November Update

This month I stopped to reflect on what is truly important. There are many disappointments in life, but we need to look at the blessings and promises that God has given us abundantly. No matter who is President, Jesus is King!

Rio Celeste

What a beautiful month it has been in Costa Rica. The rainy season has been very light this year letting us do some extra work outside. Our school has branched out to another town and we are now excited to have two different buildings so we can reach out to more people. God is so good! This past month we had an English student who was failing all of his high school classes. His parents didn’t know what to do with him so they asked Cornelio to help their son. Cornelio did a 2 week challenge to encourage him to study, not listen to heavy metal music, and most of all to honor his parents in what they tell him to do. He took on the challenge... and passed all his tests at school! His parents told us that they have even noticed a change in him personally. To God be the Glory!

Handing out graduation certificates to our students!

Cornelio has been giving work to one of our neighbors who is looking for a better life for he and his daughter. He is fighting his addictions to smoking, drugs, and alcohol. Cornelio has been counseling him as they work together and it is amazing to watch how this young man absorbs everything and takes action. He has come with us to soccer games and is trying to get involved in regular life again. Last week he accepted our invitation to go to church with us! God is doing great things and we are excited to be a part of whatever he has planned!

 

1 Samuel 12:24  But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you.

God Bless,

Cornelio and Cailene

PRAISE THE LORD THERE WAS NO HOUSE-FIRE!

Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ- Ephesians 5:20

Fried Motherboard

Praise the Lord there was no fire! All damage done was repairable. The local government required that all meter boxes on the homes needed to be moved from the house to the street for easier reading. The unexpected 220 volt of electricity shot through their home, and fried many things. Because most things were connected to surge protectors which absorbed most of the shock, replacing the surge protectors was an easy fix. However the security gate and the refrigerator mother boards were fried.

Living by faith, finding joy in adversity!

While waiting for replacement parts, Cailene and Cornelio were without a refrigerator for four days. The food stored in the fridge needed to be discarded.  With the high heat and humidity in Costa Rica, daily meal preparation was an obstacle. Cleaning out the fridge and needing to start over again is just a reminder of how each day brings unexpected surprises and challenges. God is the source of our strength and hope. He continues to provide for all needs.

Cornelio fixing the security gate

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you;  Joshua 1:9

The word "Selah" in Hebrew means to pause, wait, listen.

 But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

Praises reports:

• There was no electrical fire.
• Donations were made to help cover replacement costs.

Prayer requests:

• Cornelio and Cailene complete their plans and preparations for coming to the States in December.
  

• Pray they have opportunities to share what God is doing in Costa Rica with other small groups and supporters.

  

Reaching out to four different towns

     This past month has been filled with many community activities.  In Costa Rica Mother’s Day is celebrated in July.  Cornelio and I were invited to play music for the local elementary school Mother’s Day dinner.  He played the guitar and I played the saxophone. It was a great opportunity to get to know more people from our town; Palmichal.

     In September Cornelio was invited to help with a fund raiser run. The fund raiser was to gather money for this town’s community hall and to improve their cemetery. It was held in Grifo Bajo; a small town of about 200 people. There were about 35 runners and Cornelio accompanied them on his bicycle in case they needed medical help or assistance. The terrain was difficult and Cornelio had to carry his bicycle on his shoulder to get past some of the rough spots. It was nice to be asked to participate. It was a good experience to volunteer in another town. The community was so appreciative!!  That’s being the hands and feet of Jesus to come along side and assist where needed.

                                                     Cornelio is the one on the left.

     September 15 is Independence Day for Costa Rica. Cornelio was invited to be one of the announcers for the Tabarcia Independence Day community gathering. He and some of his acting friends did the announcing and introductions. It was done with humor and small skits. I managed our sound system and music while Cornelio and his friends entertained the crowd. There were over 1,000 people who attended. We felt honored to be asked to be part of this big event.
 

     Soccer is the main sport here, so Cornelio started coaching a girl’s soccer team. I am part of the team. He works on improving our skills as well as developing unity. This gives us the opportunity to work with girls in the neighboring towns to further our outreach. Cornelio is a good coach and encourager. We are now in a competition that finishes in November!! Cornelio has been teaching good sportsmanship and how to glorify God in everything, win or lose. All of the girls participate in the prayer before the game, have agreed to have no foul language or gestures and most of them don’t go to church!!! The attitudes and sportsmanship is amazingly different than when we started. God is so good and is honored on the soccer field!!

Logan's Visit

One of my very good friends, Logan, came to visit me in Costa Rica for three months!! This is what she wrote about one of the days here!!


Today became one of my favorite days in Costa Rica.
It wasn't because of a beautiful sunset, beach, zipline, or even a great game of soccer. It was because of God's hand in the day, the quality people people we spent time with, and the clear passion God's placed in peoples hearts. These are all a bit vague, so let me explain what today looked like and reasons why it was awesome.

What today looked like:
We went to a church in San Jose today. One special thing about this church is that it's completely in Sign (Lesco- Costa Rican Sign Language). So, it attracts mostly deaf members. Cornelio, Cailene, and I heard about it through our friends Isaac and Heidi, because THEY have friends that also know sign and go to this church.

There is one boy who is deaf that attends la Iglesia Vida Nueva. We really wanted to share this experience with him. From what I've heard and seen, there is not a lot of deaf exposure...if any at all. So, a church full of signers was a completely new experience.

The church building was small. There were people sitting outside and peeking through windows, yet we were ushered to a few open seats in the front. The leaders commented on all the new faces and asked us to introduce ourselves. I had the honor of introducing my friends in Sign.

The sermon was fantastic! It was also the only one I've been able to understand for the past 3 months! One of our new friends interpreted the sermon so we could all understand it.

We all enjoyed lunch together and shared stories about our passions, visions, and how we got to this point. This is a personal opinion...but the unity and fellowship that people who follow Jesus share is beautiful. It is amazing. Spending the day talking with these people and hearing their passion has left me excited to pursue my own God given goals. That is a prime example of the importance of fellowship, to encourage one another in our walks with God.

After lunch we drove back home. Immediately after closing the car door, Luis started practicing and reciting "the 5 things to remember in prayer."
1.) Tell God how wonderful He is. Adore God. Worship Him first.
2.) Confess your sins. Specifically..not vaguely.
3.) Thank God (for both the blessings and the challenges).
4.) Intercession, pray for other people
5.) Pray for yourself.

Not only did he understand the lesson, but he remembered it. Granted, the pastor repeated it multiple times by chosing volunteers (Including myself!) to come to the front and recite the 5 parts of prayer. After all the repitition, who could forget it?!

Once we arrived at Luis's house, he shared the lesson with his parents. We all chatted over coffee and delicious bread. While backing out of the drive way and waving goodbye, Luis pointed and signed, "You're cool! You're cool! Bye!!" It was in Lesco..but from the context of the sign in past conversations...I'm pretty sure that's what it meant.

I was soaking in the fact that we just conversed in 3 languages in one day.

Happy Fathers Day!!

Thank you Fathers for being more than "a man with a child". Being a Father is a very intentional act, and we want to thank you for it!

The church hosted a breakfast for the fathers of the church in the morning. During the service we honored them through prayer and a song dedicated for them. It was beautiful to see the Fathers surrounded by the wives and children. 

There was one story that very unique that day. There is one woman in the church that has faithfully attended Vida Nueva for the full 3 years it's been established. She was there when we were sitting on paint buckets under a tree. But, this Sunday was the first time her husband joined the family for the service. The service seemed to really touch this man's heart. Having all three children hug him, and having the wife pray for him with the whole church in agreement was a very special moment. After the service, while talking with this woman, she mentioned being very encouraged. Hopefully her husband will continue to attend church with the family.