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.
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.
"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
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.
