It can be lonely down here!

All the Ticos (Costa Ricans) are doing Christmas stuff and obviously our family and friends in the U.S. are too as the emails are getting scarce. Our neighborhood is quiet and our days are long. Just like at your house, for these two weeks life revolves around Christmas and New Years (which is a bigger celebration in Costa Rica than in the States).

We have lots of parties and special things at church to attend but they are almost all over and families are gathering to celebrate in their own way. MKs are back from the U.S. - some bringing friends. So those missionary families with children on the field or unmarried have a house full and are delighted.

Some of us without family visitors are getting together Christmas Day to eat and remember the birth of our Lord, but until then - it can be lonely down here!!

Christmas Thoughts

This time of year prompts varying attitudes. Some people are caught up in the joy of the season. Others feel depressed. For some, Christmas is a time of remembering...nostalgia, or longing for separated loved ones. Just a few days ago as we were visiting a family in a small town, an older daughter in the family mentioned that she didn't like Christmas. I was hesitant to ask why, but did anyway. Her response was sad. She cited the fact that they were poor and didn't have decorations or presents. She wasn't hinting or anything like that...just stating a fact. It made me sad too, for her. Her mother, with a smile, said, "Maybe it will be better next year." I am torn between being sad for those whose Christmas won't be what they would like and rejoicing in the "reason for the season."
Costa Ricans do decorate. There are lights, Christmas trees, and plenty of Christmas decor in the stores. It's a big deal...just like in the states. Choirs are singing in the malls, there is Christmas music on the radio.
I'm not sure which is worse...the cultural "Christianity" of Latin America or the growing secularist attitude of the states. (Can you believe "Holiday" trees?) A couple of things come to mind: First, it doesn't matter how much you use the name of God or talk about Jesus, if you don't know Him personally, it's only knowledge by reputation. Secondly, no matter how much you try to obliterate His name from the public forum, He still is and will be Lord forever.

Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for Foreign Missions

The old joke is about the guy who asked, "Who is that Lottie Moon anyway? Every year we take a special offering for her." And of course often we talk about the "Lottie Moon Offering" as if everyone knew what it is all about. Well, most Southern Baptists do know, but then, all of you aren't Southern Baptists, are you? Suffice it to say that Lottie Moon was a missionary to China many years ago and the Baptist annual offering for foreign missions is named after her. This annual offering comes around at Christmas time and is a vital part of supporting us Baptist missionaries.

Many missionaries, maybe most, have to raise support to live on the mission field. Our method is different. Southern Baptist missionaries are supported by the offerings of thousands of churches who freely send their offerings to the International Mission Board, who administers the funds. It is a method that has served missions well for many years. There are approximately 5,000 IMB missionaries on the field at this time and the number is growing.

For those of you who are Baptists and give annually, some sacrificially, to the missions offering, thank you. Your giving makes our work possible. For the sake of the kingdom, pray earnestly about your gift this year. Many have given to disaster relief after Katrina, and that is good, but there is still work to be done all over the world to reach the lost.

Huecos and life

Mitzi and I made a quick trip to Liberia, Santa Cruz, and Nicoya to visit some pastors who had helped with the work in those areas. Left Friday, returned on Saturday. As you may know, the roads in Costa Rica are notoriously bad, but the roads toward Liberia are especially bad. It's not that they aren't paved. In fact, it might be better if they weren't. The problem is the huecos. Huecos are ugly cousins of chug holes, which are kin to pot holes. The trouble with huecos is that they are generally found in bunches, where chug holes tend to be more isolated. And huecos aren't like pot holes in a dirt road. Pot holes can be worn down and have smooth edges. Not huecos. These babies are sharp-edged and often deep. These demons can rip a tire right off the rim.
As we drove along, at times swerving crazily to try and miss the huecos, an analogy came to me. Driving along these roads is a lot like living life.
For one thing, much of the road is shaded by overhanging tree limbs. The mottled shadows on the road obscure your vison and make it hard to spot the huecos because they tend to lurk in the darkness and wait for you to fall into them. Most of our problems in life are unexpected. Although...at a couple of places there are warning signs. The signs say, "Caratera en mal estado," (Road in bad condition.) Interestingly, the signs are not temporary, but permanent, worn and rusty...(Does this tell you anything?) Maybe because these signs have been there so long, because they are old, because they aren't new and shiny, glitzy or sparkly, they just get ignored. (The Bible?) Some things are just going to be there. Be warned.
I discovered there are various ways to handle the huecos. One way is to follow closely the cars in front of you. Just do what they do. Problem here is that you will hit the same huecos they hit. Another method is to lay back a little and watch the car ahead. If he hits a hueco, take a different track. (Some say if you just go fast enough, you will fly over the huecos and the ride will actually be smoother....hmmm, I don't think so.) Based on my own research, I think the experience of others is helpful, but keeping a close eye on the road and your hands on the wheel is a good tactic. You can't just stop. You have to keep going, but to ignore the menacing huecos in the road would be foolhardy, not to mention dangerous and expensive.
Another challenging element of journeying through hueco country is that they aren't consistent. The road is smooth for a while, then, wham, here they are again...no warning, no leading up to them...You are just suddenly in huecolandia again. Often as you are leaving a huecoous area, you meet cars approaching,usually at a rapid pace. The thought comes,"Wow! They better slow down. They're going to hit those huecos too fast and tear up their car." Once we saw a shiny, surely new, Porsche RUV coming. I hoped he wouldn't tear up his nice expensive car. We briefly debated whether the huecos would do damage to a car that expensive or if a car that expensive should be able to withstand the shock of the huecos. Don't know the answer to that, but I suspect that huecos will tear up any car if hit without care. Would have been nice to have been able to warn all the oncoming cars of the danger ahead.
That's kind of a part of what we want to do. Life is full of dangerous huecos. You're going to hit some of them, but many can be avoided with care and proper warning. We want to help people and give them a warning sign and some instructions...albeit a sign that many see as old, rusted, out of date, and irrelevant. But properly heeded, that sign can help us avoid many of the huecos of life.

Preaching at Cañas

Last Sunday I had the opportunity to preach at the "Iglesia Monte Hobeb Quiterrizí. It was a delightful experience. The church is made up of indigenous (what we might call "indian"...native Costa Ricans) residents of a reservation. We encountered the pastor a few weeks ago as we were distributing the Gospel of John with a volunteer group from the U.S. He was extremely friendly and wanted my name and phone number. Little did I know that he was going to ask me to preach in his church. No. It's not a Baptist church. Actually, it's Church of God. The congregation numbered around 30, at least half children. Their worship style was pretty much what we would call charasmatic. Mitzi and were familiar with the songs, although we don't know them without a song book or sheet...and we couldn't quite get the words as they sang them...partly because it was Spanish, but mostly because there were so many different keys being sung that it was hard to make out the tune or words. And typical of Latin American churches, they had a sound system (in a room about 25x25)which they turned up pretty loud. The pastor's 8 year old son played the drums. He has the system down, just not the beat. A man played the guitar and led the singing. Don't get me wrong. I'm not making fun of them or being critical. They were worshipping. It didn't really matter if they were on the same key or not, because it wasn't a concert. Each one was expressing himself.
I preached...well, I still have to read most of my sermon in Spanish...and the people were very attentive. Costa Rican people are very polite. No doubt they appreciated the fact that my sermon was probably about half as long as they were used to. I hope they got the point. There was a smattering of "Amens"...as I said they are very polite.
Before we left,the pastor (who isn't indigenous) said to pray for them because there is still a lot of brujería (witchcraft) among the people, and like many indigenous peoples, alcoholism. He wispered this, so it may be that some of the people who attend church are involved. That isn't all that unusual. It's not uncommon for rural people to just sort of mix "Christianity" with what they already have.
When we left, we gave the pastor and his family a ride (They don't have a car.)and as we were driving up the steep dirt road, a lady from the church was walking along with her little girl. We gave her a ride too. She would have had to walk about two miles...almost straight up...to get home. Any of us walk two miles to church?

The heat is on.

I'm not one to see a demon behind every bush, but at times like this it just seems like the enemy is working overtime. A few days ago I sent out a prayer request about a young pastor who has just been accused of taking money six years ago. Makes no sense why at this time. It was a situation where there was accounting for funds every day and there was never any discrepancy. The young man is doing an excellent work leading his church, which is reaching people for Christ. This has the potential of causing him to have to leave the church in order to earn money to pay a lawyer.

Then...last night another faithful worker...a man who is leading several groups, including at least two churches was rushed to the hospital with what appeared to be a heart attack, although I haven't heard the latest report.

All this comes at a time when there is significant Kingdom advance in certain areas (the areas where these men are working) and the potential for a great deal more. It may be coincidence, but it sure does seem like a frontal attack to me.

Satan has had control of these areas for a long time. His territory is being invaded. The people he has deceived are seeing the light, the truth. It's no wonder he is upset and on the attack. This is happening in more places too. Several of our potential or active leaders are having various problems...health, housing, job, discouragement, just to name a few.

Please lift up Jose, Jeremy, Gilberth, Sabino in particular. Pray for their protection and strength in the Lord. Pray for God's grace to sustain them and give the power to continue on. Also pray a special protection...some call it a hedge of protection...but whatever you call it, pray that they will be protected from the advances of anything or anybody that would try to drag them down and render them ineffective.

May God be glorified in the victories of his chosen.

Good News-Bad News

You know the "good news, bad news" phrase. Well, I've got good news (praise) and bad news (reason for petitions). Which do you want first? Ok. The good news. Recently a volunteer group worked in the Puriscal area distributing the gospel and making contacts (see earlier pictures and article). Many good contacts were made, and, as always, the task is to follow up on them. Our prayer was for God to raise up national believers to work with new groups in that area. It appears that He has done that. The pastor of a church in a nearby town has the vision of training church members to go to the villages and lead Bible studies. Pray that we can wisely work with this church in starting new groups and developing leadership.

Now...the bad news...well, it appears that way now, but only God knows the final outcome. He can take what appears to be bad and turn it to good. Oh. You want to know what I'm talking about. Ok. The young pastor of a new and growing church has been (falsely) accused of embezzeling money from an employer where he worked six years ago.
Why now? Who knows? An attack from the enemy it seems. The pastor says he can prove his innocence, but the system here is that an accused person is guilty until proven innocent. If the charges aren't dropped, in order to hire and pay a lawyer to defend him, a process which could take years, he and his wife will have to leave the church and move to where they both can get jobs to earn enough to pay the lawyer. Please pray...first that the family will have faith and strength; secondly that the church will be strong and supportive; that if this continues, God will provide leadership for the church; that the charges will be dropped, and soon, before he has to resign and move his family.

Jodelle and friend

 
 

"Tico" family (minus the father)

 
 

Washing in the country

 
 

"The Bridge" group

 
 

Carroll and Dale visiting

 
 

Visiting with a Tico

 

Up the trail to the house

 

The Bridge Volunteer Group

 

Ben, Sabino, and Carroll in Guayabo

 

The Bridge and Puriscal

Rain, mud, dogs, and beautiful scenery...that describes the situation as a volunteer group from "The Bridge" church in Nixa, MO worked near Puriscal, Costa Rica last week...the situation, but not the spirit nor the results. The group spent four days walking the mountain roads, going house to house distributing the gospel in the form of the Book of John from the Bible. Accompanied by three missionaries (Mitzi, Carroll, and Steve DuVall) and a national believer, the "Ticos" were found by the group to be friendly, loving, and ready to talk to us "Norteamericanos."

As you can tell from the pictures, the terrain was hilly, to say the least, and often it was difficult to get to houses. The rain and mud didn't make it any easier. But the group was game. They never complained nor faltered. Interestingly, they viewed the rain as a test of their commitment to the project. I want to assure you, they passed the test. They not only were hard workers, they were fun. If they weren't working, they were either praying or laughing...or eating. I can't forget that. They were big eaters and were willing to try almost any of the native food.

We encountered many different situations in the homes. Some asked us to pray for them, which we gladly did. We won't soon forget Priscilla and her family. She is 15 years old and an epileptic. Her family is so sweet and so concerned for her. Her seizures are often violent. Neither will we forget Bob, a gringo living in the area, who at first claimed no interest in the Bible, then after Jodel and Scott talked with him a while, he decided he might like to study the Bible. There was Manuel, a professing Christian who had at one time attended a Baptist church, but had backslidden into drinking, but was now only drinking "about one time a month." He led us from house to house in one area, telling us about each family on that path, most of which were single moms...very poor. It was on that street that we went to a house where Manuel told us the inhabitants were all drug addicts. There was one young lady at home...very strung out on drugs, shaking, and very thin. She was very skeptical about Jesus. Our prayers will continue for her.

We completed the 5 villages that we planned to cover and an estimated 40 people indicated an interest in having a Bible study. Almost 1,000 (975, to be exact) gospels were distributed. Pray that we can follow up on all those people. One unexpected blessing was that Steve and some of the group went down one little lane (They almost skipped it.) and found several families who are Baptist and attend a Baptist church in another town. They are interested in starting a group there where they live.

As usual, please pray for leaders of these new groups. We don't have the manpower to do it ourselves, but must teach, train, and multiply the workers. Praise the Lord for a good week and for leading us to work in that area.

 

Carroll, Sabino & Ben 

Volunteer distributing the gospel. 

Costa Rica's Missionary Family

I thought it might be of interest to tell you about the folk we work with here in Costa Rica - the other IMB missionaries.

We have one couple who are our financial folk. They have one teenage son still on the field with them and two daughters in college in the U.S.

Another couple has dual roles. He is the missions mobilizer - working with nationals who feel called to go as "foreign missionaries" and she is our language consulatant.

We have our boss living in San Jose. He is over all the guys who do Carroll's job of Country Strategy Coordinator in Panama, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador. His wife coordinates the English classes in which I teach along with several other American ladies. They have one son still on the field and 3 and a daughter-in-law back in Kentucky.

There is one couple who also has dual roles. He is our trainer of nationals and she coordinates the housing and schooling of our language students. They have two children with them in Costa Rica and one son in college in the U.S.

This leaves the only family with a small child and they are church planters. God is really blessing their efforts.

The IMB has one teacher at the MK school, one single guy helping us with volunteer groups and follow-up, and one single lady who does logistics for our volunteer groups.

One thing unique about serving in Costa Rica is that the Spanish school for IMB missionaries is here. The Instituto de Lengua Espanola is not strictly IMB but multidenominational and we make up the biggest part of the student body.

There is a child-care center and school on the campus of the Institute where the MKs are cared for and educated.

Remember these children have already been uprooted at least twice before they get here and will only be in Costa Rica one year so they need lots of prayer as do their parents.

At this time, we have twelve IMB families studying Spanish in Costa Rica. This group brought many little children as well as school-age children. It's fun getting together with these dear families.

They live in small houses of about 800 sq. ft. no matter the size of their families and don't have cars so take either buses or taxis to go to church, shop, etc. They all walk to school which is maybe a half a mile or a little more from where they live.

They study one year, three trimesters, and are tested by our language consultant at the end of each term. The IMB tries very hard to give them every opportunity and advantage to learn Spanish the best they can in this one year and has a standard that must be met before they move on to their field of service.

They attend class 4-5 hours a day and many work with tutors after school. It's a tough year and they need your prayers.

The older you are the harder it is usually to learn a new language and we are getting more older couples. They bring experience, maturity and good life experience to the field but are "handicapped" in the language-learning department. I can say that as we are in that catagory.

We missionaries are family and depend very much on each other for encouragement and fellowship. We Costa Rican missionaries get together once a month for prayer; when someone leaves to show our gratitude for their service and pray for their future; when a new class comes in at the language school; on holidays; and sometimes "just because". It would be very lonely being here without these great people. Please pray for them when you pray for us.

Ox Carts in the street in Liberia 

Bull in the church yard 

Typical Street in Liberia, Costa Rica 

GO group from MIchigan & Bible Baptist Church in Liberia 

Liberia

The past week was spent in Liberia, a medium sized town in northwestern Costa Rica. We were there working with a team of 6 great folks from Michigan. They came with a great spirit to work and that spirit didn't diminish during three hard, hot days of walking the streets, passing out the Gospel of John door to door and talking to many people.

Working with the group were people from a local Baptist church. I can't tell you how impressed we were with the folks from that church. Each day there were at least 10, sometimes 12, people there to help with the distribution. The amazing thing is that they were mostly young people, even a couple of boys around 10 or 12. And they weren't just there to walk around with us. They were bold ! They had a heart to lead people to the Lord. They knew the scriptures well and weren't afraid to engage in discussions with anyone. The church people were so anxious to talk to the folks in the houses that a couple of members of the team from Michigan actually began trying to go on their own so they could do some of the distribution and talking.

We took 2000 copies of the Gospel with us, thinking that we surely would not use near all of them, but with the number of local believers and their enthusiasm, we distributed all of them and 16 people prayed to receive Christ as Savior. We kept having to find new neighborhoods to go to, because we were going through them so fast.

Praise the Lord for a good week and that so much seed was sown. Pray for the new believers and for the church as they follow up on the work that was done.

Prayer for the Marin family

Seems the saga continues for Gilberth and Fanni Marin. We have been working with this family for about a year now...I've written about them from time to time. Precious family. They have 6 children at home, another lives with her grandmother. Satan has been after them ever since they got saved. I won't recount the series of problems they have had, but there have been plenty. Now another has arisen.

About the time we started going to have Bible study with them, they moved into a "house"...really a converted barn, that was adequate at best. Fanni made it a nice home. It's amazing how clean and neat a barn can be kept. Well, now the owner is going to sell the property (the same thing that happened to their last home) and they will have to move out. The barn/house will be torn down.

You may remember that they live in a small village on the mountain side. Gilberth owns and drives a taxi there and does fairly well, although he's had some setbacks lately due to a wreck one of his drivers had a couple of years ago. The other party had sued and the case was finally settled. He had to pay over $700...a huge sum for people on their income. Anyway...they just haven't been able to find a house of adequate size for their family.

Fanni's mother has some property that they could build a house on, but, of course they don't have money to do that. Gilberth says they could build a "shell" (I presume no plumbing or inside walls.) for around $1000 on that property. He could sell his taxi and use the money for the start of a house, but then...how does he make a living? Jobs are about as scarce as houses.

My plea to readers is that you pray for Gilberth and Fanni Marin. Pray that God will show His power and provide a solution for them...a house they can afford to rent or money to build, whatever He chooses...but they really need a boost in faith. They are struggling, relatively new Christians, and have tremendous potential for the Lord. The whole family is extremely bright and Gilberth is a gifted teacher of the Bible. I believe that if they just ever get stabilized, they could be an influence in the community and a group of believers would be raised up there.

Plodding through Puriscal

Last week we worked with a group of guys (actually three) from Shadow Ridge Baptist Church in Sacramento, Calif. Great guys. The first day was spent in the central park of Puriscal, a small but bustling town in the mountains. We had to request permission to work in the park because I wanted to solicit some information from citizens in the form of a religious survey. We kind of sweated that out because a written request had to go before the town council. I'm not totally stupid so I had a native Spanish speaker who was experienced in such things to write the letter requesting such permission. He knew all the formal and flowery language to use. Evidently it worked (prayers helped), because they granted us the permission.

For most of the day we talked to people, passed out small bottles of water (free), packs of chewing gum and copies of the gospel of John. It was interesting. As you might expect, at first people were a little suspicious and basically avoided our table. But as the hours passed, the word got out that we had free water and passersby warmed up and even volunteered to fill out our questionnaire. We had some interesting conversations and made some new friends.

The volunteers really got into it. They too were a little hesitant at first, but before long they were walking all over the park talking and handing out gum and water. A couple of days later we went back to the park and people remembered us. (Of course they did. How can you forget a bunch of gringos doing crazy stuff like giving free water and gum?) Most were just friendly, and some asked if we had any water to give away. (We didn't.)

The other days were spent outside Puriscal in the rural areas...villages and settlements....going door to door talking to people and giving the gospel of John to each home. This area was fairly typical of rural areas in Costa Rica...very Catholic. Very interesting was a lady named Angelina. She has 11 children and 23 grandchildren, and, I think, 3 or 4 great grandchildren. Angelina seemed to know the Lord...talked of Jesus being Savior, but also was adamant about Mary being very important...not to the point of her being redemptress, but nevertheless, very much a part of her belief system..almost to the point of being a goddess. If the lady had just left out that part, she would have sounded like an evangelical Christian.

The fellows from California were really touched with some of the poverty we encountered. They bought food and made up sacks to give away to several homes. I appreciate their generous spirits. Sometimes I think we who live here become a little calloused to that, we see so much of it.

Pray that we will be able to follow up on the open doors we found and pray specifically for Oscar and his family, who expressed a desire that his children study the Bible.

Prayer for Puriscal

Next week three men from California, plus two of us missionaries, will be working in the area of Puriscal. For the most part we will be doing a survey, gathering information about what the people believe about how a person may go to heaven...or in other words, how a person is saved. (Although they don't generally use the term "saved" in the same context as we think of it.) We will also ask if a person attends a church, and which one. (This will be predominately Catholic.) Much of this information we can predict, but it will be helpful to know how people think, religiously. Also included will be a question about whether they would like to study the Bible. This is an important question, because we will then follow up on positive answers and hopefully develop some study groups. A different twist to this project is that we will be setting up in the central park of Puriscal. (Most Latin America towns have a central park, usually right in front of the main Catholic church.) That is...if we get permission from the town council. And that is a matter of prayer. Our intent is to give people small bottles of water and the gospel of John when they fill out the survey. Pray that we will get the approval of the council and that we will find open doors for Bible study.

Prayer Needs and Praises

Not too long ago I referred to a man who was a lay pastor and is being very instrumental in reaching "Ticos" (Costa Ricans) for the Lord. As is often the case, Satan isn't happy about that and began to attack with a vengence. First Jose suffered a heart attack, but quickly recovered and continued to work hard going from place to place preaching and witnessing. Then family problems began. First, a son sadly confided to his parents that his novia (girlfriend) was pregnant. Then his brother revealed the same news about his novia, who just happened to be the sister of his brother's girlfriend. Well, you can imagine that this caused quite a family disturbance. The parents of the boys were very discouraged. ( I really don't know about the girls' parents, although I expect they weren't too happy either.) We were all saddened, and a little angry at the boys. They are boys who have shown signs of being dedicated Christian young men...should know better, and the surprising outcome of the story doesn't excuse their actions. However, as it turns out, the girls weren't pregnant at all, but both had made up the story...I suppose vying for marriage...who knows?

Anyway, please pray for Jose, Felicia and their boys...might want to pray for the girls too.

Also, pray for Gilberth and his family. He is struggling with an old problem of alcohol. Pray that they will find some fellow believers with whom to associate and have some support.

We just returned from a week in Guatemala for a regional meeting of missionaries. It was generally a good meeting, but one particular situation impressed and gave me cause to be thankful. During one time of praise and prayer, we were invited to just pray for a time, either alone or with someone else. I prayed for a while, then sat up and just looked around...not trying to be nosey, but just observing all the people praying. One particular thing I saw warmed my heart. A teen-age boy, 16 or so, turned to his friend, another young man, and asked him to pray with him. The two of them bowed in prayer for some time. They are missionary kids, so what do you expect? Well, it isn't always the case, but it made my heart glad to see these two big, strapping (both well over 6 ft) guys praying together. Pray that they will remain faithful to the Lord as they grow and won't ever be too "macho" to pray with a friend.

Pray also for a team that is coming from California to help do some research and scripture distribution in an unreached area in a couple of weeks. Pray that God will use us and allow us to see what we need to in order to plan strategy for reaching into that area.

Peaks and valleys

Fairly often I am asked, "How are things going there in Costa Rica?" Most of the time I give a pretty generic and general answer...something like "It's going pretty good." or "It's going ok." You never know if a person really wants the whole story or is just asking to be polite...Kind of like, "How are you?" "Fine." "Great."

Well, I don't want to overload with the whole story, but in brief, there are peaks and valleys...usually at the same time. During the same week we have had great things happening in one area and really disappointing news in another. We need your prayers for both.

The bad news first...One man who drank badly before his conversion, but hadn't for over a year, suddenly started drinking again. He is alcoholic, and for some reason, he just fell to temptation. I haven't had a chance to talk to him yet. We learned the news when we went to his house for our regular weekly Bible study. After about an hour of him not showing up, his wife told us. It is especially damaging to his witness in the community and before his children who have heard his testimony for a year but, in the case of the older girls, have been wavering between skepticism, catholocism, and full commitment to Christ. Please pray for victory over this addiction and for God to repair the damage in his family and town.

On the other hand...in another area, over the week-end several people came to know the Lord and several were baptized. God spoke effectively through a couple of Latin pastors who came from the U.S. A concert was held, the gospel was preached, and many people were witnessed to individually. People were baptized in a swimming pool, the ocean, and in a thermal pool at the foot of a volcano. Please pray for these new believers and the national leaders that will disciple them.

Why are missionaries in Latin American Countries?

The following comments were made by Dr. Jerry Rankin, President of the International Mission Board.

Why do we send missionaries to Catholic countries? Some researchers identify these as “Christian” and already evangelized, a nomenclature we reject in our vision to fulfill the Great Commission...The people may be identified as cultural Christians since that is their socio-religious profile, but most of them do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. They may attend church and fulfill all the prescribed ritual and sacraments of their faith, but it is unlikely that most of them have ever been confronted with the truth of the gospel. We would not discount that there could be significant numbers who personally have genuinely had a born again experience of knowing Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, but I find it an enigma of how one can remain within a community of faith whose teachings are so contrary to that of Scripture and inconsistent with evangelical belief. If there are those who are saved, it is not because of Catholic doctrine and teaching but in spite of it.

Belief in the atoning work of Jesus Christ on the cross and saving grace that is received by grace alone is the only means of salvation. When you add to the cross, you, in reality, take away from it, because you are saying, in effect, that Christ’s sacrifice on the cross was not sufficient. Their insistence on the immaculate conception of Mary and her assumption of the role of mediator, the infallibility of the Pope, the church as an additional source of ultimate truth, sacramental regenerational baptism, the repeated sacrifice of Christ in the mass and ultimate salvation by works all represent an aberrant gospel which God’s Word terms “anathema.” Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us, “For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; not of works lest any man should boast.”

Roman Catholicism has been increasingly universalistic, reaching out to embrace all the world’s religions as “brethren” who ultimately worship the same God. It brought into its system the pagan superstitions of the Roman Empire and continues to lead millions away from the truth of the gospel by its deceptive doctrine. One can find little difference in Catholic churches and Hindu temples in India. In Latin America Catholicism has become the context for a syncretism of spiritism and voodoo. One only has to observe for a few minutes the masses flocking to cathedrals in Europe and Latin America, praying to saints and fondling their relics, to recognize they are not even near to the kingdom of God. A brief conversation will reveal the emptiness and hopelessness of their works-based theology and their need for Jesus.

I realize this is not politically correct, but our Lord has sent us into all the world to disciple the nations. He has commissioned us to proclaim the gospel to every creature. Those in Catholic countries are as lost and bound for hell as much as those who have never heard the name of Jesus. They, too, deserve an opportunity to hear, understand and respond to the life-changing message of the gospel. They cannot be ignored in our commitment that all peoples would know our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Report from Barranca

The following report was posted by one of our missionaries.
Barranca is the next pit stop in a race around Costa Rica. A city booming with industry, houses, soccer fields, bars and old train stations, Barranca also features a large bridge enabling people and cars to cross the mighty rushing waters of the Rio Barranca. A detour is a choice between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons. Teams will have to set out prayer walking and then go back and distribute Gospels of John and invite people to “The Jesus Film” that night. Though the task may not be too physically demanding, it could take all day, as Ticos are known for their hospitality and inviting people into their homes. Teams will have the chance to work with nationals from the local Baptist church and should they finish on time and with less than 5 rejections, Pastor Jose Carranza will have their next clue. Or, teams can stay home in San Francisco and go to the “feria” and study Spanish and try to talk to their Nicaraguan guard who sometimes is drunk. Though this task is easy it is often mentally draining and teams will not receive their next clue until they are at least at an “intermediate high” level in Spanish. Jose Carranza will provide the youth (some better than others) of his church to help each team along the way. Should a youth project come up, however, each team could be left to take on Barranca on their own.

Teams set out all over Barranca praying for the town that the Holy Spirit would open doors, and hearts, and homes. The local youth joined the team and though at times may have had no clue to what they were doing out there, provided great Spanish support. So some people got a true taste of prayer walking for the first time, noting its effect and importance. The team was joined by Costa Rican Gringo Church Planter of the Year, Steve DuVall. Steve said in a speech once, “I want to thank all my fans and my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and of course my wife Debbie, who cooks the best meatloaf!” Steve brought along with him pastor Jose Manuel Rojas who was recovering from a recent heart attack. Jose Manuel had relatives in this area with which he was hoping to share. And what more shall I say? I don’t have time to talk about [all the missionaries] who through faith conquered grueling IMB appointment processes, survived unbelieving in-laws, and gained the Spanish Language Institute as their reward—the USA was not worthy of them.

So the teams came, they saw, and they conquered. One group led a man to Christ, and all the groups had the chance to pray with someone and practice some Spanish and even come back and see the people reading the gospel! They will hold to the promise of Isaiah 55:11, in whatever version of scripture you choose, that God’s word will go out and not come back empty but will achieve the purpose for which it was sent. Teams gave out over 600 gospels and still made it back to the church before dark to see many neighbors fill the open air church to watch the story of Jesus on the big screen. The team then shared in some songs with the locals including a clapping song that could tire anyone out. It was something about “Jerusalem and La lalalalalalalalalalalalalalalala…”

So the teams finished one by one and ended the race at a Chinese Restaurant that was not aware of Child Labor Laws. They also went and enjoyed the Kiosko Costa Azul in Puntarenas, and there was host, Phil Keoghan greeting each team as they crossed the finish line. The bus driver was with him. He said “Aqui en Costa Rica, se dice Pura Vida!” And then mumbled some other Spanish no one understood. Phil said, “Cheryl and Judy…you’re the last team to arrive…maybe if you hadn’t toured that bridge you would’ve made it before the others. But I have good news. Fortunately, this is not an eliminatory round, and you are still in the race.”

So the race ended though no one really lost at all. Each gained an appreciation for Gospel Outreach and the power of prayer and the Word. Many were amazed by the receptivity of the people and were challenged by the barrier of communication and the need to learn the language some call Español. So the second wave of gospels crashed into Barranca on May 14, 2005 with a thundering effect.

Thanks for coming out, folks, and may the Force be with you.

Potpourri of thoughts

I have spoken of Jose Manuel before. He is a man who is working with one of our missionaries and is leading several groups. A few days ago he suffered a mild heart attack. Well, I suppose it was mild. They called the ambulance early in the night, and then called the missionary who works with him. That missionary lives a good hour away. He went to the house...and beat the ambulance there...says something about emergency service here. Anyway, he stayed at the hospital that night and went home the next morning.

Jose is now back in full swing, but still needs our prayers.

A few months ago a volunteer group worked in a little village called Buena Vista. Several people were interested in a Bible study, so one was started. They are now functioning as a church and meeting regularly for worship and study. This is what makes us happy.

It's really amazing how many people express interest in studying the Bible. The Bible isn't a new and strange thing to folks here, but they're not familiar with it at all generally. They revere it, but don't know what it says. They are not encouraged to study the Bible, being told that the priest will tell them what they need to know.

One lady who is in an English class that Mitzi teaches related that several years ago she decided that she was going to find out for herself what the Bible said about things she had been taught. She began to read and, of course, found that some things weren't as she had believed. However, that is rare.

By the way, it seems that God is opening some doors through those English classes. Mitzi teaches an advanced class, so they are able to speak pretty well in English, and are beginning to have some good discussions about what the Bible says and "religious" issues.

Pray that we will be able to discern what areas and towns God is leading to and how to best reach people for Him.

More from Liberia

The following was submitted by one of our missionaries about the work in Liberia.

The team arrived on Saturday in San Jose and stayed overnight at Hotel Brilla Sol, near the airport. We left the next morning for Liberia, making a necessary stop at El Jardin and, of course, checked out the souvenirs. We arrived in Liberia in time for lunch at a typical restaurant in the downtown district. The natural fruit drinks and home cooked food were a hit. We made our way on to The Best Western for prayer walk training and orientation. That evening we attended church at a local church, where the pastor told his flock that they had been given a free gift that they needed to pass on to others. He explained that all are told to "go" and that there are no acceptable excuses for not going at least for a few hours while the team from the United States was working in town. Although the sermon was in Spanish, all of the volunteers understood the word "excusas" heard many times. As a result we had 11 people from the church show up on-time to help us each day we were there. What a blessing to work with these sweet brothers and sisters in Christ!

We spent Monday prayer walking in central Liberia and returned to distribute Gospels of John on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Everyone learned how to say "Upe!" and became bold in going right up to the door with the word of God. We sensed the Holy Spirit working through us. Bob and Wendy were walking down a dirt road off the main street, when a gentleman appeared out of nowhere. He showed them his legs, which appeared to be leprous. They laid their hands on him and prayed for God to heal him. They turned to leave and the man had disappeared.

On Tuesday evening, Dwayne and Adam went to the hotel bar…………to talk to the bartender. As they began to share what we were doing in Liberia, he began to share that his life was a mess and he was ready to do something about it. One by one, customers finished their drinks and left the bar--leaving the three alone to talk. The bartender accepted Christ that evening. As Dwayne said, "a bar was turned into a sanctuary." The next evening the bartender came out to our devotional circle and told all of us how Jesus had changed his life and lifted a burden off his shoulders.

Another special moment was when F prayed the sinner's prayer in Spanish, as tears rolled down her cheeks. When she received a copy of the Bible, she clutched it to her breast.

When another woman said she wanted to study the Bible, N, a sweet young girl from the church asked her when, and she said, "tomorrow at noon." There were several appointments set up to begin Bible study right away. We had asked God to prepare the hearts of the people and He did. Why were we surprised that people accepted Christ when we came to the door? It is always a blessing to see a salvation and a blessing to be in the center of where God is at work.

Although a few individuals refused the free Gospels, one man thanked Bob for what we were doing in his city. He was a successful businessman who stated that there is nothing more powerful that we could do than give people the Word of God. How right he is.

Most of the people in Liberia claim to be Catholic, but few say that they read or study the Bible at home or in church. H shared that he had been born Catholic, but had chosen to accept Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. "It grieves my heart that many well-meaning individuals can be locked into a lifetime of religious activity and miss God's greatest gift of salvation through knowing and accepting Jesus as the one and only way to salvation and into God's family."

Liberia

Distributing the gospel of John door-to-door was the order of business last week as Mitzi and I traveled to Liberia to work with a group of volunteers from the U. S. The process works like this: We divide up into groups, the number depending on how many workers there are, and go door-to-door talking to people, giving a copy of the Gospel according to John, and asking if they are interested in a Bible study in their home. Often there is also the opportunity to witness to the gospel of Christ.

Usually there are members of a nearby church, if there is one, working with us. Often this is a new experience to these national believers, but they enjoy it. The only problem is that they always want to talk and visit, which is good, but it takes longer to complete the project that way. Of course, that's a problem with us Gringos anyway. We are so task and schedule oriented that we often sacrifice relationships. To the normal Latin American, the relationship is more important than completing a given task, being on time, or keeping a schedule. We could learn something there.

We worked one day with the team, then had to return to San Jose. We always enjoy working with the teams and try to spend at least a little time with as many as we can.

There were over a 100 people that indicated that they were interested in having a Bible study in their home, but we realize that many of them were being polite, or didn't understand what was being asked. The broken Spanish, or Spanglish, which some volunteers speak is sometimes misunderstood, and, like we Americans dangerously do, the people give affirmative answers when they really didn't understand the question. It falls to those doing follow-up to further screen the lists of affirmative responses. This is usually one of our people along with national believers.

Pray for those who showed an interest and for those who will do follow-up screening and Bible studies. Pray that people will see the truth of the gospel and believe.

Still voice in the midst of confusion

After several irritating traffic delays in route to my fellow worker's house and arriving 45 minutes later than I planned, we were off to pick up Jose, his wife Felicia, and, as it turned out, their 10 year old son. (Quick introduction: Jose is a leader in some of the work, is an aggressive witness, and has a heart to see people come to know the Lord.)

After driving to their house in Atenas we made the hour and a half trip to Caldera, on the Pacific coast, where we visited several families. This village is very poor, but the people are friendly and polite, and we had a good time making some new friends, talking about the Lord, and sharing some Bible passages...and, at one home, petting the pet pig. (small pig, actually got more affection than all the dogs laying around. Ran in and out of the house at will.)

One visit was particularly significant. We were actually looking for a family that had been contacted earlier by a volunteer group, but "happened" upon another family. The young mother was a Christian, but her husband wasn't. At their invitation, we went into the house and sat in the plastic chairs that are so popular there. (No doubt because they are so cheap...but very comfortable.) Jose and Steve, with an occasional comment from me, began to tell the young man about Jesus. However no sooner had they begun than a guy next door...(pause for explanation...Next door is like 5 feet away...nothing between him and us except a board wall.)..anyway, a guy next door began to do karaoke...very loud, very off key. This choral offering evidently inspired the rooster outside the window, and he joined in. So now we have the wannabe crooner completely lost in his off key concert, which gets louder with each offering, the rooster, and, oh. Did I mention that the house is only a few meters away from the highway? Trucks, etc.

Well, either the people who live there are used to all the racket or God just shut out all that other stuff. I don't know which, but somehow through all that, the young man seemed to understand the gospel and accepted Christ as his savior.

Good day.

Catching up

Well, it's been a few days since I posted...so I'm going to summarize a few things to try and catch up.

One of our missionaries recently was working with a volunteer group from the U. S. He and a couple of them were witnessing to man who was deaf...or at least trying to. His wife came in the room and they immediately began talking to her instead of the man. After a while she prayed to accept Christ. They had virtually ignored the man while talking to her. At this point the man spoke up and said, "I want to accept Jesus too." A miracle of hearing? Don't know, but certainly possible. At any rate, two more people entered the kingdom.

We don't know whether to be disappointed or rejoice. We were excited when a group came through Llano Grande passing out announcements that they were going to begin having a "culto" (worship service) on Sundays there in Llano Grande. We have been praying for a church to begin there for some time. Of course, we were thinking that it would be from a result of "our" efforts, not some other group. No matter. God answers prayers in His own way.

We thought that the group was from a Baptist church we are familiar with down the mountain in another town. The name was the same...Palabra de Vida. (Word of Life) Well, last Thursday the Bible study leader told us he had invited the man leading the new service to come to our Bible study. He came, but we found out that in reality, he is Methodist, not Baptist.

Now we are faced with our own biases and conflicts of belief, be they slight. Most new believers wonder why there are so many different "religions" among Christians. Sometimes that is a difficult question to answer. I am glad, however, to be a Baptist, although there is no doubt that many people of other groups love the Lord and know Him well.

We had a nice visit with the Methodist man and praised the Lord together and agreed that the Bible is the basis of all true belief.

Speaking of which....Mitzi had an interesting conversation this past week. Several ladies were discussing the Bible and Christianity. One, a Catholic, stated that she had decided to read the Bible to find out just what was and wasn't in there that she had been taught. By doing that she had discovered that she could pray directly to Jesus and didn't have to go through Mary. She mentioned that she didn't find the rosary anywhere in the Bible, and several other things convinced her that she should read the Bible for herself and follow its teachings.

Another lady, staunchly Catholic, remarked that she respected the Bible, but that there was more than the Bible, indicating that subsequent teachings of the church and church leaders could, and did, supercede the Biblical teachings.

Problem is, when that begins to actually contradict the Bible, where is the true authority? If the Bible is divinely inspired, "God breathed", as 2 Timothy 3:16 says, why does man need to add anything or change anything?

Therein lies the reason we are here. Yes, the people here have the Bible, but they don't read it and don't know what it says. They do not know of a salvation by grace, but rather have a series of "works" that are required to have even a chance of heaven, and then it's not certain. There is little praise of God, but much for Mary, saints, and, Ok...I might as well say it, the Pope.

Speaking of which...without saying anything about the particular man who just died...isn't it interesting that even the Pope has to have the prayers of people to hopefully make it to heaven.

I think I'd rather depend on the grace of God and the provision of the Savior, Jesus Christ and the promise we have of eternal life through him.

Jesus IN the way.

Ever feel like Jesus is hindering your "progress"? If you were not so burdened down with all these restrictions, moral codes, and limitations you could really get ahead in life.

A couple of nights ago we were returning from a Bible study in Llano Grande and, not unusually, I was attempting to return via a different, and unfamiliar, route. Of course, I missed the turn and we didn't get on the new route. Mitzi asked, "Are we lost?" Of course we weren't "lost", but we weren't where I wanted to be, so I was a little impatient with the whole situation. (Funny how that works.)

To make matters worse, there was some sort of traffic bog down that was impeding our progress. At first we couldn't see what the problem was. There seemed to be a lot of people on foot, milling around. Then Erika, our 20 year old granddaughter, exclaimed, "It's Jesus with the cross!"

The traffic cleared a little and we could see what was going on. Sure enough. It WAS Jesus and the cross...well, of course, not the real Jesus, but a statue of him. There was a processional of some sort with a hundred or so people slowly moving along the street and blocking traffic.

It reminded me of how often we think that believing in Jesus and his teachings will only serve to limit us in life. They only slow us down and hamper us from doing all the things the world says is important.

In this case, it was Jesus (or an imitation of him) carrying the cross. But we are told in Luke 9:23, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?"

Oh, that more of the people of Costa Rica (and us) would take up the cross of Jesus and follow him.

Under Attack?

I began this blog several days ago, but decided to not write it. I didn't want to alarm anyone. But then, the more the thoughts swirled around in my head, the more I realized that we need extra prayer warriors doing battle.

Here's the deal. After some reflection, we have come to the conclusion that the enemy is launching an attack upon the work here in Costa Rica. Good things are happening, and he's not happy about it. People are coming to the Lord, new groups are being started, and the Spirit is working in lives. When this happens, satan goes to work too.

In the last few weeks one missionary family has had it's house robbed; another missionary was driving home with her teenage son when they were forcibly stopped and the car taken, leaving them on the side of the road. Some of the families in language school are having difficulties; there has been instances of equipment being broken, and plans have either fallen through or had to be altered.

A couple of days ago I was riding my motorcycle down from the village where we work with a family. There is one particularly bad stretch of road...no pavement, really rough, deep erosions. This is the dry season so the road has kind of powdery dust on it. I was going around a car, very slowly, when it veered toward me. I quickly backed off, but hit some loose dirt on a slope and fell over. No injury, but bent a bracket on the moto, which I didn't notice until I had gone a ways, heard the sound of something rubbing, and saw that a bolt was digging into the tire. No big deal, but another in what seems to be a series of events of varying degrees of seriousness.

Praise the Lord, no one has been hurt and most of the "happenings" have been fixable or of little consequence, but it just seems that an inordinate number of these things are occurring.

So....please pray for God to surround His work here with strong protection and ask that the enemy not be able to thwart the growth of the kingdom, to the glory of our Lord.

God at work

This report comes from one of our missionary couples who lead volunteer groups on gospel distribution projects.

Through the volunteer team, this week, over 121 people prayed to receive Christ and become new creatures. One was a town warlock who cursed the houses in San Juan every night at midnight. He is now a child of the King. We are still in awe of the work of the Holy Spirit. Please continue to pray for these new Christians to be discipled and grow in the grace and knowledge of our wonderful Father. PTL!

Praying for leaders

When people come to know the Lord in places where there aren't established churches they face many new challenges, and one of the biggest is that there aren't other believers with whom to have fellowship. Usually, in the beginning only a family or maybe even only one or two members of a family are saved. They have no "church" to attend, where they could get some support and Christian fellowship. We, as missionaries, try to encourage and help them, but we cannot be there all the time.

Usually there are opposing forces...friends, even family...that tempt them to revert back to the old life. Sure, it's like that in the U. S. too, but at least there are churches to attend where a person can worship, study, and socialize with believers. But, what if there aren't any other believers?

Can you imagine what it is like to have no Christian friends...no church to attend...no one to give you encouragement? Your "friends" and family are constantly trying to get you to "come back" to them. (meaning, of course, do what they do.)

Because some of these new believers are the only believers in their village, they are asked to be leaders in reaching other people. They want to, but it is added burden. Sometimes, in the face of constant temptation, they stumble. It doesn't matter what...But when it happens the non-believers are glad, and Satan laughs. Most of them repent, recoup, and go on. But always the work suffers, and it takes a while to overcome the failure.

Often there are family members that shake their head and say they knew it wasn't real. This new "religion" doesn't work (any better than the old one did). An example is one of our leaders who confessed to us recently that he had had a couple of beers with some old cronies. He was deeply sorrowful that he had disappointed his family and us, but knew that the worst thing was that he had failed God. However...wisely, he also knows that it is done and he accepts the forgiveness of the Lord and must go on. Most of his family accepts his confession with forgiveness, but one daughter is having a hard time coming to that place of forgiveness. Here is a case of a family being the only believers around and having no one to give them encouragement or support.

Please pray for these leaders. Pray that they will be strong in the face of temptation and that they will be filled with God's Spirit and able to stand, even alone.

Footwashing ceremony at dedication of Jose 

Dedication to ministry

A few days ago we were honored to attend the double fiesta of the dedication ceremony of Jose to the ministry and the birthday of his oldest son, Joseito (Little Jose). What a blessing!

First, a little about Jose. Several years ago, after passing out drunk and waking up in a ditch with water running over him, he told the Lord that he needed help and didn't want to live like that anymore. A few days later a Christian pastor "happened" by and led him to the Lord, and his life turned around. He got his family back and began looking for ways to serve the Lord. A few months ago when a volunteer group was distributing the Gospel of John door to door, they met Jose. He told them he had been prayng someone would come by and help him start a church.

Since that time, with the help of Steve DuVall, one of our church planters, he has started several churches in different locations.

Now, Jose couldn't read, so he had to memorize the scripture and lessons by listening to Steve and to scripture tapes. (So much for excuses.He is now learning to read with the help of his son, Joseito, who is 20.)

The occasion we went to was to recognize God's call on his life and his dedication to that call. We arrived at Jose's house around 6:30 P.M. after a drive up the mountain from Atenas. He had cleared off a vacant lot next to his house and strung lights all around it. Bamboo poles were propped up to sit on and a pulpit that Jose himself made was set up under a plastic awning.

Typically Latin American, the people were in no hurry to finish the fiesta nor did they have any particular starting time for the more formal recognition ceremony. For over two hours we visited with the people, friends of Jose and members of the churches he has started, that gathered to celebrate...and ate. The food came in stages. First, there was a fruit drink, then empanadas, then arroz con leche (rice pudding), then ice cream, then birthday cake...all this while standing or sitting in the vacant lot.

Particularly noteworthy was a little lady, around 74, that had 16 children, 52 grandchildren, and either 14 or 40 great grandchildren. (Mitzi and I disagreed on what she said. 14 is catorce and 40 is cuarenta.) Either way, she was a neat lady.

Finally, about 9:00, we got around to the ceremony. Steve preached a short message. We presented Jose with a certificate, then there was a foot-washing ceremony done by some mission volunteers from the states, then I prayed. It was a great time.

Another interesting sidelight...well, maybe not really interesting...but significant, at least to me. As far as I know, there aren't any toilet facilities in Jose's house, but there is a banana field closeby...and it was very dark...Thankfully.

This was a time so simple...crude lights strung around a vacant lot on the top of a mountain...a homemade pulpit under an awning...a man who can't even read dedicating his life to the Lord...but so signficant. People are coming to know a great God that doesn't care about cushy pews, fancy chandeliers, or formal education. God give us a 100 like Jose.

Disaster Relief Efforts

Tsunami is the big news...but not necessarily to the people of the Limon and Puerto Viejo areas of Costa Rica. The pictures below depict a little of the involvement we had after the recent floods in those areas.

After floods in the same area for two successive weeks, many of the residents were about wiped out. They didn't have much to start with, but the flood waters ruined most of their household goods. That, along with the ruined crops from which most of the people derive their income, left many without food or a means to get any.

We didn't do much, but did buy and bag up two pickup loads of food and basic toiletries, enough for about 100 families. As you can imagine, the people were very grateful.

A local church handled the organization of the distribution. They made a list and issued a number to each family to insure that the goods were evenly distributed. The pictures below were taken in and outside the meeting place of the church. You will notice that it appears to be a corral. Well, that's exactly what it used to be. They put a roof (of sorts) on it and put up palm fronds around it for walls. Actually, a few months ago, Mitzi translated for a service there. The people are poor and live a simple, but hard life. It's hard for them to break away from old traditions and cultural religion, but Pastor Evelia faithfully ministers to the people and teaches them the truth of the Word.

The appreciation of the people made it a blessing for us to be able help in a small way, and they were able to identify the help as coming from a church that taught and demonstrated the love of Christ.

Distribution point for Food Bags 

Adam, Pastor Evelio, and Carroll 

Distributing food bags 

"God is with us."

A few days ago I was playing golf (OK, so missionaries aren't supposed to be playing golf...but from time to time I do.) and, as usual, I hooked up with some people I didn't know. That's my usual pattern since I don't have a regular group that I play with. That, by the way, is pretty interesting. I have played with people from Canada, Korea, England, various Latin American countries, Switzerland, and some others I don't remember.

Anyway...back to my story. Now guys don't usually chit-chat a lot on the golf course. Mitzi always asks about the people I play with..."Where are they from? What are they doing here? Are they married?" I used to just say, "I don't know. We played golf." However, lately, I've tried to be a little more inquisitive...partly so I have something to tell her, and partly just to be a little more cordial.

Ok...now I'm really going back to my story. This particular day I joined two nice Costa Rican guys. The conversation turned to "What do you do here?" I told them I was a missionary, and one, with an excited look on his face exclaimed, "Oh. God is with us!"
I really didn't know what to say. Was he being facetious? Was he making a joke? Or did he really believe that being in the presence of a missionary meant that in some unusual way, God was present?

I don't know the answer to that question, but one thing I do know is that God is no more present when a "clergy" type is around than He is otherwise. Often, when people (especially golfers) learn what I do, they begin to apologize for their language (often in advance). My usual reply is that it's not me they have to worry about, and God is around all the time.

If I play golf, it's usually on either Tuesday or Wednesday. Most of the people I have played with on Wednesday say they play every Wednesday...funny though. I was just relating to Mitzi that I never seem to see them a second time. Now, I'm not that bad a player...hmmm. Wonder if they just don't want to play with God around.

Our Strategy

Often as we meet people and tell them we are missionaries they want to know what we do. There is an assumption that missionaries work in churches, perhaps as pastors or teachers, and sometimes that is true of some missionary groups. I am often asked, "Do you have a church here that you pastor?"

In light of that, it occurred to me to give a brief synopsis of our strategy and what we actually do here...and speaking of strategy...that is a big part of my particular job. My responsibility is to develop a strategy for reaching the areas of Costa Rica that don't have evangelical churches and to secure, deploy, and supervise personnel to accomplish the task.

The short answer of what we are trying to do is this: We are trying to plant Christian churches. Now that's a very simple statement for an involved process. Involved in the word "Christian" is the concept of Christ being the center and head of the church, salvation through Christ alone, through the grace of God. It implies doctrine, worship, evangelism, and fellowship.

Ok, so much for the theological and ecclesiastical stuff, as important as that is. How do we go about it? Good question. I'm glad you asked.

Below is a picture of a little town called Naranjo. It could be any town in Costa Rica. Our process is this: We locate an area or town where there is no evangelical church. (Notice I didn't say Baptist, although that's what we are without apology. But we do recognize that there are other churches that have correct doctrine.) We will "scout" the town, or do recon work to find out if there are believers there. At times there are Christians who have no church and no other believers with whom to fellowship.

Should we find such believers, we offer to begin a Bible study in their home. If they agree, we begin and encourage them to invite neighbors and friends. Our hope is that the group will evolve into a church with trained local people serving as leaders.

Another, and more common method, is to take a group of volunteers from the U. S. into an area and do a door-to-door scripture distribution, giving each home a copy of the gospel of John with key passages marked. We ask people if they would be interested in a home Bible study, and then follow-up with those who agree. Our desire is that the studies will lead to the people becoming Christians and then witnessing to neighbors and friends. We train potential leaders with the view of them taking over and leading Bible studies and reaching out to surrounding areas, neighborhoods, and even towns. Ideally, the group will organize itself into a church eventually.

As International Missionary Board missionaries, we do not serve as pastors. We see our task as trainers, catalysts, and mentors. We believe that the national Christians can do a better job than we can at reaching their own people. Our hope is that through planting churches that have a "DNA" of evangelism and missions, those churches will multiply themselves many times over and the country will be reached much faster than a few missionaries could do it by trying to start and oversee each church that is begun....not the least of the reasons is that it seems to jibe with the New Testament method.

Naranjo, Costa Rica 

Costa Rica as a Sex Vacation Spot

Prostitution is legal in Costa Rica, supposedly with the purpose of preventing disease. I'm told that the ladies have to have a weekly physical and carry a card saying they are "disease free".

You see both women and men prostitutes on the streets at night - such a sad, desperate scene.

A few weeks back there was a large article in the Sunday newspaper regarding those that are advertising on the internet trying to attract "sex vacationers" to this beautiful country. This such a great place to visit, it doesn't need to be degraded in this way!

Carroll may have already written about the men he's met at the golf course, the 50-65 year olds bragging about their 21 year-old girlfriends, and the man we talked to at the airport who was going back to the U.S. but would "sure miss the women in Costa Rica".

The women here dress provocatively and see American men, and probably most foreigners, as rich and a ticket to a better life.

Night before last we were eating with a large group of missionaries in an American chain restaurant and beside us were two American men about 65 with two ladies in their early 20s, probably "professional women". It was such a sad scene. They couldn't talk to each other. The girls were talking and the men were talking but all the while, cuddling and communicating in physical ways. These girls could have been our daughters or more likely our granddaughters. My heart broke for them and for the men who have such a distorted view of life.

When we were here in 1999 the Catholic church still had enough influence to control public homosexuality but I'm told they have lost influence and this group is gaining influence and recognition in Costa Rica.

There is much more blatant sex and nudity on television and in the movies here than the U.S. as well as foul language. I've come to realize that even though we in America are rapidly declining morally, we are still "behind" the majority of the rest of the world". Maybe it's really not too late to make a turn around.

Please pray for God to do a great work in Costa Rica; that He will touch the hearts of the people to demand righteousness and set an example of holiness for the coming generations. The religious leaders must preach and teach Godliness and we need a spiritual revival desperately. As in the U.S., evidentally the Christians are sitting back and letting the world take over.

II Chronicles 7:14 applies to Costa Rican Christians as well as to us in the U.S.

Music is a Common Denominator

Last Sunday night at church was a neat experience. There are 90 Americans in Costa Rica this week working with various churches doing evangelism. Three of these were at the church we attend in San Jose. In honor of these people and, I'm sure to attract visitors, we had special music which is rare or non-existent in most of the little churches here.

A young man sang and introduced his music by saying we were "going to Nashville, the country-music capital of the world". He sang "I'll Fly Away", "Peace in the Valley", and many more "Elvis hymns" in Spanish. It was so much fun for us to hear these precious old songs sung in this far-away place.

I'm sure the Costa Ricans didn't appreciate the music nearly as much as we did, but it blessed us to be reminded that God is the same yesterday, today and forever and all over the world. The nationals did agree with the message of the music as it's the same everywhere - those whom God has redeemed, He will bless, both here and in heaven.

Please keep praying for the nationals to get the vision of reaching their fellow countrymen with the gospel and for eternal results to come from the efforts put forth this week by these visiting Americans.

By the way, Carroll and I had our first opportunities to translate from English to Spanish for these American visitors. We trust that God gave the people "ears to hear" in spite of our mistakes.