We obviously need to do a better job at updating our blog!  I don't know where the time has gone.  How in the world is it already February?

January was a busy month for us.  We had a team from one of our supporting churches come for a week to work with the Bible Week (VBS) activities as well as interact with the youth group of our church.  It was a great time for all and so many relationships were made.  That is really what our hope is, for connections to be made between people.  It isn't so much what gets done, although we aren't against that! But relationships in this culture are so key!

                  

Getting to know each other!!!

Having fun together!!!!

I think that one of the other benefits to having groups come is for the church on both ends, to see themselves as being part of the family of God.  Sometimes it is easy to just have tunnel vision, to think that the way you do it or the way you experience it is the only way but there is so much more to it than that!  Even for our kids to get to know the group is a positive experience and they feel like they "know" one of our churches better.  What a blessing!

Mitchell Road Pres. Team with Jana 

Another big event in January was a conference of the Federation of churches that our church, ICRICEN, is a part of.  This is the group of churches who came out of a mainline denomination due to its liberal direction and so the churches are very Bible oriented.  The challenge for us has been to influence them with the gospel of grace so that they are confronted with the fact that they will never be good enough or do enough to please God.  That they need as much grace in order to become Christians as they do to live out the Christian life.

This year the speakers were from MTW, Bill Yarbourgh with the youth and Gary Waldecker with the adults.  They were both well received and felt that it was a great opportunity to influence these churches with the doctrines of grace.  One of the pastors that has been somewhat resistant to this grace stuff was really interested in knowing more and having further Bible studies in his church.

Rev. Bill Yarbrough with Federation Youth Group

Dr. Gary Waldecker at the Federation Conference

A Wonderful Week!!!

Last week was a very busy week!  On last Saturday, Sept. 10 was the 2nd ICRICEN Bible Conference on Evangelism for this year!  Last Wednesday night our Conference Speaker came from South Carolina, Rev.  Mark Auffarth.  He stayed with us Wed - Monday; we had a great time with him!!!  And Mark was excellent for the Conference too!!!  Even the Lord gave us the nice surprise and blessing to have witnessed the new Birth in Christ of one of the participants to the Conference!!!  PRAISE the Lord for His wonderful and merciful work!!!!!!  His name is Jorge (George)!!  I'm adding a picture with Jorge in the middle.  Please pray for him.  He needs our encouragement and prayers in his new life in Christ!!!!  As you can see, we had a busy week but it was very rewarding too!!!                                                             

Our life in Costa Rica!

We are in Tres Ríos, Costa Rica!  We are thankful with the Lord and all those who are praying for us because we are doing OK so far in our transition from Chile to Costa Rica.  Costa Rica is different than Colombia and Chile.  It is humid and it rains a lots! Also it is beautiful and nature is abundant here!

We have partnered, as Mission, with a Costa Rican church called ICRICEN which means Central American Christian Church.  ICRICEN's vision is to impact Costa Rica and Central American countries with the Gospel of Jesus Christ!!!  We are here to empower them in their vision through, among other things, church planting, training leaders, pastors and church planters, community development, etc.

It is very exciting what the Lord is doing in and through ICRICEN!!!!!!  It is a privilege to be part of what the Lord has been doing in Costa Rica.

Please, keep on praying for wisdom from the Lord for us.  We want to do what the Lord wants us to do.

Thank you.