January 2018 - Christmas and Family

As we continue to prepare for the move to Curacao, we enjoyed our final Christmas and New Years in Costa Rica.  It was a great family blessing for us to be together as a family for one week. Joshua brought along his girlfriend Lilly and Kayley joined them on the trip down.  These times are very limited for us, so we are thankful when they occur.

With family at Punta Leona.

This was Lilly's first trip to Costa Rica. She loved the beach!

We enjoyed a couple nights at the beach, a visit to La Finca church, the Star Wars movie on the day of release, and lots of good food.  It was sad to say goodbye to Joshua and Lilly after one week, but we were glad to keep Kayley around for one month.  She was out and about more than at home, but that is because she has soooo many friends in Costa Rica.  It is home for her.

  

 

Now it is January, and the kids have returned to the USA and are busy working and studying in Ohio.  For us, life is filled with goodbyes and many hugs. We have had many special times with friends, as you can see in the photos below.  

A special evening with the Salazar family.

With the Calvo family sharing one last meal together.

Pastor Johnny, Maureen, Luis, Laura and us.  A final cafe with these dear ones.

Central District Despedida with Superintendent Sirlene Bustos.

A great group of pastors and leaders from Central District at the Despedida.  What a special time!

We know the Costa Rica leaders will be praying for us in Curacao.

Moving takes lots of organization and work, and since we are leaving in just over one week, we are getting close to being ready.  The actual move of our household goods will not happen now, but we are preparing everything so it can be done quickly once we have residency in Curacao.  That process could take anywhere from two weeks to four months.  So things are a bit up in the air about when we will return one last time, but God knows the plan, and we trust it will all go well. 

We are very excited about this New Year for the Costa Rican churches.  The DCPI church planter training was held recently and the Central district has great plans for this year.  With the Encuentro event planned for July, we know that great things are ahead for the districts.  We wish we could stay to see it all happen, but we will be watching from afar.

We are excited to know that there is already a meeting set up upon our arrival with the Protestant Education Association to see how the Church of the Nazarene can be a help to the schools. This will be a great way to start!

Prayer requests for our upcoming move:
1.  First week in Curacao – begin to adjust to new accommodations and the heat, meet with the school leadership, and purchase a vehicle.

2.  During first few weeks:  Learn more about the culture and needs in Curacao.  Find a long-term rental home. Attend the DCPI training in Cuba. Begin ministry with Spanish speakers.  Support the Dutch ministry.

3. Ongoing request – Our residency will be in process beginning about January 17^th.  We pray the process will be easy and will be completed at just the right time (whenever that is!).
 

Update on Upcoming Move to Curacao

At the end of November, we traveled to Curacao to learn about our new home. It was quite an experience!  The culture of Curacao is very different than anything we have known in Latin America. With so many languages (four main ones) and many ethnic groups (some say there are more than 50 ethnic groups), it was quite a change from Central America. Thankfully, we love learning new cultures, so we are looking forward to the general cultural mix.

Since we are used to the Costa Rican mountains, the climate is far warmer than we are used to. The temps are in the mid 80s all day long, feeling more like the 90s most of the time. Although it feels less warm in the night, the temps do not fall much lower than 79 degrees.  Our pace of life is going to have to slow.  We must both be sweet (or maybe sweaty?) since the mosquitos tried to eat us alive.  We learned quickly to use repellent at all times. 

Our three main goals on this first trip were to get to know the Petrus family, learn about and begin the immigration/residency process, and find a new home.  Well, two out of three is not too bad!

The Petrus family gave us a very warm and kind welcome.  We enjoyed every minute we got to spend with them, and especially with the small cell group that meets in their home.

We are collecting the paperwork necessary for the residency process.  Here is good news – once we complete the residency process in Curacao it is permanent – forever – no yearly or bi-yearly applying.  YES!  We hope to begin the official process in January, and it could take as short a time as two weeks or as long as four months. 

Well, the third goal of finding a home did not happen. We looked at many houses, but in the five days we had to look, we just did not feel comfortable in making a decision. We still are unsure of what we need for ministry, what part of the city to be located, etc.  We are praying that God will show us exactly where to be in January/February so a permanent residence can be found.

Our small apartment in Curacao - for six weeks.

So, we have rented a small 2-bedroom apartment for six weeks so we have a place to land on January 20, 2018.  The hope is that in the month of February we can find a home and complete the residency process.  Then we will return to Costa Rica to end our residency and to pack and move our household goods. It is going to be a wild ride!

For now, we are sorting, giving away, selling a few items and preparing for the move. We have spent the majority of this last week in immigration and judicial offices trying to get the correct paperwork from Costa Rica, and finally we have it all in hand.  God helped us to get it done in record time! 

We are looking forward to tomorrow when Joshua, Lilly and Kayley visit us from the USA.  Josh and Lilly will be with us for one week, and Kayley will stay until classes start at MVNU in January.  We will enjoy a couple of days at the beach and a couple more here in the city.  We are thankful for this opportunity to spend time with our kids.  It will likely be our last family vacation in Costa Rica, so we are going to enjoy every moment.

Thanks for your continued prayers as we make the transition to the Caribbean.  We are a jumble of emotions these days as we say goodbye to so many dear friends. The good thing is that those kind of friends stay in your life, so we know we will keep in touch. 

Many blessings from the Webb family during the Advent season.

SENDAS and Idaho Team Update

Hello and Bon Día (Good day in language of Papiamentu),

If you read our last post, you know that we are preparing for a move to Curacao. But before all that can happen, there are some final events and teams to take care of here in Costa Rica. 

When we returned from home assignment in late October, it was just in time for three big Seminary events in a row: the annual Assembly, the Llamados (Called) Conference and then Graduation.  We jumped into the schedule full force!  

The SENDAS Board, so many great leaders in this group.

Round table discussions during the Llamados Theological Conference

Llamados 2017 - a great event with 165 in attendance.

David and I were honored to have the SENDAS graduation service dedicated to our years of service in Costa Rica.  It was quite an honor!

The faculty and graduates - SENDAS 2017

A few days after all that, our final Work and Witness team for the year arrived. We are thankful for Bruce Wilson who was here to help and who has accepted the role of W&W Coordinator for 2018.  All the 2018 teams, and there are many of them, are in good hands! 

This team arrived from Meridian, Idaho.  The Valley Shepherd Church sent 14 people to work on the Children’s Ministry building in San Francisco de San Isidro de Heredia (yes, that is the longest name of a town in the world!).  Laying block and filling holes were the main jobs this week, along with serving children in the local elementary school for two mornings.  There was a talent show and send off on Saturday night and of course a fun day of tourism too.

Making our way to church on Sunday morning.

Working in the elementary school near the church. 

A team photo with the on site construction workers.

Jeremy and David with Luis one of the leaders of the construction crew.

We are so thankful for all the teams we have been a part of this year – fourteen in total! Each team was a blessing not only to the local church project, but to us personally as well.  THANK YOU!

Soon the Meridian team will return home to their homes and families, and our thoughts will be on our upcoming move. We will make a trip to Curacao next week, and we need to accomplish a number of things while there.  Most importantly is to get to know the Petrus family, Nazarenes living in Curacao now for a number of years.  They have already been a big help to us in this transition, and we look forward to working alongside them in ministry. 

Willemstad, Curacao

Also, we need to find a house to live in.  Honestly, it is not difficult to find a home, but we are seeking the home that God has in mind for us – the one where we will be most effective in ministry because of the location and the neighbors.  Will you pray with us?   

Another goal is to learn the ropes about immigrating to Curacao. We have already started some paperwork processes, but we are unsure if we are doing it all correctly.  We would like to receive residency as soon as possible so we can receive our shipment before too long.

For now, we are trying to put off saying goodbye as it will be January before we leave.  Before all that sadness occurs, we look forward to having our kids with us for a week in December for our last family vacation in Costa Rica (at least for awhile!). 

Thanks for your prayers and support.  As David always says, “The best is yet to come!”  We are clinging to that thought! 

Gracias Costa Rica, Hello Curacao

 

After serving nearly 11 years as missionaries in Costa Rica, God has asked us to take on a new missionary assignment.  It is with sadness in leaving our many friends in the land of Pura Vida, and with anticipation of what the future holds, that we officially announce that we have accepted God’s call to move to the island of Curacao to help develop the Church of the Nazarene on the ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao), focusing on the languages of English and Spanish.  We plan on moving to Curacao in January of 2018.

Después de server casi 11 años como misioneros en Costa Rica, Dios nos ha pedido tomar una nueva asignación como misioneros.  Es con tristeza por salir de nuestros muchos amigos en la tierra de Pura Vida, y con anticipación de lo que tiene el futuro que anunciamos que hemos aceptado el llamado de Dios para mudarnos a la isla de Curazao para desarrollar la Iglesia del Nazareno en las islas ABC (Aruba, Bonaire, y Curazao), enfocándonos en los idiomas de inglés y español.  Tenemos planes de mudarnos a Curazao en enero de 2018.

This is not a decision that has come quickly or easily.  We have been praying about a possible change for more than a year. It would certainly be easier and more comfortable to continue to serve in Costa Rica where we have raised our kids, where our house feels like a home, where we know our way around (even in a country with no street addreses) and where ministry is a joy.  But God has not called any of us to comfort, but instead to obedience. 

Esta decisión no es algo que hemos decidido rápidamente o fácilmente.  Hemos estado orando sobre un cambio por más de un año.  Sería más fácil y más confortable continuar sirviendo en Costa Rica dónde hemos criado nuestros niños, dónde la casa se siente como un hogar, dónde conocemos las rutas de las calles y dónde el ministerio es un gozo.  Pero Dios no nos ha llamado al confort, sino a la obediencia.

 

We will travel to Curacao in mid-November to begin the moving process.  We will be getting to know our new friends the Petrus family, learning about the multiple cultures of Curacao, investigating immigration requirements and finding a new home. Read this article in Engage Magazine about the work of the Petrus family and others in Curacao.

http://www.engagemagazine.com/content/nazarene-presence-officially-recognized-cura%C3%A7ao

Al mediados de noviembre, vamos a viajar a Curazao para comenzar el proceso de la mudanza.  Vamos a conocer nuestros nuevos amigos, la familia Petrus, aprender sobre las culturas de Curazao, investigar los requisitos de la inmigración y buscar una nueva casa. 

A big THANKS to all the leaders of the Costa Rican churches who have put up with us, trained us, taught us, and listened to our bad Spanish for eleven years. We owe you a debt of gratitude that is impossible to repay. Because of all you have done to invest in us, we are ready to follow God wherever He leads us on the mission field. 

Mil gracias a todos los líderes de las Iglesias en Costa Rica quienes nos han aportado, entrenado, enseñado y oído a nuestro mal español por once años.  Debemos a ustedes una deuda que es imposible repagar.  Por la inversión de ustedes en nuestras vidas, estamos listos para seguir a Dios dondequiera él nos guíe en el campo misionera. 

We have many questions and few answers at this point concerning this new role and the life we will live on the ABC islands. What we do know is that God is calling and that He is with us. We ask for your prayers for this time of transition.

Tenemos muchas preguntas y pocas respuestas sobre este nuevo rol y la vida en las islas ABC.  Lo que sí sabemos es que Dios está llamando y él está con nosotros. Pedimos sus oraciones durante este tiempo de transición. 

Our most recent family photo in Mount Vernon, Ohio.

If you would like to contact us, feel free to comment on Facebook, send us a message through whatsapp or messenger or the old way - email. swebb@mesoamericaregion.org or dwebb@mesoamericaregion.org. We look forward to hearing from you.

Si quiere contactarnos, puede enviar un mensage en Face, whatsapp, o messenger o por correo electronico. swebb@mesoamericaregion.org or dwebb@mesoamericaregion.org.  Esperamos oir de ustedes.  

David y Shelley Webb

Home Assignment 2017

We are enjoying our time in the USA, but it is winding down and we will be back in Costa Rica in 10 days.  In the last post you can see a few of our stops along the way in Iowa, KS and MO, and here are a few more.

Pierpont Church in Morgantown, WV.  It was wonderful to reconnect with friends from year's past and meet some new ones too.  An added blessing was having our kids with us that day. 

Then onto Valparaiso, IN to see our friend Pastor Shawn.  He is a great guy, even if he likes Oklahoma (see the background poster).

 

Next, a big adventure in the Northern California district. We had never been to this area of California, so it was all new to us.  We learned our way around visiting all these churches:  Napa, Santa Rosa, Palo Alto, Pittsburg, Santa Cruz, Livermore Discovery, Fortuna, Willow Creek and Arcata.  We enjoyed each congregation and every area.  This trip was special too because of the partnership between the NorCal district and the Seminary (SENDAS) where we live and work.  This district has brought a number of teams and are supporting the Seminary in many ways. THANK YOU, NorCal.

Seeing the ocean views from Arcata and Santa Cruz, the grapes in Napa, and witnessing the tallest trees in the world were scenic highlights.

 

 

 Closer to San Francisco, a highlight was the Golden Gate bridge.  Beautiful and awesome!

 

 And Google, a product we use as much as you do, was a quick stop along the way.

 

If you have followed the news, you know about the wildfires in Northern California.  We visited these areas before the fires started, but we needed to pass through Santa Rosa to return to San Francisco before we flew to Chicago. The fires started the night before. It was heartbreaking to smell the smoke and see the orange color on the hill tops.  So sad that so many have lost their homes, their crops and some their lives.  Pray with us that the winds would die down so the fires could be contained. We hear the churches are serving as shelters for those who have lost their homes.

Fire on the ridge. This is where the highway closed.

Near the coast, with lots of smoke. The sun is trying to peek through the orange haze.

We have now returned to the midwest, visiting many churches in our LINKS district, Chicago Central. We still have a few churches to visit, but this is where we will be this week and next:

Eastridge, Bradley and College Church (all near Kankakee and Olivet).  Then Chicago Calvary, Living Water (Morris), Joliet Crystal Lawns, Sheldon, Kankakee (retired missionaries group), Westbrook and Gilman. 

It is fun to visit so many churches who have sent teams to Costa Rica. The Chicago Central district has been a HUGE help in the Costa Rica North district. Just last night we were at the Joliet Crystal Lawns Church.  Such a blessing to see these friends who have done so much to help the ministry in Costa Rica.

In 10 days, we will pack it up and travel home to Costa Rica. We are excited for upcoming events at SENDAS: the yearly Assembly, a theological conference (Llamados) and graduation are all within 4 days of our return. There will be lots to do, but we are glad to be a part of something so important as the preparing of pastors and leaders. 

Thanks to each of the more than 25 churches we have had the privilege to visit in the USA.  It is a blessing to partner with you!

David, Shelley, Joshua and Kayley Webb