Catching Up!

Ladies and gentlemen, the time has flown by and we have neglected to keep up with our communication via this blog. There is so much that has been happening here in San Pedro since our last entry, that it will be hard to share EVERYTHING that the Lord has been doing. So this is a feeble attempt.

We hear this same thing from so many of our fellow missionaries…which actually blesses us to know that the Lord has been keeping them busy as well, and not having the time to update is not always a sign of neglect, but more an indication of the fast pace in which the Lord is moving in the ministry.

That is what is happening here…to His praise and glory. So here we go…let’s go for a ride through these last couple of months to see if we can do them justice.

I guess we left off with the aftermath of the visit from our Vertical peeps. Ven y Ve, the youth group launched by their visit and outreach, has been growing. We see young people appreciating that they have somewhere to go for fellowship…to play some games, hear the Word, have questions answered, and have a meal together. They have some amazing questions…May God give us the wisdom and guidance to answer them in a way that will allow them to know their Father, and be molded to the image of His Son. We have also been given an open door in the high school that is located right behind the church. Our prayer is that more and more young ones will come to know and trust us, and “Come and See (Ven y Ve)” what we are all about.


We also had the privilege of celebrating our first anniversary! Calvary Chapel San Pedro held its first service on Sunday August 29th, 2010. Thank You, Lord, for the opportunity to watch this congregation grow in their faith and their knowledge of God’s Word.


We are located in the midst of five universities and many language schools. As we see more and more English speakers in this area of Costa Rica, we identified the need to reach out and offer a more contemporary venue for worship and study of the Word in English. When we were given the opportunity to start Calvary Chapel in an existing English-speaking church called San Pedro Christian Fellowship, and Geiner was then asked to preach for them as well, we began to consider ourselves a bilingual church. The structure of SPCF’s service is very traditional, and serves well the senior saints who have been attending over the years. But we also realized that reaching out to a younger crowd would require something different. So on August 24th we began our contemporary English service later in the afternoon. The Lord is continuing to guide and direct our steps with this service, and it is a work-in-progress.

It is always wonderful to welcome family and friends, and the beginning of October gave us a chance to do just that. On October 1st a team from Calvary of Albuquerque arrived ready to serve. It was so wonderful to serve alongside “family” from Albuquerque (some that we have known for years, and some we had just met). Our relationship with the high school behind the church was strengthened because of the hard work and exemplary service of an amazing team of people.

We also spent some quality time ministering to the women at Hogares Crea (a voluntary rehab), both with some manual labor, and some time in the Word. These women heard a gospel message, received some much needed personal items, and thanks to Priscilla, who also gave the message, some of the women were able to get a professional hair cut as well.

Then to top off the power-packed week… (Yes unfortunately they were only able to spend a week with us)…we were able to help out two women in the congregation who needed some help with painting and a small construction project.
Before in the back room:
and after in the front room...and she gets to see the transformation.

In the words of the group leader, James “Would you like to know the best part of it all? God was totally given all the glory by every recipient!!!!!! They didn't see us but God who sent us!! They didn't see us but God who sent all the things they needed!! His name was exalted not ours!!” We could not have said it better! Thank you all for your willingness to serve our good God by serving brothers and sisters in Costa Rica in His name.

Since the team left we have seen growth in Ven y Ve, our youth ministry, and the Lord has sent much-needed servants. We continue to pray for workers, and are thrilled to announce the approval of the next Global Adventures’ missionary, Kelly Shannon, who will be coming down to serve alongside us early next year.

Please pray for her as she obeys the calling she knows the Lord has had on her life for quite some time now.

We hope this has not been too overwhelming…there is so much power-packed between these lines, and this gives you just a glimpse of what the Lord has been doing lately in this little corner of Costa Rica.

Thank you all for your continuing prayers and support. We love serving our God with so many dedicated brothers and sisters alongside.

"Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen" Ephesians 3:20-21

Fruit - Gotta Love It!

We miss those young ones terribly, but they have left their mark on Costa Rica. We continue to see the fruit of their visit. It is such a blessing when someone comes to church with a green flyer in their hand. It reminds us of our walks in the neighborhoods and the universities handing them out, accompanied by our dear friends from Albuquerque.


Ven y Ve, the youth group launched by the roller skating outreach (see previous post)met two Saturdays ago and enjoyed a sweet time of fellowship with Alina, Christina, and Estefan, including an intro to Ven y Ve - who we are, and what the Lord has placed on our hearts. Then we played some games, ate some pizza, and watched “Letters to God”. If you haven’t seen that movie, please treat yourself. It is inspirational and encouraging. After the movie we spent some time talking about our favorite part of the movie and why.


We met again last Saturday and welcomed some new friends to the fellowship. We enjoyed some games and especially one which led into a message from Nathan about the bible and its integrity and relevance. We played the “whisper down the lane” game to point out how difficult it is to pass a message along without losing the true meaning.




We look forward to sharing what the Lord is doing inVen y Ve, as we reach out to the younger crowd.

On another note, we are stepping out in faith this weekend with an additional service at 3:00 in the afternoon. Since we have found more people speaking English on our ventures, who are looking for an environment where they can practice their English while receiving the Word of God...we are adding the contemporary English service at 3:00 p.m. while continuing to serve at the traditional English service at 11:00 a.m. with San Pedro Christian Fellowship.
This week we have been handing out these flyers...let's see what the Lord has in store! Please pray for the Lord’s guidance and direction for this new service.
"...faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" Romans 10:17

19 Blessings!

This is an attempt to share events from the recent visit by a team of bold, hearts-on-fire-for-Christ, young adults from Vertical – the high school ministry at Calvary of Albuquerque. I say “attempt” because it is hard to describe in words the most incredible blessing bestowed upon us by our heavenly Father in the form of this team. We know this ministry was deeply impacted by the enthusiasm and energy displayed in sharing the gospel, overcoming language barriers, and the out-pouring of sincere compassion shared by each member.

Our first week together was spent ministering to the children in Los Guizaros de Patarra




and coming alongside other Calvary missionaries south of San Jose, with evangelism and invitations to church.


We were also able to enjoy some time at the beach, and experience the beauty of Costa Rica. We found favor with the weather, and were not plagued by too much rain, even though rainy season is in full swing. We even celebrated the Lord's Supper at sunset in Quepos (even though the sun was hiding behind the clouds).


Then came the surprise of all surprises…a good friend of the ministry from Calvary Chapel Philadelphia blessed the entire team with surfing lessons and lunch on the beach! What a way to enjoy some R&R after a full schedule of ministry.





Love to see God in control. In Dominical we arrived with the full intention of hitting the streets to evangelize, but it was raining so hard that we couldn’t leave. So instead we spent some time with the Lord in praise, worship, and prayer, and then sure enough, the rain stopped and we could hit the streets fully immersed in His love and direction. Oh how He loves us so!





We continued to see God in control throughout this time. He opened doors we never could have imagined, and the gospel was preached in the city, in the rural areas, on the campuses, and in the streets and parks. The boldness of this group made it possible to speak to everyone about Jesus, His amazing love for them, and His wanting to be the Lord of their lives. The team performed some powerful dramas, in silence so language was not an issue.



Week two began with street witnessing right in the center of San Jose in Parque Central…in the rain! We were told we could not perform music or dramas that would draw a crowd, but that we could walk around and talk with people in teams. Well, the rain caused people to gather under the gazebo in the center of the park…and there we were also, playing music, preaching, and handing out tracts and info about the church. So we couldn’t cause people to congregate, but God (I just love that phrase “but God”!) could!
The neighborhoods around San Pedro were visited with boldness, and many received information about Calvary Chapel San Pedro either by hand or in their doorways.




We also visited the campuses around the church, which included UCR (University of Costa Rica). They proved to be our most challenging. But the team did not back down. They performed their dramas, and played music in front of the library, while many walked around and shared with the students congregated. Some were received gladly, and some were ignored. But seeds were planted, and we rely on our heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit to produce the harvest.





We were quick to share from the very beginning that we had the two weeks all planned out, but the Lord absolutely had editing rites...and the editing He performed was truly amazing. About a week before the team arrived, we were walking around San Pedro looking for a venue to hold an event…an outreach for the team to take part in. Well we found ourselves in front of a very popular roller skating rink just across from the San Pedro Mall. The door was open, so we walked in and inquired about renting the rink for an event. BINGO…there it was…the means to reach out to the young folks in San Pedro and offer them an alternative to the madness they encounter every day…even if only for a few hours.

Once the team was here we started planning for the event, and the Lord placed it on our hearts to visit the local high school right behind the church to see if we could invite the students. Not only were we given permission to invite them, but given an open door to visit each classroom and personally invite the class. So here we go…the entire team…into the high school to perform the Chicken Skit, and invite the students to the first event hosted by Ven y Ve, our youth group being launched by this skating event!!! Wow, how good is our God?! And not only were we encouraged to enter each class, but we were given the opportunity to have an outreach in the school gym with the English classes, to allow the students to practice their English, with no limits on the topics for the conversation.

The event was a complete blast…close to 300 high school students attended. They skated to Christian music, saw the skits performed, and heard the gospel preached by Jesse and Geiner…and we saw several of them make professions of faith in Jesus Christ!!!



The following day we gathered in the school gym for worship (in English of course), conversation in small groups, and an impromptu soccer game.



We are truly in awe of our faithful God, and how He uses each one of us, as long as we make ourselves available. He used the Vertical team mightily, and we will never be the same. Each and every member of the team left a heart-print on us, and on Costa Rica. They are welcome back any time, and we miss them terribly. We thank God for His gift of the time we spent with them, and look forward to what He has planned for the aftermath. To Him be the glory. Amen!