."still" takes other meanings at this time, but we ask to please pray, since a couple is interested, and actually praying about buying our house and we might know more after Monday.
The LORD is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake. (Ps 23:1-3)
Under His mercy and grace,
geiner and denise
Well not yet… the word that comes to mind is “be still and know that I am God.”
While we are still, He works, and starts putting everything into place…for example:
We have had great things happening in the past week, and also some that we don't understand... First the Lord provided for a car in Costa Rica, a nice Toyota. It all started a couple of weeks ago when, by looking on Craigslist, we found a car that was being sold by an American diplomat who was preparing to return to the US. We bargained for over a week and a half. I sent my uncle to check the car, and he returned with a positive report, which allowed me to feel confident that the final price agreed upon was very reasonable. The ministry is now the proud steward of a ’96 Toyota, just waiting for us to arrive. The gentleman is a former missionary who now works with the US government in Costa Rica.
In the meantime we were also searching for a place to live, and came across two places. The first one in Heredia, 25 minutes northwest of central San José and the second one 25 minutes southwest of San José, in Escazú. Both have ties to God’s guidance. The first one we found on Craigslist, and is a cozy one bedroom cottage on a beautifully landscaped property. It just so happens that in God’s providence the man who is renting the house is from Albuquerque, and used to attend Calvary, and continues to attend when he returns for visits. His wife is Costa Rican (Tica), and they live on the same property. Sadly, they had someone interested.
The second potential apartment is in Escazú, and is owned by a couple who lives in Albuquerque. We heard about this apartment when we attended the Spanish service at Calvary and greeted a new attendee, the owner, who recognized us from our Global Adventures profile. She explained that she is from El Salvador, and her husband was in Escazú that very day. They were attempting to bring their rent within our budget, since things are very expensive in Escazú.
About two weeks have passed and we are still looking. In the back of our minds we thought about the quiet little cottage in the foothills of Heredia, and before we knew it we received an email from the owner, saying that it was still available, and asking if we were still interested. Once again, one of my uncle’s will be visiting them on Saturday to see the little house.
On a different note…we received a call yesterday about the house here in Albuquerque, where basically we were informed that we need to lower the price yet another time, from $149,900 to $141,977, because the market has dropped, which is no surprise for some of you who have gone through the same thing.
Any way, we are trusting in our God, and we are putting into practice the "be still and know that I AM God" verse..."still" takes other meanings at this time, but we ask to please pray, since a couple is interested, and actually praying about buying our house and we might know more after Monday.
The LORD is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake. (Ps 23:1-3)
Under His mercy and grace,
geiner and denise
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