Productive Week

Dear Friends and Family,
Just to make those of you in Iowa feel a bit jealous, it has been a warm week here in Costa Rica in what we have learned to call "Summer." With highs in the 80s, it has been difficult to remember what a midwest winter is like, but after seeing some pictures on the internet of broken electric poles and snow covered streets, we were reminded and are even more thankful for the beautiful weather here. Hope those of you in Iowa and Illinois have cleared out your driveway by now and that the temps are at least above freezing. The picture above was taken from the soccer field on the seminary campus. When it's not cloudy there is a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains.

This soccer/basketball court is in an area called Rosistel in which we will be helping to plant a new church in the month of April. We are excited about the area as there is great need there for a church. There is one small catholic church and no protestant church in a barrio that has approximately 2,000 people. We visited the area along with the District Evangelism Coordinator and his wife who is the pastor of the church that will help this church to get started. The plan is to do ministry projects for three days in the area to kick start the new church and assist in the community. There will be painting, construction, projects in the local school, workshops for women, children's programs and a dental hygiene workshop for kids.

Here you can see Jorge, the District Evangelism Coordinator, Edwin, a young Christian who wants a church in his area, Leyla, who is Jorge's wife and a local pastor, along with the members of Edwin's family. They have agreed to allow the team to use their home during the time of the church plant. They are wonderful folks who want to see better things in their community. Please pray for the area of Rosistel in the next six weeks as the district works to prepare the workers and the barrio for the Maximum Mission.

We are keeping busy making plans for various upcoming trips. We'll be in the North Costa Rica district in mid-March and David may be traveling to Panama near the end of the month. Looking at taking a trip with the family in April in order to renew everyone's visa (this is necessary every 90 days until our paperwork begins the residency process) and in the end of April David will make another trip to Nicaragua. Much work to do and lots of ground to cover.

Prayer Requests: (there are so many I'm not sure where to start!)
Pray for the two Work and Witness teams coming from the great state of TN.
Pray for the health of Kayley as she has been sick with a virus this week.
Pray for the area of Rosistel and the team that will be minstering in that area.
Pray for travel mercies as we'll be on the move much of the time.
Pray for the 8 district superintendents in the countries of Panama, Costa Rica and Nicaragua as they have heavy responsibilites.

Thanks to our LINKS churches in the Los Angeles District for your support through this year. It's always great to hear from you.

God bless your week as He is blessing ours,

The Webbs,
David, Shelley, Joshua and Kayley

Training Week

Hello Friends and Family,

It has been a great week for us as we've spent much time training with regional leaders and learning more and more about our roles. We are feeling a little overwhelmed, but we suppose that is normal with all the changes and new things to learn. Our Spanish is getting better each day as we are forced to use it in all work situations. We took our first road trip this week to visit a District Superintendent in the area of the Poas volcano. It was an accomplishment for us as the roads are not well marked and it's not always easy to find your way. But God helped us and we made it in good time and enjoyed our visit. We also had the opportunity to be a part of two training workshops, which helps to make it more real for us. In time we'll be doing the trainings on our own, but for now we're happy to have the help. Below you can see our friend Benjamin as he presents a workshop on youth evangelism utilizing the evangecube.

The kids were thrilled to have a four day weekend. Some problem with the water pipes got them a day off on Friday and Monday was a planned holiday. We are also enjoying our new home. This week was construction week as the workers moved the glass doors back to their original location separating the living area from the porch/laundry area. Not only does it look better, but we are no longer swatting mosquitos at night or freezing from the chilly air let in by the porch roof. We are thankful for this change that will help our house be our home, just need to hang some pictures and do a little decorating to make it feel more like home.

Below you can see our house. It's the second half of the two story building with the red truck in front. It has three bedrooms upstairs along with a small family room.

The scenery is beautiful and we are enjoying the mountains that surround us on three sides. God makes beautiful sunsets in every country!

God bless your week. Love and miss you all.

The Webb Family

Off and Running

Hello All,
It has been a good week here in Costa Rica. On Monday around 11am David returned from a trip to Panama. It was good to see him since he had only been able to call us one time in the 10 days. He enjoyed his time with the District Superintendent there and the local pastor where a number of ministries took place, including construction and children's programs. He also got to see the Panama canal, a place we hope to visit as a family some day soon.

As soon as David arrived, we were off to meetings with all the District Superintendents from Nicaragua, Panama and Costa Rica. They are all wonderful leaders who have passion for sharing the gospel with the people in their areas. This week we plan to travel to the San Pedro/Poas volcano area to visit with Johnny, the district superintendent of Costa Rica Norte. It will be good to see his church and the plans he has for the area of Costa Rica North.

We are waiting to receive a bit more training in Evangelism and hope to do that this week. This may involve David traveling to Guatemala for a few days. We'll see...

The kids are doing well. Joshua has enjoyed exploring the campus and finding all the good "hiking" places. When we were here in 2003, there was a concrete bridge across the stream that runs behind the seminary, but when we arrived we found it had washed away. So Joshua managed to find a way across the stream to explore the other side and since Kayley just had to see it for herself, Mom got involved as well. So below you can see Joshua and Kayley on the other side of the stream with a nice view of some of the campus buildings in the background.

Of course, we are enjoying the mountain views. Much of the time the mountains are covered in clouds, even though this is dry season and we've had no rain as of yet. But early in the morning, you can see the view all around. This scenic picture below is of the view to the east of the campus.

Well, That's about it for this week. We are anticipating a busy spring with 6 trips (2 to each country) and two Work and Witness teams planned before the end of April. We'll be staying very busy, but with God's help, all is possible!

Have a wonderful week!
Love from the Webb Family

The Webb Page Newsletter - January 2007

The Webb Page

Volume III, Number 1 January 2007

We have arrived safely in Costa Rica after a wonderful time in the U.S. with friends and family. Read on to hear all about it…

Wonderful Vacation in Iowa

We had a great time visiting with friends and family in Iowa and Illinois. What a whirlwind trip! Of course, it wasn’t all fun and games. We had lots of work to do too. The first day was spent making arrangements for our crates to be moved to Costa Rica as well as going to the doctor. The kids needed immunizations and the dentist got rich off Kayley’s teeth once again. And of course we did some shopping for those things that are hard to find in Central America. But the best part was enjoying the holidays with family after being away for a year. We do not plan on returning to the US for over two years, so it was a sad goodbye once again, but already some relatives are talking of visiting, so the two years will not seem so long.

Parting Ways

On January 2, the Webb family arrived at the O’Hara airport, but we didn’t take the same flights. David took a flight to South Africa and Shelley and the kids headed for Guatemala. David attended the Third Wave Conference in Johannesburg and finally met up with the rest of us ten days later in Costa Rica. It was quite an adventure for Shelley and the kids to travel to Costa Rica without Dad, but God provided the way without a single problem. We are pleased with our new home in Costa Rica, especially since it is located on the seminary grounds and has lots of open space for the kids to play and run (something we had missed in Guatemala!). And it was a happy reunion when Dad finally arrived on January 12^th.

New Address

We are pleased that we can receive mail here in Costa Rica (we had a hard time receiving our packages in Guatemala!) and we hear it is best to send through the USPS using first class mail. Please address packages to David Webb and send to the following address:

Seminario Nazareno (SENDAS)

Apartado 3977-1000

San Jose, Costa Rica

Assignment Changes

During Shelley’s first day of training for Finances for MAC South, she received a phone call from our director, Dr. Saenz saying that he had changed our assignments and that she could stop the training in finances. What an answer to prayer! Later that day, we received an email stating that David would be the Coordinator for Youth and Evangelism and that Shelley would assist him in these positions. We are both thrilled with the changes and pray that God will use us in the area of MAC Sur.

The Crates Arrive

It was a big day for us when our crates finally arrived. They were unopened and in great condition after a year of storage. Within a few hours, they were emptied out and broken down to be used as building material here on the seminary grounds. Kayley ran around the house saying, “It’s Christmas Eve, It’s Christmas Eve!” and has really enjoyed playing with her toys again. Joshua searched to find his Playstation and has put it to good use in these weeks. Mom and Dad are just glad to have some familiar things around the house as it makes it feel more like home. There are no pictures on the walls yet, but there will be soon.

Ministry/School Begins

David left on January 26^th with Eric Buell (Coordinator for Work and Witness) to meet up with a team in Panama City. It’s a great opportunity to meet the leaders on the Central Panama District and also continue to learn Spanish. They will return on February 5^th.

The kids started school January 15^th at International Christian School. They wear uniforms and ride a bus each day. They have adjusted quickly and enjoy the school, their teachers and their new friends. We had to make a few adjustments to their schedules as Joshua was in a French class which was taught in Spanish and Kayley was in a social studies class taught in Spanish. Thankfully, the school made some changes and they both are now in a beginner’s Spanish class which is more on their level.

Prayer Requests:

ØPray that we will continue to learn the language and become adapted to the Costa Rican culture.

ØPray for vision in ministry as we train and assist the leaders in the churches in Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama.

ØPray for our children, Joshua (age 12) and Kayley (age 8) as they adjust to their new school and surroundings.

We sure appreciate your prayers during this transition to Costa Rica. Truly, we have felt God’s hand leading and guiding and assuring us again and again that we are in His will, right where we should be.

We cannot thank you all enough for your support! We could not be in Costa Rica without your help and prayers. Feel free to contact us by email at shelwebb@hotmail.com. May God bless you for all you do!

The Webb Family

David, Shelley, Joshua and Kayley