Raining Blessings

It is May, and the rains have started to pour in Costa Rica.  Although it is harder to travel in heavy rain, we enjoy the green it brings to Costa Rica.  But God has not only brought us the wet kind of rain, He has also rained blessings on us this month. 

Kayley completed her first year of college as a nursing student.  It was not an easy year for her, but she adjusted to life in the USA and learned that nursing is becoming her passion.  We are so proud of her. Joshua continues to do well as his work in banking in Ohio. He really needed a new car and God provided just what he was looking for so he can safely get to work each day.  We are so pleased that both our kids are doing well.  If you are a parent, you know this is top priority.

Kayley on a hiking trip with friends.

In April, SENDAS hosted a special educational course taught by Dr. Brower from Nazarene Theological College in Manchester, England.  It was a wonderful time sharing with the 12 students from Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama, as well as two other centers in Mexico and Guatemala.  Shelley helped with translating, but thankfully her role was small.  We all learned lots!

The group in Costa Rica, wich Mexico and Guatemala by video conference.

We have been busy preparing for many upcoming events.  In June, July and August, there are five Work and Witness teams coming, so there is work to do in anticipation of those groups.  Also, we are excited to attend the General Assembly in June. Shelley is working hard to prepare everything for the Seminary. Come see us at the SENDAS booth at the Exhibit Hall!

The work at the Los Angeles Church continues and the final team for this year arrives in July.  Some amazing news arrived last week.  The foundation that has financed the property loan for the Los Angeles Church has cancelled the remaining debt.  The Church is now owned free and clear. This is great timing since the church is ready to invite a new pastor, and these funds can now be applied to other needs of the church.  

The roof is now on the building at Los Angeles.

This week we visited the newest mission on the Central district which is located in San Ramon.  The area has more than 80,000 people, but no Church of the Nazarene.  There is now a cell group of 10 people from the community, as well as the planting team from Barrio San Jose Church (5 more people) who are meeting twice a week.  This week, God provided them a perfect location to rent, just two blocks from the main square of the town. The June Evangelism team from California will be working in this area to help strengthen this new cell group.  

The entry way to the new sanctuary in San Ramon.

Seating for 40 people...room to grow.

Oscar and Pastor Alex at the first meeting in the new downtown location.

Nuria, Gaby and Carol

CALL continues to serve students who desire to learn Spanish.  We have a few online students currently, and a new student arrives in June for a six week stay.  We are blessed to have wonderful professors for CALL, and we enjoy getting together to share what is happening in our lives, normally over some coffee.

We are looking forward to what the future holds for us with General Assembly in Indianapolis in June, the Iowa District NMI Convention in July and teams working in San Ramon, Alajuela, Muelle, Quebrada Grande and San Jose in the coming months.  Then we will be on home assignment in the USA in September and October.  We hope to see you somewhere along the way!

Thanks for keeping us in your prayers. 
David and Shelley (Joshua and Kayley too).

The Thankful Blog

Yes, we know it is Easter and not Thanksgiving, but we are overflowing with thankfulness for all God has done in these 14 weeks of being with 7 Work and Witness teams.  It has been busy, rewarding, crazy, wonderful and exhausting all at the same time!  Once again, God has shown us mercy and grace as we ministered with teams from California (two teams), Tennessee, Missouri, Michigan, Kansas, Illinois and a team from many states from Jesus Film Harvest Partners.

You can see in the past posts about many of the teams, but today’s blog focuses on the Mundeleien/ Elgin, IL team and the Northern California district team.

The Los Angeles Church is blessed this year to have several teams coming to help them build a new and MUCH NEEDED building. 

There was not enough room for everyone for the Sunday service.  This congregation needs more space!

The Mundelein/Elgin team was the second team (see previous post about the first team to LA in January this year) to arrive to help this growing and serving congregation. The team’s main job was putting up block for the walls for the new bathrooms.   

They also painted the metal trusses.  It was one of the hottest weeks we have ever had in Costa Rica with the sun beating on everyone all day long.  Many were sunburned and exhausted from the heat, but much great work was done in the process. 

Shelley spent one day at the clinic when one lady stepped on a nail and another young lady received chemical (allergic?) burns and swelling from the paint thinner.  Who knew???  Anyway, everyone was ok in the end, although aloe was a friend to many.

The team also participated in a Sunday evangelistic event for kids, and in the end a great connection was made with a local community leader and two teens are now coming to the youth meetings. 

We enjoyed some evening time together as missionaries and church leaders spoke to the group.  David translated for Vicente and Shelley translated for Gabo.  It is always great to hear their testimonies and the teams love it.

On April 1, a team from the NorCal district arrived to work on the final stage of the water project at SENDAS.  This project has been on the list at SENDAS for many years, and we can now say it is FINISHED!  All the sewer water system has now been connected to the city drainage.  It is not easy to find a team for this type of work, but our friend Larry, who works in plumbing, got together a specialized team to help with this project. 

Larry with Andres praying over the congregation of Los Angeles.

The NorCal did such great work that the project was completed one day early, leaving then time to help one day at Los Angeles!  This was such a blessing for everyone.  The team loved the experience, and the LA church was so thankful.  More of the block wall was completed.  

  

The NorCal team also spent one morning at the Bambi Children’s Center which is run by a Nazarene named Aurelina. She and her team care for 70 children at the center.  We enjoy helping there whenever we can.  The children are all from high risk situations and need all the love they can get.  We did a craft with the kids and shared God’s love.

Planning meeting for the Children's activity

Enjoying the children at the Bambi Center

A big thanks to our missionary friends, Bruce and Linda Wilson, who led these two teams and basically saved our lives!  With a number of other responsibilities, it has been difficult for us to be with the teams 24/7.  THANK YOU, Bruce and Linda.

A couple of days after the last team left. the Los Angeles Church completed the roof on their new building!  One more team will arrive in July to complete the basic structure.  We are looking forward to the building dedication in early July.

 In addition to having many teams, we have enjoyed having four Nazarene University students with us this month:  3 from MNU and 1 from MVNU.  Nick, Ellen, Sydney and Laurianne have been such a blessing to us as they complete their student teaching and learn Spanish.  They are a great group of young educators, and three out of the four have interest in teaching abroad in the future.  

We also said goodbye to a special couple who studied Spanish with CALL and taught ESL to some of our missionaries.  Thanks to Tom and Karen who became such special friends in such a short time.  Come back again soon, amigos!

It is now Semana Santa (Holy Week) and we are enjoying a few days of rest.  We did not have the energy to travel a long distance so we spent one night at a Hilton Hotel here in the city.  It was just what we needed to recharge.  We walked in Sabana Park, enjoyed the sunshine by the pool and slept – a lot!  God blessed us with an upgrade to a suite (we didn’t even ask!) and the views were amazing.  It was 24 hours of pure refreshment.  Ahhhhhhhh…

Happy Easter!  We celebrate not only that Jesus really lived on Earth, not only that He is God’s Son, but also that he died in our place and lives again.  He is risen…He is risen indeed!

Many blessings from the Webbs.

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