M199 Sunday Morning Ministry

This is one of the girls that had heart surgery. 
 

 The students this semester are broken up into 3 different teams and sent out to the different ministries as part of their M199(practical Christian service class). Today I joined one of the teams and was able to assist in the help. We went to a children's hospital called Shevet Achim. The ministry helps kids from Iraq that are in need of major heart surgery; they fly the children over to Israel and have the Israeli doctors perform the open heart surgery necessary for the child. In the process of recuperation the children stay in a home located 15 minutes away(walking distance) from our hotel. We were blessed to go and serve the Lord at this ministry house by some manual labor work, house keeping service, and being able to just share God's love just playing with the recuperating kids. We were do blessed! Praise the Lord for a great and safe time ministering into the lives of those who will never return back to their country the same again. Keep these kids and their mothers who accompanied them in your prayers. After staying here for the time needed, they return back to their muslim country with a new understanding of God by the Messiah's servants who taught them about His real love.

The girls working inside.

Tanner taking a breather from the work.

An long awaited Update

To summarize the events of these last couple months; let me start off by just stating that it has been a mind blowing experience. As many of you already know, since July the Lord has put my time in Costa Rica on pause and now in September He has me serving here in Israel. I have been on the ground here serving as the Director of the Teaching Site Campus for the last 3 weeks. I will be here until December, when the study tour is over and then return to the states as the Lord leads.

   Already in these three weeks, it is shown evident that this semester is going to be a stretching one for all of us. It has been so neat getting to know the students; to see who they are in the Lord and know that Christ is going to take them each individually deeper. It is a hard thing to live in Israel though, but we know in the hard times God is doing an even greater work. For those of you who are unfamiliar to the situations here, let me help shed some light. Israel, in regards to spiritual warfare, is a furnace. The battle here is intense. As one of the ladies out here put it, “Here your weaknesses get attacked hard and in your strengths you attempt to compensate for your weaknesses but then those strengths turn and become your weakness as well.” It doesn’t stop there though, the same Spiritual warfare happening in the supernatural realm makes itself manifest physically on top of that. With recent news of the Palestinian territory continuing on for statehood, we see the spiritual battle against the promises of God being made manifest through this dispute of land. With all this being said, there are two categories of prayer I request. First, please pray for our mental safety and continual perseverance in God’s truth as doubt and self-discouragement is a continual fight we have here. Second, please pray for our safety as we live in this place with real life dangers all around. There are 20 students and 2 staff member including myself, please continue to pray for all of us. We desire to know God more and be known by Him in the intimate way He desires (Matthew 7:23), which means we can use and appreciate every prayer sent our wayJ.
   
   I want to thank all of you who have been continuing to support me in prayer, love, and finances these last 9 months. You have been such a blessing and I thank God so much for all of you. He has been so faithful and gives us all the privilege to obey and be a part of His work. I am so thankful to be partners with you in all that He has been doing through His ministry. I wanted to make sure and notify you as well that by much prayer and miraculous opening of doors. The Lord has now provided a paid position for me. I say this to show a praise report in what He has provided and to inform you that anything given will no longer go to self support but will be used fully in ministry to others. I am so thankful for your Love and care. As the Lord continues to guide, I look forward to see what else He will do in the ministry that He has here for us in Israel. Thank you for partnering with us, it’s an honor to serve with you and may we all continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of who He is.

Block #1–Chaz Celaya

     The 1st block has come and past. Chaz, the head of the sound department from the Murrieta Campus, came and taught 1st and 2nd Peter for our first block class. He did a great job. I was really impressed to see how organized in thought, preparation, and presentation he was. I was genuinely encouraged and provoked, in a good way. Chaz was able to not just come by himself but bring his wife(Emily) and daughter(Cloe) as well. It was Chaz’s birthday, so we were also able to celebrate it with a tasty cake and take throughout his trip take him out to some of the beautiful places God has blessed us with nearby. We also were able to play a fun game of American football. One of the guys we have been able to build a relationship with is a football fan and has been wanting to play for a while. He said that he had a ball, so a game was organized with a quickness. The night we played it rained! We played at a synthetic court so the rain actually turned into a blessing and was used to protect us from having synthetic burns when we fell. The 2 weeks Chaz and his family spent here seriously flew. It’s crazy to see that the time is already over. We have Dave Shirley and Mark Shwartz arriving Tuesday to teach the last block but seeing how this last block went, I am scared to see how fast the time is going to pass by. After this 2nd block by Mark and Dave the school semester is over. The students depart from the 17th on and it’s crazy to think that their time is already about to be over. It’s even crazier to think about how my time, soon after that, will be over as well. Please pray for us to finish strong and to finish with no regrets pleasing Him. He is worthy and still has all of us here, pray that we would continue to be fully here and shine completely for His glory.

Perez Zeledon Orphanage de Niños

 

 

 

 

 

  Last week Gabo and I were able to go down to Dominical and spend a couple days with Pastor Mike. Mike’s the kind of guy that has a real heart of love and is found serving at random places all over. Gabo has been in charge of CCS this semester (the class that assigns the students to places where they can practically serve in community) and has been trying to get the students the opportunity to serve in the orphanages in town. There are two orphanages here, the boys and the girls, and its not very easy to get into either one of them. After much prayer and some elbow grease though, he got the girl students in to serve at the girls orphanage down the street and has been praying for the same opportunity for the boys to do at the boys orphanage as well. It was really cool because while we were down in Dominical, it just happened by God’s plans, that Mike was going to serve at the orphanage alongside a group that goes there about every month or so, and being with Mike we were able to go and tag along too. We had a great time playing games, talking, doing crafts, egg hunts, a bible study, and just eating with the kids. The boys were a great group, really friendly and just silly little guys. We would love to go back and do some more ministry nights with them, maybe play soccer and do things like that, but it would take some prayer. Pray that we get open doors to go back, if not now then possibly next semester. God’s plans are exceedingly above all that we can think or imagine so we know He has something sweet planned but in time He will reveal. As for now we will wait, He is good and worthy of being trusted. He was faithful to just even let us go, both Gabo and I have been wanting to go to the orphanage this whole semester and even though its now towards the end, God remains faithful and no doubt will continue to be.-Amen.

Preach it!

   

Well we are back safe and sound again in Costa Rica, and the Panama trip was a blast. As far as having organized events, we really had none, but it gave us a lot of time to just enjoy being together as a campus group. We had really no stress of long classes (well not stress better yet I should say the blessings of a long class) or any type of weekly commitments. It was seriously a good break, but it did cause our hearts to grow fonder of where God has placed us this semester.  It was interesting to see how much everyone has fallen in love with Costa Rica and how coming back was one of the highlights of our trip…especially for Gerry. It’s a fact; to bloom where you are planted, you must allow yourself to fully be planted there and take root. For those of you who don’t know, the reason for going to Panama was to get a new visa stamp and have an out of country missions trip for the students. The ministry outreach we did was something a little out of the ordinary, but worked really well. We ended up getting about 30 garbage bags and just went around picking up the trash in the surrounding residential areas of the hostel we stayed at. It was something that spoke His love very loudly to those staying at the hostel and the hostel owner herself. It was super cool to see how the Holy Spirit touched and provoked hearts to curiosity in just the act of us taking a couple hours out of our time and picking up the local’s trash. I know the quote has been stated, “Preach the Gospel, and when necessary use words.” Praying about that during the outreach; it hit me, “Preach the gospel, don’t be ashamed of using words and don’t run shy from proclaiming it through your actions.” We are called to be His witnesses and as His servants we have no right to neglect that call.

What's been happening=]

Our ride to Panama

Gerry and I on the bus



Our Panamanian Hostel



        I know there needs to be no announcement, but it has been a long time since the last update. I honestly can't even believe how busy all of us have been out here. Also though, I can't even express how thankful we all are for your prayers. I didn't realize how much work teaching a class would be, let alone teaching two classes. It was definitely a stretch and challenge, but at the same time I don't think I have ever been so blessed. It's crazy to think about the lives God has allowed me to serve through the classes. It's mind blowing to think that these students one day, Lord willing, will be the next leaders in the body of Christ. It has been such a  priviledge to see the different types of minds, mentallities, and personalities God has made each individual person to be. The unity we have in a bride to bride relationship through being the body of Christ is so amazing. The fact that we have been individually made and individually loved by the living God makes you realize how blessed we are in His grace. The weekly classes have pretty much now come to an en. We are now on the last sprint of two block classes left for the rest of the semester. There's really about 4 1/2 weeks left for the semester before it ends. Even though with the little amount of time left, its extremely clear that God still has a lot He wants to do. The church is now running three services a week; Sunday morning, Wendseday night, and Tuesday night prayer. The Lord has been really growing us as a body to support one another in the ministry of prayer, and His answers to those prayers have been beautiful. He has given us so much favor in; relationship building, having an impact on the community, and even with Shirley, the first person we met out here, she came to confess the Lord as her personal Lord and Savior last week. God has been so good showing His faithfulness and touching the lives around us in evident ways. Currently now we are in Panama for our missionary/visa trip. It took about a 6 hour overall bus trip to come down here to the City of David in Panama, but praise the Lord no one got sick. We return back to San Isidro Tuesday the 17th and will have a 5 day break untill school starts again. I'll be in Dominical a couple of the days helping Pastor Mike out with some computer graphic stuff so keep me in prayer:). I really want to also thank you guys for your prayers concerning my last trip to Israel. It was a very unexpexted time of stretchings but the Lord blessed me so MUCH. He really showed a lot of favor on the class He used me to teach and on the leading of the campus as a whole. I couldn't believe how He continued to exceed expextations in every little thing. I thoroughly enjoyed the trip and want to thank you again for all your love and support. I know the Lord answered your prayers of protection and blessings. I had grace and favor every where we went and give God all the glory for it. Thank you guys so much, I love you guys and pray that God would continue to bless you in all that He has for you to do:).



Showing my sweet feet at the border

 

Easter '11 in Israel



   







Week of Orientation

 

  Tomorrow marks a week exactly of the student’s arrival. In this last week we decided to give the students a relaxing week, and just let them get settled in. Costa Rica is a different atmosphere than most would expect. Most of the students expect it to be just like Mexico, but in honestly its really nothing like that.The Spanish a tad different, food is not a like, and the cultures are really not too similar. Our town is also thought to be a little country mountain town, and even though in a sense it is, its really not. I know its confusing but more so San Isidro is a fairly busy city with outskirt residential neighborhoods, all in the middle of a jungle mountain forest. So basically its more of a city than a bo-hunk mountain town, but still beautiful nonetheless. The students now being here have been able to experience all this greatness first hand. A couple of them looked a little overwhelmed and culture shocked last week when we picked them up, but now the students seem to have comfortably settled in. We have been taking them all over town; showing them our favorite places to eat, taking them traveling to some of the local fun spots, and also taking them to our city’s weekly ferria(farmer’s market). It has been an amazing fun filled week, but tomorrow the classes fully start. If you remember please keep both the students and staff in your prayers. We all got a lot of things still yet to be done, but we know by His grace He will finish it. In His mercy and love lies our hope. 

Students Arrive

   The Students have now arrived! Yesterday we spent all day picking up the six students from the San Jose airport. We rented a 26 passenger micro-bus to transport the students in style and comfort from San Jose to San Isidro . The students came in pretty tired and slept a good amount on the windy mountain roads, so that worked out in accordance of avoiding any car sickness…praise the Lord. It’s definitely still a shock having these students here. We spent three months at CCBC Murrieta preparing and conversing with them about this semester, but it still seems weird that its actually all happening. We have a very good group here for our first semester and I’m definitely excited to see what the Lord is going to do. He has been faithful so far to bring us here, and it’s definitely going to be for something good that He is going to do here.                                                                                                     Here is a list of the students names;

1. Ecna Perez
2. Justine Marees
3. Chandler Walker
4. Taylor White
5. Tarah Joi
6. Korina Bowman
7. Gerry Carrillo

These students are such great brothers and sisters in the Lord and will definitely be used by God greatly here. But also no doubt will go through some hard times as well. Please keep these students in your prayers. Thank you guys, Lord bless you.

Calvary Chapel in San Jose

“Blessed are the flexible”-Chuck Smith. One aspect of being in Ministry is definitely the willingness to be flexible. Many times God isn’t  giving us a detail by detail blue print plan, but more of a step by step moment by moment call of direction. This last weekend we found out that the Pastor of Calvary Chapel San Jose(Costa Rica’s Capital), had to return to the states for a family emergency. His father in law became very sick, and he and his family had to return there on a very short notice. I don’t know all the details about it, but please keep them in prayer. With all that said, the church did not know who would be able to teach the Sunday morning English service. Ryan and I were going to be in San Jose that afternoon to run some errands, so with God directing it all we left on the 6:30am bus early for the church service. Ryan was definitely used by the Lord to share a great message on the Holy Spirit, which blessed me and the entire congregation. He not only spoke by word, but showed by action who the Holy Spirit is and how He empowers us to do His will according to His ways. He is a person and leads us in His power for His glory. It was a blessed time of just fellowshipping with the folks there and seeing the Lord glorified. It was also really neat to have lunch with the group on the top right corner. They’re great family in the Lord. Two of them are actually missionaries from Jamaica, and it was so interesting to just listen to them speak and hear their accent. They’re just in love with Jesus and love to share about His name.

Building on the firm Foundation

    Well its been about a month and a half since the last update of the physical church building. For the most part, everything has pretty much been set on pause. The Schockey’s Colorado home church took on the task of laying the concrete floor down for the building, so this past month and a half has been an awaiting period for their arrival. The church sent a group of five experienced construction guys down as a work team to Costa Rica. These guys cemented the entire floor of the church and sidewalks in just 2 days. They did a great job, and the church looks beautiful. John Senior, the man in the yellow shirt, was such an encouragement and blessing to us all. He is a 75 year man who just would not stop. He worked full out, as well did the whole team, laying the cement down with a quickness in the Costa Rican heat just serving unto the Lord. Because of our Panama trip we didn’t really get to help out with the cement, but definitely blessed to enjoy the fruit of this team’s hard labor to the Lord. Praise the Lord for the work He has done, He is so rich in mercy and so worthy of all our praise. May He continue to use all of us, His children, in all His plans according to His good pleasure. We are very excited to see not only the physical work God has done, but the spiritual work He is doing and is going to do as well. Praise Him.

Girl’s Housing

  The girl’s housing has been such a blessing and such a step of faith so far. First of all, the house itself wasn’t found until the final days of our due date. Then once we found it, we tried figuring out how God would provide to furnish and  meet the rest of the students’ needs. God is so God though, and He has everything under control always promising to work all things together for good! And wee as His own, can fully always confidently trust in that. God opened doors for us to have a great friendship so far with the actual owner of the house(we’re just renting), and even so much as now God has the owner lending the girls his dinning room and sofa set. We would have never seen the things God has planned out thus far coming, but all has been so good and so mind blowing in His perfect plans. As you can see as well; the fridge, stove, and mattresses have also all been purchased and the rest of the house is coming together beautifully. Ryan finished the bunks today(sorry didn’t get a picture), and students will arrive Monday. Keep us in your prayers as the students arrive and as we go pick them up. Thank you guys, Lord bless you!