A New Path: Returning to the USA

The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. –Psalms 23

Dear Supporters,

  November marks the start of a new path for us. As we have mentioned in the last newsletter and our blog, Missions Costa Rica has been struggling financially the last few months. We have been praying and searching God’s word to find God’s will for our lives and for Missions Costa Rica.

   We can no longer support ourselves here in Costa Rica and will be coming back to the United States on November 3rd. We feel that God is currently closing the door for us here in Costa Rica, and that He has something else planned for us that He will show us in His perfect timing. This has been a very hard decision, and one that we feel we could have never made without God making it clear to us that we can not stay.

hiking at volcano Poas, Costa Rica

   We will surely miss our home and life here in Costa Rica, and the people we have ministered to will always share a special place in our hearts. We will remember them in the memories we shared and in our prayers.

  We ask that in this time of change for us that you keep us in your prayers, as we adjust to culture shock and the other things that come with moving back to the United States from abroad. We will be staying, for the next few weeks, around Columbus, Ohio with our families till we get our bearings again.

 We are scared about the future, but we know that God will guide us and protect us, and only with Him will we find true happiness.

  This has been a time of sadness for us, but also a time of joy. Our feeding program we have started will be able to continue. Thanks to our brother and sister in Christ (Fabricio and Hazel Solanos) our feeding program for the homeless of San Jose will continue. Fabricio was the one that originally felt the conviction and calling to start this ministry, and we are very proud and happy to give them the full reigns of this ministry.

Fabricio (in sunglasses) ministering to homeless

   We hope that you will pray about continuing to financially support the feeding program, so that Missions Costa Rica can continue long into the future, offering a loving hand, giving a hot plate of food, and sharing the Gospel of Christ with those who are in desperate need of the hope and love that He offers them.

  If you are still interested in continuing to support Missions Costa Rica, all funds will be collected and used for this ministry alone. God has different plans for Summer and I, but if your heart has been led to help this ministry we hope that you will continue to be involved in it!

  Please remember to pray for all missionaries as many like ourselves have had to return due to hard financial time within individuals as well as church communities!

  Thank you all again for your love, prayers and support during this difficult time. We have been so blessed to have so many wonderful brothers and sisters in Christ!

-Luke

Panama (5th trip)

For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ...

-Philippians 3:20 (NASB)

Well...it is that time again. Our 90 day visas will be up and we are preparing for our 5th visa run to Panama.

Costa Rica is a wonderful country with some of the most beautiful sightes we have ever experienced. Although Costa Rica has/relies on heavy tourism, it does not offer many options to foreigners for residency. Upon entering the country you will be issued a visa, the amount of days given depends on the country of your citizenship. US citizens are issued 90 days. Once your 90 days in the country are up you must immediately leave the country and remain outside the country for no less than 72 hours. There is little to no options for extensions on your 90 days. I say little to no because there are occasional exceptions depending on who you talk to. Officially, there is no option for extension.

All options for residency depend almost entirely on money. There are only a handful of options and most involve at least $200,000 in investments in the country. The only option offered that is not dependent on money (per-say) is to have a child born in the country. There is also a religious residency option but we are told this is usually reserved for those affiliated with the Catholic church. In short, we can apply for none of these options. 

We must operate our ministries on a 90 day visa. We have always chosen Panama as our "visa run" destination due to the cheaper prices of food and hotels. The Nicaraguan border has less options and prices are higher. In the past we have gone to David, Boquete and Panama City. Panama is a more developed country and the roads within the country offer a much desired break from the bouncy Costa Rican roads. It is interesting because you drive through very dense jungles to get to the border but once you cross it the jungles immediately disappear.

Panamanian Indians

This is always a dreaded experience for us although we try to remain positive. It is an unwelcomed added expense and the bus trip leaves us with nightmares for several weeks afterwards. After each trip on the bus we vow to never take the bus again to Panama but come 90 days later we always find ourselves out of options. We have tried both bus options to Panama and both tend to be about the same in experience. Usually the air conditioning does not work, windows do not open, bathroom is clogged and offers unimaginable aromas throughout the bus for the almost unbearable 7 hours to the border. There are other issues with these buses involving the drivers and prostitutes during our stops and at the border but I will not go into all the unpleasant details. (We have heard of others having an amazing trip on the bus to Panama. We are told we have simply had bad luck). The border typically takes about 2 hours to get through as you must wait for all the bus passengers to get through. It is another hour ride from the border to the city of David. This is the largest city close to the border but offers very little in things to do. You can basically eat and sit in your hotel.

We are planning to leave for Panama on Sunday. We plan to take the Tracopa bus. We will be going to David again since it will be the cheapest option and shortest bus ride. It should take about 10 hours to get there if (Lord willing) all goes well. We are preparing mentally for the bus ride and hope the lack of excitement in David will at least offer us some time to pray about our personal future as well as the future of Missions Costa Rica.

We usually take only backpacks and carry everything with us since we stay in hostels.

 We ask that you keep this trip in prayer as well as the future of  Missions Costa Rica. We plan to write more specifically on this when we get back.

Mission Vehicle?

Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword.

-Romans 8:35

If you have been following us on facebook, you may have already heard of the Missions Costa Rica financial troubles. We also mentioned it in our September newsletter. We have not been able to meet our monthly budget for a few months now. We have been able to function due to savings up until now. Those savings have now been depleted.

Yesterday morning we lost the mission vehicle to the Costa Rican government because we were not able to pay the taxes (about $4,000) for it. We had the money for the taxes in the mission bank account but had to use these funds to run the ministry due to lack of sufficient donations. The car is still in our name for a little while longer but is confined to a government "parking" facility and we are not allowed to remove it from this facility. We have been given the option to sell it but of course we will have to find a buyer that has no need to actually look at the car first. This happened quite suddenly for us as we technically do not have to pay these taxes until October 19th. There was a mistake in the paperwork made out by the government agent and they do not wish to fix the mistake. The whole mistake occurred when the agent looked at the wrong tab on his computer! Luke and I went down to the office yesterday to make a final plea for someone to fix the mistake but we were not received well. We spoke to a lawyer and we were told that ultimately this agency has all the power to do as they please and there was nothing we could do.

The loss of a vehicle means that the majority of our ministries have officially had to be canceled. We are currently no longer able to work in the shanty town of La Carpio. This includes our daycare work and classes with the women and children on Saturday mornings. We still have hopes that God does perform modern day miracles. He ultimately is in control of this ministry and He will do with it as He pleases. His will is perfect.

We were able to feed the homeless yesterday due to the graciousness of Fabricio and Hazel. They have been helping us feed the homeless from the very start of this ministry. They let us use their car to deliver the food. We believe we might be able to use their car for this ministry for now but there are no guarantees of its availability. We have been so lucky to be surrounded by loving and caring neighbors that have an incredible desire to serve. These neighbors (JJ & Jane, Fabricio & Hazel, Rachel and Flabio & Milania) have really done so much to keep the homeless fed. We are proud to be a part of such a giving group and we value their help, love and support! Thank you!!!

We thank you all so much for your prayers and support of this mission. We would not have made it to this point had it not been for all the wonderful people behind it, fueling it and supporting it! We are so privileged to have such a powerful Father in heaven with whom we can leave all our cares. We ask that you continue to pray for Missions Costa Rica and for Luke and I as well. We will have to make some very tough changes in the next month or so if funds do not come in. This mission has always been about Him and His will so we will leave it in His hands.

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

-Romans 12:1-2

After School English

 

San Antonio De Escazu

  I have been teaching 2 students on Mondays and Thursdays since December of 2009. Both of these students did not know a single word of English when I started, but they have been working super hard and now know a lot of English. They both come from two of the poorest families, here in San Antonio de Escazu, and it is really a blessing to be able to share this skill that will give them the tools to a better future (economically).


  About 2 weeks ago, one of my students (her name is Jazmin) asked me if I would help her study more than twice a week, specifically with reading and writing essays. It turns out that she has been offered a chance to study in a technical school for high school students. Only the best in the class are offered this opportunity, so she was pretty excited and nervous.

  The school has several programs of study, and the one she will be going into is an English program. The program is specifically focused on getting the students a job as a bilingual manager at International banks here in San Jose, and in other well established parts of Costa Rica.


  Jazmin is very excited to have this opportunity, but she has to pass the entrance exam into this program on September 29th. The exam is focused on oral comprehension, reading, and writing an essay. I have full confidence she will do very well, and I am so proud that after  9 1/2 months, she feels comfortable enough in her English abilities to take on something this advanced. She has become a very talented English writer for the short time that she has started writing in English. I hope to post one of her stories on here in the next few weeks for all to read. So please keep coming back to see it.


  Please keep her in your prayers this Wednesday as she is taking this exam. This will be such a great opportunity for her, so that when she gets out of high school, she will have a well paying job lined up to pay for her college in the future. One of her greatest dreams is to be a Veterinarian, and this will get her one big step in the right direction.

*Luke

A-B-C (easy as 1-2-3??)

For the past two weeks now, Luke and I have been working with a group of 6-10 year olds every morning at the daycare center in La Carpio. We were previously working with a much younger group of toddlers but the need came up for these older kids. This new group of kids had been failing 1st grade and were in pretty desperate need for some extra attention.

We have been very busy trying to come up with ways to help teach them the Alphabet and the proper way to write these letters. It has been very interesting and different to work with this age. It is not something we are used to and personally would not be my first choice. The new experience has already given us the opportunity to practice patience! I am sure any parent of a child learning to read and write knows what I am talking about! It can be quite a daunting task and it is difficult to see a light at the end of this learning tunnel!

This week we have been able to take things a step further and we are so proud of them. We are now practicing writing words with the letters they have been working with. It has been interesting to see how they progress. One thing that stands out immediately is how much more advanced the girls are. We have even had to split them up by gender because the girls were too far advanced to work side by side with the boys. This makes me wonder how much Latino culture may play into this.

In addition to being behind, all of the boys struggle with attention problems as well as discipline issues. Even when we have only one boy present he usually must spend much of class in "time out" and often we have had to just send them home. It is so heartbreaking to see them suffer so much. There is no such thing as discipline at home, they are lucky if their parents even know where they are during the day. All of this simply continues the vicious cycle of female battery, gang involvement and family violence. We often find ourselves overwhelmed with trying to compete with the ideas these young boys are faced with as soon as they leave our class.

In contrast, young girls in La Carpio must cook, clean and take care of their younger siblings. This work for them starts at birth. It does not matter if they have older male siblings. The work load always falls on the first female child. Sadly this causes the girls to miss out on many opportunities. If mom is sick or unwilling to take care of the family the girls are held out of school etc. in order to cook and clean for their father and siblings. Many of the 6 year olds we are working with are constantly distracted in class because they must bring their younger siblings with them and care for them throughout the day. At first glance this is seen as something sweet. How calm and motherly the older sister cares for her brothers and sisters! Once you are able to recognize that it is in fact a hindrance it truly breaks your heart for them. Many visitors are not able to catch the underlying issues and actual suffering of the young girls.

It is our prayer that these young kids might have great opportunities in life through education and the working of the Holy Spirit in their lives. We hope that they might be able to fight against the twisted ideas of gender in this society and hold firm to the truth given in God's word. We ask that you might join with us in prayer for their young lives and their futures. We pray that they might grow to be honest, godly men and women of great  self-worth and integrity.

14 You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

-2 Timothy 3:14-15 (NASB)

*Feel free to leave your comments/ideas on this topic!

In Costa Rica...

If you have battled with obtaining a successful garden, finding your "green thumb" and failed, you may want to skip this post haha!

Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; Sing praises to our God on the lyre, Who covers the heavens with clouds, Who provides rain for the earth, Who makes grass to grow on the mountains.

-Psalm 147:7-8 

As many of you know, Central America is currently in their raining season or green season as some prefer to call it. For Costa Rica, this means we experience incredibly heavy rains from about 1pm-8pm or 9pm (although it often rains well through the night as well) every single day. This has gone on since about April and will go on until January"ish". October is notoriously the worst for heavy rains and usually it will rain the entire month of October starting in the morning and going well into the night. If you have tried to call us during these hours you know just the kind of "heavy" we are talking about! You cannot hear anything!

These heavy and consistent rains bring a whole new adventure to Costa Rican life. During these months, literally everything turns green with plant life of all kinds. Even our cement patios, drive ways and streets become almost "jungle like" in appearance. Just walking down the street becomes a difficult task as the sidewalks/streets grow a thick green algae type plant that makes things very slippery. I wish we could film ourselves attempting to walk our rather large dog (German Shepherd mix) everyday. We slip all over the place (our dog as well)!

I have taken some pictures of just the kind of plant life I am talking about. These pictures are from around the rented mission home. I would like to say that the place we rent has no yard whatsoever. We do however have a small garden in the front of the house. This garden was built over a section of our cemented patio and only has about 2 inches of dirt! Other than that small section with 2 inches of dirt...everything else you see is growing directly out of the cement!

This is the cement on our back patio...it is usually just plain gray but in raining season it becomes this!

This is some sort of plant/weed that springs up where we park our car. It has been cut down and the roots pulled out several times but it always comes back. Yes, it is growing right out of the cement!

This is a very tree like plant growing out of our drive way. I am 5ft 2 just to give you a point of reference! It has also been cut down and the roots ripped out several times but always comes back healthy as ever. We usually let these two plants grow until they make it impossible to get in and out of our car! Again there is no dirt here!

This is our laundry room. The vine you see grows all along our wall and into our neighbors guest bedroom wall!!

Front patio/ somewhat organized garden. All growing from 2 inches of dirt laid on top of cement!

And finally...

 

We praise God for the beauty He allows us to experience in Costa Rica! Remembering the beautiful wonders of this country help us get through the tough days.

"In the generations gone by He permitted all the nations to go their own ways; and yet He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness."

-Acts 14:16-17

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