The light in darkness

"And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god (Satan) of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God."

2 Corinthians 4:3-4 (NASB)

 The following are news stories from the month of September. (please be warned these are not easy stories to read)

  A 13 year old has been detained in the killing of Steward Alfaro Barrantes, 9 (years old). The crime happened Aug. 31 when the 9 year old was on the way to a local store in the La Carpio district. He was struck down by a stray shot generated by gunplay between rival youth gangs. A woman also was wounded.
                                                                                                              - (AM COSTA RICA 9/1/2010)

  Bullets continue to take their toll on unintended targets. A 6-year-old suffered a bullet wound to the head Sunday when two gangs exchanged fire in La Carpio in La Uruca. .... La Carpio, a settlement that is south of Hospital México in La Uruca, has a long history of problems. The dispute erupted Sunday morning between the two youth gangs, and shots were fired. The boy was being examined to see if the injury is more than it appears.
                                                                                                                - (AM COSTA RICA 9/15/10)

  One of our biggest convictions is to work with teenagers in troubled environments. One of these areas is a shanty town called La Carpio, on the west side of San Jose, Costa Rica. This town is one of the poorest parts of Costa Rica with 50% of the population living below the poverty level. There is a very limited police presence in this town, and by no means sufficient. Gangs made up of teens (starting from ages 9 or10!) control the streets at any time of day, most noticeable at night. Being a teenager is very hard in this neighboorhood, because you are either the victim or the one hunting the victim. Most teens will choose to join a gang for protection on the street. Thus continuing this vicious cycle of poverty, violence, rape, and insecurity for the children and teenagers. One of the kids we are ministering to has had one of his older brothers put in prison, and almost died from wounds in a gang shooting. We are praying that this young boy does not follow in the foot steps of his brother, and that God will get ahold of his life. Knowing that there is more to life than this.

Street in La Carpio. It is a shanty town and therefore many homes are stacked on top of each other and made out of any materials found in the San Jose trash dump (which happens to be in La Carpio)

  As sad as this story is. It is a very common story to hear throughout poorer neighboorhoods in Costa Rica and throughout all of Central America. Crime is on the rise in Central America. The Latin American Herald Tribune in Caracas, Venzuela. Reported that the U.N.D.P (U.N. Development Program) has made a report stating that Central America is the world's most violent region (for non-political crime), with a homicide rate of 33 per 100,000 people in 2008. That is around three times the world average. In comparision the U.S. has an average of about 6 per 100,000 people. This report is an average with Costa Rica and Panama around 12-20 per 100,000 and Honduras, Guatamala, and El Salvador (The most dangerous of all) with a homicide rate of around 45-62 per 100,000.

  Gangs and organized crime are starting to grip this country as it has their neighboors north of us. Drugs, murder, etc... are everyday stories in the news, and alot of deaths and crimes aren't even published or reported due to fear of the murderers.

  We are hoping to continue our work here in Costa Rica, and to further bring the hope, love, and peace of Jesus Christ to these young people. We are currently helping with different organazations (The Humanitarian Foundation of Costa Rica) that have kindly allowed us to use their building for English and health classes. But most of the time we do not have a location to be able to fully minister to these kids. We are in the process of trying to raise money to buy a piece of land where we can raise up a communitry center for the youth. Our desire is to offer an environment away from the chaos, with classes, music programs, games, books, etc. We ask that you join us in prayer and if you would like to be involved in helping us start a community center (Fund Rasing, short term mission opportunities, donations, or praying), please check out our Contact Us page, we would love to hear from you, and talk about how you can get personally involved.

Home in La Carpio, this is typical of a home in La Carpio near the river. Many of the children we work with come from homes like these near the river.

-Luke and Summer Felcyn-Ghenco
Missions Costa Rica