September is always a special month for us, as Hannah and I got married on the 21st of September of 2022, celebrating 3 years of marriage this past month! Not only that, but since Eliana was born on March 21st, we also celebrated her 6-month birthday. All this to say, it was the most special anniversary for us yet. Additionally, October 3rd marks 3 years since we first came to Costa Rica and we are reflecting on how to describe our 3rd year of marriage and ministry life. Our first year was a year of learning; our second year was one of pruning; and now, we are processing this past year to see what word or words best describe our experience.
This month, between the ministry and our personal life, was full of visitors. Numerous people came to La Carpio to serve alongside us for a day and we were able to graciously host them in our home as well. It was an especially jam-packed second week of September as we received my (Christopher’s) parents and enjoyed the time with them. They attended a chapel service with us and the fellow ILE missionaries, were the primary voices in the second episode of the newfound podcast started with our dear friend Will, and my Dad went to La Carpio with me. Not only did he go to La Carpio, but he actually spoke that night, sharing his testimony and teaching! It was a special time for me, as it was the first time in many years that my Dad and I had served together in ministry, and the first time serving together abroad in Spanish!
On Friday nights, we have a discipleship small group with boys ages 15 to 24, as seen in the blog's featured photo (one night we went walking around the nearby track while talking about Jesus and His kingdom). On the last night of their visit, my parents got to minister to them as the boys asked them various questions, from light-hearted matters to deep subjects. My parents shared their testimony, wise advice, and were able to see another aspect of our ministry, namely through our home. It is another memory that I will always cherish, ministering alongside the people that God tasked with raising me. Another fun visitor, a friend of ours, Josh, came and stayed with us for a few days. It was an enjoyable time with him with much laughter, and we would recommend listening to episode 4 of our podcast, as Josh shares his experience of being a Christian from Namibia, Africa, with vocational and mission work experience in the USA.
As many of you may remember, in our July blog post, we had shared about a shooting that occurred in La Carpio in the specific neighborhood where we serve, and how I (Christopher) had the opportunity to share the gospel and pray with one of the teenage boys and his family who was caught in the crossfire. Sadly, another family in the neighborhood who live right outside the ministry center experienced the death of one of their sons, who was only 17 years old. One day at work, a sack full of material fell on him, fracturing his back. Along with the fracture, over the next several days a blood clot developed in his neck near his brain. Unfortunately, by the time he was taken to the hospital it was too late, and he passed away. This occurred on September 12th, and I found myself in La Carpio the following day, the 13th. Along with a few other youth and young adults from the ministry, we were able to serve this family in their mourning by taking them groceries, as they regularly go without food and were hit by unexpected and burdensome funeral costs, thus adding fuel to their pain and already existing malnourishment. It was a humbling moment to enter their home, where they sleep on the floor, have one toilet for at least 6 of them, and with 10 steps I could walk through their whole house: kitchen, living room, “bedroom,” and bathroom. Their youngest son, around 6 years old, was “ooeing” and “aweing” and proclaiming “wow!” with a big smile on his face as the family took out all the groceries. We ended our home visit with a time of prayer, asking God that He would comfort the family and that they would come to understand how close He is to them as they lament the death of their son. Please continue to pray for this family.
Lastly, my (Christopher’s) role with ILE continues to be a blessing. It is a unique honor and privilege to serve missionaries in transition, preparing to enter the mission field long-term. Between leading chapel services twice a week and having groups at our house, we have quite an array of fruitful moments with them.
As I am sure many of you know, if not all, Charlie Kirk, a prominent political activist and a bold leader in the Christian faith, was assassinated on September 10th. Whether you devoutly consumed his content or vehemently disagreed with him, I am sure we can all agree that his public murder was an atrocity. His assassination is another satanic event among an endless list of evils that highlight the reality of the spiritual warfare and demonic activity occurring in this world. Only 31 years old, and his life was unjustly ended, leaving behind his wife and two babies of three and one years old.
I say all this because it is an event that has had a global impact and reach. The weekend after it occurred, I was talking to the youth in La Carpio about it, as almost all of them had seen videos about the tragedy. Being a young new father and a young husband as Charlie was, between the shooting in La Carpio and the passing of a teenager in the community, these events have made me deeply reflect on the brevity of life. Truly, our lives are but a vapor, here one moment and gone the next, tomorrow not being promised to any of us (read Ecclesiastes). For that reason, we share the Psalm that is found in the email, Psalm 90:12. It has been a prayer of mine recently, as I do not want to waste my life, but rather when I go, be confident that I have done the works God prepared for me ages ago (Ephesians 2:10).
Our prayer is that you, too, would pray Psalm 90:12.
Upcoming events between now and the spring of 2024 (Dios mediante):
- Youth camp.
- Discipleship retreat (a weekend where we have a spiritual retreat with those in La Carpio who have been growing as disciples of Jesus Christ).
Reminders / Things to be on the lookout for:
- Last week we sent two separate emails (Monday & Tuesday) sharing about another opportunity to partner with the La Carpio ministry. Two local leaders, Carlos & Mari, are striving to fundraise and become full-time missionaries in their hometown of La Carpio.
- At some point in the near future, we are going to make a WhatsApp group where we can send messages to all of you, keeping a more regular form of contact. We have seen other missionaries do this with great success! The idea would be that only Hannah and I would be able to send messages to all those in the WhatsApp Group Chat, whether it be for immediate and urgent prayer requests, an update, or photos to see more of our day to day life! When we create it, we will send an email with details on how to join.
Praise Reports:
- Boys’ discipleship group is going well.
- Tuesday night dinners with missionaries are edifying and fruitful.
- Chapel services continue to equip and sharpen other missionaries.
Prayer Requests:
- Conflict among leaders in the ministry currently in the process of hopefully reaching a loving and God honoring conclusion.
- Wisdom for hard conversations we may need to have.
- For Carlos & Mari to get fully fundraised!