Update!

Hi everyone! A lot of time has passed since my last blog and I have realized that not everyone follows Facebook etc and that maybe a few are a bit confused about what I have been up to lately :) Well, if you have followed my blog the last couple years, the recurring theme throughout that time is constant change. Changes in ministry, changes in personal life etc. In my last blog post, I shared about a ministry called Project Jesus for Children. My plans were to work with them and I started working with them shortly after I got married. It seemed like a good fit for me and I was excited to finally have something stable.

Well, as it seems to happen a lot for me, God changed those plans and I found out I was pregnant just a couple months after I started working :) This was not the original plan but of course me and Jorge were happy/blessed to know that a little one would be joining us. Of course that changed everything I was planning with missions because I have always known that I wanted to be a stay at home mom to be there for my future family and then pursue missions either part time or as a family, depending on what God would have in mind.

Caleb Elias Corella Garber was born on May 15th this year and he has been such a blessing. He is growing so fast and is just such a happy and social baby. He loves going out and being around lots of people. This has been great because I know if God opens a door to serve 1 day a week or 2, I know that Caleb is really easy to bring along. :)

So at the moment, I am not working with any mission's project formally but am open to whatever God chooses to open on a informal basis. With that being said, I am sorry for any confusion regarding what I'm up to. For those of you that have continued to send support to Project Jesus for Children, it is a wonderful, trustworthy ministry and if you would like to continue to support the project, that would be a real blessing! But I personally am not connected to any mission at the moment.

One way that we have been serving as a family informally is by translating for a Evangelist here who travels all over Costa Rica. Every once in a while we join them, and Jorge translates and me and Caleb join in for some moral support :) Also, God continues to teach me that its not about how we serve formally but how we reach for him on a daily basis with the people we come into contact with. Being at home opens doors to relate to other moms, to be an encouraging friend, and to of course invest in my family. Mission's doesn't have to have a title or an organization, it literally is just reaching out in a tangible way every day and realizing that our mission is right in front of us!

Anyways, I really want to thank everyone that has been so supportive of me in these last years, it has been such a blessing and I really do appreciate it, even though I have been out of touch. We are hoping to be able to visit Canada as a family next year and would love to reconnect with everyone. Before we can do that, I need to get Caleb his Canadian citizenship and Jorge needs to get a travel visa for Canada. So if you could pray for us in that way, that would be great! It would be awesome to visit my family/friends and show Jorge where I grew up :)

I hope you all are doing well and if you have any questions, feel free to send me a email :) (Writing blogs during Caleb's naps certainly leave plenty of room for missing something!) Blessings!

Project Jesus for Children

Alright, now that I have caught up updating you all on the wedding and such, I would like to catch up updating and telling you about what has been going on in ministry in the last months.

Shortly before my wedding, I had been praying for quite a while about ministry and praying that God would open up some doors, when I met another Canadian missionary at my friend's bridal shower. Ministry came up in conversation and I mentioned that I was looking for more ministry. Something stable/ a little more structured than my past ministries. Well, after a couple minutes, Holly, a fellow missionary, spoke up and said that her family's ministry was looking for more people to help out. I was a bit reluctant seeing as so many "open doors" had fallen through in the past, but of course I was interested. So I spent a few weeks before my wedding, checking out and job shadowing the ministry. The more I learned about this ministry, the more I realized that I had a heart for it and that so many children from so many different backgrounds were being reached by this curriculum. So I made a decision shortly after my wedding that this was the ministry I would be working with.

The ministry is called Project Jesus for Children and it's vision is to keep Jesus in the school's here and teach about values. They have created a curriculum approved by the education board called "Vital Values with Jesus". The program works with the Jesus Film for kids and teaches about the life of Jesus/values through different scriptures and movie clips. It has been well recieved and is working on a national level all across Costa Rica, as well as Nicaragua and Honduras. The family who started this organization is origionally from Cochrane, Alberta, so it is really neat to meet/work with some fellow Canadians who are also from Alberta! This ministry doesn't support any specifec denomination as the ministry focuses on what we all have in common like having a relationship with Jesus, believing in the Word of God and that we can only recieve salvation through Jesus.

One of the many blessings of this ministry, is that they actually do all of the fundraising and pay an average salary to those working in the Organization. They have expanded so much that they are constantly looking for more people to keep up! God has really blessed this ministry and there are so many fruits coming out of it. After praying about it, I have decided to leave CTEN, my awesome mission's organization, and join Project Jesus for Children. This will be my last month recieving donations through CTEN. Next month will be my first month being paid by Project Jesus for Children.

However, with that being said....I would really like to mention that although I will be recieving a salary, that the Project always has needs continue this work and to keep expanding the work. I am going to put the information to donate to them on this blog for those interested in supporting the Project as a whole.

Also, I would really like to say thank you to all those who have personally supported me in these last years. Part of my reasoning of switching organizations, is that it has been increasingly harder to fundraise (its not my strongpoint) and now that I'm married, I'm not sure when I will be able to share in Calgary again. I also like the idea/ find it easier to find supporters for a project overall rather than for myself. 

This is a humble organization that is non profit. Donations go towards the expenses it takes to donate books to schools in need, do teacher training sessions, visiting all the different schools and being a support to teachers and expanding the work to new schools. Below is a link to see a short video on the ministry;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kx4K-vyuK4#t=59

For Information on/ and to Donate to Project Jesus for Children, Click the link below.

http://www.projectjesusforchildren.com/index.php

Thank you/Wedding update!

Well, it has been quite an eventful few months with planning my wedding, having my family visit, getting married, and going through some ministry changes! I will share about what is going on in ministry on my next blog post (within the next week). But first of all I wanted to thank everyone for all your support especially while I was in Calgary visiting. I was so blessed to have a bridal shower at church and just be able to visit with so many people. I was surprised by how much encouragement/generosity was shown there.

I know I haven't had a chance to personally thank each one of you and with being in Costa Rica, it is a bit more complicated to do so. So with that said, I have not forgotten and I truly am grateful for each of you that were there and shared in that special day with me. For those that weren't there, I am so grateful for each one of you as well and the love and support that you have shown me. God knows how many times your encouragement and support helped me get through some tough situations here on the mission's field. With that said, I'm sure some of you are wondering how the wedding went!

The wedding went well, it came and went by so fast, but it was truly a special day and in my mind couldn't have been better. The day was perfect for me and Jorge's outdoor ceremony and everything was decorated beyond what I could have imagined, thanks to Jorge's sister in law Irene. She did a fantastic job! I wouldn't have had such a beautiful wedding if it wasn't for her. Most of you know me well enough to know that I am a "no fuss" kind of girl….formality isn't my cup of tea, just being down to earth and spending time with people and keeping things simple is what I prefer. Because of this,I didn't want to be stressed out planning a wedding and lose focus on the real importance of the day, so I showed Irene what I liked and she pretty much planned my whole wedding! This was such a blessing, and I think God knew that I needed the help!! You see, after living on the field for 4 years and having to live month to month on mostly a rigid budget…..I couldn't even imagine deciding on the most basic things for my wedding….all I could think about was the money and how much it would cost. I really couldn't have pulled off such a beautiful wedding without the support of my in-laws, parents and Irene. I am so blessed.

I am so happy that my family/best friends were able to come to my wedding!

Just as I wanted, my wedding day wasn't stressful in the least, I felt so much peace and just relaxed, enjoyed my last night as a single with my friends and just spent time with them that morning as I got ready for the day. It was so surreal that it was my wedding day…..I literally felt so relaxed like any other day, that I felt weird….I thought to myself…..shouldn't I be nervous or something? :) I guess it is only God that gives that peace. I knew that it was Him that brought such a godly man into my life and I had no doubts that he was the one God had in mind for me.

Anyways, that's a bit about how the wedding went and let's face it…..most of you would just like to see the pictures….so here are a few more! Thanks for your patience with this update, time just flew by!

This month has been a great month with lots of opportunities to translate for short term teams. I got back a week ago from translating in the small town of Cot,Cartago for a couple visiting from the States. I was with them there for a week as they shared their testimonies and ministered to the people in the local high school and community.

It was a neat experience translating for Donald Nalley as he shared about his life and how God helped him leave drug trafficking and drug addiction after 34 years of being involved. What a testimony he has! The purpose of this trip was to do different sessions and conferences in the local high school reaching both students and teachers. He would share his story, give information about drugs and how it really was trafficking drugs, and share with the teachers some ways they could prevent drug issues in their school. Of course he shared about how God helped him out of his past life as well.

One of the many student sessions we did!

When we weren't at the High School, we were visiting homes, praying over people, and preaching and sharing about God. It was an intense and tiring schedule but I felt so blessed to be able to see how God uses people's worst life experiences to reach and identify with others.

Although the week went well, there were some struggles along the way where I was forced to pray and ask God for guidance. It was nothing serious but more of a question of what my responsibility is as a translator. Sometimes its hard to translate, especially when you don't particularly agree with what you are translating. What I realized is that even though I am translating for Christian teams, at any point I can run into translating for Christians that share different ideas than I do.

I started praying about it and God brought these thoughts to mind. We are all a part of the body of Christ....Christ is about unity not about division. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn't matter what our views are on speaking in tongues, healings, etc. The most important aspect we share is believing in Christ as Lord and Savior. As Christians we need to focus on what we do share and focus on bringing glory to God. So I gave over my translating to the Lord and trusted Him with it. It's not about my opinion, it's not about what I think....as long as I am not translating heresies, the responsiblility is not mine but the Lord's. My part in spreading the gospel many times is being the voice for those who come to share Christ and what He has done in their lives so that others may come to know God. I trust that His truth will stand and that His Spirit will speak and that he uses all different churches/denominations for His glory. I will stand for unity.

This next week I will be translating for another team who are going to serve in both the slum where I worked before and this same community of Cot Cartago. Please pray that God would give me the words to translate and encourage both the team and the locals. This team is going to be a team of 30 high school students, so I imagine it will make for an interesting week!

Also, tomorrow morning I will be saying Goodbye to my friend Stephanie :( Stephanie has been living with me and shadowing me in ministry for the last 9 months. She has been such a blessing and I will miss her! She really has a heart for God and reminds me so much of me when I came to Costa Rica the first time 8 years ago. She is praying about returning as a long term missionary one day. Please pray for her if you remember that God would be with her in these next steps, in readjusting to Canada, and in her plans to come back in the future.

I just wanted to let you all know how much I appreciate your prayers and your support. More than anything I thank God for your friendships. I pray that God blesses you all as you finish up this week and that God would use you to reach in your homes and work places. Please let me know if there is anything I can pray for on that end!

Happily Serving.....Happily Engaged! :)

Hey Everyone!

Things have been going well on this end to say the least! I have so much to update you on from the last couple months. There have been so many exciting things going on down here with ministry and also in my personal life. Since the title of this post already says it, I will start with the personal news!

For the last 10 months, I have been in a relationship with a wonderful godly man. I cannot even tell you how much he has been a blessing and encouragement in my life. I had waited for so many years and just never felt at peace going into a relationship with anyone until I met Jorge. His passion, commitment to God, and the way he interacted with people attracted me to him. I am so grateful to God how he brought Jorge into my life and how he brought me to someone with whom I feel so natural and at ease with. I am truly blessed.

Jorge proposed to me on February 15th and of course I accepted! I don't have a doubt that he is the one God has for me. We are excited to start our life together soon and plan to get married the end of June!

Ministry has been going well even through the unforseen twists and turns. This last month, I had the privelage of translating for a small team for a week in the small town of Cot, Cartago, Costa Rica. It was a mother and daughter who came to do activities and outreaches with the ladies of the community. We did crafts, devotionals, messages, and went to different houses in the community to pray over the families. It was so amazing to see God moving both through the Christians serving the community as well as the activities we offered. We also had the chance to go to a local high school to do some sharing.

One of our house prayer visits....this house had A LOT of people!

In my last post, I talked about how God was opening doors to disciple 4 ladies.....well, with all the twists and turns, the pastor hasn't gotten back to me about that. On the bright side; God seems to be opening doors to work with a Christian camp here as the chaplain's assistant. This would include working on devotionals, translating, encouraging camp staff and volunteers, and doing Bible lessons at the children's home also on site. I am excited for this opportunity and am hoping to start there soon. Meanwhile, I have been doing a lot of translating and doing some wedding planning! I am also translating at least a week out of every month for mission's teams. Please pray for me as I plan my wedding and as I possibly start at this new ministry. Pray that I would trust God in these next steps. It's hard when your in a place where plans seem to fall through frequently. My heart is to serve, encourage, and to answer questions people have about God. I hope to be up and running soon in ministry. For the meantime, I trust that God will use me in my daily interactions and that he is using me in informal ways with the people in my daily life.

Craft time with the ladies!

I feel so blessed that God has allowed me to serve Him here. Thanks to all of you who have lifted me in prayer and have supported me for so long even through the ups and downs and all the transition. You all are a blessing to me and I pray that God will bless all of you and your families.

Open Doors!

Hey Everyone!

Cookies and Friends!!!

First of all, Merry Christmas!!!! I hope that all of you are enjoying the holidays with your family and friends and that you have felt blessed by this year and are looking forward to next year! As per usual months go by, and I suddenly realize that I haven't written on my blog in WAY too long! Do some of you ever feel that time just goes by so quickly....I don't even feel that it has been that long! So for those of you who have been wondering for a while what has been going on in Costa Rica.....I'm sorry. I have to admit that blogging is a struggle for me, I find it hard to find the words sometimes.

Tamales!!!

Things have been getting better on this end in many ways. I thank God for some new support that has been coming in and I thank God for those of you who have really prayed for me and for the ministry here in Costa Rica. So many transitions have been happening on this end, and it seems that God has some new plans for me in the coming year. This month has been low key in the ministry department so I have been teaching some Costa Rican ladies how to make cookies over the Christmas season and I have been learning how to make tamales ( a typical Costa Rican Christmas food ) So that has been really fun!

The Kids at VBS!!!

Earlier this month, me and a friend also had the chance to run a 3 day VBS for missionary kids in a town 4 hours from where we live. It was a marriage retreat for missionary couples so they needed someone to have activities for the kids during the sessions and parent date time. We had 12 kids and had a blast going over the Christmas story and doing crafts and games. I had the chance to see some old friends from my Bible College days in Peru! It was awesome!

Bible Institute Group Shot!

The end of November I was privelaged to translate for a Bible Institute intensive course for 3 days! I really enjoyed translating and really was impressed with this Institute. What this institute does is travel around Central America equipping pastors and church leaders through different 3 day courses. There are many pastors that haven't had any formal theological training and cannot afford to/ don't have time to go to seminary. So every 3 months they give a different theological course in different locations. They form the program in a way that is transferable for these church leaders to pass on in their own churches both for educated and uneducated alike. It was very well done, interesting, and left me quite impressed. I may have another opportunity in February to translate for a course they will be doing on the book of Revelations in Nicaragua. Translating for this really opened my eyes to the possiblity of using my translation to contribute to equipping national leaders.

Another door that God has been opening for me is the chance to do one-on-one discipleship with a church plant in San Jose. In January I will be meeting with the pastor and 4 ladies to start a individual plan for discipleship for each one. Also, it looks like maybe another church plant is interested in me doing one-on-one discipleship with some new believers in their church. I guess January will reveal exactly what opportunities there are.

This is exciting for me as this is exactly what I have been praying for for so long! These last almost 4 years in Costa Rica, I have been open to a variety of ministries and outreaches and have been challenged a lot out of my comfort zone. Most of what I have done has been teaching groups in some capacity. Those that know me, know very well that I am more of a introverted type and usually struggle to lead/ interact in large groups. I feel that God has taught me to trust in Him through my weaknesses but I also feel that God desires to bring me into a area of ministry where I am truly gifted. That's why one-on-one discipleship is something that makes me excited. I feel that I come so much more alive when working with individuals. I love to encourage, pray for, and teach to meet personal spiritual needs as opposed to figuring out how to teach a range of people in one group. That way I can pray more specifically for the individual and pray for the Holy Spirit's leading for discipling/encouraging different individuals.

The interesting thing about coming to these conclusions is that I find I am so nervous teaching in groups but yet I have noticed that when I translate; I come alive and do fine delivering someone else's message in groups. It's like I become the person giving the message and mimic their personality. That's the interesting thing about translating is that your job is to accurately give precisely the message that person is giving and its important to convey that person's personality as well. So I feel God is revealing ways to me how I can serve in accordance to the giftings He has given me. It has just taken a while to figure that out. I will be doing translating for mission's teams about 1 week out of every month and am looking into maybe doing some freelance translating for other organization's doing discipleship in between one-on-one discipleship sessions and misson's teams.



Last day in Guarari...Luckily I will be visiting with teams!!

You may ask; Why all this change? For the last year, Me and Anita were hoping to do discipleship in a slum community here. What we both realized over time, was that there were very limited opportunities to do this in the ministry atmosphere we were in. We were teaching a youth group, and working with the kids there but we just realized that what the ministry's vision was, really wasn't a match for what we felt God wanted us to do. But of course sometimes feelings lie so I really prayed and asked the Lord what to do. I didn't want to give up and God knows my heart is to do what His will is no matter what that is. All I wanted to do was serve God and contribute to some sort of discipleship even if it wasn't me doing the discipleship specifically. However, I just realized that I wouldn't be able to do that there nor did I feel that I could grow there. I really tried to teach in groups but really felt ineffective and inadaquate. None-the-less, I was willing to do my best and just prayed to God for strength. Eventually both me and Anita came to the conclusion that we needed to be open to other possibilities. As soon as we left that ministry, it seems that God has been opening doors for both me and Anita in different ministries. I'm sure Anita will be sharing on her blog about where God is taking her in ministry and I will do my best to keep you all updated about the discipleship opportunities.

So I guess, what I just wrote is a whole lot of information but I hope it illuminates more of the direction I am going in so that you don't have to wonder "What is Rachel doing in Costa Rica?" Please pray for me in these changes that God would guide me. Discipleship is a huge responsibility and is not to be taken lightly.

I truly hope each of you enjoys this Christmas! Thank you for your support, your prayers, and your patience. May God use you as you are with your families, friends, and co workers!

God bless!
Rachel

Financial Struggles and Need for prayer

Hey Everyone!

While I was in Canada visiting, I was so blessed to share with a couple groups and to share at my sending church. I felt so blessed by so many people who came up to me to say hello, ask questions and just catch up. One thing that also blessed my heart was that a few people asked me about how my support has been. This opened the door for me to tell the truth and say that both me and Anita are really struggling out here. I was then encouraged to write a blog on this matter.

 Before going to Canada, I really prayed about whether or not to talk about financial support. When I shared in front of the groups this last trip, I just couldn't bring myself to talk about it unless specifecally asked. Why?  I feel so incredibly blessed that God has allowed me to serve Him here in ministry and when I am visiting, my heart is to just simply share. I have a fear of coming across that I am "marketing" for the missions field. I want people to give because God has placed it on their hearts. I want to share my heart, be genuine, transparent and hear about your lives. I never want to come accross as trying too hard to win support over.

 I know that many of you have been struggling financially in the last years as well and that there are numerous organizations, missionaries, and causes to donate to. So before saying anything else, I want you all to know that I care and realize your struggles too. I have been so blessed by so many people the last 3.5 years here in Costa Rica and God has truly worked miracles to enable me to stay. I trust in Him to provide for my every need ( though sometimes that is easier said than done! ) Anyways, I also really do realize that me and Anita being able to serve here, really does depend on the body of Christ. The truth is that we need a big team of believers in order to keep functioning on the field. We need more financial support, we need more prayer warriors, and we need encouragement. So I am throwing out an idea to invite those who God has led to support His work here to be involved in any of these ways;

We are praying for 60 people willing to commit to $10 a month
We are praying for 70 prayer warriors to pray daily and to send prayer requests that I cannot post so publicly.


I realize that the more people that become involved, the more possibilities open for both me and Anita to serve more effectively, creatively and pursue more of what God has placed on our hearts. Right now, I can honestly say that we have barely recieved enough support to pay the basic bills and have even fallen short the last few months for even that. The truth is that we need a bigger team of supporters and prayer warriors. The ministry here in Costa Rica is not mine, its not Anita's and it's not anybody's. This work belongs to God alone and by His grace alone. But since we have such a wonderful God, He longs to involve all of us in His work on a local, national, and international scale. God is moving everywhere through the hands and feet of His believers.

Please keep us in your prayers, we really need it. Pray that God would raise up more people to support the ministry here, and pray that we would continue to trust in God for all these things. He holds us in His hands and He controls every aspect of our lives here. For those of you who would like to commit to praying daily for me and Anita; email me at rachelyrach@gmail.com. For those of you who feel led to become financial supporters, the info is at the bottom of this blog. I also would just like to thank all of you who have lifted me and Anita up in your prayers and to all of you who have supported me. I appreciate each and every one of you and pray that everything is going well with all of you.

To Donate Online;

www.ctenc.ca/rachelgarber/

 To Set up Monthly Donations;

By Credit Card Call: 1-888-863-4810
By Debit: Print form from above website and mail in. (click button that says recurring gifts)

If you would like to send a one time donation; Go to above website (click button that says one time gifts)

Also, if any of you have more questions; feel free to email me or set up a skype time/ call time with me :)

 

Workshop Update.

Hey Everyone!

First of all, I would like to thank all of you for praying for the workshops we have been doing and I would also like to thank you all for your patience for this update!!!! For the last month, me and Anita have been giving workshops in the slum we work in. Being that Anita is a Psychologist, we decided to start giving workshops with Anita giving the Psychological part of a topic and me doing the Biblical part of it. So far we have done workshops on Self-Esteem, Character, and Forgiveness.



Making cookies with some of the youth after the workshop.

We have been giving these workshops on Thursdays, once in the morning for whoever wants to come, and in the afternoon for the youth. So far, we have not had alot of response with the morning workshops but the workshops with the youth has grown. Right now, we have 12 youth coming to the workshops and we are slowly getting to know them. We continue to pray that more women will be interested in the morning workshops but we realize that we do need to promote the workshops more and get out into the community to reach out to those who don't currently participate in the ministry's programs. Please continue to pray for the morning workshops, as if there is no change in the next few weeks, that door will be closed for us to continue. I trust that if God closes that door, he will open another one.



In this last month, I also had the opportunity to teach the women's bible study while their teacher was away. I find it quite interesting how God has opened so many doors specifically for teaching and public speaking since I arrived in Costa Rica. I remember the first time I was pretty much forced to take over the children's class at the soup kitchen and around the same time was pushed into teaching English at a orphanage school. I used to tremble with fear to just teach kids. I never thought that I would be placed in that position. 

Teaching the ladies Bible Study.

Since then, teaching kids no longer challenges me like it used to but God is opening doors to teach youth and adults. I embrace these challenges and ask for your prayers as me and Anita continue to lead workshops. It has been such a blessing to look back and see God's work in me and to see and understand that I can do all things with Christ who gives me strength. God does not always choose our tasks by personality but by a willingness to serve Him. When we serve Him, he opens our eyes to a whole new world of service to Him and we soon realize we are more capable than we think and that their are always new giftings to develop and discover. God has really been teaching me this lately.

Anyways, I pray that everything is well with all of you on that end and I look forward to visiting some of you when I come to Canada in August!

Canada Visit August

Hey Everyone! I know that I have been really bad about updating on the workshops we started a month ago, but I will be writing an update on ministry this coming Monday! I just wanted to let you all know that I will be visiting Canada from August 3-23 and would love to spend time visiting, finding out what God has been doing in your lives, and sharing about what has been going on here in Costa Rica :)

I am looking forward to having a time to reconnect with all of those who have lifted me up in prayer and those who have supported me. It has been two years since I have shared and I am looking for small groups, churches, and who ever is interested to share about God's work here in Costa Rica. All of you have been so important to God's work here and I am truly grateful for all your support.

Please let me know if you would like to get together for a coffee or if you have any small groups or places that I could share at. Feel free to email me at rachelyrach@gmail.com. Can't wait to see you all!

***Prayer Needed***

I'm just sending out a quick blog post to ask you all for prayer for a door that God has opened for both me and Anita. Next Thursday, me and Anita will be leading a workshop on Self Esteem in the slum community where we work. This is very much a step of faith and we need your prayers as we pray and prepare to give this workshop.

 This last week, as Anita has been seeking God as to how she could use her giftings and education to reach this community. She struggled to see how she could use her secular education as a Psychologist and combine it with a Biblical base. It then dawned on her that I had that Biblical education and that together we could combine both the Psychological and Biblical aspects of a wide range of topics. So she asked me if I would be willing to do that and of course I said yes! It really encouraged me to see another way we could serve the community.

 So on Thursday we will be trying this for the first time. In the morning we will be doing the workshop for anyone who wants to come and in the afternoon, we will be doing a more youth focused version of the workshop. So please lift this up in your prayers, that God would use this to reach a community that is so broken and that it would open more doors for us to form relationships in the community. We also plan to start doing workshops regularly in the future as a team so please lift up all that planning in your prayers as well!

Blessed are you when.........

This month has been an action packed month, I don't really know where to start but I'll give it a try! A couple weeks ago me and Anita were blessed to go on a retreat with the woman of our church. I hadn't been to a retreat in so long, so it was such a blessing to take some time away from it all and just draw close to my Lord. It was a time of reflection and refreshment. It was so nice to just be ministered too as opposed to ministering to others. The timing of this retreat couldn't be more perfect, as I was feeling quite overwhelmed by some of the events of this month and just needed time to recharge.

Me and the ladies about to leave the retreat!

 Some of the things that God just spoke to me during this month is that God ALWAYS works for the good of those who love Him. He takes each one of our situations or circumstances that we may see as bad and uses it for His good and glory. What we see as horrible, or what Satan sees as a way to discourage us, God takes each of these moments and uses it for His glory. God tells us in His word that when we follow Him, that we will be persecuted.......yet when we feel persecuted or feel like we are passing through the valley, it is so hard to understand why God would allow us to pass through it because indeed it is painful....and only through God's strength can we move forward.

 But His word tells us that we are BLESSED when we suffer hardships, that we are BLESSED when people insult us and say false things about us. It is so hard to even comprehend this concept but God always points us to the eternal and not the present. (Matthew 5) It's these hardships that make us realize that this world is not our home and that one day we will be with our Lord in a place where there is no more pain and no more tears. I don't only say these things to you or to come across as preachy, but I draw hope from these promises from God amidst my own hardships, and indeed I am aware that each one of us is in a battlefield. I hope that by being open about my own hardships, that some of you will be encouraged and find hope in the fact that we are all living in the same world and striving to please our King in a broken world.

This month, I found out that someone whom I had really poured my time into in the past, and someone who had already caused me alot of hardship in ministry, was spreading some pretty serious lies about me. Right when I thought, that the hardships with that person were in the past, something had to come back up, just at a time when I felt God restoring my heart and building me up in ministry once again. I found the strength to move past it in the moment and I really cried out to God to reveal the truth and that truly it only really mattered what He thought of me. I remained as strong as I could and really felt blessed as the truth seemed to come to light fairly quickly through some amazing people who stood by me that week.

Something good that came out through this situation, was just to see how many amazing people that God has placed in my life here in Costa Rica. For a moment, I was able to forget about the many hurts/deceptions that I have been through and was able to see the good in it all. I was amazed how much affirmation actually came through this situation. It was so encouraging for me this month to see that God has surrounded me with some wonderful God fearing people who were not only willing to back me up but who just really encouraged me.


One of the short term teams I translated for this month.

Satan may prowl around like a lion.....and indeed sometimes it seems like there are "wolves" everywhere but God's truth and promises stand firm......He is stronger than the enemy, He lights up and overcomes the darkness. This doesn't mean that it doesn't hurt....because it really does....but MY act of surrender and indeed MY act of worship by acknowledging the power of God over these things, helps me to reach up my arms to Him and reach out my hands to Him. He holds my ministry, He holds my heart, and he holds even my reputation in His hands. My purpose is to honor Him in all that I do. I seek to please my master and not men. I have hope and faith that God can take each one of these situations and use it for His glory and use it to shape me.

"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we^[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we^[b] boast in the hope of the glory of God. ³ Not only so, but we^[c] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. Romans 5:1-5


"The LORD is my light and my salvation--so why should I be afraid? The LORD is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble? Psalm 27:1

Prayer Requests:

1. Pray that God would continue to fill me with His strength, hope, faith and passion in ministry. Pray that these hardships would not stop me from seeing the bigger picture and continuing to reach out with His love.

2. Please pray for my residency application! I just turned in all my papers to immigration and am just waiting to see if its approved :) This would really benefit me and lower some of my expenses.

3. Pray for God's provision for me and Anita's daily needs and ministry needs.

How to Reach?

"O Lord, make me an instrument of Thy Peace!
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is discord, harmony;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light, and
Where there is sorrow, joy.
Oh Divine Master, grant that I may not
so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand; to be loved
as to love; for it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life."

I remember first reading this prayer when I was a little girl and memorizing it off of a poster on a wall. Today, when I was in ministry, somehow this prayer that I haven't thought of for so many years; came back to my heart. This prayer is the desire of my heart in my life and in ministry.



Houses in the slum.

Today, as I walked into Petrona's house, it struck me that her and her 5 kids shared a space the size of my bedroom. As we sat down on the few chairs she has, and she started to share her situation; I couldn't help but feel a deep sadness for this woman and her situation. She was telling us how her husband was no longer coming home or bringing money, diapers or food for her and her kids. She started to cry as she told us that rent was due 2 weeks ago and she had nothing to pay it. She doesn't know what to do or where to go. There is no food in the house and her kids are asking her for milk. It is clear that this woman is overwhelmed and as I contemplate what I would do in her situation.......I draw a complete blank......wow......its hard to think of someone's situation and already feel the hopelessness that one must feel, especially a mom of five young kids! Her oldest son who is 11 says that he wants to leave school and work to bring money for the family......and....I'm baffled.....Lord, how can I reach and love on this people when they have so much need, but I can't and don't have the power to change their situation. It was hard for me when Hugo asked me to end with a prayer and all I could do was pray to God for the words and ask Him to provide for the needs of this family.

Me holding Petrona's baby.

This morning as I was preparing to teach the youth, I was really just praying to God and asking him to guide me to teach. I had a moment when I stepped back, looked at the context of my ministry and simply didn't know where to start. These youth don't necessarily believe in God, so in my heart I was asking God how to teach youth that may not even believe in the Bible. "Lord, how do I reach them with your word? Lord, give me the words to make this more to them than just me preaching at them, make this a special time, where they are challenged to contemplate you Lord, and see the value in entrusting their lives into your hands. I pray that bit by bit, I will earn their trust and get to know them on a deeper level. Today was a good start, as I prayed, God calmed my heart and filled me with His words. Only three youth arrived today but I took advantage of this and was able to ask them more questions and just get to know them.

Me and Eliezer

It is through these situations when I get overwhelmed that God draws me closer to His heart and His heart for the poor. It is when I step back and feel their pain, that God whispers and says that He is there. It is in these moments of feeling like anything I could do is just a drop in the bucket, that God reminds me of the supernatural, that He is the only one that brings these people through their daily struggles. All He asks of me is to walk with them, talk with them, remind them that God is there, and to pray and encourage. To bring a glimmer of hope in a bleak situation, and to do all I can to help these people, and when there's not much I can do, to remember that there is value in a shoulder to cry on, and in ears that listen, and in the arms that hold.

A New Season

As I write this tonight, I am filled with tears, but not tears of sadness but of joy. God has brought me on a journey this year....a journey to seeing Him work in me and redefining what it is to serve God and my definition of ministry. Some of you have known the transitions I have been through in the last year and the frustrations I have had seeking more ministry.....and in all my focus and wanting to do more.....God has been trying to show and change what that means.

 I may not be able to appear that I am doing alot of things here in Costa Rica, I may not be able to see the fruits in what Jesus does through me sometimes, but what God is showing me is that it only takes a moment to plant a seed sometimes and most of the time we have no idea when that is taking place.

Tonight, I read a email that put this last year into perspective for me. In my mind, I have almost felt that this last year was a waste, that I couldn't do as much as I wanted and hoped to do. I have questioned God's purpose for me in Costa Rica this year. But through these struggles, I see God refining me in the fire and showing me what He values most from me serving here in Costa Rica. What He values is that I simply reach out and simply show Christ to those He sends into my path, weather if its simply one conversation over coffee or every week for many years. God works with whatever timeline we have with each person.

My other questions that I have had this year are "Do I Shine? Do I point others to intimacy with Christ? Many times, I have felt that I haven't, but then God takes the simplest things and shows me that He chooses to shine through me in the moments I least expect. This last year, I had to kick out a girl living with me, that I poured into for almost two years......and in the end, I wasn't able to see any fruit from it. This was incredibly discouraging but in contrast, tonight I recieved an email from a young man I had only one conversation with and he wrote me to tell me that he met Christ through me and that he had been baptized.

God so does not work in the ways we think! In my concept of missions, I expect to need to plant seeds over a long period of time to see fruits but I have learned that it doesn't always work this way and I have no way of knowing what God is doing in each person's life. All I know is that nothing is in vain, and that what I see and understand is not necessarily the way it is. God's ways are above mine.



A couple weeks ago was me and Anita's last day working at the soup kitchen in Guizaros with the kids. God just started closing doors there and opening doors in other places (more news later). They had a beautiful goodbye party for us there. After 2.5 years of working with these kids, I always wondered if I planted any seeds there in all that time. At the goodbye party, I was able to see the fruits of all those Saturdays. Some kids cried, and others shared with us how we had encouraged them. It was a priceless moment. It made me want to change my mind and stay......but at the same time I just was filled with peace knowing that this chapter for me was closing and that God was opening a new chapter in my life and ministry.


Saying Goodbye at Guizaros :(

 Most of you know that we were looking for a place to rent and start a ministry there at the soup kitchen but after searching for months and months for a place to rent, we were finally told that it is nearly impossible to find rentals there. This was so frustrating but I continued praying and I prayed that God would show me if we were to wait or to explore other opportunities. I felt God's nudge to explore other areas to do discipleship.

Me with a little boy named Justin at the ministry in Heredia.

 Shortly after, God opened a door to see a ministry in Heredia, about a 30 minute drive from where I live now. Well, we visited and were just blown away by how open they are to discipleship and how they have been praying for people to come and work with the children and youth in the slum there. When I visited, I instantly felt at home.......this has never happened to me! I didn't feel shy at all and just felt such a peace. We continued to pray and felt God's confirmation to move forward. So now......we are looking for a house and will be moving on January 1st!

God is bringing us into a new year, a year to use all He has taught us this year. Now that God has shown me that its not the quantity of ministry I do but that I just simply reach for Him.....He has now chosen to fill my schedule with ministry! I hope to never forget what I have learned and that I will never think that the way God uses me, fits only into the human idea of how it should be and what it means to be a missionary. Lord, I give you my life, I give you my time, and I give you my ministry. This is all for the glory and honor of your name.

In a future blog post I will describe my ministry in more detail.....until then....please pray for a smooth move and transition into a new ministry. If you remember, please keep me and Anita in prayer this next week. Tomorrow, I will be teaching the kids the Christmas story and doing a craft. On Friday we will be leading a workshop for teen girls talking about puberty, sexuality, and self worth. We will be getting to know them and be praying with them and answering questions and explaining these things from a Biblical context. Pray that God opens doors for us to know these youth and to reach out to them.

I also just wanted to say thank you to all of you out there that have planted seeds in my life. I want to thank all of you who have supported me out here and have prayed for me. I have felt deeply encouraged by you and have felt blessed to be surrounded by amazing men and women of God. For those of you in Canada and the States, I miss you and love you and just want to wish you a wonderful Christmas. God Bless.

A Testimony of God's Provision

Today I find the need to share with you the amazing things that God has spoken to me and done for me this week. As you know from my last blog post, I have been discouraged this last month just questioning God on things and freaking out over "just another" small financial issue. Aside from God speaking to me through the Israelites, He also led me to read about Elijah. As I was reading elsewhere in the Bible, I simply could not read more because God kept saying....ELIJAH! So I finally went and read that and God spoke to me, and was reminding me of His provision in the weirdest of ways. Ironically, both sermons I heard this week at church were on the Israelites (on last Thursday) and Elijah (Sunday) both after God leading me to those very passages in my private times. It's funny how God seems to do that when he is wanting to speak loud and clear. Both those Bible stories are full of God's miraculous provisions and not only in the natural but the supernatural and with ordinary people serving God who had moments of doubt. Anyways, I found out a few days ago that I had recieved a cheque from the government that will cover the payment I need to make.So this is just another testimony of God's faithfulness. You all know how rare it is to recieve a cheque from the government.....and when those things come.....it's always only just when I really really need it. I remember back in June or July having a similar situation. I called the bank to see what I could do and happened to find out I had 900 dollars credit on a credit card I had cancelled years ago! I don't believe these things are coincidence and I believe it is God that moves these timings and things on our behalf. Praise God for His Provision and Grace!

Just like the Israelites.........Humbled

As I think about some of my favorite Bible stories, I am challenged to see myself. I think of all the times I have talked about the book of Exodus and the journey of the Israelites to the promised land and thought........how could they not trust God after all he did for them, how could they question God and chase after other things when the miracles of God were shown right in front of their faces? Why did they doubt.....HOW could they doubt?

 This week I just feel soooo humbled as I realize how, like the Israelites, despite God's miracles and moving in my own life.... I seem to go through these times of fear, doubt and questioning God. God WHEN is your timing, WHAT is your plan, WHY do I need to wait? Typical to these moments, guilt soon moves in when I comtemplate who I am and who God is. Is he not the God that has miraculously sustained me in Costa Rica the last 2.5 years? Is he not the God that opened my eyes to prophecy and healing this year including witnessing my first healing on my 26th Birthday? How many times has he protected me here? How many times he has used little simple me to reach out when I felt vulnerable and weak with nothing to offer?

After thinking through these things I sit in awe.....who am I to question Him? Am I not the clay here like my blog says? Or will I be a hypocrite and say that that is what I am but still somehow question? As if to say to God, do you REALLY have me Lord? How condescending! God has been with me through every process, I never want to forget how he led me to this beautiful country and how he was with me as I stepped off that plane having no clue what was to come.By God's mercy alone he still constantly speaks and fills me with his presence and blesses me even when I act like a little brat to him. He has truly brought me on the adventure of my life. He has filled me with unexpressable joy at times, there have been times I have been so touched that I have been brought to tears in His presence. He has brought me to amazing places and I have met amazing people. I have cried in complete brokeness and I have laughed so hard my stomach hurts. All these things have been a gift to me and He chose to share this with me.

Honestly, this last month has been tough for me and I have been tested alot with the question.....how much do you REALLY trust God? This month has put a couple financial difficulties in my path.....and even though I have been here many many times in the last years and God always works it out, I somehow have my freak out moment.......Lord what am I going to do?! How can I make money to take away each month's unknown income. I hate waiting till the 26th of each month to find out if I can pay the rent. I want stability, I want assurance......and all in my flesh! It's then that I realize that in my flesh I want to take away all the things that force me to lean on him. I forget that leaning on him has taught me so much, has made me grow and has increased my faith. When I remember his faithfulness and my stability and assurance in him....I stop in my tracks and realize I am in the best position ever.

That hasn't been the only thing I have felt frustrated in.....then there's the monotonous days of coloring and coloring and coloring visuals to teach the Bible.....where I'm questioning.....Lord where is our house to serve in ministry? Will this be affective? There are days like today in which I feel I will go crazy if I color another sheet and I wonder if He will really bring his promises into fruition or if my work is in vain. I feel like my heart is out there and I'm afraid of failing. This has been the hardest for me....as each month that goes by and still not finding a house, it gets harder. Please keep this in prayer.

Why do I share these things? Because I believe we all share in these struggles. I could write to you about the lovely side of being a missionary and share moving stories of God working in ministry and moving in people's lives....but I would be missing a crucial part of reality that sometimes.........It is HARD. Sometimes I question my work and sometimes I wonder like anyone if I heard God right. I think that we all feel that way. We are all on this faith journey and we are all Israelites. We are NOT above that. God moves amazing things all the time that we either fail to see or simply forget. I pray to God.....OPEN my eyes to YOUR work and to YOUR heart. I pray and ask God.....Forgive me for the times when I doubt and forget your faithfulness. Forgive me for being impatient and ungrateful. Indeed He has made my life full. Pray for me as I continue to serve Him and that I would be patient for his timeline with me and Anita's ministry endeavours and that I would be content in this process of praying, planning, coloring and waiting. I am human too and need prayer for all these things. Thanks for your prayers and I pray for all those out there who maybe feel the same. Our God is faithful.....let's try not to be like the Israelites!

God's Voice Within the Mundane.........

Well, I know it has been awhile since I have written but for some reason I have been having some major writer's block. Sometimes I find that life is just simply life and that I have nothing specifec to share or say. I will say that I have felt just so blessed by God as Me and Anita are forming a program for children. Day to day, my life consists of cooking, cleaning, preparing lessons, visiting with friends, playing with my dog, reading my bible,going to the soup kitchen, texting troubled youth, playing with neighbor kids, going to church, teaching sunday school......or whatever else God brings into my path. Through all these "normal" things I see God very much at work and I find that it is in these simple things and in the natural flow of life that I see God at work and him telling me how he wants me to spend my time.

Baking Cheese Biscuits! I love to Bake!

Sometimes I forget to thank God for the normal......and then I remember a not so normal last year when my life was crazy and full of way too much drama. In that time I longed for silence, I longed for the normal. I longed for rest and no surprises.

 So as I sit here in the mundane at times, I am reminded to savour every moment. I know that when we move, we will be up against alot. Perhaps God is resting me up to prepare me for some not so restful moments ahead. When that time comes, I will be ready for whatever comes our way!

So for now, when we are working on this program for these kids that we love so much, I think of them. With every visual we are creating......I'm not just making a visual.....I am making a visual for those kids to teach them about Jesus, and to bring hope to a community that needs it. We have the time to make the best we can and those kids are worth the hours of planning and creating!



The Book of Exodus Complete in Visuals.....Alot of work!


Until we are there, I continue to pray for these little ones and pray to God that I will never forget the power of prayer. I thank God for my precious times with him whether its alone in my room or singing my heart out to him in church. This is all for him and I pray that I will have the grace and love to seize every moment no matter how normal it is. May my every breath be for Him and Him alone. I pray that God will continue to show me daily, the ways I can serve him more, and the ways I can bless others, whether it be an encouraging word to the corner store clerk,the person next to me on the bus, watching a stressed out mom's kids, hosting people in my home. whatever it may be, my challenge is to strive to serve in the normal and not just in the times of crisis or dramatic need. How can I simply be a blessing? This is what has been on my heart. There is no need to seek out extravagant ways......just to lend a hand to my neighbor in love.....this is what God's heart is and God's desire for all of us.

An Answer to Prayer!!!!

I just wanted to quickly post on my blog about the meeting I had with my pastor here this week! As me and Anita venture out into new grounds, and are in the process to relocating to the community where the soup kitchen is located, I have been praying so much that my church would want to be a part of it. I have always seen having a local church covering as not only important but crucial for general support but also for sustainability. Well, I was able to finally sit down and share my heart and share my vision and.....they agreed to be the backing of the ministry!!!

They will be involved in helping us find a house and also sending people from the church who would like to reach out in discipleship as well!. I can't tell you how amazing it is to feel supported not only from my organization in this but also from my church here. My pastor even started giving ideas of things that the church could do that I had dreamed about! I am truly blessed.

BUT.....it doesn't stop there!!!!!!! I also was able to share my desire to apply for a religious visa. In order to get this visa, I need to be sponsored by a local church.....well.....they agreed to help me in this process!!! What does this mean? It means that all the money I spend every year on renewing my visa every three months could go towards my ministry......it means that I wouldn't need to pay nearly 2500 dollars a year on health insurance as I can apply for a health card here! So you can see how this would be a great help for me!! Please keep this process in prayer as it can be tedious and there is never guaranteed approval...so please pray that God would continue to open doors in this! All I know is that things are going in the right direction. God is SO good!

What we are up Against

Hey Everyone! The last few weeks have been quite a journey and I can hardly believe its already time to move to Anita's apartment and then head to Canada for a 3 week visit! When I return from Canada the end of August, we will be looking for a place close to the soup kitchen. It's coming up so fast and the work here continues. Not only in creating visuals and program stuff but the work of ever seeking after the Lord and praying against the strongholds of the community, against the frequent spiritual attacks, and trusting in Him and his guidance in this leap of faith.

Through all the trials, one thing is sure, we are held in the hands of the almighty king. This last Saturday, God opened our eyes even more to see the struggles of this community. Saturday morning started off great and as usual with singing and asking the kids what they are gratefulfor. This week my lesson to the little ones was on the fruits of the spirit. I was so blessed to see them more relaxed and more attentive than usual. They were quite successful on remembering the fruits of the spirit!! I pray that these precious little ones can see the fruits in me. I long to shine God's love there to them and I can't wait for when I will be right there with them and can be available to them. I am so grateful to God that He helps me teach week by week.

Teaching the Kiddies about the fruits of the spirit!

After the lesson, Anita noticed a lady crying in the streets, she thought at first that it was someone we know so she went to go talk to her. It ended up being someone else. She had just gotten in a fight with her husband and he was kicking her out of the house. In the series of a couple hours......she had stored her stuff at the soup kitchen, left with her kids and came back, left the kids with us....made up with her husband and took her stuff back to where she was. Cecilia told us how often this happens with them....that they often have violent fights but then make up....she was worried having the stuff in the soup kitchen.....it can be dangerous getting involved in such a situation. But God was there and it shed light to us on the parents of some of our kids at the soup kitchen and the violence they are often exposed to.


After that, we taught our youth group on prayer and then we headed up to see an older lady with a ministry in the mountains. I definitely was not prepared to what I would feel up there. We got there and I just did not feel at peace at all. I tried to shake it off but as it went on, I just could hardly stand to be there. Something was just off. I could feel major spiritual things up there that I rarely ever feel. What I felt was evil. As she began to pray over one of my friends, I was just freaking out....something was off....way off....but I was questioning myself why I felt such darkness. All I know is that there was an undeniable oppression up there. I could hardly breathe. This also shed alot of light on the area where we are serving.


Me and Daniel, one of that Lady's sons.


Yesterday, we found out that one of our kids was kicked out of school for selling drugs :( This was just another sad reality on top of the other events. He just seemed so sad and the kids were picking on him for that. It did give me some joy that he didn't seem happy to have that pinned on him. The truth is that these  kids don't want to be identified in that way. These kids really do want to be good in some way.

Last week, a teen from the community was texting me and he asked me. Do you think I am good or bad? I told him I didn't know. He told me that he used to sell drugs and rob people but that he was changing. He was struggling because the community was still seeing him as bad. I encouraged him to continue doing good and it meant alot that he was seeking encouragement and expressing a desire to be different. Please join me and Anita in prayer. Things have been intense but we still have very much felt God's presence with us and preparing us for our next steps. Please keep praying for this community, our kids, and God's provision for a house to rent in the area that we can also minister out of, and pray for us as we pray for the provision to move. We will be needing furniture and some household items. We lay all these things in His hands. Please pray!