LAST QUARTER OF A YEAR, EXPERIENCING HIS GRACE AND LEADING!!! BIG CHANGES COMING....

Hello, beloved family in Jesus !!!

Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man
and makes flesh his strength,
whose heart departs from the Lord. For he shall be like a shrub in the desert,
and shall not see when good comes,
but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, In a salt land which is not inhabited. “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
and whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,
which spreads out its roots by the river,
and will not fear when heat comes;
But its leaf will be green,
and will not be anxious in the year of drought,
nor will cease from yielding fruit. The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately wicked;
who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart,
I test the mind,
even to give every man according to his ways,
according to the fruit of his doings.

Jeremiah 17.5-10

This is such a good passage, and it always speaks volumes to me! I often love the comparison of our lives of faith in Jesus to a standing tree, just as Psalm 1 describes it. Three key words stuck out to me: cursed, blessed, and deceitful. The first two words are strong, and present us with a choice, because it’s always a choice! It brings back to mind Deuteronomy 30.15-20 where Moses presents both choices to the people of Israel, life and good or death and evil, each pair goes together, being life and good, the blessing of loving and following God and His commandments. In this passage, Jeremiah is declaring the curse or blessing that each choice brings along, and the benefits or consequences of each one, however, whichever choice is a matter of the HEART. The difference between the blessing or the curse is made upon whom my heart trusts? Flesh or the Lord? The Lord asked me this question when meditating on this passage, whom do you trust Paula, flesh? man? Or Me the Almighty God? Of course, I answered: You Lord, my heart trusts in You, I want to continually be that tree planted by the waters and not anxious in the year of drought. Nevertheless, immediately after the Lord said: How do you know? Your heart is deceitful above all things and wicked.  And I nodded: That’s true Lord, I don’t really know if I fully trust you wholeheartedly. But then in His love, He said: I search and test the heart, don’t worry, ask me and I will show you where your trust is.  

Wonderful conversation ah? It struck me that I need to rely on the Lord, and ask Him to show me my own heart, and where my trust lies. And He’s so faithful to do that, if I pray like that!!!! In that, I’m acknowledging my weakness and my deceitful heart, for I don’t want to trust even in my own perception of trust, but I want to be affirmed in Him, by Him and for Him. My trust is not always in Him, and He shows me in what areas; I am called to be obedient to surrender all those doubts or fears or trusts in others, unto Him, so that my full trust is in Him and Him alone. Ask yourself this question, and ask God to show you your own heart and where your trust is…there may be surprises !!!! Let’s be surprised now, and change now and not later, when we find out our tree looks more like a shrub !!!!

END OF FALL SEMESTER 2013

The semester truly flew by and it was a good one ! As I mentioned in my previous newsletter we had a total of 10 girls and two guys. It was a pretty diverse group, that was her to know more of Jesus and to learn more of His word. The classes went great. I taught a Spanish class that gave them vocabulary and grammar basis for them to interact with the community, in simple instances like at the supermarket, feria, or asking simple information questions. I enjoyed the class seeing them wanting to learn and improve their Spanish! We got to share our testimonies in our girls meetings and it was such a joy to see the grace of God working on so many lives in so many different ways to get each one to come desperately to Him and to finally bring them here to Costa Rica !!!! We are truly privileged to have them here for an amount of time ! We got to celebrate birthdays, stroll around town, go to the orphanage together, have dinners with locals and of course celebrate Thanksgiving together with a wonderful meal !!!! I miss my roomies who were so opposite but both so much fun, please pray for them as they went home for Christmas break – Sarah and Alicia. Alicia will be coming back to Costa Rica in January and Sarah may be in Murrieta next semester. May the Lord continue to reveal His truth in their hearts and establish them as women of God, and women of the Word!!!!

With the girls at the orphanage      Riding a local bus and having fun !               With my roomies = )

With all the girls on Thanksgiving !!!!

CALVARY CHAPEL CENTRAL AMERICA CONFERENCE FOR PASTORS AND LEADERS IN GUATEMALA

The Lord in His love allowed me to attend this conference in November. 4 Calvary Pastors from Costa Rica attended, including Ryan, and also several missionary friends and leaders, including my boyfriend, from the Calvary close to the capital. It was a good group from Costa Rica and an encouraging Conference based on Revelation 3, the message to the church of Philadelphia. It took place in the town of Antigua, Guatemala, at the premises of Calvary Chapel Bible College and Potter’s Field ministry there. It was a blessing to meet people from Nicaragua, El Salvador, Panamá, Belize, Mexico and Guatemala at the Conference. God is truly doing a work in Central America thru the ministry of Calvary and there are several church plants teaching God’s word and growing slowly but surely! Personally, It was a true blessing to be at the Conference with Luis, my boyfriend, and get to share about what God was showing each one, encouraging us, and to pray together at different moments. Another cool thing was to be able to meet Wendy Hodges from Calvary Chapel St. Petersburg. She is a great in-depth teacher of the word that I learn from listening to her pod casts online. In addition, I got to see old good friends from Colombia that live in Guatemala and that refreshed me with their words and prayers !!!! God is so so good and loving towards me allowing me to attend this Conference! I was energized and challenged to come back and keep serving Him and His people with all of my heart!

Close friends and missionaries serving in Costa Rica -   With Wendy Hodges

The Costa Rican team - Find me in the back if you can !!!! = )

 EN SUS MANOS

Please continue to pray for the women of EnSusManos. We finished teaching the book of Philippians, it was such a blessing and challenge of joy and contentment for all the women that attended, and for me, of course! I can say we truly grew in His grace regarding the joy that He wants us to experience day to day. We said bye to two precious beloved women from our group. The first one was Gabby Mata. After praying for a job change, and meeting up with her once a week to study and pray, the Lord opened a miraculous door for her in the capital to work in a good library, as a librarian, which is her current major. We were so sad to say bye but happy to pray for her and trust the Lord’s hand upon her life and she moved on. I truly miss her! Got to meet up with her in the capital once and see how she’s doing there and pray for her. Please keep her in prayer, so that she attends a Bible Teaching church and finds godly friends. The second woman that we said bye to was Odelva. Remember the wedding we had back in March? Well, they got to build a house in Buenos Aires, and they moved as a family there end of November. We miss her too as she usually attended the studies and the church as well. Please pray for her and her family: Junior, Odelva, Hazel and Josafat, for God to keep them in His ways and give them a good church where they are.  We had our Christmas gathering closing the year with the women on Dec 7, and got to share some gifts and Christmas carols. It was a sweet time together !!!!

Women's meeting                                                    Saying bye to Gabby with the girls!

 FERNANDO’S GRADUATION

Jesus gave me the chance to visit Fernando every other week at the orphanage, talk to him, become more of his friend. I shared the gospel with him again and got to pray with him too. Once, I got permission to take him out of the orphanage, and we went to town, had fun, got him some shoes and then went to the mall to play and have “taco Bell”  that he had never had before. My heart grew for this boy and my prayer became stronger for him. Thank God his dad came to visit him several times in these past months, and he would often say he wanted to go home. When December came, I ran into one of the caretakers at the orphanage and she said, Fernando’s dad got the custody to take him back home the night of his graduation. I got mixed feelings: He wanted to go home so bad, but I would not get to see him anymore and had to give him all to Jesus. 

The Lord prepared my heart and so the evening of Dec 11, I got to attend his school graduation, give him a little gift and pray for him and see him go off with his dad, after the ceremony! He was the only indigenous boy in his class so you could notice him easily! He said bye to his friends from school and to the boys at the orphanage too !!!!  My prayer is that the seed that was planted in his heart and the love of Jesus that he saw and felt, brings forth fruit in him in the years to come. He has a Bible to read, and I know that the Lord is with him. Let’s pray for his protection, and for his teenage years that are at the doorstep! I also pray his dad has a more active role in his life and takes good care of him, I actually pray that the Lord gets a hold of his dad, and that he gets saved soon !!!  Prayer is a powerful tool !!! He’s in the Lords hands now and on!.

A day out with Fernando !!!!  We got to have Taco Bell !!!! A full adventure !!!!

Fernando feeling pretty accomplished at his graduation ! He got spiky hear, a present and pix !!! = )

GOOD NEWS: I’M ENGAGED AND SOON TO BE MARRIED !!! PRAISE JESUS !!!

As many of you already know, Luis proposed to me on September 21^st, and so we got engaged full of peace and confirmation and started to pray for God’s will uniting us soon as a couple for Him and His service! Even though my heart has been poured in San Isidro and I love the people and ministry God has given me here so much, I can feel the work of God moving my heart closer and closer to Luis’s heart and aligning us to become a family, which implies for me moving to Heredia, close to the Capital and leaving this ministry. It’s God’s timing and His timing is perfect indeed!!!! Both of us have so much peace about this step of faith and we see God’s hand before us, opening the way for a life together, and confirmed with our pastors, leaders and families too. We have been getting premarital counseling from his pastor, Jose Carrasco, senior pastor of the Calvary Chapel in Heredia, town where Luis lives, works as an engineer and also serves. The wedding will be on January 25^th in Guatemala!!! I know it's sounds soon however, we both know it's God's leading for us to get married in January 2014. Please support me in prayer for the wedding, and also for this big transition for me, as I will be moving to Heredia (small town next to San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica) and as I’m praying for God’s new purposes and leading there in terms of my new family and the ministry opportunities He has at the Calvary there, and even in terms of outreach!!!! Nothing is clear or defined yet to me, all I know is that He’s leading me to get married and move there. By faith, He will show His way, and is providing for me a good husband that loves Him with all of His heart, that leads me to love Christ and His word more and that wants to serve His people. What else can I ask for? I feel so so blessed and grateful with the Lord, for the gift of marriage with Luis in Him !!! Please lift us up in prayer during this season of change and transition !!! We truly appreciate it !!!

The day we got engagged !!!!                   This is THE rock , hehehe !          Together in Guatemala !

 TRANSITION IN MINISTRY….

In terms of ministry in San Isidro, I have already turned over the church plant women’s ministry completely to the team of missionary women serving here, led by Annie Torres. They all have great relationships with the local women and girls and will keep on edifying and serving them. They will be taking turns next year to teach through the gospel of Mathew so let’s keep them in prayer!!!! During the past two months, I have been meeting to pray and train two locals to take over children’s ministry: Yuli and Silvia! They both love the kids so so much and have a calling to teach them the word of God! It’s been so comforting and encouraging to see the Lord raising locals to keep on serving in kid’s ministry, as the church plant grows!!! Please let’s keep Yuli and Silvia in prayer, for the Spirit to lead them and use them with these wonderful kids !!!! = ( I will miss the kids so so much !!!!!  Regarding the Bible College, I have already turned the financial side over to Vanessa, my friend and missionary serving here, and the “Dean of Women” role to Shaviane, the girl intern that served the Bible College girls with me for a year, became and close friend, grew so much in leadership that fits so well this role for the upcoming year !!!! As you and I see, it’s the Lord’s chess and Him, moving every piece in His time to His ministry!!!! My heart is full of mixed feelings as you can imagine! I am so so grateful for the ministry and personal growth that my Lord has given here for a year and a half already, He’s been so faithful and all the Praise and Glory goes to Him alone !!!! Thanks for being a part of all His doing here and for your prayers !!!! As I move on to a new place and a new personal situation next year, I pray for His leading, and for Him to determine the way He wants me to serve Him, and serve His people !!! 

Beloved Yuli ! She's a servant !     Next to me, Shavi and Silvia, will miss them much!

Thanks so much for reading this update and keeping in touch, and thanks so much for your prayers and support so far to my service to the Lord and His people in San Isidro Costa Rica. It’s a joy to serve Jesus always!!! As my situation and my role is changing, please continue to keep me in prayer and I will inform you what the Lord shows early next year!!!  Continue to seek His will and serve Him every day, wherever you are !!!

In my Savior’s love,

Merry Christmas to You and A Blessed New Year in Jesus' love, joy and peace !!!!

Sept News: Beautiful Present & Promising Future in Christ !!!! = )

Psalm 27:13-14

I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord

    in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord;

    be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

  

I finally get to sit down and write about God's teachings, wonders and blessings during these past couple of months !!!

During the last month, I have meditated a lot in this verse and found a confident promise about seeing God's goodness to me and to others in this land of Perez Zeledon, Costa Rica, and honestly that's what I have seen so far, over a year that I have been here in Costa Rica. In the second verse, the Lord encourages me to wait, be strong and take heart. There are wonderful things that I have already seen the Lord do and all the praise goes to Him, I rejoice and worship Him. However, there so many more things that I pray for and that He wants to do according to His will for which I am to wait in faith, be strong and firm in Him and His work, and take heart founded in all that He's done. The future is always so encouraging in Him. His promises are yes and Amen to us. So why do we doubt? why do we trouble within ourselves? Another verse comes to my mind to close this: "Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me?

Put your HOPE in God, for I will yet praise him,my Savior and my God.(Psalm 42.5)". This is a word of encouragement to place my hope in Him and praise Him in my waiting whether I see a quick answer or not. My future is always promising in Him, Hope in Christ my soul !!!!

I want to update you quickly on three important themes: first, my trip to New Jersey which was an amazing blessing. Second, the latest on the ministry here as I got back and the growth Jesus is giving, and thirdly, and more on a personal note, a miracle that God did about Fernando Obando and a pretty personal prayer request.

TRIP TO NEW JERSEY

It was my first year in the mission field trip back to New Jersey to report back to my sending church, Calvary Chapel Kearny, and also to share in other Calvaries in the area about what God is doing in San Isidro, Costa Rica. It was an amazing blessing to share God's wonders as well as the process that God has brought me in, in which His glory is seen, not only in the ministry but also in the personal trials. I was so encouraged by the pastors and the congregations that gave me the opportunity to share. I want to thank each one for that, because it truly revitalized the call and energized me as a missionary to go back out to keep serving our Savior and Redeemer and look forward to seeing Him move in new and amazing ways even more. 

I also got to visit and spend time with some of you,  beloved friends in Christ and partners in this ministry and share first hand stories, trials, challenged and glories in the ministry here. I love it when I get to share with people at the personal level, because I think I end up being so encouraged too by all my brothers and sisters and how they also follow Christ in what God has them. I had the blessing of spending quality time with my sister, who is my dear friend and prayer partner and to encourage each other in our walk with Jesus to follow Him more closely and love Him even deeper. Amazing sweet times, thank you Jesus for those !!!! And thank you all that were willing and able to spend to time together !!!! It was a true blessing for me. I feel God's love and God's support through all this, and I'm so so grateful to Him. 

MINISTRY IN SAN ISIDRO

Well, as I shared when I was in NJ, the church was growing so much when I left, and sure enough I came back to the news that we had a new meeting place. It's the conference room in a nearby hotel, and it's so perfect for the church plant, and we additionally rent an empty hotel room nearby where I teach the kids all Sundays. The group has grown, and help us pray that the Word of God continues to convict and change and renew every heart. Ryan has named the church plant: Palabra Viva, which means Living Word. Help me also pray for the kids ministry, that the Lord raises locals to serve, as the group of kids is growing in numbers, and we keep getting babies also every Sunday. It's His work and He will be faithful to call His laborers to come and serve.

Women's Ministry EnSusManos

We continue to meet every other Saturday to study the book of Philippians. I am teaching it and seeing the work of God first in me, teaching me and changing me and also in every woman that comes. Pray for me please that the Lord gives me His Word, and clarity to explain it in a relevant and applicable way and also for the women, for some of them have been working on weekends or discouraged to come because of the rain. May the Lord stir their hearts to grow in Him and in His knowledge. It's such a joy to see His love and work in the women I come in contact with. Please pray for every woman, and for us to us serving as well. Thanks = )

Calvary Chapel Bible College

This semester has grown. We have 12 students, 10 girls and 2 guys. God is so faithful to bring each student with a desire to know Him and grow and we are so blessed to have them, encourage them, love on them and be an inspiration in any way. I teach Spanish, oversee the girls and serve in the financial area. I'm so blessed to live with the girls and be part of their lives, and have other staff members that are great support. Please pray for God to use us and to draw each student to Himself and to His Word while they are here. I also pray that they get to know each other and love and serve each other as Christ loved us. Our lives as staff are open books to them and the prayer is also that they are inspired and stirred to live for Christ and be a light. Only He can do it, through the classes, and through the practical living here. It's a beautiful group shining for Jesus on buses, coffee shops and streets !!!! = )

A MIRACLE, RESPONSE TO PRAYER FOR SURE !!!!

Many of you read about Fenando Obando, the 12-year-old indigenous boy that I found abandoned at a bus stop and I gave to the local authorities. The prayer was to know in what orphanage He had been placed and to be able to visit him. I actually was challenged in NJ to trust God in this and to wait and see His hand. Two weeks after I got back, I was running in the morning nearby the orphanage that we visit regularly "Hogar Ama", one of the several in this town, and even though I had heard he may have been seen there, I was shocked to see him there, walking one of the dogs. I approached him. He had a smile in his face, and answered a couple of questions. Then he said he could not talk to me unless I talked to the Frier Jorge. So I stepped in and asked to talk to him, the catholic authority of the Orphanage. I told him about Fernando and the story and prayer behind him. He gave me green light to visit him and to even take him out of the orphanage if I wanted to take him to dinner or to the mall. I was crying and just glorifying God, for I know deeply that God answered all of our prayers, thanks for praying for this. He placed Fernando, 10 min walking from my house, in the one orphanage that we visit regularly and where we are well-known . Isn't He amazing, great and faithful beyond compare? Crazy ah? I have visited him twice, and plan  on helping him with his English class in school and start a praying routine with him. Pray for me please still, that God gives me favor and grace with Him, so he opens his heart and lets me in, and also understands more about Jesus in his life, when God lead me to this conversation!!!!. This is a big big praise Report !!!! Glory to Jesus !

Lastly, I am so grateful to have mom here visting for a couple of weeks. She was not feeling good, her nervous system was unbalanced, probably missing dad so much, and had strange symptoms for a while. However, praying and having her here has been so so good for her. Thanks for all of you who knew and prayed for her. She feels so much better and we get to spend time together in the Word and in prayer. Please continue to pray for her, that she continues to feel good and that as she travels back to Colombia soon, that she is stable, and keeps firm in Christ. The second prayer request, is regarding a man God has brought to my life and confirmed in so many ways, as many of you know. His name is Luis, a godly man, and my boyfriend. He works in the capital of Costa Rica and serves in a local Calvary as the worship leader and young adults leader. Please pray that God leads us in His will, and that He is glorified and the focus in our relationship, as we continue to serve Him where God has placed us. Pray for His direction in all! 

I truly thank you for reading this update to be informed on what's going on here and in my life. Thanks so so much for praying and being a part of God's work here through your praying, giving and encouragement !!!! God is at work nonstop, let's be a light for Him.

Much love in Christ Jesus,

Opened doors for the Gospel - June Praise Reports from Costa Rica !!!

Dear friends in Jesus Christ !

“To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven” (v1)

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end. I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, – Ecclesiastes 3:11-12

Reading this chapter the Lord had me reflect on time, change, purpose and His will. As I read through the list of things that Salomon says there is time for (V2 through V8), (by the way I personally love this list of opposites, I love the contrast = )), I find that some have a positive connotation to me and some don’t but still it says there’s time for all of these circumstances in life. We often times know that Christian life is not supposed to be a “perfect life” or a life without difficulties, however, we often loose sight of the fact that trials will come, and it has been promised to us that those difficult things are to happen too. The encouraging thing is found in V1! It’s just a season, which means it won’t last forever and a change will come eventually! That gives us hope in Jesus in the trial. And the second thing found in V1 is that there’s a purpose for that to happen! Since we’ve given our lives to Jesus, we know and need to be reminded of the fact that He now owns our life and all the events in it are planned and purposeful according to His wil! This gives us faith in Jesus in the trial! So hope and faith in the trial !!! But, what about those seasons in which we don’t find ourselves in a trial? What about those seasons of apparent calmness, peace and stability? Do I also think of them as just for a season and as meant for a purpose by the Lord? I also need to focus on the hope and faith in Jesus in those seasons, because I can also loose focus during those and get too comfortable or inactive spiritually! Well, whether in trial, or calmness, in storms or peace, in the desert or the mountain tops, let’s acknowledge His hand in it and His perfect timing, and that makes it beautiful (v11). Let’s accept His will for this season of our lives, let’s choose to rejoice over what He’s doing, for it’s His timing and not ours. 

V11 tells me of a contrast: God has placed eternity in our hearts, for we know there’s much more than this we see, for we long to transcend and go to heaven and spend eternity with God, nevertheless, we are still humans and we can not view, understand or figure out the work of God from beginning to end. Remember: “How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out. For who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has become His counselor?” (Rom11.33-34). His work in history, and in our individual lives is way greater and more complex than we think!!! Paula, don’t try to figure it all out based on your current season, or in the trend found in the last 3 seasons He allowed in your life! THERE’S NO WAY to figured it out and understand it all but THERE IS A WAY to embrace and rejoice in the season He’s allowing in my life now, to acknowledge it comes from Him and to be hopeful for He’s making a beautiful puzzle with my life! I encourage you to rejoice and give Him the glory for what Jesus is doing in your life so far this year, and be expecting and hopeful for what He will bring next, knowing the He makes everything beautiful in its time! = )

Let me share with you a bit of what’s going on down here during the past month:

WOMEN’S MINISTRY “En Sus Manos”

Thanks so so much for your prayers for this ministry. The kick off meeting on Saturday, June 8 was a total blessing not only to us serving but also to the women that came and expressed their grateful hearts for this ministry! We prepared special worship music, Annie shared the vision and intent of this ministry based on being clay in His hands, Shaviane shared her testimony, and we also prepared a special gift for each woman as we start the study of Philippians, a journal with fabric cover. We had a sweet time of fellowship and encouragement and most women we invited came! Praise Jesus!. Please continue to pray for the women that came and for God to inspire them to keep coming, growing and even inviting other friends that need Jesus! Specifically, I ask you to pray for Wendy, a new girl, single mom, that came invited by her sister Susana (the girl that works at the Cake Place I wrote about last month). It was her first time in a long long time to hear the Word and to have fellowship with women that love God. She was truly impacted and encouraged to come back but did not come to our last meeting or bible study!!! Let’s pray the Holy Spirit places in her a desire to accept and know Jesus as her Lord and Savior! We also had a second meeting this month, and Annie started with Philippians 1, and it was so good !!!. Please pray also for me as I start to study and prepare to teach the group in August. I continue to be amazed at God’s word and it’s power to touch us and transform us! Praise Jesus for His Word! May it accomplish His work in me first and grow me in joy and grace!!!

I want to share with you about Gabby! She’s been faithfully coming to the study for approximately a year and a half, practically since the start. God has placed a special love and connection with Gabby. We are good friends in the Lord. As part of discipleship and friendship, I meet up with her once a week for lunch, share about the Bible and what God is doing in our lives, pray and talk! She works on Saturdays so cannot join us for the women’s meeting. Please pray for her, for strength in the Lord in her daily battles, for consistency in her walk and for deeper growth in her that translates in convictions and decisions for Jesus! She’s such a treasure to me here! And I’m pretty sure, she’s one of those special divines appointments that tells me clearly why I’m here now!

ORPHANAGE “HOGAR AMA”

As part of the outreach to the community, we, as staff, go to “Hogar Ama”, a local all-boys orphanage at a walking distance from the Bible College house. We usually visit every other week and get to hang out with the kids, play soccer, or other group games with them, and just talk to them and hear what’s going on in their lives in the orphanage! There’s a total of 18 boys from age 5 to age 13. Many kids are there due to family violence, abuse, abandonment or any type of sexual misconduct. It’s a Catholic orphanage, ran by a friar however, we have built a pretty good relationship with them, so they allow us to share with the kids about Jesus, and about the Word without restrictions, Praise Jesus for that !!! Please pray that the door continues to be open for us to go, love on them and have fun and share about the Gospel of Jesus with them! For the Lord to show us a series of topics or stories to go thru with them, that will nourish their faith in Jesus and Jesus alone and that will fill them with faith and hope for their future with Jesus in their lives! Here is a recent picture! Keep them all in prayer please!!!

FERNANDO OBANDO

I still have not had any contact with Fernando!!! I have called the PANI (Government Institution) several times trying to get information on where he’s been placed but no specific information has been given to me. It seems like he’s been assigned to an orphanage already! I am determined to going there this week and for God to give me grace with one of the social workers that will help me and approve me to visit Fernando! Please keep this in prayer, for the Lord to open a door for me to be able to visit him even though I’m not his relative !!! I will update on this on my next newsletter in the meantime just pray pray pray for Fernando Obando !!!

CHILDREN’S MINISTRY

This ministry is truly growing as more families come to the study and bring their kids. It’s such a joy to see them come so excited to sing, play and learn about Jesus!!! We are going thru the book of Luke and it has been an adventure to teach it to them and to learn so much from them, from their questions! Their faith is simple and it’s growing indeed, and I feel so blessed to see that!!! Last Sunday we studied that “We have to be prepared and ready for Jesus is coming back for us” (Luke 17: 20-35) and we looked into the rapture, what it means and what the Bible describes about Jesus coming to pick us up in the clouds to fly to heaven with Him. Andres, a boy that’s been coming like 4 consecutive Sundays said: “Paula, can I fly with Jesus bringing my 2 dogs? They can’t stay behind for they will be sad”. The truth of the word is so real in his heart and in the others too! Please pray for them and for God to raise other teachers for this ministry in His time. Pray for kids and babies: Andres, Matias, Eithan, Esteban, Mariel, Dayana, Charlotte, Vielka, Angie, Mery, Kassia, and Aaron! 

THE PASTOR’S CONFERENCE WAS AMAZING!!!

Thanks for all your prayers!!!! We felt them all here on that Saturday June 15, seeing the great response from pastors in this valley!!! We had about 40 pastors in attendance, including some assistant and youth pastors. I got to be there helping with the registration, translation and giving information at the resource table for those interested in the ministry of Instituto Biblico Calvary Chapel that officially starts in August (Bible College in Spanish). I was blessed to hear the great encouraging messages that God brought through the guess speakers that came: Fausto Pflucker and Dave Eason who came from California, and Johnatan Domingo from Ensenada, Mexico. The greatest blessing for us was to be able to house and have 9 Guaymi Pastors who came (from an indigenous group in the south of Costa Rica) and see them interact with all the other pastors in the conference. They truly enjoyed their time here and had never attended a pastor’s conference so it was a joy and new adventure for them for sure!!! In short, the conference was a full success not only creating great fellowship among pastors and bringing the Word to them but also awakening them to study, get prepared in the word, and letting them know the Instituto Biblico is available and convenient for them here! Please continue to pray for those interested in studying more the word and attending our classes that start in August!. Here are some pictures! You can watch a video this Ryan, the Director, put together talking about the conference! Enjoy it !!!!

3min Update-Pastors Conference from Ryan Slabach on Vimeo.

Thanks so much for reading this update and keep in touch with me and the ministry here, and thanks so much for your prayers and support to my service here. It’s a joy to serve Jesus here and to have you partnering with me in the work of His kingdom here ! May His Word continue to run swiftly in San Isidro and the surrounding towns as it does there, where you are serving Him too!

In Jesus’ Grace and Love,

APRIL'S RAIN OF BLESSINGS = )

May the Grace and Love of Jesus Christ flow abundantly in your hearts !!!

“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.”

Heb 11:8-10

As I have been reading through the book of Hebrews I found myself stuck in chapter 11, of course, the “Heroes of Faith” chapter. No matter how long we’ve been walking with the Lord or what He’s doing in my life today, it’s certain that He desires to grow my faith in whatever I’m going through today. “The Just shall live by faith” (Romans 1.17); this means I am to walk by faith and live by faith for the rest of my life. Thinking of Abraham as the father of faith and the way he walked by faith, God challenged me in these three principles from Heb 11:8-10 : 1). Faith will move me out of my comfort zone. Just as for Abraham, the Lord is calling me out of my comfort zone in a couple of areas in my life, and to be able to move out I need to exercise faith. Is your faith moving you out of your comfort zone? 2). Faith challenges my natural logic. In the case of Abraham, when he left, he did not even know where he was going but he was already moving and that’s not logical at all. As I try to apply my human logic to choices and situations in life, God will challenge my logic having me exercise faith in Him and His word. Are you walking in faith today or by your own logic ? 3). Faith keeps me heavenly minded. The passage says that Abraham dwelt in tents in the promise land for he received the promise, but his eyes were still in heaven. He was really waiting for the heavenly inheritance. There are promises that God has given me and that I’m waiting on for Him to fulfill, however no matter when that happens, I have a heavenly promise, an inheritance with my Savior in heaven forever and faith allows me to keep that promise in front of all the others so that I can walk as a stranger and pilgrim on this earth. Is your faith allowing you to see the promise of heaven way bigger and more important than any other promises for your life here on earth? May the Lord strengthen and deepen our faith and trust in Him that we may walk closer and pleasing to Him fixing our eyes on the things above and not on the things of the earth.

On this update I would like to cover the Outreach to the Guaymi people which I promised on my last newsletter and couple other beautiful things that have happened in the month of April.

OUTREACH TO THE GUAYMI

The Lord opened a door for us to go with the Bible College students to the Guaymi People, an indigenous group found in the south of Costa Rica and the north of Panama. We partnered with an American missionary that works with them. Even though we were there for only 3 days, we got to experience first hand what their life and basic needs are. The two main purposes of our trip were accomplished: we built the foundations for a pastor’s house in concrete and we did an outreach for the Guaymi kids. They have their native language however most of them speak basic Spanish and that’s how we could communicate with them, especially with the kids. I got to play with the kids in the river and eat raw cocoa from the trees, but my favorite moment was the quiet moment of explaining the gospel to all these kids through the gospel bracelet and seeing them pray to Jesus! Some of their parents did not know they were there and may have not allowed them to come play with the foreigners but Jesus brought them and touched them with His love! Amazing! A strong prayer request is their need for clean water. They currently use river water, which has brought forth several skin diseases, stomach problems and other health issues. Help us pray for a mission’s trip later this year or next year, and for the funds to be able to bring and install a community filter for them, for they truly need it. If you feel God leads you to donate for this, please email me letting me know before you donate it to me, so that I can set it aside. Here is a slideshow of our visit to the Guaymi. Hope you enjoy it and pray for them !!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOD03wnsorE

BEAUTIFUL WEDDING

This is a praise report! All of us attending and serving in the church plant here were blessed to witness a beautiful wedding of a family that attends our fellowship. Junior and Odelva, with two kids that are part of our children’s ministry, decided to take this step of faith and commitment with the Lord and with each other before the Lord. It’s worth saying that we had prayed for this for several months and God answered prayers and brought them to the altar. Their faces were shining, and there was so much joy!!! Students and staff decorated the school house and transformed it into a wedding reception room. There was such joy in all of us, to celebrate with them, and their family the blessing of seeing them married before Jesus!!! Please keep them in prayer, as they stand as a testimony for Jesus in this town where there are so many unmarried couples living together!!!  

WOMEN’S MINISTRY

This ministry has been going on for a while, in conjunction with other missionaries in town. However, at this point, as many more women have come to faith, the Lord is leading us to a new stage of consolidation of unified group of women that meet to study the Word together and fellowship in His love. It’s amazing how many women there are in this town, many more than men; and the ministry here reflects the stats. The biggest spiritual need in my opinion is the woman’s value and identity in Christ Jesus and as a consequence establishing her priorities, decisions and relationships based on that new identity. Please pray for us, as we are meeting weekly to pray for the women we know and have relationships with, that God may lead the next steps for this ministry through the power of His Spirit. We are planning a worship night towards the end of May and a special kick off event in early June to study the book of Philippians. May the Lord move in all the planning, give us His favor, and give us insight into their lives and spiritual needs so that we pray and plan according to His will for them. 

Here is a picture meeting with Nicole and Ivannia, two girls that come to the Bible Study, and  Shavi, our intern. The ocassion was Ivania's birthday.

My last prayer request is regarding the Sunday Bible Study! The Lord is so faithful to his Word, and as Ryan is used by God to teach the Bible in a relevant and practical way here every Sunday, there is a pretty steady group of believers that keeps growing. It’s such a blessing to see the Lord bring His people and to talk to some of them and see the joy of the Lord that comes from being in His Word. Please keep Ryan in prayer, as our pastor, that the Lord may continue to use his Spanish, his illustrations and his applications of the Word to break and change every heart, to bring light and truth where there was darkness. Pray for his spiritual wisdom, discernment and vision for the Bible Study and for each individual as well. And please pray for all of us in the serving team, that we may serve humbly and wholeheartedly and that we may be a blessing to the family of believers that God is giving us here ! Here is a recent picture of the Study!

Thank you for all your prayers and support, which allow this ministry to go forth in the power of God. May God continue to open the way before us ....