Hey everyone! A lot has happened since my last update. We
are coming to a close of another GAP year as the students have two weeks left
here in Costa Rica. We just finished a tough week of Bible class going through
the book of Ephesians. It has been awesome to see the students’ responses as
they process what they have learned and how they have changed over these last 8
months. It has been a year of challenges and growth for many of the students,
and it has been great to see God working in so many ways in and through their
lives.
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| Our GAP Class of 2017 |
Second
semester started out with some amazing weeks at camp with our ministries! Our
first week included 40+ kids from ages 7-12. It was a crazy awesome time with
our kids from Tirrases with Bible lessons, songs, games and a whole lot of pool
time. All of the kids were split into two teams for the week. I, along with
another one of our church leaders, was a captain of the team “Intensos”. I also
had the opportunity to be the counselor for half of the boys. It was an awesome
opportunity to spend tons of quality time with the kids, getting to know them
better and pouring into their lives. I was with the boys day and night for the
5 days at camp, giving them the love and discipline that many of them do not
receive in their homes. Looking back, I never would have imagined myself in
this challenging yet so rewarding position, but I have loved every second of it
and always look forward to serving these kids. The following week was another 5
days of camp, this time with the youth group. This week is more of a
conference, with much more Bible time. This year we joined with the youth group
from the town of Los Guido. Again, this was an amazing opportunity to spend
time with and get to know the youth from our church better. I am so thankful
for the opportunities we all had as leaders to pour into the kids and youth
from these towns, and to see the growth that God has brought throughout the
years. It has also been cool to see the growth within myself as they continue
to challenge and pour back into me as well.
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| Teens and staff for second week of camp |
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| My cabin for first week of camp |
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| Kids and staff for first week of camp |
In
March, Jairo (The pastor from our church in Tirrases) and I were invited to
attend the Calvary Monument Bible Church missions conference in Lancaster, PA. It was a great opportunity to
be able to share all that God is doing here in our church plant as it continues
to grow. It was also an awesome opportunity to get to know people from the
church and to hear more about what God is doing all around the world. Everyone
was so welcoming and organised, and there was never a dull moment with all that
they had planned for us. It was great to see Jairo experience Lancaster County
for the first time, as that has been one of his biggest dreams for a while. It
was a fun week of firsts for him with seeing it snow, experiencing the Amish,
eating a cheese steak, and so much more.
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| First time seeing snow |
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| Jairo and I had a great time being able to hangout with my family during the missions conference |
Things
with Samantha and I are going great! There are only 81 days left until the
wedding, and we are so excited! It has been awesome being able to do ministry
together this year, and we are looking forward to continue the calling that God
has given us down here in Costa Rica together. On Saturday we signed the
contract for the apartment we will be moving into in August. This place is a
huge answer to prayer as it is close to our base, in a very safe location, the
perfect size for us, and just a nice place in general. We are very excited to
begin the move in process and to have a place to come back to when we return
after the wedding.
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| Sami and I at one of our friends weddings |
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| Samantha and I in Nicaragua |
Prayer Requests:
Please pray for us as we begin the process of renting our
first home. If anyone would like to help us out financially in this new
step of life with the house or would like to jump on our team and become
monthly supporters that would be a huge blessing to us!
Also please pray for us all as we finish this last month of
GAP. It can be a hard time for many of the students and staff as they begin to
think about goodbyes and transitions to come. Everyone wishes to end the year
strong so pray for perseverance over these last weeks of class and ministry.
Big thanks to all of you who continue to give faithfully to the work that God has called me to in Costa Rica. If you would like to learn more or would like to join our support team you can
click here. Score International Webpage.
