WORK and WITNESS Times 2

In the month of February, we had the amazing opportunity to be part of an historic W&W trip to Chiapas, Mexico with a combined team of participants from Costa Rica North and the Chicago Central District.  Both districts raised funds for the project to lay the floor of a church in the mountains of Chiapas. 

The team just after completing the floor of the church.

It was the first time for some of the Costa Ricans to travel so far and to fly on an airplane, so excitement was high as we traveled together. We met up with the Chicago group in the Mexico City airport and the ONE TEAM began to form.  

We spent the first night with the host missionaries, Stephen and Anne Sickel and their family near Tuxtla Gutierrez.  We arrived to the work site the next day after a long drive of 5 hours. We stayed in homes and on the church floor.  For 3 days there was no electricity, but it did not matter too much since the people there do not use it too much. They cook using gas, and we had flashlights for evening times together.  The Mexicans there raise coffee and corn, so agriculture is the main source of income.  They were wonderful hosts showing us lots of love and working hard to prepare meals for us each day.  

Our work site - what a view of the mountains!

David makes new friends wherever he goes.

The floor got poured in a day and a half.  There was other work too: digging ditches for a new front gated entrance and a back-retaining wall.  A highlight was working with children and youth in the community and walking the streets sharing with people.  A Costa Rican nurse on the team was asked to see some patients and we did what we could to help.  

District Superintendent Johnny Calvo with DS Mariano Vazquez.

Returning to Tuxtla after 7 days was quite an adventure.  One of the two 15 passenger vans, loaded down with sleeping mats and people, stopped running about 25 minutes outside of the pueblo.  The transmission died.  It was a tense time, trying to decide what to do, but the leaders handled it well.  The ladies and kids went onto the next town in the working van and the men walked to a farmhouse to call the local mountain church.  They brought a big flatbed truck, perfect for hauling lots of things and people.  The ladies were excited to see this HUGE truck, filled with our guys, entering the town.  It was a bit cold for those who rode in the back of the big truck, but a few hours later, about midnight, we arrived to Tuxtla, safe and sound.  

The truck that many of the team rode in for hours.

Our hosts, Stephen and Anne Sickel and family.  Sorry, it is the only photo of have of them.

We enjoyed a one day visit to Mexico City on our way home to Costa Rica.  It is an amazing city with more than 22 million people.  City as far you could see in any direction.  We were impressed by the largeness and the kindness of the Mexican people. 

 

In between the two trips, we enjoyed a day with our good friends as they celebrated their 25^th wedding anniversary with a renewal of vows ceremony.  David had the honor of directing the ceremony and it was beautiful.  

A few days after arriving home, the next adventure began.  A Jesus Film Harvest Partner team, representing 5 states, arrived on a Thursday.  We stayed at the Seminary for one night and left early on Friday for an amazing adventure to the Tayni Indigenous Area of Costa Rica.  The people there speak Cabecar and this was our first time to show the Jesus Film in their language.  

The JFHP team and the CR National Team at SENDAS.

At the school in Gavilan

At the school in Boca Cohen

David and Abelardo speaking to two Cabecar men after the showing of the film.

It was a hard drive over rocky roads, rivers and bumps to arrive each day to the communities, but well worth it.  We were allowed to show the Jesus Flim in Cabecar in two public schools, as well as do a craft and spend time with the kids.  For many, this was the first time to see a movie in their own language, so everyone’s attention was fully on the movie, even the smallest children!  

Finally, the basket was taken off so we could continue on our way.

We had a little problem entering this bridge: the basket on the van was just too tall!

One little girl, with a look of amazement on her face, asked the Superintendent of the CR Central District, Sirlene, if God speaks Cabecar.  It was a wonderful moment to share that yes, God speaks and understands Cabecar perfectly!

We also got meet with our friend David Jones and his wife Lucy, who are independent missionaries. He has translated the New Testament into the language of Cabecar, and administrated the recording of the Jesus Film into their language, at his home in Bribri.  It was awesome to hear his testimonies of how God is using the film as he enters the most difficult places to reach, hiking up to 8 hours per day.  He is our hero, and we are thankful for his work with the Cabecar people.

 

The majority of the JFHP team with a great view of the Poas Volcano.

Thanks for all your prayers as we work with a total of 14 W&W teams this year.  The next team arrives next week and then one more the following week.  We are so thankful for each group for the encouragement they bring to the churches here in Costa Rica.

Until next time...
David and Shelley Webb

Team Number Three, Tell the Story and Time to Celebrate

Happy Valentine's Day (Friendship Day here in Central America).

 

We are pleased to announce that we survived having three teams in a row in one month.  Wow!  It was a crazy January, but we are thankful that everything went well.  There were no major injuries or incidents, which is always the main concern.  On top of that, lots of great work got completed.  You can see the January post to read about two of the teams, and here you can read about the Jackson, MI W&W Team who worked at the Los Angeles Church of the Nazarene.

Thanks to Ted Bruce and David Webb who worked their tails off with this team.

Since the floor of the new building was poured a couple years ago, there was much foundation work to be done to prepare for the columns, walls and roof.  It may not look much different, but it was hard work to pour the concrete under the concrete slab.  Also, the building needs restrooms, so the foundation was dug for that as well.  

 

 The front entrance needing painting and even got a new mural.  Beautiful! 

The church organized what they call J-Team ministry which is outreach to kids in various neighborhoods.  There are at least 3 new children attending the church now because of this day of kids’ activities.

The final day was an all church work day alongside the team.  It was wonderful to see everyone come together to serve and work.  Tears were shed as goodbyes were shared.  It was a good day. 

The Los Angeles Church and the Jackson, MI Team working side by side.

This church has the privilege of hosting two more teams this year and they hope to complete the first phase of their building by mid-July.  That will allow the church to have space to grow as they reach their community for Christ.

The Orchid building at SENDAS is nearly finished. We just need to put in the windows and doors and it will be done.  Almost ready for use.

 

We are preparing now for two teams in March and one in April. One is a Jesus Film Harvest Partner team going to the Indigenous Area, and the other is a team for Los Angeles at the end of March.  Then we have a team to complete the water project at SENDAS, which is a very important but not very glamorous job.  We are thankful for the Northern California District who is willing to take on this project. 

We also celebrated the Costa Rican District Assemblies.  It was a great time to be with everyone and share what God has done in this last year.  David led the Central District Assembly, and although it is not his favorite job to lead it in Spanish, as always he did a great job.  

We also were blessed to have our friend Angel Sigui visit Costa Rica for the first time ever to lead a workshop on Tell the Story, a way to teach Bible stories in groups.  It is a simple, effective teaching tool.  

Joshua and Kayley are doing well.  Joshua hopes to buy a newer vehicle soon, and Kayley is having a much better semester this time around.  The adjustment was not easy for her last fall, but she seems to be settled and enjoying college life.  We are blessed.

We are excited to be a part of a W&W team from both Costa Rica North and the Chicago Central district ministering in Chiapas, Mexico next week.  It will be roughing it a bit, sleeping on floors and bucket showers, but cannot wait!  And we get to be with our great friends the Sickels and all the other team members.  Gonna make some great memories.

Pray with us for the 3 teams in March and April, a couple we are hoping will be here with us in Costa Rica in the future, the new church plants that have just started (two in the last few weeks!), an exciting opportunity for campus development for SENDAS, and the student teachers from MNU and MVNU who arrive in March. 

Thanks for your support and prayers.  We look forward to seeing some of you this fall.

David and Shelley

Happy New Year 2017

It is a little late for Happy New Year, but even so we wish you a very Happy New Year 2017.

We enjoyed Christmas with Kayley being with us for about two weeks.  She arrived to Costa Rica four days late with all the weather issues in the USA, but she arrived just in time to go to the beach with us.  She enjoyed the time with friends and the break from studying.  She has now returned to classes at MVNU and is enjoying her second semester.

We were sad to not have Joshua with us this year for Christmas, but we are pleased that he is doing well in Columbus, OH with his work at Park National Bank.  He is learning lots each day and seems to enjoy this new adult life.

We enjoyed the beach for two days during Christmas break.  As always, Costa Rica impresses us with its natural beauty.  

We enjoyed so much having AJ and Chelsea Fry with us for the fall.  They studied Spanish and learned so much in their short time with CALL.  They are now in the USA awaiting their visa to serve in the Dominican Republic.  We cannot wait to see how God uses them.

Since December 28^th, we have been working with Work and Witness teams in Costa Rica.  The first team arrived from Tennessee and California with 8 people who worked so hard to put up the drywall on the Orchid Building.  They did so much work that I worried we would not have enough work for the next team!  

Day 1

The project continues to take form

W&W Team from TN and CA

The team worked at a children's center and Kayley ministered with us.

The second team arrived from the Missouri District, and many of the folks on the team had never experienced Work and Witness before. They worked on the stucco for the walls of the building, painted fences and hauled bamboo before the week was over.  

The MO District Team

 

The Orchid Building: Almost ready.

 More than anything, we give thanks for our friends Ted and Lori Bruce who have served as the team leaders for these two groups.  Work and Witness is a wonderful ministry, but it is not our specialty, so to have such great help with the teams allowed us to continue doing other ministry that must be done as well.

The third team arrived yesterday, a team from Jackson, Michigan to work at the Los Angeles Church.  It is the first of four teams for that project, and we hope to see the first phase of the project completed this year. There is lots of hard work ahead for this team, and with the help of the local church workers, it will get done!

A packed house at Los Angeles Church this morning.  This new building is a very needed.

CALL continues teaching Spanish with Alan and Glenda Miner studying on campus and a number of other students taking online classes. The Miners are also teaching ESL to missionaries. 

The Miners with the Garitas.

Soon four students from MNVU and MNU will arrive to study as they student teach at a local school.

SENDAS continues to serve nearly 1,000 students per year and the retreat center continues to develop new projects to generate income to support theological education.  We hope to have news soon about a new project on our campus, but for now, we will just ask for your prayers for God’s guidance in it all.

Looking ahead, we ask for prayers as we go on a W&W Trip to Chiapas, Mexico in February with a team comprised of folks from Chicago Central district and from the Costa Rica North district.  We are excited to be a part of this first ever event in the Church of the Nazarene. 

Also, we are speaking with a special family who have interest in serving in missions, possibly in Costa Rica.  Please keep this couple in your prayers as they determine God’s will for their future.

Thanks for keeping us in your prayers.  We will be in the USA in September visiting Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Ohio and Illinois.  We hope to see you somewhere along the road.

The Webb family

Merry Christmas - 2016

As we near Christmas, we have much to be thankful for, including the first Thanksgiving in 11 years celebrated in the USA.  It was wonderful to be with family in November, even if we did not get to see our kids.  Joshua was in Ohio and Kayley in West Virginia, while we spent time in Iowa. There were many highlights, but family and Iowa State University football top the list.

David with his brother Charlie at the ISU football game.

First time at the stadium for 11 years!

Shelley's family

 

 

Shelley's brothers

David's family

While we were away, the CALL students held a huge Thanksgiving party.  Nearly 30 people were there to enjoy a new tradition - turkey and all the fixins.  

We returned to Costa Rica just in time for the Dedication weekend at La Finca.  We enjoyed seeing so many people who have had a great impact on the Poas Church.  

A huge crowd for the Sunday morning service.

The official building dedication.

David with key leaders: Dr. Larry McKain, Jorge Garcia, Allen Wilson and Bruce Wilson.

 

 

Yes, that is a cake in the shape of the building.

 

The Sickel family with Profesora Gaby

On Thanksgiving Day, Costa Rica experienced the effects of a hurricane that seriously damaged the area of Upala.  Some homes had as much as 2 meters (6 feet) of water in their homes.  The local Church of the Nazarene in Upala had 10 inches of mud covering the floor.  People have lost all their possessions.  But the church has sent supplies and workers, including David and AJ.  We are thankful for a church that responds sacrificially and quickly.  The work continues.  It will be a long time before life is back to normal in Upala.

The pickup loaded with supplies for Upala.

CALL continues teaching Spanish and just today we finished the term.  AJ and Chelsea Fry have completed the CALL curriculum and are returning for a short time to the USA to arrange for their visa for the Dominican Republic.  They will serve there for 2.5 years with Genesis Work and Witness.

AJ and Chelsea Fry

The Miners are teaching ESL to missionaries while they study and will return to classes in January.  All their students love them and are learning so much English.

Alan and Glenda Miner

The students with their professors.

Now it is nearly Christmas and we are awaiting Kayley to return to Costa Rica. Unfortunately, she is delayed a few days because of flight cancellations, but she is on her way and we hope to pick her up tonight at the airport.  

She has finished her first semester of college at MVNU and although it was quite a transition for her, she adjusted and ended up with all As and Bs.  That is saying a lot considering her difficult course load.  She loved her Nursing class, and fought through Chemistry. 

Kayley and friends at MVNU.

Joshua will be working through Christmas this year, but we are so proud of his work at Park National Bank.  He had a great 90-day review and is learning lots.  We are also glad to have him nearby his sister in Ohio.  Maybe we will all be together next year?

We are already looking ahead to after Christmas when we will be hosting 3 W&W teams in January.  We are so thankful for our friends and volunteer missionaries, Ted and Lori Bruce, who will be working day to day with the groups here on campus at SENDAS and at the Los Angeles Church.  Great days are ahead!

The Orchid building will be the focus of the first two teams.

For now, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!  We have so much to be thankful for including good health, great ministry and wonderful friends and family.  Our cup overflows! Blessings to you all as you celebrate Jesus and his sacrifice to leave heaven and enter the world as a baby. Emmanuel – God with us.

The Webb Family