On Halloween, Hannah, Eliana, and I flew back to Florida to attend the wedding of some beloved friends of ours (as featured in the photo) and to celebrate my grandma’s 80th birthday. Both events were full of joy, laughter, and love for us, and it was a blessing to have many people meet Eliana for the first time as well as see other people react to how much she has grown since we left the USA in June.
Already 8+ months old, we feel like this year with Eliana is flying by. In addition to witnessing her rapid and healthy growth and seeing certain baby stages come to an end as she continues to surpass exciting milestones (such as crawl and walk with assistance), a number of good things are coming to an end along with the year. Our Monday night Young Adults group is coming to a close; the Tuesday night dinners with fellow missionaries will come to a pause; and our discipleship groups and youth services in La Carpio will go on break for the holiday season as well. All of these groups have been a blessing in different ways for us, and we are grateful to have been involved in or led each of them.
Of course, considering Thanksgiving just passed, we want to thank each and everyone of you: our partners in our mission, our family, and our friends. We are grateful for many of you who have entrusted us with your partnership in our mission here in Costa Rica; we do not take your trust lightly! Your prayers are necessary, and we thank you for them. We are humbled by your financial generosity. Whenever you reach out, whether by text or email or call, appreciation and encouragement fills our hearts. And on top of all these, we want to express gratitude for your love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. (Colossians 3:14) For those who read these blogs and are in the WhatsApp group chat, thank you for taking the time to stay up to date and read what we desire to share with you.
We look forward to seeing some of you as we return back to Florida for Christmas from December 18th - January 4th. We are excited to spend Eliana’s first Christmas (and New Years) with family and friends back home.
Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. -Colossians 3:16
Reminders:
- Earlier this week, we sent out an email discussing the opportunity to sponsor youth and leaders to go to camp. If you need us to resend you the information, just reach out to us!
- Recently, we have created a WhatsApp Group Chat where only Hannah and I can send messages to those in the chat with the intention of having more frequent and personal communication with you all, as we share prayer requests and more about our life & mission in Costa Rica. If you would like to join it, click on the following link: https://chat.whatsapp.com/Bnwp39hAB4LG0Se5NhYbom?mode=hqrt2
Upcoming Events between now and the spring of 2026 (Dios mediante):
- Our end of the year youth-group activity is on Saturday, December 13th.
- We will have our two Youth Camps in January. The first camp will be from January 12th - January 14th with Middle School (MS) students, and the second camp will be from January 15th - January 17th with High School (HS) students.
- At some point within the spring of 2026, we hope to have a Discipleship Retreat with those who have been committed to and have participated in discipleship.
Praise Reports:
- We are grateful to God for answering many of our prayers, from Eliana's birth to provision to protection, and for continuing to see His hand at work within our mission.
Prayer Requests:
- For Hannah and I, as she continues to navigate motherhood and as I juggle my responsibilities as a director in La Carpio, as a pastor, as a husband, and as a new father.
- As we come closer to the end of year, we are hoping a certain situation with the ministry comes to a Christ-honoring conclusion.
- Pray for Christopher, as he begins to disciple again a young adult who he had discipled before with some deep-rooted struggles.