Journal Entry for May 13, 2001

Our Commissioning

Our home church, Cannon United Methodist Church (website in the "Links" page) had a BEAUTIFUL commissioning service for us during our semester break.  It was well attended by family and friends and everyone from church.  There were 5 members of the clergy in participation as well, most of whom played important roles in our answering God's call to become missionaries.  It was truly a special day.  After the Sending Forth, the pastor invited family, friends, and members of our Sunday School class to lay hands on us and pray for our ministry.  Being wrapped in so much prayer was an AWESOME experience!    After the service, the Missions Team sponsored a very nice reception in the fellowship hall where we all had a chance to mingle and chat.  It was truly a day that we will never forget.

Language School Update

Well, we survived our first semester - and both made A's, gracias a Dios (thanks be to God)!  We also both did well on the Oral Proficiency Tests and were promoted to the next level.  While we are both learning SO MUCH about our new "language of the heart", fluency still seems a long way off.  It's like so many things in life - the more you learn about a subject - the more you realize what you DON'T know.  However, as Paul tells the congregation at Philippi "..being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Christ." (Philippians 1:6).  

We started our second semester this week, and are excited about getting back into the swing of things.  We are taking the FARO program, which involves getting out into the community with a topic for discussion each week and conversing with 7 or 8 Costa Ricans on our "route".  It is a great way to improve our conversation skills, and to help us overcome the natural reluctance to talk in our new language.  It will also give us expanded opportunities to share our testimony.  For those who have read the "Prayer of Jabez", it is an answer to our prayer for the Lord to "enlarge our territory".

Spiritual Happenings

 We have gotten involved in the Emmaus community at our church.  "Walk to Emmaus" is a discipleship retreat that started in the Hispanic church and now has members all over the world.  Each month there is a "gathering" of people who have been on the retreat.  At the April gathering we were asked to tell how our Emmaus Walk impacted our lives as Christians, in Spanish of course!  It was a wonderful opportunity to share our faith among members of the local church.  We will be doing a lot more with the group.

The end of March we went on a Couples Retreat at the Methodist Center in the town of Alejuela, and had a wonderful time of worship and reflection.  There is a beautiful little Methodist Church there called The Messiah Methodist Church. 

Mission Activities

We have been doing some mission work with Nicaraguans in a slum area called Carpio.  This is a "squatter" village located in an old mine pit northwest of San Jose.  A Costa Rican pastor is building a church there and we have been able to help with the construction and play with the children.  Ed was able to use his background in sanitation and civil engineering to design a septic system. 

We are also helping Dina Perez, one of the teachers from our school, who works with men and boys in a drug and alcohol rehabilitation half-way house in Managua, Nicaragua.  The people of Nicaragua LOVE baseball.  Dina asked if we could collect used baseball equipment at our church while we were there for our Commissioning.  True to form with our home church, Cannon United Methodist, we got a great response - 9 duffle bags of equipment weighing nearly 400 pounds!  Dina and her husband, Jose were overwhelmed!  We hope to get some pictures when they take all the gear to Nicaragua.

Prayer Requests

1. We ask for your prayers for language acquisition.

2. We ask for your prayers that we will BOLDLY proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ at all opportunities.

3. Please pray that we will each have a national friend when we get to Paraguay.  We ask that God will make ready the hearts of two special nationals.

4. Pray for the health and safety of all the students here at the Institute.

5. Pray for the family of Veronica and Chastity Bowers, the mother and daughter who were killed in the missionary airplane in Peru.  Pray that doors will continue to be opened for the mission team as a result of this tragedy and that more people will hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  (The Bowers family were students here at the school and have friends in the student body and among the teachers).

Photos of the Month

(We replaced our stolen digital camera while we were in the US and hope to have a wider variety of photos next month)

El Mesias Methodist Church in downtown Alejuela

Fellow students at the couples retreat

Yours truly in a beautiful garden at the Alejuela Cathedral

Donated baseball equipment bound for Nicaragua.