The Webb Page E-Newsletter

October 2009
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New Position with SENDAS
Shelley’s new position with the Seminary as Coordinator of Public Relations includes a wide variety of responsibilities including updating the Seminary website, e-newsletters, Work and Witness teams as well as new projects such as CALL.




CALL is a Spanish language and culture program where anyone who wants to learn Spanish can do so in the safe and beautiful setting of the SENDAS campus while being surrounded by Latino Seminary students and professors. It is a great place to learn the language and in addition, opportunities will be given to assist in local church planting and compassionate activities. The three-hour classes are taught each day by Latin American teachers offer the opportunity to grow in knowledge of the language as well as the culture. Just email Shelley at swebb@nazmac.org for more information.

Classes are starting on a limited basis this fall, but a January Term is being offered in 2010 with special package deals that will entice you to spend 4 weeks in San Jose getting away from that chilly winter weather. Come join us!

Home Assignment In Review



Joshua - Learning to Surf in San Diego/Putting our feet in the ocean in Delaware

The Webb family had quite the summer adventure traveling all around the USA speaking at churches in 11 different states (Iowa, Tennessee, Florida, Kansas, Oklahoma, California, Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Delaware). God blessed us in every way with good travel, great services and a minivan that we finally sold two days before we left the country (to a Nazarene Pastor!)

Our Nations Capitol


Spending time with family in Iowa


Grandma Webb with Lydia

It would take pages and pages of writing to tell you all the highlights but the kids will always remember these special times: Days spent in Iowa. Illinois and Georgia with family, seeing old friends in Tennessee, Kansas and Oklahoma (fishing trip included), General Assembly and Epcot Center in Orlando, Sea World and surfing in San Diego, eating lunch at an local airstrip in Ohio, hiking in West Virginia, Our Nation’s Capitol (and the train rides from Baltimore), and of course many long hours in the van watching DVDs and listening to music.



A special thanks to each and every church that we were blessed to visit this summer. It is a privilege to share what God is doing in MAC South. Thanks for praying for us and for the ministries and leaders we represent.




Speaking to a church at a backyard, poolside picnic in Delaware. Can’t beat it!

New School Year Begins
Actually, it began a couple weeks before we arrived home which made for a tough transition to 6th grade for Kayley, but we are happy to report that now everyone is well-adjusted to school, work and the daily routine that comes along with it. Here is Kayley waiting for the school bus in front of the Regional Office.



Joshua is in Basketball and as a 10th grader is starting on the Varsity Team (see photo below of Josh shooting a free throw in a game). He is a good player and we are excited to see his games. Kayley is in a quilting club at school along with all the regular subjects like Math, Social Studies, English, Spanish and French. (Yes, a third language is required!)



Workshops with New Church Specialties

David’s Evangelism work got off to a great start upon our return with workshops offered by the Region with the leaders of the New Church Specialties organization. The Saturday workshops were designed to assist church leaders to have a vision and then share the vision with the church congregation.

On Sunday morning, the NCS leaders and missionaries enjoyed a church service at the foot of Irazu Volcano (see photo below). It was a great spot to reflect on the greatness of God. In the afternoon, special evangelism services took place that inspired us all to continue seeking the Lord whole-heartedly.



A partnership has developed between the MAC Region and the NCS leaders that we are sure will be a great benefit to the local churches in our area as they receive more training in the Refocus program.


New Deputation Site Released
There is a new way to be linked with the Webbs deputation site to read current news, see the latest photos and to give to the Webb deputation account or to special projects. This will be very convenient for those who like to use a credit card. Please know the site is secure and credit can be given to your local church. See the site at web.nazarene.org/goto/davidwebb.



Thanks for your prayers and support. We appreciate you!
The Webb Family
David, Shelley, Joshua and Kayley

Home Sweet Home

Hello To All,

Let’s start with a rundown of the start to the school year for the kids. Kayley is in 6th grade and Joshua is in 10th. We returned to Costa Rica two weeks after the school year began, so there was some catching up to do from the git-go. Kayley has struggled to get used to the 6th grade changes, but finally is getting the hang of it all. She had the flu last week (along with half of the school) so she missed 3 days more…more make up work! The school canceled classes for Monday since everyone was ill, making for a 4 day weekend with Tuesday being our Independence Day. So, today (Wednesday) was a fresh start to the year…we hope!

Joshua is on the Basketball team and is one of the starters. He and one other boy are the biggest – they don’t have very many tall players beings that this is Costa Rica and all. But the little guys are fast and make up for what they lack in height. We are excited to see a game at the end of the month.

Last weekend was full of activities since we had some special and important guests here with us on campus. Larry McCain and Larry Cook, who work with New Church Specialties Ministry were here to do trainings with the Costa Rica Central District. It was such great information about Refocusing your church, dealing with change and having and sharing a lasting vision. Good stuff.


On Sunday morning we took the visitors to Volcan Irazu. We had not been to this volcano before, so it was a treat for our family. This volcano is similar to Poas since it too blew its top long ago, but this volcano last erupted in 1963 and has ash all around. The water at the bottom is an odd color of green. And there were plants growing out of the ash. It was a good reminder to me of what can come from suffering. God can take the ashes and make them produce fruit again!


Sunday afternoon, the visitors preached during a special evangelical service. Both presenters were great and everyone enjoyed the time very much. Many people spent time in prayer after wards, seeking the Lord and His guidance for their lives.


Shelley stays very busy with all her new responsibilities. She is learning Dreamweaver to update the website, working on a new Seminary E-Newsletter, planning for the first CALL (Christian Academy of Language and Learning) student to arrive, hiring a Spanish teacher, and planning ahead for 2010. God is opening many doors and making the way for the future. It is amazing to be part of what He is doing.

David also is staying very busy with Evangelism activities. We are glad he has been home most of the time since we returned, but we know that will change in October. His first trip is to Nicaragua on October 1st and we are sure more will follow. He is anxious to see the leaders in each district and to catch up on what has been happening in each area. Oh, and here’s the good news! David once again has a Costa Rican driver’s license after being without for almost 9 months! This is a huge praise and we are all so pleased that the red tape was finally cut and his license is renewed. YEAH!

Keep praying for the kids as they keep trying their best in school. Remember David as he travels and Shelley as she continues the work with the Seminary and Evangelism.

We will see you next time!

The Webb Family

DC, Chicago & Home

Hello All,

Well, we have returned home to Costa Rica safe and sound. It was a tiring day with a 3am alarm but being able to be home in the afternoon was a blessing. We are finally unpacked and getting back into the swing of things here.

This week we want to share a bit more about our final two weeks in the USA. We spent a week speaking with churches on the Mid-Atlantic District ,which includes Maryland, parts of southern PA and also Delaware and DC. We enjoyed staying in the District Office building where there are two upstairs bedrooms.

We stayed here for 6 nights in a row – a record for us – we hadn’t spent more than that at any one place at one time this summer! We enjoyed being together as a family and even cooking some meals.

We had a great time with all of the churches on the district. The church in Hagerstown had just returned from a trip to Costa Rica and had we been there we would have been with them. It was fun to hear of their great experiences. Also, we enjoyed an Hispanic service in Baltimore, a concert at the Gracepoint Community church and an outside BBQ in Seaford, Delaware – just to name a few. What fun!

A side trip to DC was a blast for family. Lots of walking, museums, memorials, some more walking, a special tour of the Capitol, many train rides, sometimes on the right train and sometimes not.

It was a great experience and a great reminder of the great history of our USA. We also drove to the east coast in Delaware. We can now proudly say that we put our feet in both oceans this summer. (Someone reminded me that that feat could be accomplished easily in Costa Rica – but there are a few more miles involved in the USA!)

After the stretch in the DC area, we drove one very long day from Baltimore to Chicago with a quick stop in Ohio to show the van. We are so thankful to God for bringing just he right buyer to us for the van. We wanted someone who really could use it, who wanted it, who could even use it for ministry, and that is what we got! A pastor and his wife in Ohio bought the van. David drove it back to them on Tuesday (Pobrecito David…poor David) who had to endure a few more miles.

We just loved our van this summer. We could not have had a better vehicle for our needs.

We drove more than 12,000 miles this summer so the van kinda became part of the family. The kids will miss the cool DVD player and their reclining seats! Thank you Mission Auto in Coshocton, Ohio for finding it for us!

After having a final visit with Grandma Preussner, we packed, repacked, weighed the bags, packed again and finally had all the bags just right. Spirit allowed our bags with 50.5 lbs and we were very appreciative! God is good!

One more milestone took place last week. Joshua turned 15 years old! We are so proud of him. He is already back to school and basketball. First game is in a week!

Keep the kids in your prayers as they adjust to a new school year, especially Kayley who is making the transition to secondary school (6^th grade) which involves lockers, locks, moving classrooms and many changes.

Thanks for keeping up with us this summer! God bless you all.

Until next time!

Shelley and family

Ohio and WV

Hello Friends and Family,
Our trek across America has continued with the latest stops being in Ohio, West Viriginia and now Maryland.

We had a great time visiting with a recent team to Nicaragua from Coshocton, OH. We spent a lovely Saturday evening with part of the team, Sunday morning with the entire congregation, Sunday lunch at the Patio Grill located at the local airport
(see photo) and a great evening with the entire team at the home of our friends, the Limburg family. It was a wonderful day to catch up with friends and make future plans for a return to Costa Rica in 2010 with a possible Father/Son team! Thanks friends from Coshoscton, for a fun-filled reunion!

Next it was onto Columbus, OH where we met with a church interested in bringing a youth team to MAC South. We enjoyed a Chinese meal while discussing the goings-ons in Nicaragua. We visited the church – Northwest Church of the Nazarene – took a tour, burned some photos to a CD for the youth pastor and waved goodbye, hoping to see them again soon with their teen group next year.

Then off to the East Ohio District campgrounds near Alliance. We had a wonderful day with the kids holding missions events and even a parade!
In the evening we presented to the adults and enjoyed meeting many new friends and prayer partners.

A quick pit stop was made at the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
David and Joshua enjoyed this experience, especially all the Green Bay Packer memorabilia – and there was lots of it!

We spent Wednesday afternoon touring Mt. Vernon Nazarene University, giving Joshua another option for college. It is a beautiful campus that reminded us lots of Simpson College in Iowa.
That evening, we spoke both with kids and adults at the New Life Church. This church has brought teams down to Nicaragua numerous times and has been instrumental in building the La Carbonera Child Development Center. Thanks New Life for all your support in MAC South!

On Thursday, we traveled east to Morgantown, WV. On Friday we hiked the hills of West Virigina at a State Park. Beautiful! It was the hottest day they have had yet in WV this year, so it was a scorcher!


After a much needed shower, we enjoyed a cook out and evening service at Pierpont Church. We enjoyed the hotdogs and smores over the bonfire.
We are already beginning to think how much we will miss the long sun-filled days of the USA. With daily sunset at 6pm, these beautiful nights are short lived for us. But Costa Rica is calling and we will be home soon. Everyone in the family is ready for this chapter to close and the next chapter to begin - even if it means going back to school! Kayley especially is ready to be done traveling by car - here she is on an Ohio roadside - trying to beat carsickness. She even smiles when she is sick!


We are now in Baltimore, preparing for a Spanish service this evening. This is our one and only Spanish-speaking congregation this summer – and just in time! We are beginning to lose our Spanish!!! Actually we are very excited to speak in Spanish this evening and share about the work going on in MAC South.

The next blog will likely be written from Costa Rica and I can’t wait to share some of our experiences in Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania and our Nation’s Capitol! See you next time!


The Webb Family

Tulsa and Beyond!

Hello Dear Friends and Family,

This weekend we had the pleasure of visiting our friends in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Geoffrey and Sharon Gunter were our pastors 18 years ago in Junction City, KS and now pastor the Regency Park Church of the Nazarene in Tulsa.

Geoffrey and Sharon shared their home with us and we shared much time reminiscing of our days in Kansas. We enjoyed speaking for their Faith Promise Missions focus weekend on both Saturday night and on Sunday morning. Geoffrey is an avid fisherman so he planned a special fishing trip for the guys early Monday morning. Joshua caught 3, Geoffrey 2 and David 1. A successful trip and perhaps the beginning of a new sporting hobby for Joshua!


We also enjoyed an evening at another Tulsa Church called Tulsa Hills. There we enjoyed the people and of course, the homemade ice cream. Joshua most enjoyed the gym and the teenagers who played BB with him after the service.


We are in the process of washing and packing once again. But in the process we are enjoyed moments with David’s family – especially his Mom and his sister. Here you can see the kids and then David's sister Tina with Lydia (one of Tina's 6 grandkids).
This time when we leave Iowa, we will not be returning so it once again time for goodbyes.

Our future plans include trips to Chicago, Central Ohio, West Virginia (Morgantown), and then a district tour of the Mid-Atlantic District which includes areas of Maryland, Vermont, Pennsylvania and Washington, DC.

Well, just in case there is not Internet access on the road or in the places where we will be, this may be the last blog until September when we return to Costa Rica. We hope you have enjoyed coming along for the Summer Roadtrip 2009!

Prayer Requests:
Safe Travel and Blessed Services in each location.
Improved Health – We have all been fighting off summer colds.
A good transition to San Jose – school and regular work schedule starts once again.
The perfect person to buy our Chrysler Town and Country van - It has served us well!

Thanks for thinking of us and logging onto the blog! The Webb Family