What an AWESOME day we had yesterday! Daniel led a team of men from the church in a "clean up the park" day in the barrio where we do kid's club on Saturdays. The little playground was falling apart, the soccer field was grown over and there was trash everywhere. The men did a wonderful job and the kids were soooo excited! Many of them were right there watching and helping as the men worked. We were entertaining the rest of the kids in an empty field beside the park with water games and races. It was such a blessing to the kids and to the community and as soon as the men were done there were kids playing soccer again and others climbing all over the play equipment! What a joy it was to be a part of this special day!

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The Barretts in Costa Rica: Park Clean Up

Wow, we have been extremely busy but having so much fun! We just kicked off CORE groups with the church--one in English and one in Spanish. They are basically home fellowship groups and we are studying through the Book of James. Daniel is leading one of the groups and we are having a lot of fun! It is a great way for us to go deeper in the Word with those in the church as well as develop relationships to a deeper level. We are excited about what the Lord is going to do through these groups!

We are also gearing up for our big Christmas Outreach this year. We are having 2 separate outreaches this year in 2 of the poorest "barrios" (neighborhoods) in Jacó. We are sharing the Christmas story, serving refreshments, having clowns lead games, and giving each child a gift. We are getting people in our church here as well as people in The States to "sponsor" a child for only $10 which will pay for the gift. The gift will include clothing, a toy, a Gospel coloring book, crayons and candy. We are SOOOO excited about being a part of blessing these precious families this Christmas! It will definitely bless us more than it blesses any of them for sure!

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http://thebarrettsincostarica.blogspot.com/2009/11/core-groups-and-christmas-outreach.html

Here are a few pictures of Daniel and Thomas cutting bananas down at Warren's house. (Warren attends our church) Thomas thought this was sooo much fun!! There are also a few pictures of us with Carolyn and Ashley who came to visit us over their Fall Break from Palm Beach Atlantic Univ. Carolyn was in our youth group at Calvary Chapel in Lexington and Ashley is her roommate in college. We had so much fun with them and they were a true blessing and help to us while they were here!

As many of you remember, we met Maria and Lester right after moving here and have been ministering to them since. They have come to church with us for about 2 months and we have developed and incredible relationship with them during this time. We shared the Gospel with them one night at our house about 3 weeks ago or so and they were very interested in learning more. Since that time, Daniel bought a Bible and devotional book for each of them and I have never seen anyone so excited to receive a gift. It was such a beautiful moment for both Daniel and I. They began reading their Bibles and one day Maria came over and said they were ready to accept Jesus as Lord of their lives!!!!! We had them over last Saturday night for dinner, walked them through the Gospel and THEY BOTH PRAYED AND INVITED JESUS INTO THEIR HEARTS!!!!! Praise the Lord!!!! We were and are sooo excited! With tears in their eyes and pure joy beaming from their faces, they prayed with us and it was such a life changing moment for all of us! What is more, Sunday we had a baptism celebration and dinner at our house for the church and they along with 4 others were baptized in our pool!!! What a celebration it was!! Please see the attached pictures of the baptism! It was such a night of rejoicing to see what the Lord is doing in the lives of people here who are surrendering to Him! We feel so blessed to have already seen the fruit of the ministry we are doing here--this is a true gift from the Lord!

Thanks to all of you who are continuously praying for us and for Jacó. Please pray for Maria and Lester as they begin this new journey with the Lord!!!!

http://thebarrettsincostarica.blogspot.com/2009/10/update-on-maria-and-lester.html

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Saturday I (Daniel) was invited to tag along with the local International Youth Group on a community service project.  It sounded like fun hanging out with teenagers and we were going to help clean up a family's home.  We traveled to the foot of the mountains, about 15 minutes away, and when we arrived at the family's home I could not believe my eyes.  It was some of the worst living conditions that I have ever seen or smelled. The house was made of rotted wood boards and tin siding.  It had 2 small beds, a chair, a dirt floor kitchen and a pit toilet that had filled and spilled over into the kitchen.  Roberto, his wife, his daughter and 2 grandchildren live in the house.  It was devastating.   We worked all morning cleaning and removing trash from inside and around the house because $5,000 was raised by a missionary family to build them a new block house.  The family was so blessed by all of the work that was done in the name of Jesus.  I was so honored to be able to serve them with the love of Christ.  The youngest grandson was about Thomas's age and the Lord put it on my heart to go back in the near future with some of Thomas's clothes for him.  I also want to take Sarah and the boys back to minister to them as well.  I will take some pictures of their new home to share with you while we are there.  The Lord has given us such a desire to just serve those in need--whoever it is that God puts in our path.  Please join me in praying for this family and for the thousands more like them who so desperately need their physical and spiritual needs met in a mighty way.  

The Barretts in Costa Rica: Youth Service Project

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Wow, time flies!  I can't believe it has been almost 2 weeks since our last post!  We are so busy every day and by the time we sit down to write a week has gone by.  We are also trying to get used to being 2 hours behind our family and friends on the East Coast because of the time change last week.  Costa Rica does not change times so in the Spring we are 2 hours behind and in the Fall we are only 1 hour behind.  We are slowly adjusting...

Anyway, for some time now Daniel and I have really been praying about language school and staying for another trimester (3 1/2 months).  We originally had planned to be here until the end of April and then we were going to move to Jacó at that time.  As we have been in school for these last 3 months we have learned alot but still have ALOT to learn!  Most people in school are staying closer to a year (3 trimesters) so we began praying about what we should do.   We want to be as prepared as the Lord wants us to be for the ministry has called us to here in Costa Rica.  This has been a really difficult thing for us to pray about because our hearts are already in Jacó and ready to begin ministry there.  As we have been praying, the Lord has shown us very clearly through His Word, through our mentors and through His provision that He wants us to stay here until mid-August.  He has clearly shown us how sometimes the preparation for His work is more extensive than the work itself and all we desire to do is what He wants us to do.  The Lord knew that He wanted us to stay until August even before we left....He had already provided the money for another semester of school in our "extra" outgoing support and we did not know at the time what it is was for.  He has been so faithful to us as we have sought to follow Him every step of the way.  His Word says, "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;  I will counsel you and watch over you." (Psalm 32:8)  Again, this has been so difficult to obey and stay another semester, but we know the Lord desires this for us.  So now we look forward to what the Lord has for us here in the next few months.  We pray for more and more opportunities to serve others in need and to love them with the love of Christ. 

We would really appreciate your prayers as we stay another trimester here at language school.  Please pray for patience--that we would not be anxious to go--but that we would take advantage of every opportunity while we are here.

The Barretts in Costa Rica: Language School

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Many things here in Costa Rica are very different and though at times we get frustrated with the way things are done, there are times when we just have to laugh.  For example, last week we decided to order a pizza and have it delivered to our house.  We found a little "hole in the wall" pizza place and they have a little man on a motorcycle who will deliver it to you so we decided to try it.  I called to place the order and they asked for my address as they would in the States.  The only (BIG) difference is that here the houses don't have numbers and the neighborhood streets don't have names so your actual address is specific directions to your house from a certain point.  We have been told by our landlord that our address is the following:

   "San Francisco de dos rios, en la Pacifica, de la farmacia San Francisco, seisientos metres este,         veinticinco norte; casa izquierda-color melón..."

(Which translates--city of San Francisco de dos rios, la Pacifica (the main road through town), from the San Francisco pharmacy, 600 meters east (each 100 meters is a block to them no matter how short or long the block is), 25 meters north, the house on the left, melon color)

As I was reading this to the guy he was understanding but then started asking me more and more questions about more specific directions.  Finally, I told him that we would be outside on the porch and when we saw a man coming by on a motorcycle carrying a pizza we would flag him down.  He was very appreciative and sure enough after 45 minutes we heard the loud motorcycle and we were able to get our pizza.  It was great pizza too---really gave Pizza Hut some big competition.  

Day after day we realize more and more---we are not in South Carolina anymore!   But we really like it here and we thank the Lord that He loves us and takes care of us daily!  We feel like the most blessed people on Earth!!!

The Barretts in Costa Rica: Everyday Life

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We have been so busy studying for the 2 months that we have been here, yet it has been such a privilege to be able to study Spanish in preparation for the ministry the Lord has called us to in Jacó.  We do miss our family and friends so much and at times it is really hard to be away from them.  But, this past week we were really blessed to have our first visitor from the States.  Our friend, Glenda, came and visited us for 6 days, and we had a wonderful time showing her around San Jose and Jacó while she was here.  She brought all of Thomas's books that we left at my mom's house, and she blessed the boys with a few new treats as well.  

As I said before, we went to Jacó for the weekend to show Glenda where we would be serving when we are finished with school.  Mike and Revae (the couple we will be working alongside in Jacó) came to San Jose the Friday we were headed to Jacó because Revae is due any day with their third baby girl and they had to go ahead and come to town to be close to the hospital.  Mike's plan was to drive back down early Sunday morning to preach, but when he arrived in San Jose he realized that the clutch in his car went out.  Mike was able to call Daniel to fill in for him on Sunday so Daniel had the privilege of teaching for the first time in our new church here in Jacó.  He taught in English and it was translated into Spanish.  The Lord is so amazing--He always has everything perfectly under control and it was no coincidence that we were in Jacó for the weekend!!  We were so blessed to be there worshipping alongside those we will be serving there.  

All in all, the visit with Glenda was a blessing and though it made us miss home at times, she was such an encouragement to us and to the ministry here in Costa Rica!

The Barretts in Costa Rica: Our first visitor

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This past weekend we went to Jacó for the first time since we have been in country.  It was an amazing visit and made us even more excited to get there in the next few months.  We went to be a part of a city-wide crusade that the church was a part of hosting.  The Conquerors, a Christian strength team from Michigan, came to do their strength demonstrations in 4 schools and then the big crusade on Friday night.  It was incredible!  The show was great and their testimonies were powerful as they told of their lives before Christ (drugs, stealing, prison, etc).  They could really relate to many of the locals in Jacó.  This is the first crusade of this kind in the city and there were about 1,000 people in attendance at the local park.  Hundreds prayed to receive Christ as their personal Lord and Savior...it was AMAZING!  There were prostitutes and homosexuals and those who are just living in the dark who declared that they wanted to turn from these sinful lifestyles and begin a relationship with Jesus.  After a time of corporate prayer, volunteers swarmed through the crowd of people who came forward to receive Christ and each person was prayed for individually and many were set free for the first time.  It was a beautiful time in the Lord.  "The Book of Hope" and salvation bracelets were handed out to each person at the end of the night.  God's presence was so strong during the night.  As soon as the strength show began, a rainbow appeared over the park....what a beautiful promise the Lord gave us as we began.  Then, as one of the team members began sharing the Gospel, a dove flew over the park!  It was so incredible!  God showed Himself in so many tangible ways Friday night and we were more than blessed!  What is so great about all of this is that now there is a church that can follow up with those who gave their lives to Christ and can begin discipling those who really are serious about growing in their faith.  When were here in 2004 on a short term missions trip, there was no church to plug people into so this is exciting!  We are excited about getting to be a part of helping with the follow up for many of the people who are beginning a new life in Christ!!!  

We attended church this morning at Calvary Christian Fellowship Jacó, the church we are going to be serving with after language school.  Mike, the Pastor there, introduced us and we were so blessed to be able to worship with those we will soon be serving!

Thanks for all of your continued prayers.  Please pray specifically for the following:

1.  Our language study--for clarity and that it would "stick"

2. Our family's health--many have been sick and have been missing school

3. Our family's safety--many have been robbed at gunpoint so we are constantly on guard

4. For the people of Jacó and all those who gave their hearts to Jesus this past weekend

The Barretts in Costa Rica: Crusade in Jacó

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As we have written before, God is giving us opportunities daily to minister to others in need.  We have been so blessed to do His work and look forward to serving "the least of these."  Friday afternoon was no exception, though I (Daniel) learned a huge lesson in humility, sacrifice and service to others.  We were home late Friday afternoon when a young girl (around 20 yrs old) came to our front gate and called for us to come out.  She began asking us for things in Spanish so Sarah came out to see what she needed.  She had 2 kids with her and told us that she had 2 more at home.  She then began asking us for food or anything else we could give because they had no food.  She even asked us for a baby bottle.  Sarah and I went to the kitchen and agreed immediately without hesitation that we needed to give her food and diapers.  The Lord put James 2:15-17 on our hearts immediately.  It says "If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and be filled," and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?  Even so, faith if it has no works, is dead, being by itself."

In the mean time, Thomas was asking us who was at the gate and what they wanted.  We explained to him that this family did not have any food and Mommy and Daddy were going to give them some food and diapers for the baby.  We packed a bag of food for her, gave her the rest of the diapers we had and went down to the gate to talk to her more.  We found out her name is Elena and her 2 children were Aaron and Ariel.  As we were talking, Thomas came and got me and said he wanted to give the little boy some of his toys.  I went with him to get them and he immediately picked out his favorite toy-- a Spiderman figure.  His Aunt Anne gave it to him for Christmas this past year and he plays with it all the time.  I tried to talk him into giving another toy just thinking that I would be preventing possible issues later when he truly realized it was gone.  He picked out 2 other toys and took them to the boy.  The boy was so excited to get toys and thanked us over and over.  As Sarah talked to Elena, little Ariel devoured 2 of the bananas that we had given them--he was so hungry.  After talking with Elena for a while, Sarah asked if she could pray for them and she agreed.  About that time Thomas came down with the Spiderman in hand and walked right over to the boy and gave it to him.  I was immediately convicted like never before as my son desired to give his favorite toy ("his best") to this little boy and I had tried to convince him otherwise.  As the family walked away blessed, the thought hit me--am I not willing to give my best?  With tears in my eyes I escaped to the bathroom to cry tears of repentance.  "Lord, I haven't given my best, I've held back and I'm sorry."  Then the thought came to me, what if God didn't give His best?  In the Old Testament, not just any sacrifice would do--it had to be a perfect, spotless sacrifice--"the best."  And this is what God gave to us in sending His Son, Jesus, to die for us...HIS BEST... 

As Christians, we should follow our Heavenly Father's example and give our best to those in need.  James 1 says as we are doers of God's Word, He will bless us in all we do (verse 25).   Verse 27 ends with "Pure and undefiled  religion in the sight of our God and Father is this:  to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world."  Please join us in praying for Elena and so many others like her here in Costa Rica who have physical and spiritual needs. 

The Barretts in Costa Rica: Giving your Best

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