new opportunities to teach

 Recently, we have had new opportunities to teach in different groups with new people. The photo above was taken in another women's Bible study in the Isla. I spoke of how to "suffer like Christ" which God put on my heart, as many of these women are hurting in some way in their lives or have suffered in the past. It was a great time and we were able to connect with a few more women in the neighborhood.

I've been studying a little Portuguese recently because I would love to be able to speak three languages. Lucky for me, I had the chance to practice with the VERY little that I know when a group of Brazilians came to learn more about making disciples in Sao Paolo and its suburbs. These friends were so much fun and I taught them about the childhood of Christ, focusing mostly on Mary's faithfulness in God's calling. What I would do to visit these ladies one day! It was a privileged to spend time with them. 

poas volcano

Chino and I went to the Poas Volcano a few weeks ago to get out of the city and breathe. We got to hike a little and get some great photos of the volcano!

It's days like these that I remember I'm in another country! haha It reminds me of Psalm 98:7-9 "Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy let them sing before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity."

rainy season craziness

For those of you who are unaware, Costa Rica has a rainy season and dry season. Which means that in past few months, we have had rain almost every day. Exhibit A:

It has been tiresome at times, but this year we had some new visitors come indoors, looking to take refuge. SNAILS galore, which is so gross...and these friends...

They're super fast and, therefore, impossible to catch! It's the price we pay to have dry season, and thank the LORD it's practically over!! Woohoo!

big lessons from small people

This week, one of our Bible Study member's daughters wanted to teach us from God's Word. With her mother's help, she gave us a great devotional and was so proud of her accomplishment. One could see that she suddenly felt like she was a necessary, important part of the Bible study. I'm often reminded that Jesus was flexible in His ministry. He wasn't so focused on the task at hand, that he couldn't see opportunities to touch "the least of these." He could see the heart and know when to stop and impact lives along the way. Yesterday, as this precious friend taught our group, I remembered and was thankful that we weren't so focused on our normal study and schedule to pass up the privilege to let God move and receive His blessing. 

Last month, we had the opportunity to share in a wedding for Paola, a young lady whose family has been part of our Bible study for years now. It was great to help her connect with a lawyer friend of ours who did the ceremony and to share life with such a special family. Paola has had a tough life, but she continues to try to know God more and serve Him. Below is a photo of Paola and her husband, as well as a photo of the extended family, all with whom we have had the chance to share Christ's love. It's neat to see how special this family has become to us.

 

ladies on the move..

As maybe you can remember, before we served in the Isla, we were working with ladies in a shanty town that is called a "precario" here in Costa Rica. As God opened doors in the Isla and closed various doors in the precario, it was a natural process to focus our ministry on the Isla. Although we left the precario, we've continued to pray that God would use the ladies of the Isla to outreach to their neighbors (down the hill) at the precario.AND IT HAPPENED! The ladies of the precario asked us to come and share a Bible study. Carol, from our study, taught and challenged the ladies through God's Word. We had 25 women and children altogether and we're excited to see our prayers answered and that God has not forgotten! He continues to work in the lives of both neighborhoods and we can't wait to see what that means in the future!

Dia de la Madre

 August 15th is Mother's Day here in Costa Rica and it's a BIG deal. Every year we have a little get together to thank the ladies for being a part of our group all year long. This year we had the opportunity to have the party at the International Teams/Sonlife facility. We combined a fun party with a relaxing retreat.

 All together we had around 20 ladies and 20 kids, all excited to go to a completely new town in Costa Rica where no one had ever visit before.

 The kids had a blast, learning even more about their Heavenly Father and playing games.

 One of our youth taught about how we can't earn God's love but we love HIM because HE first loved us!

 Together, we celebrated the year together and enjoyed amazing food and fellowship.

 It was fun to see the ladies enjoy being out of the routine and in a new environment.

Michelle Montenegro, another missionary helped out with the teaching. She talked about how Jesus chose women to be part of his multiplication movement and encouraged the ladies to be an active part of what He's doing. Afterwards, the ladies had worship and went outside to spend time alone with the Lord. It was such a blessing for us and for the ladies, as we pray that they continue to see Christ's love through our actions!