(Mike Benson, Captain of the Conquerors Strength Team, getting the kids at a local school to make some noise!)

Some of you may remember that we hosted The Conquerors Strength Team this time last year. Well, we are excited to say that they are back and we are partnering with them again to reach Jaco for Christ! Last year we spent 3 days going into local schools and then capped off the week with a city wide outreach in downtown Jaco.

This year our focus will be a bit different. We spent the first day (today) going into the schools. We will then spend the next 2 days going through local neighborhoods and doing events in them. Instead of asking the people to come to us, we are going to the people! We will do 3 neighborhoods each day. Another cool thing is that these events have allowed us to include 3 of the other local churches. They will each be represented in the neighborhoods near their church. Our hope is that a good connection will be made between the churches as we work together and between each church and the neighborhoods they minister in most often. Our goal is to make the follow up process as efficient as possible, allowing for people to be discipled and plugged into a church in their area.

As for today, the school events went great! We had around 300 students between the 2 schools and many prayed to receive Christ. We also gave each student a “Book of Hope” in Spanish. Please pray for the events over the next 2 days as well as the follow up efforts over the days, weeks, and months to come. Stay tuned for more updates and photos once the events are completed!

*To learn more about “The Conquerors Strength Team” visit TheConquerors.net

*To learn more about the “Book of Hope” visit OneHope.net

Lawrence Missionary Page

See more pictures from the events

http://ccjaco.wordpress.com/2010/02/10/the-conquerors-strength-team-2010-jaco-outreach-update-1/

December was our annual Christmas Outreach to the poorest children of Jaco. We have held this outreach for the last 4 years in the park where we hold our weekly Kid’s Club. This year we felt led to branch out and bless even more children. We have had the opportunity from time to time to minister in another bario where the people are almost all Nicaraguans who have simply “squatted”. They have no “rights” to the land and have erected make shift homes from salvaged materials one on top of another . This bario has its own set of winding alley ways where we have found hundreds of children. We have built some relationships with a few people from this bario, and we wanted to do more to help build trust in this community. We traveled to a town about an hour away to purchase the gifts. Then, held a wrapping night, and in about 2 hours we had 200 gifts packed and tied and ready to go thanks to our wonderful volunteers! Each child received a Capilla Calvario (Calvary Chapel) T shirt, a toy, a gospel coloring book, crayons, and a bag of candy. We found a Missionary Clown family from San Jose to perform. We started with our first outreach in the morning in the neighborhood we work in weekly (INVU). This is also the bario where we lived for the first 3 1/2 years here in CR. The park is just 2 doors down from our old house where the church began. After the outreach in INVU, we took a break and all had lunch together. In the afternoon, we drove over to our second location (Copey) for the second show. The clowns performed first and then I (Revae) told the Christmas Story with large picture cards. Next, was refreshments and finally the moment they had been waiting for…the Gifts! The volunteers were so touched to be a part of giving a gift to so many children who would have not have otherwise received a gift… and best of all to be sharing with them about Jesus Christ who is our greatest gift of all! We are still praying to see how God wants us to work in this bario in the future. We would love to see a regular Kid’s Club just like the one we host in town each week.
In His Grace,
Revae

Check out more photos from the event.

http://ccjaco.wordpress.com/2010/01/20/blessings-abound/

Lawrence, M. & R. Missionary Page

Here in Puerto Viejo, life moves along at it’s own pace.  It’s one of those immutable laws of nature akin to night following day and day following night.  There’s no changing it so you just have to learn to roll with it.  Case in point: at church, we have repeatedly emphasized how important it is for us to start “on time” (meaning within at least 1/2 hour of the official start time) so that new people who are being invited, along with everyone else, can have some idea of what to expect.  

Something about the tropics though; schedules seem to be dictated more by the quality of the surf or the sunset than by a clock or watch.  No one else seems to mind... why should we, right?  Well, after five years of “learning to roll with it”, I still stress out every Sunday evening when no one is there “on time”.  It makes me start doubting our calling, my abilities, etc... everything short of my salvation.  It never ends and it never gets any easier for me having grown up in a very time oriented family.  For those of you that know my dad, you know what I’m talking about.

The Sunday evening after Christmas was the most recent example.  We had been inviting people for the past month to come celebrate Christmas with food, friends and a great message on hope.  Our “official” start time is 5:30 pm but by 6:00 there were only about 4 people there (which included Amy and me) along with a large amount of food that was getting cold.  Like every Sunday, I began to wonder if anyone was even going to show.  Suddenly, by about 6:15 people started trickling in and by 6:30 we were up to a total of 21 people (a mob by Puerto Viejo standards).

We enjoyed eating and spending time together and then got into the message.  I spoke about the reason that we, as Christians, celebrate Christmas... not because a baby was born but because of the hope that His birth brought to the human race.  Hope for today and for eternity.  Following that, we watched the second part of a video series by Louie Giglio entitled “Hope When Life Hurts Most” which led to some thought provoking discussion afterwards.

Our church is the only church in the entire community that is specifically reaching out to the third culture of foreigners that have have made Puerto Viejo home.  Because we are non-denominational, people feel more comfortable.  The fact that we don’t even have a name for the church is a plus in a town where people have fled institutions, structure and labels.  We are Christians that love Jesus and want others to come to know him as revealed by the Bible.  We have an opportunity here through the skatepark and church to share the good news of Jesus in a way that reaches out to a very non-traditional, un-churched crowd without compromising the message.  We need your help in doing this.  Pray with us as we make visits to people’s houses and places of business in an effort to build relationships with them.  After 5 years of living here, inviting people, etc... we have come to learn that there is no substitute for time.  The most effective way to share the message of Jesus is through personal relationships and that can only happen with time.

Cruce Missionary Page

4 Cruces: Time

Dear friends,

Hope you are all doing well, and growing even more in your relationship with Christ. Happy new year to all of you and may the Lord, whose mercies are new every morning, bless you.

After our last update the weather here in Costa Rica has been changing, and a cold front is making our Costa Rican friends use sweaters! Our home seems to be the place where the winds of the world are coming to rest, and also from where they take off. To give you an idea of how it sounds, imagine if you go to the ocean shore and pitch a tent...you can here the waves break on the shore, and this, accompanied by the whistling between the trees and the drizzling, makes for a windy and rainy day in Heredia.

The winds of our ministry flourish as we get to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with family and new friends. Last week we left off when we were going to visit a family which is in the turmoil of Satan himself...with strife, bitterness, vengeance, desires of death, guilt, adultery, anger, etc. That night two of those in the midst of all of that were touched by the Holy Spirit, and trusted Jesus as Lord and Savior, for the glory of our God. We rejoice with God in His work. Now with that we also get people that are managed by the devil and introduce dissension and spread gossip...one week later we hear the tales of it, but face it on our knees as we know that that's the only way to fight it.
Yesterday was a good day... we were able to meet with Victor and his wife Nichol who are also missionaries here, with their focus on a School of Ministry...and the Lord is blessing it already. Some day we will send students there!
Victor invited us to go to the church of a friend of his, and we were blessed the the Word of God is the authority there too. After the service, we went to their home and had a good time of fellowship. To us this is very important, since having friends that have Christ as the center of their lives is a total blessing. They also come from a Calvary Chapel in East Anaheim Calif, which gives us even more common ground to build on the work which God has ahead.

Also, we received a phone call this morning from another pastor who needs prayer. He is going through some problems within his leadership and just needed to share it. I'll meet with him on Thursday, if the Lord permits. This pastor loves the bible, but the doctrine from his home church is conflicting with the Word, and he knows it. So please, as you read this, stop for a moment and send a prayer for him...his name is Ciro.

My father is trusting God in his journey, and I am grateful. We are going to visit him this weekend, and also one of my uncles there in Perez Zeledon. He wants to learn more about Christ, and we don't want him to loose momentum.
We love you all, and please know that your love and prayers are felt. It is weird...but they are! Thank you!

We just experienced another black-out...the electricity comes and goes and it has been like that the last two days. We love it here. Please continue to pray for wisdom, discernment, revelation from our beloved scriptures, and the ability to explain those truths simply.

We love you guys!
P.S. Denise is doing really well with her Spanish...I am so proud of her.

Alvarado Missionary Page

The following comes from Shepherd's Staff Missionary Barrett Cruce. Barrett and his lovely wife, Amy, moved to Costa Rica about five years ago to live with and serve among the poor along Costa Rica's Caribbean coast. Barrett is a natural evangelist. You can't go anywhere with Barrett where he doesn't get into a conversation about the Lord. Everyone Barrett meets becomes an instant friend. 

Last night Juan (not his real name to protect his privacy) gave his life to God sitting in our living room.  It was an incredible end (and a new beginning) to a long and sometimes painful journey.  I first met Juan about two years ago when we went whitewater rafting with a visiting mission team.  Juan was one of the guides on the expedition.  Not long after, Juan and his girlfriend moved to Puerto Viejo.  I began to see them around and now and then he asked a few questions about the skate park.  One Friday evening he dropped by with his girlfriend to check things out.  As he asked questions, I told him why we were here, about the skate park, the visiting mission teams and I invited them to our church.  At the time, they didn't really seem too interested.  We would see each other around town and in the water and I always made sure to speak to him and to let him know that he was welcome to come anytime but he never seemed to want to take it beyond a surface level.

Fast-forward almost two years to this past Thanksgiving.  Juan had long since broken up with his girlfriend and was now working with a local company that runs the zip line tours, taking tourists on a flight through the jungle canopy in a harness connected to a very thin cable.  After our ride through the jungle, Juan and I began talk.  He asked a few more questions about the skate park and then asked about the church.  He wondered if we were still meeting together.  As we spoke, he asked what time we met.  I told him and invited him to join us some time.
The next Sunday he showed up, right on time (very unusual) and even though he had to leave early, he thanked us and said he'd be back.  He has come every Sunday since then and has also started to come to our mid-week bible study.  This past Sunday, I asked him if he'd like to come over to the house for dinner some evening after work.  Last night, he came over and we had a chance to sit and talk.   

At some point, trouble comes to all of us.  The important question is, where do we turn when that trouble hits?  A couple of months ago, Juan hit a major breaking point in his life.  One day out of the blue, his new girlfriend called him to tell him that she had aborted their baby because she didn't want to quit her drug habit.  This took place even after he had told her that he was willing to take the baby and raise it himself.  His pleading fell on deaf ears.  She went ahead with her plans and more pain was brought into the world.  This was too much for him to take alone and the places he had turned in the past didn't offer anything that could help him face the unexpected sense of loss that he suddenly experienced.  He told me that he was numb... almost paralyzed.

Other than some brief conversations at the beach, I've never really had the chance to talk much with Juan.  Not for a lack of trying, it just takes time to gain people's trust and get to that level.  That all changed last night when he came over.  Juan was about to burst because he wanted to talk so badly.  He had to get the story of his lost child off his chest and he wanted to tell me.

Referring to a Louie Giglio video series called "Hope When Life Hurts Most" that we had recently watched at church, Juan explained, "That video really helped me understand.  I figured that if Jesus went through all of that suffering and pain, then he could understand what I was going through.  He could relate to me and I can relate to him.  I had never looked at it like that before.  I never really knew much about him but now I know that He's not just some religious figure that had a perfect life and never had any problems.  He actually died after he suffered and he did it for me.  I figure that he can understand what I'm going though."

We simply sat and I listened.  He told me that He believed that only God could help him and he asked me how he could turn to Jesus.  What did it really mean to follow him and how could he have God with him in his suffering?  We read through the first half of John chapter 3 and talked about what it meant to have God's forgiveness and an opportunity for a new life.  Since he's never been to church or read the Bible before, this was all new to him.  He said that he didn't totally understand it but that it felt true.  It matched with the reality of life that he had experienced.  Sitting on our couch, Juan told God in his own words that he was finished living for himself and that he wanted a new start.  He wanted to experience God's forgiveness, peace and the restoration that is made possible through Jesus.    
As he was leaving, he explained, "This didn't just happen today.  This started a few days ago and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it."  The truth is that it started 2000 years ago and hasn't stopped since.  Over and over we have prayed that God would bring us into contact with people in whose lives he is already working.  Over and over again, He does.  I am so thankful that God has placed us here and that he is working through all of you... through your prayers and financial support... to reach out to the Juan's of this broken town. 

Please pray for Juan as he begins his walk with Jesus.  Pray that he will experience God's peace and the hope that he'll see his baby again one day.  We ask you to continue to pray for us as well.  This town is full of broken people looking for answers but it takes time to build those relationships.  For Juan, last night was the right time.  The time will come for others as well and with your prayers and support we will be here waiting and ready to share the hope that is in us.  As we continue to reach out, please ask God to give us patience.  It is a continual process of both movement and waiting.  We always want to be moving forward, doing what we can to meet new people, get the word out about church, etc... while at the same time waiting on God to move in people's lives.  The key to this is being here.  One day Juan will be able to thank you personally for making it possible for him to meet his Savior... Jesus.

Cruce Missionary Page

Beloved of God and ours,
By the grace of our Almighty Lord and Savior, we are sitting here in an Internet Cafe in Costa Rica! How long have we waited for this time to arrive?...as long as the Lord allowed.
We are so grateful for His love, His provision, and His amazing plan.
We arrived Monday evening, without a glitch. Our 3 boxes went through customs, and our gracious friend (and landlord) Gary was there at the airport to meet us. Upon arriving "home" we found "Gallo Pinto" waiting for us in the frig! Estelia, Gary´s wife, prepared the typical Costa Rican dish consisting of rice, black beans, onions, Salsa Lisano, and cilantro. It was DELICIOUS! We are so blessed to have this godly couple as our friends and neighbors - they truly make us feel at home.
Tuesday we headed to Perez Zeledon, to Dad´s farm, to bring in the New Year with family. The 3 hours and 45 minute drive is through the mountains, and is only one lane each way...it has its "ups and downs and turns". When we were almost there, Geiner felt something give in the brakes. It was tricky...they continued working as we headed down the mountain, but they felt strange. Sure enough, upon arrival to our first destination, they gave way. They were down to the floor, and no longer stopping the car. But how amazing is our God? He safely brought us through the dangerous road, and did not allow the brakes to finally give way until we arrived in a place where a mechanic could fix them. It just so happened that the mechanic´s name is also Geiner. He recently lost his 37 year old brother to alcoholism, and the family is broken and grieving. Geiner had a chance to pray with his mom and him, and offer some comfort, in the name of Jesus.
For now we want you all to know that we are here safe and sound, praising our Lord, and praying that you all bring in a new year full of blessings and praise for our Almighty God.
We will let you know as soon as we are "connected" at home.
Blessings from hermosa Costa Rica! Pura Vida! Thank you for your prayers. We will update as often as we can, and will try not to make them too long!

http://ccpuravidacostarica.blogspot.com/2009/12/greetings-from-costa-rica.html

Alvarado Missionary Page

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!

Barrett Missionary Page

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!

Barrett Missionary Page

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

Dear beloved of God and ours,

The conference has been a total blessing from the beginning when we were seated next to other missionaries from Costa Rica - Wayne who is involved with teaching inductive bible study method to bible students all over Central America, and resides in Costa Rica, and also Dave and Tamra who are near Tamarindo, in the process of learning Spanish and seeking the Lord on where He would have them settle. We will be keeping in contact with them, especially when we arrive permanently.

We heard from missionaries all around Central America, sharing what the Lord is doing in each of their ministries. It is very encouraging and revealing in many aspects. The theme of the conference is Spiritual Warfare - Putting on the Full Armor of God, and we have had a chance to hear some of the battles these warriors have been experiencing. The enemy definitely plants doubts in our minds to discourage us all....but as Paul says, we press on. These doubts are not something we are strangers to, and to know that others in the ministry have been there 17 - 30 years and still ask themselves "am I really called to do this?" was revealing because we know that the devil never lets up on placing doubts in our calling. But again we look up to Jesus and see, like Jeremiah, we will not be able to contain the fire of the gospel within us.

We met some old and new friends from Costa Rica: Phil from Tamarindo, who has been a pastor there for 3 years and has started teaching in Spanish; Wayne who lives in San Ramon with his wife Brooke, and teaches the Inductive Bible Study Method throughout Central America; Doug and Rosemary, who have a heart for coming alongside a ministry in Costa Rica, and will be attending language school in San Jose; and Victor and Nichol who we have known for two years now and are working with Jose Carrasco, and last but not least Dave and Tamra who are in Avellana.

Phil

Tamarindo, CR

Wayne and Brooke
San Ramon, CR

Doug and Rosemary
Language School, San Jose

Victor and Nichol

Heredia, CR

Jose Carrasco
Heredia, CR

Dave and Tamra

Avellana, CR

Tico Gang

The teachings were also very encouraging and refreshing with hope and trust in our Savior.
Teachings by David Eason, Jaime Siman, Sergio Lopez, Mark Presley, all from Costa Mesa, Rob Salvato from Vista, Fidel Gomez from Ft. Lauderdale, Carlos Bautista from San Salvador, and Bertin Almazan from Panama.

http://ccpuravidacostarica.blogspot.com/2009/11/dear-beloved-of-god-and-ours-conference.html

Alvarado Missionary Page

We are now traveling to El Salvador for the “Central American Pastors’ and Leaders’ Conference”… our heart is filled with confirmation of God’s calling to us “in such a time as this.” Once again the evangelical church is stained with the greed of pastors and people without scruples that take the name of our Lord to make themselves rich. It is exciting though to know that God will use us to make the difference, and bless the people of Costa Rica with the simple truths and principles of God’s Word… Thank you Jesus for being so merciful and full of grace.
His grace abounds and our “cup runneth over”… our little house is beauuuuutiful, our landlord is a friend, a brother, and our fellowship and prayers with him are very fulfilling.
His wife is a Spirit-filled women who loves God and seeks opportunities to serve Him…
The Lord is good and we are ready………..Thank you for your prayers and love.
Stay tuned for updates from El Salvador!

http://ccpuravidacostarica.blogspot.com/2009/11/between-costa-rica-and-el-salvador.html

Alvarado Missionary Page