Hello friends and family! Here is an update of our 2nd month back in Costa Rica. Another month has flown by and it is full of stories that we are hoping you are edified by and in which your faith is invigorated (you can read the testimonies at the bottom of this section).
To start off, we found a house at the end of April! The house has a strong testimony, and the owner is a zealous Christian as well, and we had the opportunity to hear her testimony and life with the Lord. We love the house, and definitely feel like it is a refuge for us, and hope it is for all of our future visitors.
The ministry overall has been very well. Slowly but surely, we have been helping to develop and strengthen the youth and young adult ministries in a few different ways. This has not been without its challenges but we are continuing to learn and grow in maturity and as missionaries. We continue with our hope and trust in God to give us the wisdom we need to make wise decisions and maintain Christ-like unity and character.
We and our fellow team members continue to do 1-1 discipleship with the youth and young adults. The fruit has been showing, although patience is needed as at times it can feel like 2 steps forward, 1 step backwards, or 1 step forward and 2 steps backwards! Needless to say, we continue to follow Jesus’ example of discipleship in hopes to see this young generation know Jesus, become more like Him, and eventually make disciples.
With the group of new believers in Jesus, we have been studying what is the kingdom of God and Jesus’ mission on earth, and have been helping the youth put their faith in practice. With the young adults, we have been studying the epistle of James and also challenging them in different ways so that their faith may deepen in tangible ways; as James says, faith without works is dead. Both of these ministries have been fruitful and edifying thus far for the youth and young adults.
Below you will find 2 personal stories from each of us and a few praise reports. We look forward to what God will do in the following months as we all continue partnering with Him in His mission to restore all of creation!
Stories:
- I (Christopher) have been beginning to pour into one of the 17 year old boys through English tutoring. This past month, we had a conversation about how true liberation and salvation is only found in Jesus Christ. Afterwards, he opened up tremendously to me, and through many tears and trembling, told me about horrible things that have happened to him in his life. In those moments, I had to learn to trust in the Holy Spirit more and listen to His voice so that I could minister to this young man well. It certainly was a moment of a step towards freedom for him, and we hope and pray he decides to deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
- I (Christopher) have the privilege to disciple one of our youth boys. When we talked about what a testimony is and why he should write it down to share it with others, he said he was going to share it with his friend who is not a Christian and who is going through many difficulties. He said, “I think she needs to hear it.” That’s what we love to hear! He understands the heart of God and the heart of the gospel; to reach all people with the good news so that they too may enter into the intimate covenant with God, be transformed by Him, and participate in His redemptive mission!
- Shortly after our one-on-one discipleship meeting with one of our youth girls, I (Hannah) began having a heavy pressure over my chest with irregular heartbeats out of nowhere. This led me to ask the girl how she was feeling physically? Shortly upon asking, she began to explain what she was feeling in her chest/heart area and it was exactly what I was feeling over my heart and chest. I asked if I could pray over her and she said yes and the pain completely left! The Lord healed her! All glory to God and we are so excited that He is making Himself known to the youth and young adults in the ministry. I hope this encourages you all!
- A few weeks ago, I (Hannah) had a conversation with a young 13 year old girl. Just months ago, she had been prostituting herself with her older sister and making unwise decisions. As we began talking, she stated that she wanted to be clean and change her lifestyle and follow Jesus. As the conversation continued, she explained in her own words a desire to surrender her life over to Christ. We went through what that meant, why it was significant and how to do so. After this, we had the opportunity to pray together and this little girl is now a part of our family in Christ! Praise God!!
God bless
The Pinedos
PRAISE REPORTS:
- More one-one on discipleship
- Fruit among disciples
- Vulnerability among non-believers
- We found a house!
PRAYER POINTS:
- Reconciliation & unity among our team
- Long term local laborers in the ministry
- New believer’s growth in Christ
- Physical health of Christopher and Hannah
- Financial provision to purchase a car
- Wisdom in how to help the community
- Discernment and obedience by the guidance of the Holy Spirit