Bammel Mission Work in Costa Rica

December 2011

2011-12-31T07:00:00.000-08:00

When Jesus saw the people coming to Him for healing, he felt compassion for them because "they were dispirited and distressed, like sheep without a shepherd". After this, the Lord said that "the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few". Then He asked His disciples to "beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His field". The church in Jerusalem did this and "they began to speak the word of God with boldness" (Acts 4:31). The church in Antioch did it too (Acts 13), and the Lord actually sent workers into His field.

Today many people are still coming to the Lord for healing, and they are still "dispirited and distressed, like sheep without shepherd" because their marriages are failing, their homes are breaking, their children are going the wrong way, and many feel lonely and unloved. People truly need the Shepherd Jesus.

We at Heredia understand this, and we have beseeched the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest field. We are beginning to see His answer to our prayer. Some of us are truly experiencing His healing touch in our marriages, families and personal lives. Jesus has truly become our Shepherd. In the process we have learned to feel compassion and have gotten excited to the point of wanting to learn how to help others receive the same healing. Some of the people we are working with are already expressing their concern for others and want to become the Lord's workers to help others in their personal growth.

Now, how do you help them become the Lord's workers? The answer is in many places in the Bible, but we focus in Ephesians 4.11-16. Church leaders are to equip "the saints for the work of service, until we all attain the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ." The tricky part is this equipping. How do you actually equip the saints? Do you sit them in classrooms and hammer the principles into them? Well, classroom teaching is necessary but it doesn't seem to be enough. According to verses 15 and 16, it is accomplished by "the whole body being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies." The "proper working of each individual part" is essential.

We have tried to put these principles from Ephesians 4 into practice. When you and another Christian get together to pray for one another on a regular basis, it really "causes the growth of the body." It takes personal involvement of those who are more mature in the lives of those who are in the process. It takes being "devoted to one another in brotherly love" (Romans 12.10). Growth occurs when members are encouraged by the transformation they see in each other's lives. This transformation is a testimony of God's power.

The results are not really visible at the beginning. We hope that there will be more visible growth in the months to come. Thanks to all of you at Bammel for being so supportive of our work in Costa Rica.

November 2011

2011-11-30T09:06:00.000-08:00

It has been very encouraging to see people respond to God´s love. I have been working with men during the last two years, and the Lord has been very gracious to bless us with significant results. There are men who I met before they were baptized. They were hurting a lot because of the wrong path they had chosen regarding relationships, and the pain they had caused others. But then, a few months of sharing God´s Word with them, and sticking to them with a sincere friendship in private and group sessions were God's ways to help them find healing and wholeness. It is really encouraging to see them today full of joy and hope, and being able to lead others in prayer and presenting God's message with humility and the conviction that it can help others just as much as it is helping them. I have been able to devote time to this endeavors because of the support that I receive from you at Bammel. May the Lord continue to bless you and prosper you.

My part time position at Universidad Nacional has allowed me to keep ties with professors and students with whom I share these thoughts, and very soon they are asking questions about who we are, what we believe in, etc. Most of my colleagues seem to lead very satisfying lives, but there have been occasions in which a professor or a student who is hurting because of divorce or loneliness, has accepted my counseling and praying with them in a private session, in a classroom.

Universidad Nacional is headquartered in Heredia, and it has Campuses in other provinces of Costa Rica. There are students from all over the country. We need to penetrate the Heredia Campus to be able to attract students who will eventually go back to their provinces with God's Word in their hearts. This is a plan that can be easily be implemented next school cycle beginning at the end of January 2012. Please pray for us to receive more strength from the Lord to do this deserving work. The fields are truly ripe for harvest, but the workers are few.

October 2011

2011-10-31T06:03:00.000-07:00

This month was significant in many ways.

First, on October 17, because of an act of God (see below), we had to move to San Rafael, a town just 5 minutes North of Heredia. This may mean that our plan to start new works around Heredia has received a blessing from the Lord. He is for it. San Rafael is one of the towns around Heredia where there is no New Testament church. There is the Catholic church of course, and a large protestant congregation. As soon as we have men who are able to preach and take my place in Heredia, we will be able to start having Sunday morning services in San Rafael. There are three families who are members in Heredia who could become members here.

Second, Insurance companies call "acts of God" those events that are caused by the effect of nature or natural causes. Well, it rained in Central America for almost two weeks in a row, during the first and second week of the month. So, the creek that used to run about 60 yards away from the back of our home, and 50 feet below, got too strong and the waters washed up the left bank and the foundations of 7 out of 9 homes were damaged beyond repair. Our home was one of those damaged, and we were ordered to evacuate. On October 17th we had to look for a home to rent somewhere else. Thankfully no one was injured. However, it was very sad to see ourselves having to move out of a home we had occupied for almost 20 years. Tears were shed. Thankfully the church in Heredia helped with the moving. The Bammel church helped us with the first three months of rent. We are truly thankful for this support, and praise God for you.

One girl was baptized. She was evangelized previously by the church in Barva. She is part of a family that had placed membership in Heredia. This family is from San Rafael so she may become a member of the future church in San Rafael in the future.

I continue to work with people on a personal basis. I continue to focus on the men. It is truly a blessing to be able to help others grow spiritually to the point of being able to have a personal relationship with the Lord. We also need them to grow to the point of being able to help others do the same. In a typical encounter we get together for coffee. The conversation flows naturally to the needs we may be experiencing. After listening to each other, we turn to the Bible for answers from the Lord. Then we look for a place where we can pray for one another.

In the Support Group for Men, we are focusing on praying for the things God wants us to pray for. We look at Paul's requests for prayers, the Lord's prayer, the experience of the Lord in Gethsemane, the prayers for those in authority, etc. Then we organize the prayers so that they reflect what is taught in these passages. The group has become meaningful and instrumental for the growth of those who attend. We wonder where we would be spiritually if it wasn't for this activity the Lord recommends in His Word.

The Pan-american Lectures where held in Costa Rica this year. There were more than 100 Christians from the States. I was asked to preach for the Sunday morning service, where Heredia and two other Costa Rican churches met with these North Americans. I am sure there were more than 200 people attending. More information later.

September 2011

2011-09-30T20:27:00.000-07:00

It was a fruitful month. A single adult was baptized. I continue to teach him through personal Bible studies on Thursday mornings. He and his mother run a seafood restaurant in nearby town Santa Barbara. He just graduated from Universidad Nacional. Silvia Ulate, Roberto's daughter from a previous marriage, has returned to the fellowship. She asked for Bible studies to learn how to help other people find the Lord. So, we already had our first session, at my mother's home, where she lives. Roberto rejoices in the Lord, because we have been praying for Silvia to return since two years ago. And now she is back with us! Silvia has English as her second language, and has a lot of training in customer service. So she is never without a job, because there is always a call center wanting her.

Norberto and I continue to reach out to his friends. The Support Group for men continues to meet every Thursday at 8 pm. The two Breneses and the two Ulates, plus Norberto, Alvaro, Daniel, and Guillermo continue to encourage one another through prayer and fellowship. The Lord has truly blessed us with the growth promised in Ephesians 4.16. All of us are going through trials and tribulations. We have learned to appreciate the Lord's "I will be with you's" in those moments when we most hurt. We understand that God is to be praised, He wants to boast about us being faithful even when things aren't going well. We have been blessed for the praise of His glory. The men I am working with are hanging in there. They keep being faithful and excited about the Lord, in spite of experiencing, like Paul, a thorn in the flesh.

August, 2011

2011-08-31T09:12:00.000-07:00

The following link will take you to a video of the men who lead singing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyUMoBGWUh0

Norberto Ross, born in Cuba, and now a Costa Rican citizen, is a musician by profession. He teaches music at a local school. He is meeting with those men who are interested in song leading and is teaching them new songs. They in turn teach the new songs to the church.

Most of the men who were elected as leaders five years ago had gotten too busy with work and ended up not being able to attend business meetings. So, a new group was elected that includes those who can attend: Roberto Ulate, Norberto Ross, Daniel Delgado, Kenneth Matarrita, Daniel Montero, and me. Ignacio Soto, the Brenes brothers and Andrés continue to be involved in helping in their respective areas, which don't involve attending business meetings. The new group made a commitment before the church that they will be fulfilling their responsibilities as leaders. Namely, they will be helping with organizing the different areas of work.

Freddy Ramírez, the husband of one of the ladies, was baptized! Freddy had been a visitor for four years. Bob and Geoff were present when he married Jessica Soto in January, 2010. Well, he has finally made the decision. Freddy and Jessica just celebrated the arrival of their second child. Sebastian was born on August 22. We rejoiced recently with Freddy's entire family as the newborn was presented to the church.

We have been reaching out to quite a few people and putting long hours into counseling and personal Bible studies. The results are difficult to see. We keep focused on glorifying God so that we don't get tired. In other words, we do the work because God deserves it; not because we expect results to be motivated. Norberto has been a tireless worker with me. He is so excited about the Lord and the healing he has received, that he can't help but reach out to relatives and co-workers. I have spent a few hours helping him minister to his brother and his brother's spouse. One of his co-workers is attending the Men's Support Group and we have spent time with him too.

On a more reflective note… we have been using what I call a relational approach to the work. People receive influence through relationships. The Word is shared with people who listen to you because they see a transformation in your life. Authentic transformation occurs as a result of a personal relationship with God. The importance of personal relationships cannot be overemphasized, as the Scriptures reveal all too clearly the need for each member to be vitally connected to the body. The connection is organic not organizational.

This is why I devote so many hours to personal work and to developing a personal friendship with some of the men. And the effort has paid off. A few have been influenced who are in turn influencing others. There is no formula; there will never be one. I have heard of movements who thought that they discovered the right formula, and tried to franchise it. This resulted in a lot of growth initially. However, a lot of control had to be exerted to make sure that the right formula was being applied and the whole thing collapsed.

I am aware that the organizational aspect of the work needs to be improved, though. There is a need for more efforts in this area. There is a need for the church to reach out to those who are not covered by the "relational umbrella." This is why an "organizational umbrella" will be implemented in the near future, so that those members who are not regular in their attendance will be reached out to and encouraged. The good thing is that the "relational umbrella" created the conditions, namely, willing workers, who are already prepared and motivated to organize themselves to do this work.

July 2011

2011-08-10T08:29:00.000-07:00

The church in Heredia continues to fulfill its God given purpose.

See assembly figures for July at: http://carlosulatecostarica.blogspot.com/p/statistics.html
There is a school break during the first and second week of July. Many people were gone out of town on the second Sunday of July. This explains the low attendance on that Sunday.

The work is difficult. It involves helping others in their healing process. Still others are not yet aware of their need to heal. Many who allow us to draw closer to them, are truly growing, and helping others do the same. The teaching and the preaching are focussed on learning to see God as a Father who is truly present in the good and in the bad times. A lot of effort is devoted to the development of a personal relationship with God, so that all of us may feel truly loved by Him. Those members who learn to see the Lord as the only source of true and perfect love, are the ones who grow spiritually and become effective in their influence of others. They keep me busy with contacts. The transition from influencing a member and then influencing others through him or her has been successfully implemented. This work doesn't provide dramatic numeric growth, but it provides the foundations for leadership and future church planting.

A group from the Cedar Hill Church, Texas, was here for ten days. They were led by former missionary Ron McClung, and one of the elders, Rob Frankee. Their presence generated quite a flow of visitors to the church building. Anticipating this, the local leaders had planned a series of gospel meetings to be held during four nights. I preached two of the nights and Ron preached the other two. There were attendances of 80 and 100 people. 10 members came forward asking for prayers to be restored, and two teenagers were baptized.

The ones baptized were Adonis, son of Roberto and Noris Ulate, and Brenda, daughter of Alexis and Frida Mora. They are 17. Since they have been in the list of teenagers, their baptisms can not be interpreted as an addition of members.

May and June 2011

2011-07-05T17:17:00.000-07:00

As usual, see assembly figures at:
http://carlosulatecostarica.blogspot.com/p/statistics.html

Sorry for the lack of data in some of the weeks.

Enlargement and remodeling of the auditorium were completed. The church has enough room for Sunday morning services. It really makes a difference in comfort. Two new Sunday School classrooms were set up and finished in the area where the resident family used to live (This family moved back to Nicaragua). I will be posting pictures of the auditorium very soon.

Rebeca Ulate in the Babies Class

Here I am sharing a picture of Rebeca Ulate in the Babies Sunday School room.

Responsibilities are being fulfilled by the different people in charge —Roberto Ulate coordinates the worship services, Norberto Ross coordinates the song leaders, Daniel Delgado is the treasurer, Luis Montero is in charge of facilities, Andrés Delgado leads the Youth Group, Damaris García leads the Ladies on Thursday morning, Roxana Ulate is the Sunday School director. I am still in charge of coordinating the preaching, and the Support Group for Men. Andrés Hernández is now the chairman of the Business Meetings (technically I am now under their direction).

Jéssica and Fátima

Now, I am sharing a cute picture of Jéssica and Fátima, when they where showered by the ladies. In the picture they are pointing at the name of the baby they are expecting. Those are boy's names. Hopefully no surprise with them being girls.

By the way, Fátima's husband is Ismael Álvarez, a 34 year old Nicaraguan immigrant. He has developed to become someone who can do the preaching on Sunday morning. God has blessed him with public speaking talents. He is also very faithful and attends all activities. He is part of the group of men the church can count on for leadership and teaching.

God has used the Support Group for Men to provide us with men that we can count on. There are 6 men who have become loyal to the group. They are truly growing spiritually, and they are learning to help other men. When they go to other men, to try to restore them, they have the Scriptures and a powerful testimony of their own, about how much the Lord has turned them around.

We have learned to appreciate the fact that many men are hurting because they are losing or have lost their families. The reason for this loss is common —somewhere they lost their leadership or never developed leadership as a result of not having been faithful to the Lord. Somehow, they hadn't learned to see God as the Father He truly is. If one is not convinced deep in his heart that he is truly a child of God, he needs to find ways to keep his self-esteem high. Usually these ways of keeping his self-esteem high end up hurting others, especially his wife and children, by neglecting them and not learning to love them in a way that meet their needs, or by becoming abusive and difficult to bear with. The wife and the children get tired of such a husband or father, and then he doesn't know what to do to recover their love and respect. This reaction from the family usually worsen his behaviour and attitudes, and then they are bound to become a broken home. In some of the cases we have worked with, the man is already starting a new home with another woman with children, and the pattern is about to be repeated. This is where the Lord is using us to be His instruments to bring hope and healing to men who then can be used to help other men. The Lord has led us to experience the blessings of growing in our sonship, and appreciating His Fatherhood. This is what the Gospel is supposed to produce. This is what salvation is supposed to be. We usually tell men that the Lord wants to save us from ourselves.

What about the women? Well, most of the women in the Thursday morning group have lost their husbands or live with husbands who are not members of the church. So they help one another with prayer and Bible study to be able to cope with their circumstances. They have been doing this longer than the men, so they are ahead of us in their growth and have healed from their wounds. Little by little they have brought other women around. Eunice, Griselda, and Lucy are names I can remember.

May the Lord continue to help us with this ministry. The people at Bammel who are supporting this work can rest assured that the Lord is using them to bring blessings to the lives of many people in Costa Rica.

March and April 2011

2011-04-30T19:55:00.000-07:00

Assembly measures for these months are available at:

http://carlosulatecostarica.blogspot.com/p/statistics.html

There is a video on Youtube you might want to watch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b45VNSpbVDs

Two people were added through baptism —a young lady, and a single mother. They are attending faithfully. Many people continue to visit.
The church is little by little becoming autonomous, in other words, they already carry out activities and make decisions in which I don't have to be involved anymore. Hopefully, there will be a time when they will be able to function as an indigenous church —self-governing, self-supporting, and self-propagating. "Indigenous" means that it has elders, it supports its own preacher, and it is able to plant other churches.

Raquel, Rebeca and waiters

Example of an activity in which I was not involved: Daniel Delgado, Raquel Urquilla, Milady Masís, and Noris Milanés formed a committee to carry out what they called a Romantic Dinner. 24 married couples attended. The youth group helped as waiters. They even dressed as waiters. Luis Montero (the young man wearing a bow tie) not only wore the most complete waiter's attire, he also did a great job at serving. A lesson on marriage was taught by Herman Chandler, the preacher in Cañas, province of Guanacaste. Roxana and I wered invited and were delighted to be there as guests.

Example of a decision in which I was not involved: A wall was torn down in order to enlarge the auditorium. Roofing of that section has been completed, and finishing is underway. We are finally having Sunday morning services where nobody has to sit outside. The atmosphere is cooler (actually not as hot), and there is room for up to 120 people sitting comfortably (actually less uncomfortably). The money spent was little more than one third of what the remodeling committee had originally thought. The budget went down from 8.000 to 3.000 because the Facilities Committee postponed the remodeling of the restrooms, and found another contractor. The 3.000 dollars being spent this time had already been collected in a period of three months. The two children classes, whose rooms were taken for this enlargement of the auditorium, are now meeting in the rooms left by the Nicaraguan family that was living there as guardians of the building (this family just moved back to Nicaragua). Everyone was invited by the Facilities Committee to participate in the tearing down of the wall. So, I was there, one Saturday mornig under the Committee's orders.

Wednesday nights are something these days. Attendance has slowly risen to 50 (The last report was between 30 and 40 in January). The only explanation for this is that people are hungrier for the Word of God. What we have is just a normal Bible class, with participation, of course, from those who want to make comments.

February 2011

2011-02-28T21:28:00.000-08:00

February was a key month. We tried the two service arrangement. The church was told to choose between two services, one at 9:00, and a second one, at 11:30, with Sunday School in between, from 10:30 to 11:15. Well, we didn't pass the test. The second service ended up being attended by 5 or 10 people. Besides, there was no significant increase in the attendance. The low critical mass factor during the second service scared us, so we decided to go back to the previous arrangement.

The church is still making a special collection for the expansion of the auditorium, and some needed remodeling. This remodeling is enforced by the new law. There is a need for a new bathroom for the handicapped. The treasurer tells me, there is already an amount of 2000 dollars. We need 8,000 dollars, so we have 6,000 dollars to go. God willing, we will reach the goal in two or three months.

I have been devoting many nights to personal Bible Study and counseling with men. During these nights, I have had Roberto Ulate, Norberto Ross, Guillermo Arroyo, and Carlos Brenes assisting me at different times. The Lord blessed us in February with two additions that resulted from this work. The first addition is a 42 year old man who was baptized on the first Sunday of the month. He is Supervisor of small contracts for ICE, our public Telecom and Power company. We have continued to study and counsel with him, for three more weeks after his baptism. A second addition is a physician, whose wife has been a member. He grew up in an evangelical church, was baptized as a young man, so we received him as a convert who has needed restoration, which continues to this date. We have found out that the best time for this work is between 9 and 12 pm. There are no traffic jams, and all of us are off from work.

Roxana has been doing her part, with assistance from Noris Ulate. The wife of one of the men was added to the membership. She is also someone who had been converted as an evangelical. So, we had three additions during the month of February. Damaris Astorga continues to reach out to the ladies on Thursdays, in the morning. Milady Masís continues to lead the prayer meeting on Monday evening. Another woman who has grown a lot is Cecilia. She has been teaching the ladies, along with Damaris.

We are very excited about this growth. We believe it is the result of the relational approach we are using. We evangelize trying to meet people's personal needs. We go to two by two. We try to develop a strong bond of friendship with the one being evangelized. Going two by two means that another member learns from the more mature worker (2 Timothy 2:2). Also, there is moral support given to one another, and the workers end up being encouraged and reinforced in their faith. We emphasize developing a personal relationship with God. This relationship must be real, a true source of love, joy, and peace for the worker. When people see this in our lives, they will want to have it too.

January 2011

2011-01-31T11:41:00.000-08:00

Click on the link below to see the January 2011 figures:
http://carlosulatecostarica.blogspot.com/p/statistics.html

Our treasurer is a very busy man. So it is very difficult to get hold of the financial data. I guess I will publish these in combined form at the end of the first quarter of 2011.

After the Christmas break between school cycles, attendance has returned to normal levels. There was one baptism during this month —a 16 year old girl. Her family is also attending as visitors. Ten people placed membership over the last six months—a family of five, a family of three, and two adults. There are also two newborns. We had some losses too –three who moved out of town, and six whom we haven't seen in quite a while.

Crowding continues to be a problem. A fund for expansion is being collected. The idea of having two services on Sunday morning is being considered. There was no more Sunday evening service after the fourth Sunday of this month.

Attendance to Wednesday to Bible Study was between 30 and 40. The Youth Group has had attendance levels between 30 and 45. The ladies have two prayer sessions during the week, one on Monday evening, and another one on Thursday morning. They pray for one another and many answers to these prayers are now visible in the spiritual growth that some of the ladies exhibit.

December 2010

2010-12-31T15:26:00.000-08:00

See December 2010 figures at:

http://carlosulatecostarica.blogspot.com/p/statistics.html
There is no school during most of December and January. Many families and individuals spend this time in their hometown of home country. Many Nicaraguans are in their country these days. This explains the low attendance figures in the last two weeks of the month.

November 2010

2010-11-30T08:38:00.000-08:00

See the November 2010 figures at: http://carlosulatecostarica.blogspot.com/p/statistics.html

Now I quote Psalms 127:1: “Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the LORD guards the city, the watchman keeps awake in vain.”

The Lord continues to build the house here in Heredia. The support coming from the Bammel church for this missionary has been helpful. Your involvement with this work allows me to experience the beautiful experience of serving Him through serving others. God’s healing grace is being shared with members and visitors. Many members are learning to grow spiritually. They want to be able to bear the fruit that will convince others of their authenticity and will also draw them to Christ.

The changes I have observed in the lives of some members here has motivated them to serve as leaders of the church. I am not alone in this work. They are truly sharing my vision of a self-sufficient church. The Facilities Committee presented a budget and a decision was made about enlarging the auditorium so that more people can be accommodated. There is a possibility of making it big enough for 130 people sitting comfortably. This will cost us $8,000. The monthly contribution will have to be doubled to be able to reach this goal in the next four months. Remodeling will begin as soon as half the amount has been raised. God willing, it will start in two months.

Why not make it big enough for 200, or 300? Well, they need to go one step at a time. The present building has some design limitations that obligate them to go from the present capacity of 90 to that of 130.

The idea of having two services to be able to accommodate more people didn’t prove helpful enough for real growth. If you compare assembly figures for November 2010, with those of November 2009, there is no significant difference in growth that could be attributed to the idea of two services. The assembly figures for the PM services continue to be the same, in spite of having room for growth during this service. People seem to prefer to attend the AM service. There is a psychological impact in the morning that cannot be used for an increased attendance, due to space limitations.

The problem of irregular members that need to be restored continues to be an issue. A shepherding effort needs to be implemented. Thankfully, a few men have been meeting with me every Saturday at 5 pm for more than one year. I call this group Support for Men. In Spanish is “Hombres con Problemas” (Men with Problems). These are the ones I see as having potential for becoming elders in a not so far future. Hopefully the Lord is seeing the same. They are praying with me and growing spiritually. Little by little they are becoming aware of the need for shepherd’s work. They are learning to grow spiritually, so that they can help others do the same. They are praying for the members in the list that need to be restored. I still don’t see them doing active visitation. The Lord said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.” We are in the praying stage of this process. I trust the Lord that He will be the One doing the sending. Attendance to this group went up to 12 during one of the weekends. The lowest number attending was 6.

Ester is already a Licensed Psychologist. She continues to do course work for a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology. She was asked to teach a group of 200 ladies from the churches around Costa Rica. She spoke about how to deal with depression. After the talk, many ladies were in line to be counseled by her.

October 2010

2010-10-31T12:15:00.000-07:00

See the October figures at: http://carlosulatecostarica.blogspot.com/p/statistics.html

The church in Heredia is a healthy congregation. It is a church with a great potential for growth. There are two limiting factors though —the inadequate facilities and the lack of shepherds. The inadequate facilities affect the quality of the services. If the facilities were larger and more comfortable, people would profit a lot more from the worship and the teaching, which in turn would provide numerical growth. The lack of shepherds affect in the sense that many people don’t get the counseling and the encouraging they need to grow spiritually.

The first problem is being addressed by a group of members who are organizing themselves to provide leadership. A decision was made in order to reactivate the Facilities Committee. This Committee did a great job in the past, however, when the pressure for larger facilities was relieved because a temporary solution was found in having two services, the committee ceased acting. The good thing is that the local leadership is doing something about this. Once the committee is back in place, it will present plans for enlarging the auditorium, and improving the conditions of other rooms (the new laws require that we build bathrooms for the handicapped population). Once the budget for this project is known, it will be presented to the church. The financing with a local bank is being considered. The local members themselves are undertaking this task. They understand it is their responsibility to see to it that the church has adequate facilities. In other words, I am not the one doing it for them, which is consistent with my philosophy of missions.

The second problem is of a long-term nature. It takes time to have men and women who are mature enough to feel responsible for the spiritual well being of other members. Most of my teaching and preaching is geared towards this goal. Other members are getting the opportunity to preach and teach. There are four men who can do this. Also, among the women, there are four women who are actively engaged in the teaching of other women. This is the difficult part of mission work. We are talking about the spiritual building. As a missionary, I have to make sure that the people I teach will in turn be able to teach others (2 Timothy 2.2).
Heredia has a brand new public hospital. It is only two blocks away from the church building. The hospital is great. The equipment is modern. I can not say the same about the services. It is difficult to change public corporate culture. The new hospital has changed the landscape around the church building. It has made the church property more expensive. The church could get a better price if they wanted to sell it. The conditions of the streets are great. There is more traffic. Parking space has been reduced to a bare minimum. The property across street continues to look bad though. Thankfully there is a private project underway to develop this property.

We continue to have people who are studying with us. Three husbands of sisters are attending faithfully. Two of them have been doing it for the last two years. One started attending three months ago. This tells a lot about the great witness these sisters are to their husbands.


A group of ladies being taught by Damaris García

The family is doing well. Roxana continues to provide leadership to the ladies, along with Noris, Damaris, and Milady. There are new ladies rising to leadership. They are Frida and Cecilia. Roxana continues to organize the Sunday School efforts, and other ladies activities. Roxana is always busy with handcrafts at home. She keeps making oil paints. She also attends a handcrafts class every Tuesday morning. Raquel, 25, our oldest girl, married Michael Chacón three months ago. They rent an apartment in town. She and her husband Michael are faithful members of this congregation. Raquel still needs to finish college. She hopes to go back to school next year. Meanwhile she is helping her husband to make ends meet. Ester, 24, presented her thesis dissertation and was given an A+ at Universidad Nacional. God willing, on December 1st she will be given her Licentiate Degree wich will allow her to be incorporated as a licensed psychologist. Meanwhile she is already half through with course work for a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology, so she is going to classes at night and doing internship work at a public hospital. We may use her in Heredia for much needed counseling. Ester continues to be a faithful member at the church in Heredia. She helps with the babies, especially during the Sunday evening services, along with Roxana. I have to commend Roxana and Ester for their support during the Sunday evening services. Rebeca, 22, is half through with course work to get a bachelor’s degree in Pre-school education at Universidad Hispanoamericana. Rebeca and her fiancé David are faithful members at the Heredia church too. Rebeca and David are actively involved in the leading of the Youth Group, along with Andrés Hernández and Mindy Solano.

September 2010

2010-10-13T15:41:00.000-07:00

The assembly measures have been updated up to October 10, 2010. Click on the following link
http://carlosulatecostarica.blogspot.com/p/statistics.html

You may notice that attendance has increased significantly. Monthly average went up to 116 for the month of September. We are at full capacity in the AM service. We can not grow anymore due to limitations imposed by the current facilities. The pm service has relieved only a little bit the crowding on Sunday morning.

There were additions to the fellowship during this month. Olga, Guiselle, and Camila, placed membership. They are grandmother, mother, and daughter. Camila is in the children age group. They used to be members in Barva. Esteban, from the church in Guápiles moved to Heredia and placed membership with us too, and found a job at one of the stores of the Hernández-Brenes family. He is in the teenagers group. Also added to the fellowship was Alicia, a young woman from Nicaragua. Her younger brother Bismarck, and her baby were also added to the children list. Jesús, Javier, and Daniela were also added to the children list. They are part of a family from the South that just completed their move to Heredia. So this is a total of ten additions.

The mid-week service continues to attract an average of 25 people.

The most mature members are organizing themselves to tackle the problem of the facilities. They had a meeting in which they decided to create a special account to save money for a project that will include a budget to be presented to the church.

June-July-August 2010

2010-08-30T21:00:00.000-07:00

If you want to see the raw numbers, please click on the following link:
http://carlosulatecostarica.blogspot.com/p/statistics.html

Please put up with the configuration of the tables. It is difficult for me to create tables in HTML language. Also, you may notice the contribution figures are not posted yet. The treasurer hasn't been able to give the file with the figures, because he was in El Salvador for more than two weeks in August. His name is Daniel Delgado. By the way, there are news regarding this dear brother. He had been dating a girl from a church in San Salvador, and he just married her. That was the reason for his trip to El Salvador. Daniel works for a local bank, and goes to college on the weekends.

The last three months have been a period of growth. Some people were added to the fellowship. Two ladies were baptized: Lizeth and Ofelia. This is the result of the work of committed ladies who are evangelizing because it is just natural for them to do so. Two new men have become members. We have studied with them and decided that they were scripturally baptized. They consider it a blessing to have found a New Testament church. They are Claudio and Guillermo. They are also the result of the natural outreach done by committed men. One more lady immigrated from Nicaragua and she is a faithful member. We need to count Raquel, Daniel's new wife from el Salvador. Claudio is a stable family man. He just retired from teaching in the Public School System at 52 years of age. We just hope that his wife and children will follow him, because this could help him become a leader in the church. Guillermo is a retired college professor, very committed and mature spiritually. He reaches out to me personally, and he has a lot of respect for what we are doing.

I have a list of 95 adults, 13 teens, and 27 children, a total of 135 members. To this we must add a steady attendance of at least 15 visitors. However, there are about 25 adult members who are very irregular in their attendance. Actually, some visitors are more committed than these adults. Also, some families struggle to be able to make it to services. This is due to them living a little bit too far and not having a vehicle. So, we don't see them at the services all the time, but they are relatively faithful. Some members have been falling in the habit of not worshipping at the AM service, because they think it is possible to do it at the PM service. However, when it is time for them to start leaving home to be at church at 5 pm, it is raining so heavily that they just miss services altogether (So they tell me).

The NE Bible Study Group merged with the Midweek service in the church building. So, attendance to the Midweek service rose from an average of 13 to an average of 22. The leaders of the NE Group explained that they did not have time to prepare the lessons due to personal situations with work and family.

The Support Group for men continues to attract an average of 6 men. This group includes Roberto, Norberto, and Carlos Brenes. These three men are being built up and they are really maturing spiritually. This is the result of their involvenment in a group where the truth is spoken in love and growth is received from the Head through the joints as each part does its work (Ephesians 4:15, 16).

The Youth Group has an attendance of 18. Roxana and I have had to get involved, because it has been difficult for the young leaders to carry such a responsibility. They are young adults who are working and going to college at the same time. So, we are helping with the teaching, and it has been very rewardint to see some young ones turning around from the world to Jesus.

The Singing Lessons group did not continue to meet. Too much rain in the afternoons discouraged some. For other it was too long to be there from 3 pm for the Youth Group, and then stay two more hours for the singing lessons. Norberto appreciates the relief because it was too heavy on him too. He attends all Bible studies during the week, and is helping with the Youth Group, but he Sunday PM service.

Our oldest daughter, Raquel, got married to her highschool sweetheart, Michael, after 7 years of going steady and having graduated from higschool. Michael happens to be one of our song leaders. The nest in begining to get empty. You may see the pictures in our Facebook wall.

Life between the AM and the PM service

2010-07-22T09:06:00.000-07:00

Norberto Ross taking a break between the AM and PM services

Norberto Ross, music professor and church member, takes a break between the AM and the PM service, after lunch at the Ulates. Norberto was expected to lead the singing for the first time at the evening service on July 18th, so we had him come home and spend the afternoon with us. We do have access to a common neighborhood area, where it is nice for a hammock and a well deserved "siesta" if the weather allows, of course, because it is raining too much these days. Norberto is a friend of Roberto, my brother. They have known each other for the last 12 years. We had asked Roberto to contact Norberto earlier this year because we needed a music professor to help us improve the singing. It was our intention to pay Norberto, and he had even figured out what his fees would be. When Norberto finally came and spent one Saturday afternoon with us, it was love at first sight between him and the church. So, forget charging us for the music lessons. He began attending immediately to most of the activities, and was baptized on February 21st. Roberto's changes in his life inspired Norberto to join us in our followship of Jesus. The fellowship with Norberto, and his participation in the Support Group for Men has proved effective in helping him become a faithful Christian. He led the singing at the evening service on July 18. It was the first time in many years we had a professional musician doing this in a church in Heredia. So, the picture doesn't represent Norberto's real life. He is the senior music professor at the Saint Jude School in Santa Ana, where they built a music classroom designed by him where he spends 42 hours a week teaching kids.

While pizza was being baked

2010-07-15T12:49:00.000-07:00

There are special days in the life of a missionary. Yesterday was one of them. Norberto drove me to the Mitsubishi dealer to see if we could a find a part for my car. It turned out that they didn't have it. The trip was to include a visit to his former mechanic who has his shop nearby, and a visit to meet María Elena, the mother of Norberto's daughter. The visit to the mechanic was very helpful, as we were able to make a decission on the autopart (will have to look for it overseas). The visit to María Elena was the most exciting part of the trip. She turned out to be a wonderful woman, someone who had grown up in Cuba, listening to her Dad reading the Bible to her. Time was short, it was 5 pm and we were supposed to drive all the way across the valley to be in Heredia before 7:30 pm, for the Midweek service. She has a pizza shop next to her house. So she offered to prepare a large pizza for Norberto and I to take home. We had less than 30 minutes. While the pizza was being baked, we stroke up a spiritual conversation of a high caliber. It was evident that she understood key concepts of Christianity, which proves that God's Word doesn't return to Him empty as stated in Isaiah 55.11. When the pizza was ready, it was difficult for Norberto and I to part with María Elena. She had a profound Bible question: Why did the Lord put the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden? I had to promise her that we would get back very soon to help her with this and many more spiritual concerns. We made it back on time for the Midweek Bible Study in Heredia, where 24 people were waiting for us! Guess what the Ulate family and Norberto had for supper?

Miriam Brenes, a member you can count on

2010-06-28T16:39:00.000-07:00

Miriam Brenes is a charter member of this congregation. She owns a couple of small clothing stores for ladies, and helps her family run other businesses,so she is a very busy woman. She was one of the first converts when the church began in Barva, a small town North from Heredia. She was instrumental in moving the meeting location from this town to downtown Heredia, as she had a business here. She lent the church a location on the second floor of a small building she rents for her business. In spite of being so busy, she finds time for her spiritual growth and it has paid off. The Lord used her to bring her three adult children to Him. Her husband has been attending faithfully for the last two years. Just recently, the Lord used her to restore a sister in law and a niece to fellowship. Two of the people her children and niece are dating have also been baptized and two more are already visiting and receiving Bible study. The Lord has truly made changes in her life, and He is using her to influence family members and friends. She and I agree on the importance of using our own lives as a testimony of what the Lord can do to change others. People need to see the results of the Lord's work in our lives for them to want to explore God's answers to their problems. It is very encouraging to count on Miriam as a faithful member whose life is an effective witness to family and friends.

Roxana and Ester Ulate in the Sunday School babies room

2010-06-26T11:35:00.000-07:00

Roxana helps with organizing the Sunday School teachers. Ester loves babies, she is special with them. The babies are Lindsay, daughter of Fabián and member Vanessa, and Benjamin, son of members Jorge and María Eugenia. They were born within the last 365 days. Other babies born this year are Omar Gabriel and Sergio Andrés. They were already added to the list of members. The babies classroom just got painted and decorated. William Polio painted it, and the girls did the decoration. The Sunday School hour goes from 9 to 9:45 am.

Three meaningful activities

2010-05-22T20:04:00.000-07:00

Today's activities included the meeting of the Youth Group, the Singing Lessons, and the Men's Support Group for men. It was a great afternoon and evening. Roberto Ulate was an instrument in God's hands to teach the youth groups from Coronado and Heredia (See http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=24767&id=100000105372981&l=39ea10f6d1)
Norberto Ross, our musical director, was moved by the response from the group of singers to his rehearsal instructions. Then, in the Support Group for men (formerly known as "Men with Problems") there were eight of us, sharing about the great things God has done in our lives. A man who had heard about this group, through Roberto Ulate, came to the meeting and was encouraged. He worshipped with us the next day.

April 2010 (Figures)

2010-05-01T07:16:00.000-07:00

April 2010 (Narrative)

2010-05-01T06:21:00.000-07:00

The Northeast group didn’t meet during the month of April. They tell me most of the participants had problems attending because of increased load of work. This group, however has one man coming to church every Sunday. Two of the participants are busy studying two teenagers who are children of members.
The Northwest group continues to meet at Roberto’s home. One visitor from my neighborhood continues to attend with me. These days that I don’t have a vehicle, he gives me a ride to that event every Friday at 8:30 pm. He is very gifted and has very mature views of the Bible message. However, he hasn’t considered attending to services yet.
The support group for men continues to meet. During this month we had a great time as we were able to pray for one another to learn to be used by God in ministry. Most of the men who meet are in charge of either teaching or leading in some way or another. The fact that a brother prays for another to be able to lead or teach God’s people is a quite a boost to his confidence in presenting a lesson, as we learn to trust on Him for the results.
We are experiencing a great deal of fellowship, and through this ministry other men are being influenced, and studied with. We now have single men in the group, and a couple of divorcees who are struggling with loneliness. So the group is very important for them, and they appreciate very much the encouragement they receive from others.
The group we call “Singing Lessons” continues to meet with Norberto Ross, our music professor. Norberto says that he studied a capella choral music in college and never used it until he became a Christian. Now he is seeing the purpose God had for him studying this type of music.
The leadership training group that met on Saturdays to study the qualifications of elders is no longer meeting as we were able to finish this study.

March 2010 Assembly Figures

2010-04-01T06:59:00.000-07:00

March 2010 (Narrative)

2010-04-01T05:09:00.000-07:00

The last Sunday of the month is the beginning of what they call Holy Week. Most activities in Costa Rica come to a halt during that week, especially school. Many people take a week out and go out of town. So, this explains the low attendance of members on the last Sunday.

The high attendance of visitors on the last Sunday of the month is due to the visit paid by the Tejarcillos church as commented on the Miscellaneous section of this report.

Attendance on the first Sunday of the month is quite a record. I was gone to preach somewhere else, though. Those who were present tell me that the brethren who took my place did a great job. Carlos Brenes preached and Roberto Ulate taught Adults Sunday School. Someone even mentioned that I could be left out of the job.

Total expenses went up to $1069,58 during the month of March.

March 2010 Study Figures

2010-04-01T04:30:00.000-07:00

March 2010 (Miscellaneous)

2010-04-01T04:11:00.000-07:00

As I had mentioned, I was invited to preach at another church on the first Sunday of the month. There 34 attending, including 23 adults and 11 children. The brethren from Tejarcillos invited me to share with them. Tejarcillos happens to have a very high rate of crime. The church there is made up by people who were members at Hatillo. So, a few of them remember me because I was their preacher in Hatillo. Then the members of the Tejarcillo church decided to pay us a visit in Heredia. So, they rented a bus and 40 of them came to the Sunday evening service on March, 28.

February 2010

2010-02-28T16:39:00.000-08:00

Visitors include a family of four who are members of the church in Nicaragua. They also include a family of four that is being reached out to, and four men who are coming consistently. A couple from a nearby church is considering placing membership with us.

School resumed during the second week of the month. This usually affects attendance.
Combined contribution (AM + PM) for the month was $1430,99. Expenses went up to $1160,80.

A 14-year-old girl was baptized on February 2nd. She is the result of God’s work through the Northwest Bible Study. She is a young girl who emigrated last year with her mother from Cuba. Her mother is also studying with us. Instrumental in this conversion was my daughter Ester who reached out in a significant way to this girl and helped her feel at home with the rest of the members.

A 47-year-old man was baptized on February 21st. He is also from Cuba, but he has lived in Costa Rica during the last 15 years. This man happens to be a music professor in a Heredia high school. We are looking forward to his contribution to improve our singing. Even before he was baptized we had asked him to teach us music lessons to improve our singing (see video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSHmQS0haeM) We continue to do this on Saturday at 5:00 pm, before the Leadership Training session. This baptism is also a result of God’s work through the Northwest Bible Study.

A 50-year-old Costa Rican woman was baptized on February 28th. She is the result of God’s work through the efforts on three ladies led by Damaris García (widow of Freddy Astorga). It is great to see members of the church learning to do evangelistic work.

The three people baptized are now being grounded in the faith by the same people who brought them to the Lord. We continue to reach out to them so that their needs continue to be met.

The group “Men with Problems” continues to meet every week. There was an average of 6 men present. We created a support net by means of our cell phones. We keep in touch during the week to ask for prayer during times of need. Prayers are answered as we see the Lord’s peace that transcends all understanding guarding our hearts and thoughts in such times, when otherwise we might have lost our sobriety. Now we are working on ways to implement the following teaching:

“… speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work” (Ephesians 4.15, 16)

We are learning to work as individual parts that are joined and held together. The goal for this growth is stated in verse 13 as “the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” So, when we get together we speak the truth in love, and truly help one another towards that goal. Only people who truly attain "the whole measure of the fullness of Christ" or are truly making progress towards that goal, can actually inspire others to want to listen to the gospel and become members of His church.

During the days of Walter’s departure, Michael Montalvo, Bammel’s Connecting minister, has been here, and it was exciting to find out that we are essentially doing the same things as ministers (we are essentially obeying the same Master). It was great to get to share a little bit about the work and how we felt.

We also had the visit of David Jones, the youngest of Walter's sons. His participation in the funeral services was moving, everybody was touched by his remarks regarding how much Walter had influenced him to give him direction in his life. David made a significant contribution to this work out of his appreciation for this ministry in which Walter was involved so highly. He also helped Myrna get her vehicle situation solved and took care of her online banking.

January 2010

2010-01-31T15:13:00.000-08:00

I. Assembly Measures

Total attendance to the Sunday PM service is actually higher because we count only those who didn’t come in the morning.

Due to recent additions of Christians moving their membership to the Heredia church, the total number now includes 102 adults, 17 teenagers, and 23 children (142 members). The difference between the average attendance and the total in the list is due to the irregular attendance of some (142-107=35). Some of them haven’t come for quite a while, and others skip a lot. Sometimes we are tempted to strike their names out, but then we hesitate, because eventually they would show up. We are working on a database to be able to distribute names and phone numbers to those members who would be interested in restoring this difficult sector of the membership.

Combined contribution (AM + PM) for the month was $1943,24. Expenses went up to $1104,61.

II. Study Measures

Visitors in the Northwest Bible study include three men who have become regular. Only one of them attends church though. Work with these men includes long hours of counseling and dealing with marriage and family problems. Other visitors include the non-baptized children of the host family. Roxana and I are presently working with one of the daughters in this family, helping her struggle with personal issues (she is a child from a previous marriage). On top of this she had to quit college and take a job. Then she was fired after the three months trial period, and just recently another company hired her. We are having special sessions with her to help her feel loved and appreciated. We also encourage her to accept responsibility for her own life and help her understand that life doesn’t have to be easy.

Visitors in the Northeast Bible study include two men who have become regular attendants to the Sunday pm service. Their wives are members of the church. The fact that their husbands are attending tells a lot about their testimony. There are about three families involved in this Bible Study group.

III. Miscellaneous Narrative

We continued to have meetings on Wednesdays from 6:00 am to 7:00 am. There were between 5 and 7 men. During this month we were able to get two more men involved. We decided to call this group Men with Problems. We are praying for one another and helping one another with personal, marriage, and family problems. I am excited about being able to help these men; we need them to be doing really well spiritually, if we are ever going to have leaders in the church.

Part of December and the whole of January is when students have their “Summer School Break.” This congregation devotes one day to celebrate with the children. So Roxana and two of the girls gave of themselves to prepare a party for the children. 22 children and 22 adults attended. It was the day for their “piñata.” It was quite a bit of work. I am sure the children appreciated it.

Bob and Marion Marlow, and Geoff Casella were here four days and three nights. It was a great opportunity for the local church, my family, and I to renew our friendship with our sponsoring congregation. Without their support and oversight we would be seriously limited to continue with this work. It was encouraging to have them come and see for themselves the work they are sponsoring. We had the opportunity to exchange our points of view about mission work. Bob taught the Northwest Bible Study. Geoff was able to teach eight of the men who meet on Saturday evening. Thank you Bob, Marion and Geoff for coming to Costa Rica to see how we were doing. Your visit was very important for us here. Support without oversight would not be as meaningful.

December 2009 Report

2010-01-01T14:35:00.000-08:00

December 2009

I. Assembly Measures

The numbers are actually higher than expected. In previous years, total attendance would go down to 75 in December, due to many families taking school vacation.

I shared the preaching responsibilities with three brothers during the month. One of them is Andrés Hernánez, 24, an engineer. After his message, seven people came forward asking for prayers, and Andrés was able to minister to them without my assistance. Andrés is one of the leaders of the Youth Group.

Contribution for the month was $1433,76. Expenses went up to $2.287,73.

Auxiliadora, already mentioned in previous reports, passed way on December 30th. When her name was first brought up to our attention, we were told that this could happen anytime. Her sister, a member of the church in Managua, Nicaragua, called Damaris Astorga to let her know about Auxiliadora living in Heredia, and needing Bible studies. Her sister was afraid that she would die without having met the Lord. Damaris in turn called me, and soon she was studying with us and attending the Sunday evening worship services. Before she was baptized she was instrumental in the baptism of three ladies, two of which are still faithful (see more about Auxiliadora in the August, 2009 report).

III. Miscellaneous Narrative

We continue to have meetings on Wednesdays at 6:00 a.m. The last time we had this meeting, there were 4 men. During these meetings we are now praying for our spiritual needs (Hebrew 3:12, 13). These meetings are very effective to help us stay focused on our spiritual growth.

The meetings on Saturdays at 5 p.m. when we study “The Measure of a Man” (the 20 biblical requirements for elders), have been attracting up to 15 men. During the last month we paid special attention to assuming responsibilities like visiting the sick (James 5:14, 15). So, a special effort was made to coordinate these visits, and many blessings were enjoyed as the people visited were encouraged and responded with thanksgiving and faithfulness.

The Youth Group had a Camp activity of three days in La Fortuna, near the Arenal Volcano. 22 members from Heredia and 6 from La Fortuna attended. Raquel Ulate coordinated the activity, and carried it out with Andrés Hernández, Rebeca Ulate, and Julio Torrentes, the other Youth Group leaders.

November 2009

2009-12-07T08:19:00.001-08:00

I. Assembly Measures

A new record of total attendance was reached on November 8. The unusual number of 37 visitors includes two families from other congregations that have placed membership with us. Other visitors are members from other congregations who wanted to worship with us on that day.

The attendance on Sunday evening continues to be significant. The lowest number was 15 members on November 29. These were members who did not attend in the morning. If they had done so, it would have been very difficult to handle such a crowd. So the decision of having two services continues to be a good idea.

The low number on November 22 is unusual. I don’t have an explanation. It happens now and then.

Total contribution: $2017,58. Total expenses: $1862,98.

II. Study Measures

November 2009
Cell Group Members Visitors
Northeast 20 3
Northwest 12 2
Heredia Church of Christ 15 2

The downtown group didn’t meet during this month. Some of the participants had problems with immigration, and moved to another location. Their attendance to church has suffered too. One of the ladies separated from her unbelieving husband. They have two children and it hurts to see them hurting.

The Northwest group has met for a year and a half already. Some family members continue to need more Bible study to be able to make a decision. Two men who are friends of Roberto Ulate continue to participate with interest. One of my neighbors is becoming regular in the attendance to this Bible Study.

III. Miscellaneous Narrative

There was one baptism on November 15. A young Nicaraguan immigrant was in a bus on his way to Costa Rica. Next to him sat Hamlet, a brother from a church in Managua, who was coming to attend the 25th Iberian American Lectures (see next paragraph). This brother preached the gospel to the young immigrant, who happened to be a resident in Heredia. So, when the lectures were over, this brother came to worship with us, and we let him baptize the immigrant. The Youth Group has reached out to the young convert. The brother from Nicaragua has called us to make sure we are taking care of him.

I was invited to speak at the Iberian American Lectures. The church in Sabanilla hosted them. More than 100 brethren from different parts of the Spanish-speaking world attended. They were here for one week. I was able to fellowship with Carlos Ingles, Bammel missionary in Colombia, who was here for the Lectures. It was a great opportunity to reflect on the work we are involved in.

Bruno Valle, preacher in Managua, Nicaragua, a close friend of mine, was in Heredia for three days. He preached for us on November 15th. Bruno is a great speaker and lecturer. His presentations both at the Iberian American Lectures and at the church in Heredia were outstanding. He really knows how to present lessons about the love and the power of God. We spent lots of time together, and were able to influence one another in the Lord. He really challenged me to pray more and have more faith in the power of God. Bruno and I are close friends because back in the 90’s he and I were self-supported preachers at the Hatillo congregation for about 4 years.

Walter Jones was diagnosed with leukemia on November 1st. Walter just turned 84 this year. The doctor saw the blood tests and said that due to his age, he only had three months to live, if no treatment was given. The following day he had to be given a transfusion because his hemoglobin count was too low. Other numbers were too high. So, the doctor prescribed a moderate dose of chemo pills. He was due for new tests two weeks later, and the numbers turned out more favorable. We are really excited about Walter, and about the way he feels. He is improving little by little. This recovery has really impacted the church, and we are all excited because the Lord has been listening to our prayers.

September and October 2009

2009-11-05T12:32:00.000-08:00

I Assembly Measures

Total attendance to Sunday worship services continues to be a key record to analyze growth. The Sunday totals from the first Sunday of February to the last Sunday of October, are shown in the graphic below. The high numbers in weeks 26 and 27 include 23 visitors from Cedar Hill, Texas. It is very evident that when we had only one service on Sunday, it was difficult to have more than 100 people. Now that we have two services, we are consistently above this mark. The low number in week 24 is due to a school break, when many members were out of town.

There is always a high number of visitors. We don’t seem to have enough workers to reach out to all of them. This seems to be a problem with most congregations. Congregations that succeed reaching out to the lost are those where a large number of members grow spiritually to take on this responsibility

There are 133 names in the list of members (including children). However, only 97 of them could be considered “regular.” 5 members have said their present job on Sunday keeps them from attending. 16 are “irregular.” 5 are “occasional.” They rarely come to church. 10 seem to have quit altogether. So there are 36 people who could use some shepherding. Again, we don’t seem to have enough workers for such a task. Elders are sorely needed.

Regarding elders, we continue to have the Saturday afternoon classes for men. There is an average of 16 men attending. We are studying the requirements for elders. We still have 10 more requirements to study.

II Study Measures

The Downtown Bible Study produced one baptism. This is Auxiliadora, a lady who has been very effective leading others to Christ, even before she was baptized. The Northeast Bible Study produced another baptism. This is a 15 year old girl, the daughter of one of the leaders of the church. This is the only Bible study where I am not involved.

August 2009 Monthly Report

2009-09-03T10:37:00.000-07:00

Assembly Measures

The attendance numbers for the first two Sundays of August include the 23 visitors from the Cedar Hill church (see report below). I have to credit Roberto Ulate for collecting this data on a list of members I give him every Sunday.

Fig. 1 Sunday afternoon service (August 30th, 2009)

In the last Sunday afternoon service of the month, on August 30th, there were 23 people attending. 19 of these were people who didn’t come in the morning. In other words, this is how many seats were released in the morning. Now we don’t see so many people seating outside, on the sidewalk in the morning. However, the greatest benefit is a higher overall attendance. The highest attendance reached when services were not divided into two services was 115 on May 10, 2009. Now that we have two services, our attendance is steadily rising and the highest so far is 119 on August 30th. This is overall attendance to at least one Sunday service. In other words we are not adding 23 to the morning attendance, we are adding 19 to the morning attendance, because 4 people who came to the second service, had come to the morning service. I guess the decision of having two services is beginning to pay off —it is not so crowded in the morning, and we are reaching out to more people.

Total collection of offering was $2.313,49. Total expenses during the same period went up to $2.219,50. This figure includes extra remodeling expenses, first payment of the video beam, and attention given to group from Cedar Hill. The balance at the end of August is $1.727,00.

Fig. 2. Part of group from Cedar Hill preparing to go campaigning

As I had mentioned in the July report, a group of 23 members of the Cedar Hill church, Texas, were welcomed in our homes and church during the first 10 days of August. Ron McClung, former missionary to Costa Rica, led them. Ron had contacted me with the idea of bringing a group to give us a hand with evangelism and marriage counseling. Within our philosophy of mission (theirs and ours) it is contemplated that missionaries stay in the homes of members of the local church, and not in hotels. So, the homes of Roberto Ulate, Walter Jones, Damaris Astorga, Miriam Brenes, and mine, were blessed by having them most of those 10 days (they made a two day trip to La Fortuna).
The group handed out fliers in Heredia and the Campus of Universidad Nacional. The fliers offered an invitation to have a personal Bible study in English or Spanish. More than 20 new contacts were made as people called in response to the invitation, and came to the church building during most of the days that the group was in town. They came for Bible study and fellowship. The names and phone numbers of these contacts were assigned to local members, and we are hoping that some of them will continue to accept Bible studies.
Also, a movie called “Fireproof” was shown on Sunday night after the evening service on August 2nd. This movie tells the story of a marriage that was saved by the Lord. More than 100 people, mostly visitors, attended that night. Then, on the following three nights, Ron presented a series of lessons for couples. Close to 100 people attended each night. Ron’s Spanish was perfect for the presentations, as he knows most of the Costa Rican idioms. As a result of this series, several of the husbands who are not members, did come and now materials are being provided with the hope of raising their interest in the Lord’s help for their marriages.
Matt Helm, the Youth minister of the Cedar Hill church, preached on that Sunday afternoon, and several people came forward. Later in the month, Roberto and I studied with three of the ladies who came forward that night and they have already been baptized. Auxiliadora, a lady about whom I reported in July, had contacted these ladies. Roberto and I are now studying with two of the husbands in the new downtown group (see narrative on study measures).
I have to credit Roxana Ulate for handling all the logistics related to the visiting group from Cedar Hill. Roxana was my assistant. She did a great job, making all the phone calls, writing emails, arranging for meals, organizing transportation, etc. I don’t think I would have been able to handle so many loose ends. She kept me updated with stuff and continually reminded me of things.

Study Measures

The people contacted by Auxiliadora became a group Bible study that meets on Sunday night after the evening service in downtown Heredia. We have had three sessions. There have been 3 baptisms. Auxiliadora herself is still struggling with the decision. It is ironic that the people she invited have already become members, and she hasn’t. She is struggling with serious heart disease and diabetes. Robin Worsham, a medical doctor, and Garrin Elwell, a girl, from the Cedar Hill group, visited Auxiliadora and encouraged her a lot.
Damaris Astorga is reaching out to one wife who is not a member. She has had several Bible studies with her. This is the wife of Eduardo, someone Walter had reached out to along with Freddy Astorga. Walter tells me this was the last person Freddy baptized. Also, Andrés Hernández and Mindy are reaching out to Adonis, Roberto and Noris’s son. Andrés and Mindy are leaders of the Youth Group, and have taken the initiative of bringing Bible studies to this teenager.
A Leadership Training Series was started. We are studying Gene Getz' The Measure of a Man. This book was a gift given to Walter Jones by Mike Montalvo. The sessions meet on Saturday at 5:30 pm. We had the attendance of 17 men to the first session and 16 men to the second session. Gene Getz’ book is great for Christian men. Each chapter is devoted to one of the requirements for elders in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. We are covering a different requirement in each session. There is interest. At least 16 of the men are participating. Roberto and I now have the opportunity to influence more directly this group of men.
The recently baptized man whom I had reported in July as having fallen away made it back! We hope he has done so for good. Roberto and I continue to meet every Wednesday morning for an hour and sometimes for more than an hour for prayer and encouragement.

July 2009 Report

2009-08-18T17:22:00.000-07:00

Assembly measures:

The month of July is atypical. It is the month when the public school system has a break of two weeks between semesters. This year, however, was extended to three weeks due to the swine flu scare. Many members use this time to take a family vacation. Many families were gone out of town. So, this explains the decrease in attendance with respect to June 09.

My brother Roberto and I went on with the “elder training program.” We continued to have our weekly prayer for ourselves, for members who requested prayers for specific needs, for analysis of the membership, etc. It has been a great time for growth, reflection, and development of sensitivity to the members’ needs. Roberto and I draw strength from one another as we pray for our own needs, and build up one another spiritually.

The “Facilities Committee” carried out their remodeling project. It cost close to 1.500 dollars. They remodeled the kitchen, the restrooms, and repaired the auditorium. A day of work was called and more than 10 responded with great energy. A lot of overdue cleaning was carried out and many minor repairs were done. I wish I had a “before” and an “after” picture to show you the difference!

The amount of people coming to Sunday evening services fluctuates between 7 and 10. This are members who don’t come in the morning, so we are talking about that number of spaces being released for the morning services.

Study Measures:

The Southeast group hasn’t gone on due to lack of leadership. The brother in charge has been slacking in attendance himself, due to personal problems. We are helping him recover spiritually. There is hope for his full restoration. The brothers and sisters who used to meet are interested in continuing to have this meeting, but the workers are few.

Another group we didn’t continue is the Southwest group. This is a family we had been meeting with. They are attending normally. The visitors, however, did not show interest, so we decided to move on to study with other people. Another group Bible study could be started somewhere else. Again, the workers continue to be few, and this is a situation we will continue to have until enough workers are trained.

Some people didn’t continue to study with us. The ex-congressman lost interest because he got back with the woman he was divorcing. So, his emotional needs are being met that way, and his friendship with us is not that important to him now. A man who was baptized recently has not come back due to the same reason! I can’t believe how easily a young Christian gives up his salvation for a relationship that hurts him.

The Lord is giving us more people to study with. There is a group of 5 Nicaraguans we started studying with, and soon we will hear about baptisms from that group. This group was contacted by Auxiliadora, a lady from Nicaragua, whose Christian sister wrote to us asking us to reach out to her. Auxiliadora is suffering from a serious heart condition (physically), she continues to study with us.

On July 31st a group of 23 members of the Cedar Hills church was welcomed in our homes and church. They would be working for 10 days in our midst, trying to make contacts and do evangelistic work. More about this in the August, 2009 report.

Sunday morning and Sunday evening (July 12th, 2009)

2009-07-12T18:50:00.000-07:00

Today was the first Sunday when were able to implement the two services plan. 82 people attended in the morning, and 18 attended at night. There were 10 members who did not attend the morning services and were part of the 18 people who attended at night. So there were 8 of us repeating at night. This means that there was more room in the morning.

Overal attendance went down to 92 people (we were having well above 100 people attending every Sunday morning). This is due to a school break between semesters, and half of the absentees are gone out of town for vacation. We hope that by having more room in the morning services, this will encourage growth in the morning.

With 82 attending, the morning service still presented overcrowded conditions. It was still kind of hot, and some babies were crying.

Some people who came in the morning were concerned that we now have a divided church. They said they were going to miss the people who were coming only at night. So I asked them to write a note to those who would come at night. 5 members wrote beautiful notes to those coming at night. There were expressions like this: "We miss you, we hope that meeting at different times will not divide us, we thank you for leaving room in the morning services to accomodate more visitors, etc." The people at night were moved when I read the notes written to them.

"Eldering our way to the eldership"

2009-07-12T18:22:00.000-07:00

Roberto my brother and I got together for prayer on Wednesday morning from 6 am to 7:30 am. It was very meaningful to go over the whole list of 126 members and 12 people who are being contacted. 30 people didn't come. Some of these do not come regularly. 18 people had submitted requests for prayers on their behalf. We kept remembering Matthew 9:36-38:

Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few."Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest."

The workers are really few. The task is greater than us. We truly need to depend on the Lord.

Roberto and I handed the prayer request slips back to them who had submitted, along with a note of encouragement, a Scripture, and reassurance that their request had been presented to the Lord, and asking them to let us know of changes of their situation. For some of them this was very encouraging, and really lifted their spirits up. For us, it was a privilege, and we felt greatly encouraged by the fact that we are doing this pastoring work. When I was commenting to one of the US people visiting Barva about this, I told him that "we are eldering our way to the eldership."

Campaign in Barva (July 7th and 8th, 2009)

2009-07-12T18:14:00.000-07:00

A few members from the Heredia church supported a campaign carried out by the Barva church. Barva is a town just North of Heredia. Joaquín Rojas is the preacher there. Supported by churches from Tennessee, Joaquín welcomes a group of North Americans once a year to do evangelistic work with the local church. Minor Perez, from Calle Blancos preached on the 7th to 135 people present, and Diego Rojas preached on the 8th to 157 people present.

On the second night Roberto Ulate brought 5 people we are studying with. Roberto picked them up and took them back home. This brother has been such a great support to me and the church in Heredia.

Campaign in Grecia (July 6th, 2009)

2009-07-07T07:05:00.000-07:00

My brother Roberto, a friend of us, and I went to Grecia last evening. Grecia is a town of the province of Alajuela. I had been invited to preach for a Gospel Meeting. There were close to 100 people present.

After I finished preaching, three came forward asking for prayers of deliverance and forgiveness. Our friend, the excongressman came forward among those three! My brother Roberto and I were so excited to see this response from him. God's Word is really powerful! He, of course, was not prepared for a decision yet, but it just confirmed that the Bible studies are helping him well.

It was a great opportunity to renew our friendship with Teodoro, the local preacher, Ivan his brother and song leader of the night. Ronald, Lalo, Nidia, Ana, Julio, Élida, Gerzom, Roberto, Ricardo and many others whose names I should have written. The ladies had supper prepared for us. It was very refreshing when the three of us sat at the table along with Ronald, a local brother, who led the prayer for the blessing.

We also had the opportunity to spend some time with brother Larry Watson, elder of the Paragould Church of Christ in Arkansas. Brother Watson and the congregation behind him have been supporting this work for more than ten years. They are the main force behind the Jenny Sue camping facility between Sarchí and Grecia. It is with great sacrifice from him and his family that brother Watson has been able to start this work and they are the ones keeping it. It was very encouraging to spend this time with brother Watson, as we discussed some issues related to the work in Paragould and the work in Heredia. He gave us some insight about what pastors do to take care of the sheep. He explained that they are a congregation of 600 members, that there are 6 elders, and each of them is responsible for praying for a share of 100 members. They also handle prayer requests from members.

The Gospel Meeting itself was very encouraging. The singing was led by brother Ivan. He came across very stately, and was able to lead us in inspiring singing. Then I was asked to present my lesson. The main text was Psalms 121:1, 2. I used the idea of help from the Lord coming in the form of righteousness, and stressed the need for us to develop an attitude of hungering and thirsting for righteousness (Matthew 5.6). This needed attitude is developed when we understand that we don't have righteousness, that we are not righteous, that there is no difference between sinner and sinner (Romans 3.22). I had to explain that "no difference" means that God judges not only the actions, He judges the thoughts in our hearts, and if we are honest, we must accept that we are just as guilty as the "chief of sinners," (1 Timothy 1.15, NASB). Then I went on to talk about Romans 3.9, 10, and 3.21-26. Our help from the Lord comes in the form of righteousness through Jesus carrying the burden of our sins on the cross (2 Corinthians 5.21). Finally, I explained how this help from the Lord is what Jesus calls the Gospel, which he commanded to be preached and he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved (Mark 16.16).

June 2009 Report

2009-07-03T13:19:00.000-07:00

Assembly Measures
(Click on the table for a clearer image)

There was one baptism this month. This is a 23 year old girl, a baby sitter, who was reached out by the group from Guararí, the Nicaraguan ghetto, that meets on Sunday evening. The people around her were very supportive and kept giving her a great example of commitment and dedication, so this made it easy for her to make a decision. No pressure whatsoever was exerted, it was just the pure gospel being taught to her personally that convinced her. The good thing is that she continues to study with us every Thursday morning, because she starts working at 11 a. m. So, this is keeping her faithful.

My brother Roberto and I started the “elder training program.” With God’s help, this is what we are doing: We are asking the church members to submit petitions for prayer, with their names and their specific needs. Then Roberto and I meet on Wednesday from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. During the meeting we go over the whole list of 120 members, discuss a little bit about them, and then make a separate list of those who missed services. Then we alternate praying for each member who missed services and each member who submitted a petition. After the prayer, we select at least one family to be visited during the week. During the visit we explain that we are there because we feel a responsibility to care for them spiritually, we are there to listen to them and hear about their needs, and then pray for them.

This is proving to be great encouragement for members who had slacked in their attendance, and a great opportunity for us to be trained to be elders. Once Roberto and I feel that we have enough training in doing this “shepherding work,” we may split and each one of us will take another potential elder to be trained the same way. We have done this during the last two weeks and are very excited about the results.

According to the plan originally submitted to Bammel, I had thought about installing elders by the year 2014. This is because I was thinking in terms of setting up a program by which some men would be trained with lessons on theological subjects, during a period of one or two years. After looking more closely to Jesus’ method of training, my vision has changed. I see Jesus doing the actual job along with the trainees. God is full of surprises; he may surprise us with elders long before that year. This doesn’t mean the formal classes will not be taught. We may set up Saturday mornings for such classes, but we don’t have enough would be elders yet. I am thinking in terms of ten men.

We are still meeting in the same place. A “Facilities Committee” of 5 members was elected and prayed for before the church in June. 3 ladies and 2 single adults make it up. This was a goal for the third quarter of this year. The need for better facilities obligated us to carry it out during the second quarter. So, we applied the principles of Acts 6. The church selected seven members of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we put in charge of the facilities task, so that we the leaders could devote themselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word, because it is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to worry about the facilities (paraphrase of Acts 6:2-4). The members selected were Miriam Brenes de Hernández, Carmen Bonilla, Noris Milanés de Ulate, Michael Chacón, and Isaac Montero. They are working on the option of moving the eastern wall to make more room, and already have a proposal to be presented to us.

We finally acquired a video beam. Andrés Hernández, one of the single adults in charge of the Youth Group, had offered to use his credit card to buy it, and 33 working members committed themselves to pay for it in a period of 12 weeks, which is the maximum to pay for it free of interest. Andrés led the initiative by presenting a plan for each of those members paying close to 4 dollars each Sunday, on top of the regular contribution. So, I already presented the first two lessons with videos and slides support!

Study Measures
Cell Group Members/Visitors
Northeast 15-19/ 1-2
Southeast n.d./ n.d
Northwest 9-12 /1-2
Southwest 5-9/ 1-2
Heredia Church of Christ 14-19 / 1-2

My brother Roberto and I have had three Bible studies with a man who used to be a congressman. He was looking for Roberto to divorce him of his sixth wife. Apparently, this man’s life has gotten very complicated, and now he wants to settle down. He seems to be very sincere in his desire to study the Scriptures with us. He lives in a mansion, so we go to his mansion once a week, and have become friends of him. He loves us and we love him. This man may prove to be a key member because, being a politician and a businessman, he has connections to important strata of the Heredia population.

There are 10 people we are having Bible Study with, either in group or individually.

On Saturday, June 13, my brother Roberto and I drove to Guápiles as I was invited to preach that night for the gospel meeting they hold every year in that location. Guápiles is across the mountains, an hour and a half to the North of Heredia. I preached on Saturday evening and on Sunday evening. Also, I translated for the English speaking Sunday School teacher and the preacher. There were more than one hundred people on Sunday morning and close to one hundred in the evenings. I was able to spend time with my brother Roberto and his son Joshua. I also spent time with brother Tom Brandon an elder from a church in, Alabama. Roberto was very interested in getting to know from Tom about the work of elders in the States.

The ladies who meet on Thursday morning, have been using their meeting time to split in two groups to visit other ladies. This week they went and visited members who had been discouraged by family situations. Roxana, Mirna, Socorro, Noris, and Damaris are leading these efforts. They are reaching out to ladies in their homes, and creating a lot of good will. They organized one baby shower for a young lady who lost her husband after ten months of marriage. She was pregnant and has been working as a waitress in a small restaurant. Thankfully she lives with her grandma. The ladies were able to provide her with lots of gifts. One lady gave her a cash gift. 40 ladies came to the event at Roberto’s home. Noris, his wife, taught the lesson.

Midweek Bible Study (June 18th, 2009)

2009-06-26T14:06:00.000-07:00

21 attended this Bible study. These include 3 children and one teenager. Bible Study centered on the question from Romans 8.31: "If God is for us, who is against us?"The main idea was that God is willing to give us all things along with Jesus. We talked about what "all things" by using Phillippians 4 and Matthew 6:33.

Personal Bible Study (Wednesday, Jun2 17)

2009-06-26T13:54:00.001-07:00

A personal Bible Study that had been announced for Monday, June 15, was postponed to Wednesday, June 17. The person we studied with was an ex-congressman. At first, when I was using my Bible, he would not be really interested. So, I asked him if he had a Bible himself. He was very quick to answer that he had a Bible his mother had inherited to him. So he went right away and got it. This changed the tone of the Bible study, because this time he was very interested in reading the passages. We centered on Hebrew 9 and 10, where it talks about Christ's sacrifice having been carried out once and for all. A lot of emphasis was made on the the power of the blood of Christ to cleanse our consciences from sin. I stressed this a lot because, being a Catholic, this man needs to understand the difference between the teaching of the Bible, and the teachings of the Vatican.

South West Bible Study (June 16th, 2009)

2009-06-26T13:14:00.000-07:00

Bible study centered on the concept represented by the first soil of the parable of the sower. This soil represents the person who hears the Word, but doesn't understand it. This person has a problem understanding the Word because he doesn't have the necessary previous knowledge ("… whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him," Matthew 13:12). This was the case of Agrippa in Acts 26. On the opposite end, we have the case of the eunuch in Acts 8. This man had the previous knowledge, and was given more.

There were 8 people present, 2 children, one teenager, and four adults. The people who participate in this Bible study are very regular. They do come to church and one of them is a visitor. The rest are members or children.

In Guápiles on June 13 and June 14

2009-06-26T12:59:00.001-07:00

It has been a pretty hectic couple of weeks. On June 13, Roberto and I drove to Guápiles as I was invited to preach that night for the gospel meeting they hold every year in that location. Guápiles is across the mountains, an hour and a half to the North of Heredia. I preached on Saturday evening and on Sunday evening. Also I translated for the English speaking Sunday School teacher and the preacher. There were more than one hundred people on Sunday morning and close to one hundred in the evenings. I was able to spend time with my brother Roberto and his son Joshua. I also spent time with the visitors from Huntsville, Alabama.

Midweek Bible Study (June 11th, 2009)

2009-06-11T19:55:00.000-07:00

21 people attended. Three children, two teenagers, and the rest were adults. There were three visitors among the adults. The visitors have been coming for quite a while. Today we had to study Romans 8.29, 31. I explained a little bit about the wrong use calvinist theology makes of this passage. It was understood that this position contradicts free will. Then I appealed to the context, where Paul wants to give total assurance of God's justification. It was a great night. A lot of application was made, for us to understand the implications of the truths of God's foreknowledge, predestination, calling, justification, and glorification. Some of the participants were very generous to let me know that the lesson really helped them.

Ladies visit homes with special needs

2009-06-11T18:08:00.000-07:00

The ladies who meet on Thursday morning decided to split into three groups to go to homes with special needs. I was invited to go with one group to the home of a couple that had not been coming due to terminal illness of her mother who lives in another town, and having a mentally retarded son. It was truly a great experience. The ladies who went with me were Roxana, Ana Rita (my mother), Noris (Roberto's wife), Marlene, and Élida (a visitor). We first listened to them. She spoke about her mother's terminal illness, about how much she struggles with the little pension money he receives, about her need for glasses to read the Bible, about how ashamed she was for not being able to worship with us. He didn't say much. We gave them reassurance of our love. We explained that we were there because we cared for them, that we felt in debt with them, because the Lord says this is the only debt we will never finish paying. They said they felt the same debt with us. We explained that we were not there to collect it. We were there to pay our debt. We sang, studied God's Word and had a prayer for them. We studied Matthew 11.25-30. It was very meaningful to understand about how the Lord reveals to children, about how much we need to be like children, so that the Lord will want to reveal what is written in His Word.

Mirna Jones and Carmen Bonilla went to Alajuela, to the home of Doris, whose mother has been seriously ill.

Damaris Astorga and other ladies went to the home of Indiana and Estela Cuaresma in Tibás.

Key contact made

2009-06-10T17:23:00.000-07:00

I was driving from one place to another in Heredia, when my brother Roberto called me. He wanted me to go right away to his law office in downtown Heredia, to see a man who wanted a divorce. My brother said that we could be the Lord's instruments to save that marriage. It turned out that he is an ex-congressman for the province of Heredia. We sat with him for a while, prayed for him, and explained to him that we were willing to help him spiritually. He was really interested in learning how to be right with the Lord and be a better man. He understood that it would be the Lord's will if he could be rejoined with his wife. He agreed on meeting with us on Monday evenings. The first session will be on Monday of next week, in his house. Life has its turns and twists. The woman he is divorcing is someone Roxana and I had reached out to when we were ministers at the Hatillo church. He said he will try to convince her of receiving the Bible studies too. To God be the glory for the blessing of being able to reach out to this kind of people.

South West Bible Study (June 9th, 2009)

2009-06-10T10:22:00.000-07:00

There were 7 people present. My trainee Roberto Ulate was there. The family is made up by a lady, who is a member, her 12 year old son, her 5 year old daughter, and a 31 year old man. It was a simple Bible Study on the Parable of the Sower from Matthew 13. We had a lot of comments, we were able to discuss about the great need for pastors. We need elders who are trained to visit others to help them deal with trouble and the worries of this life. Roberto offered himself for this training, which we will start having once a week in the morning. We talked about meeting one morning every week, with the list of members before us, to pray for those who might have missed the worship on the previous Sunday, and then decide upon a course of action to reach out to such members. I hope others will join us in this prayer. We will ask the Lord to help us with this endeavour. We are in the business of saving souls.

North West Bible Study (June 5, 2009)

2009-06-06T06:52:00.000-07:00

Bible Study began at 8:30 p.m. All the members of the Ulate Milanés family were present (three adults, three teenagers and one child). There were two trainees present. There is at present a boon of radio stations, TV stations and places of worship being controlled by mediatic preachers who use them for their own profit. These preachers claim to have the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and ask the listeners to donate to them, so that the Lord will bless their lives with prosperity and freedom from problems. The only thing listeners have to do is enter into a covenant relationship with God by which they will pledge a monthly amount to be deposited in the account of their ministry. Once the preacher hears about the donation, he will have a special prayer in behalf of those who came through. Roberto has expressed his outrage for this abuse, and has acted upon it, by helping a national TV journalist to report on this abuse. I decided to help Roberto and his household deal with all this confussion created by such preachers. So, last night we began to study about the gifts of the Holy Spirit. We began with Acts 3.1-16, to understand the difference between a real biblical miracle and what is shown on television. Then we studied Mark 16.9-20, the whole context, to understand why the Lord promised the gifts to the apostles. We have to continue with Acts 8, where it is clearly taught that the only ones who could transmit the gifts by the laying of the hands were the apostles, etc.

Participants were very interested. Many questions were generated. I had to ask them to let me dismiss the Bible study, around 9:30.

Midweek Bible Study (June 4th, 2009)

2009-06-04T20:19:00.000-07:00

17 people attended: 14 adults, 1 teenager and 2 children. The study was on Romans 8.28: "And we know that to them that love God all things work together for good, even to them that are called according to his purpose". We tried to understand what "good" means. We read passages such as Genesis 45:7, 8 and Esther 4:14. Then we read Eclesiastes 12:13 and Lamentations 3:25-33. In both passages, two men who had had very dissimilar lives reached the same conclusion regarding what "good" is. " Good" is everything that makes you closer to God, and "bad" is everything that moves you away from Him.

My Dad turns 80! (May 30th, 2009)

2009-06-03T08:26:00.000-07:00

My Dad was born on May 30th, 1929. We celebrated his 80th birthday on Saturday, at Roberto's home. There were 14 people present. I presented a short talk about my relationship with him. My Dad is not a believer. However, we get along great. I made sure he understood my love for him is from the Lord. He recognices the difference between the old Carlos and the new Carlos. The old Carlos didn't express his love as the new one does, with a sincere hug, and respect for his Dad's opinions when he is visiting him. I used the Scripture on honoring father and mother. I made the point that this is the fourth command. The first three commands are related to honoring God. I explained that this meant he was second after God. He was deeply moved. Roberto added his comments, and recalled one day when my Dad had complained about the fact that he had become a Christian. He told our Dad that being a Christian was giving him the opportunity to learn what love truly is.

South West Bible Study (June 2nd, 2009)

2009-06-03T07:02:00.000-07:00

I had a Bible Study last night at this South West home. This time Roberto didn't make it, he said he had a rough day. I don't blame him. There were four people present, besides me. Two of them are not members yet, but they are visiting. One is a member in Coronado, who was visiting the family. The Bible study went on from 8:30 to 9:30 pm. It was profitable. It benefited the five people present. I centered on 1 Corinthians 13, because this people had not been coming to Sunday School, where we are studying this passage in depth. We analyzed the first three qualities of agape love, didn't have time for the rest. Abundant application was made to the particular situation they are living as a family and as a couple. There was great interest because they can really use the concepts to improve their lives. One of the participants is fully aware of the need for baptism. So he asked questions related to what would happen if he sinned after baptism, so we studied 1 John 1.5—2.1. Then we wrapped up with a special prayer for their particular needs.

Sunday Morning Services (May 31, 2009)

2009-06-01T17:54:00.000-07:00

Total attendance was 107. These include 95 members and 12 visitors. The members were made up by 64 adults, 15 teenagers and 16 children. The visitors were made up by 6 adultts and 1 teenagers and 5 children. The visitors include a family of five who are members in Coronado. This time we had invited Geovanny Rodríguez, from Coronado. He presented a powerful lesson on the five plagues of our society, but he was able to cover only three: violence, adultery, and lack of faith. Geovanni is a former member from the Hatillo church, where I used to be a preacher. He is part of a family Roxana had worked with to convert them, whe he was 12 years old. Geovanni is not a full time minister. He is department manager of a very important company in Costa Rica. However, all his life he has been a church leader, someone who will most likely be an elder in a few years. Geovani's presentation was truly powerful. Contribution was 571 dollars. I think this contribution is a record. It is usually high at the end of the month. With this money we pay a pension to the former's preacher family, a work fund for me, utilities, and have a benevolence program.

Bible Study with three ladies (Thursday morning)

2009-05-28T22:34:00.000-07:00

I had set up an appointment with one lady who is visiting, to study with her at the church building, at the same time when the ladies of the church have their quilting activity. Well, she came along with one more lady who is a member, and another one who is visiting too. Bible Study centered around the idea of why Jesus had to die. I used Hebrews 9.15-26.

Midweek Bible Study (May 28)

2009-05-28T22:18:00.000-07:00

17 people were present —11 adults, 3 teenagers, and 3 children. We had one visitor who is an adult. The Bible study centered around Romans 8.26-28. We analyzed the idea of being helped by the Spirit to be able to convey our prayers to God. We discussed the idea of us not knowing how to pray and what to pray. We used James 4.3, to show how selfish we are in our asking, then talked about the Lord's Prayer, where the Lord teaches us to pray asking for God´s will to be done. How does the Spirit actually interced for us? Well, maybe he is like a translator, someone who retells God what we are asking in prayer, but he does it in a way that is according to the will of God. The Spirit truyly helps us our weakness in this respect. The Spirit is present also when he helps us understand that all things work together for the good of those who love God.

Mentoring From Walter Jones

2009-05-27T10:30:00.000-07:00

This morning Walter and I got together for coffee and prayer. During the conversation, we were able to analyze the status of the local leadership and we both agreed that our men need special training to be able to grow in their vision and goals for this church. We believe the Lord wants this church to have elders, and according to our plans, the elders should be in place by the year 2014. Walter and I ended up praying for me to be able to start a series of training sessions for our five men who are now part of the leadership. Most probably this series will be implemented during the monthly business meetings we have the second Saturday of each month. If our men are mature enough before 2014, then we will not hesitate to install them as elders sooner than that.

Sunday Evening Services (May 24, 2009)

2009-05-25T08:17:00.000-07:00

16 people attended. There were three trainees present, three children, one teenager, and the rest of them were adults. Bible study centered around Ephesians 2.1-10. A lot of emphasis was made on the contrast between "being dead in trespasses and sins" and "given life in Jesus." A lot of personal application was done. Many questions were asked. These people from Guararí are so interested, and so enthusiastic about this activity, that my brother Roberto and I keep being encouraged. This Bible study may become a full fledge Sunday evening service, to relieve us from the crowded conditions on Sunday morning.

Sunday Morning Services (May 24, 2009)

2009-05-25T07:57:00.000-07:00

111 people in total attended. These include 76 adults, 16 teenagers, and 19 children. The number includes 16 visitors. The visitors were made up by 13 adults, 1 teenager, and 2 children. 4 visitors were members of other congregations. One lady was one restored and prayed for. One brother came forward and wanted us to thank God for having healed him. Carlos Brenes preached the sermon. Great sermon, about the Thessalonians example, their work of love, labour of faith, and vission of hope. Carlos is self-employed, he owns a small bakery with his brother Olman. He is married and has two young children. Carlos is great for speaking in public, and has great gifts for singing. He is very humble and always open to advice, and he is all the time seeking it. Singing was led by Alberto Astorga, son of late preacher Freddy Astorga. We call him Beto. Beto is very faithful, and he is studying to become an architect.

First Baptism from Sunday evening Bible Studies

2009-05-25T07:42:00.000-07:00

Ramón López, Nicaraguan immigrant, was baptized on Sunday after the A.M. Service. Ramón had been invited had been invited by his sister Marlene, a member here. He has been coming to church during the last three months. He accepted Bible Studies around three months ago, so my brother Roberto and I began to go to his home every Sunday evening. Eventually this became the "Sunday Evening Bible Study." Roberto never missed a single Bible Study with Ramón and the people around him. So asked him to perform the baptism, but he said he needed training, so that's me in the picture with Ramón listening to the words from Matthew 28 and Acts 2.

Roberto and Noris Ulate

2009-05-23T08:46:00.000-07:00

Roberto Ulate is the head of a family of 7. They have been attending over the last six or seven months. They have been very faithful. Four of them have been baptized. The rest include a three year old girl, and two are studying with us, and considering a decision. Roberto provides great leadership to the North West Bible Study. He is very committed and always very excited about the Lord. He is always reading Bible commentaries online, and actually getting involved in debates with groups that are preaching the so called gospel of prosperity. Roberto is a lawyer who has his own office. He has been a great inspiration to me. Noris, Roberto's wife, has become a very active member of the ladies group. She and Roxana have become great friends, and a positive influence for the ladies of the church. Three of Roberto's children are active members of the Youth Group.

North West Bible Study

2009-05-22T11:27:00.000-07:00

Bible Study started at 8:35. This Bible Study group meets in the home of Roberto and Noris Ulate. Three trainees were present: Daniel Delgado, Esteban Delgado, and Luis Montero. Bible Study centered on the subject of the natural revelation of God. Passages covered included, Romans 1.20, Psalms 19.1, 2, Acts 17.24, 25. Participants were able to reflect a lot on the greatness of God. Esteban and Daniel are very well read and their contributions were highly valued. Luis is a great example with his quite way of influencing others.

Thank You Brothers and Sisters at Bammel For Your Encouragement

2009-05-22T07:52:00.000-07:00

I have received two encouraging notes from the Bammel church so far. Roxana and I are humbled by God's use of our relationship with you at Bammel to support us and encourage us. Yesterday, when I was walking out of the post office, note in hand, many thoughts of you praying for Roxana and I went through my mind. I also imagined you in a meeting, thinking about what to do to encourage us missionaries, and making a decision about sending such notes. It is just great to know that I am not alone in these efforts. Many lives are being touched by God's Word, and the Bammel church is being used as a tremendous instrument in making it a reality. Thank you for your encouragement.

Midweek Bible Study at the Church Building

2009-05-21T20:44:00.000-07:00

We started at 7:30 p.m. A total of 23 people attended the Midweek Bible study. There were 17 adults, 4 teenagers, and 2 children. 21 were members and 2 were visitors. I handed out cards for them to write prayers requests. The Bible study concentrated on Romans 8.18-25. It was no possible to cover all of the material prepared. Basically, the lesson concentrated on the fact that we live in a world that has been cursed by our sin. This creation will be set free from its slavery to corruption. I explained that this refers to Revelation 21.1 and 2 Peter 3.7-13. The redemption of our bodies refers to 1 Corinthians 15.43-53. We reflected upon the fact that this creation was subjected to futility and related it to Genesis 3.17, 18. We talked about the loss of meaning if no there is no belief in God. Then it was time to pray. We divided in two groups —men and ladies. There were 11 prayer requests. The men were given 6, and the women 5. The men were led by Carlos Hernández and the ladies were led by Roxana Chaves. We finished at 8:30 p.m.

Bible Study with Two Who Are Visiting

2009-05-21T16:47:00.000-07:00

Two ladies who are visiting the church came home today to have a Bible study. They asked questions about the differences between certain protestant church and the church we go to. I explained that the differences are not as interesting as the characteristics of the model church, which is the original one, the church the New Testament talks about. They asked me if we had some manual that regulated the hair and the dress of the women. I explained that the original church did not have such regulations, that in the first epistle to the Corinthians (11:15), the apostle Paul said that it was more honorable for women to let their hair grow, because instead of veil the hair was given to them. I explained that this apostolic recommendation could not be considered a prohibition for us today, because it is a very particular situation at that time and in that region of the world. The veil for covering the head of women was an item demanded by the society of those times, and that women had to observe, whether they were members of the church or not . Therefore, it is not possible to infer that today God is demanding that women in the church do not cut their hair. Then we studied the subject of the Lord's Super. They explained to me that they are not participating in it because "they do not feel able". We talked about what "feeling able" meant and they explained that they would not do it until they were baptized; so we talked about what was keeping them from being baptized and cleared some doubts.

2009-05-19T11:28:00.000-07:00

From Resident Training to Extension Evangelism

By Carlos Ulate

Most churches within the fellowship of churches of Christ in Latin America have not been successful in the development of elders and deacons, and much less in the hiring of a preacher to work fulltime with total support from the local church.

In my opinion, this is the result of using a missionary approach that should be reconsidered. The first missionaries came to Costa Rica almost fifty years ago, and to date, not a single church has elders, and I only know of one that supports its own preacher on a full time basis (Hatillo church of Christ in San José).

In Costa Rica, after the missionaries left at the end of the 1980´s, most churches went under the leadership of locals with support from churches from the States. Many more churches were started, there are almost 50 of them now, but all of them lack the biblical pattern for leadership.
What have we done wrong? I think I learned the lesson in Honduras, where I was a missionary for six years. When I first arrived to Catacamas, Olancho, in 1988, I became the director of the preacher school called Escuela Biblica Honduras. This school was totally under support from the States. It was a two-year program and, when I arrived, there were close to twenty graduates all over Honduras who had already started churches with full time support from the States. They were receiving around 300 dollars each, some more, some less, depending on the US church or the US individual they were getting support from. Some were very able and attracted no only support for themselves, but also funds for the buildings and many other needs.
I was expected to teach and graduate a new group of preachers. After the first two years I was able to get 7 men through the program, for whom my US coworkers had to go fundraising in the States for more support, so that seven new churches could be started, because the support they had as students had to continue for the new students we hoped to recruit for the new generation. Every two years we would have to go through this process. Let’s give this method of mission work the name of Resident Training.

When my sponsors and I began to question what we were doing, we came to the conclusion that were doing something wrong. It didn’t make sense to us that, for a new church to be started, there would have to be a graduate in place, and new support would have to be sought for him. There was also this frame of mind in our graduates: if they started new churches in nearby villages, they felt there was no way the new church could go on its own unless there was more US involvement: more money for fulltime workers, and money for buildings, for benches, for transportation, etc.

The reason why it didn’t make sense to us was this: almost all the churches were incapable of developing its own leadership, starting new churches, supporting their own preacher. In other words they didn’t meet the qualifications of indigenous churches, churches that are self-governing, self-propagating, and self-supporting (as specialists in missions call them). Let’s give this method of mission work the name of Leadership Training Evangelism (LTE, a term coined by Dr. Ed Mattews, ACU).

My coworkers in the States were very kind to send me Dr. Ed Matthews to spend a week with me in Catacamas to analyze this situation. He was very instrumental in helping us to make a transition from Resident Training to LTE. After my second year of work there, we immediately closed the Resident Training program and started to use some of the graduates, still supported by our program, to do extension work. They would go to a village every weekend to hold the Sunday morning service, and they would try to train the locals to help them become the local workers with self-support. During the week, I would spend time with them helping them with further training in Catacamas. I was able to do this for the next couple of years, and soon had to come back to my home country. The work went on with the Escuela Biblica people helping the graduates, however, I am afraid that the results of what happened after that have gone unrecorded.

According to the Resident Training method of mission work, there would not be any natural sustainable long-term growth. Any growth at all would have to be artificial; in other words, the people in the States would have to keep injecting an ever-increasing amount of funds for any growth to be accomplished. When I talk about growth I mean more villages reached, more churches planted.

Regarding local growth some preachers would be very successful converting great numbers of people, but soon this people would find themselves with a US supported preacher controlling everything and little responsibility given to the locals so that they could develop leadership. The development of local leadership would be stifled from the very beginning by the precedent set by the US supported preacher. This is what I call the wrong precedent.
The problem with the wrong precedent at a very critical time, which is the starting of the church is this: When there is significant involvement of U.S. money in the process, for example a building, this sets a precedent, which is very difficult to overcome, the locals will inevitably continue to expect everything to come from brethren in the States, in other words, they become dependent.

Another example of the wrong precedent is the role of the US supported preacher. He is perceived and perceives himself as the local preacher. He is expected to function as the “pulpit minister”, and in the absence of elders, he has to do elder’s work; in the absence of deacons, he has to do deacon’s work. In some cases, he and his family end up controlling everything. The locals depend totally on him for everything. He gets frustrated and blames the locals for not assuming responsibilities. Now, it is important to note that he and his sponsors in the States are totally well meaning throughout the whole process.

To me, there is nothing wrong with him receiving support from the US, there is nothing wrong with him having to function as the local preacher for the first few months or even years. To me, what could be wrong is the missionary approach to the work. Maybe our Bible schools in the US and in Latin America are not preparing them well regarding missionary strategies.

To me, there is a different approach, a sound strategy that could be used. I propose that the US supported preacher or evangelist, look at the apostle Paul, and learn from him, what he did. There are of course enormous differences between his context and ours, but in the main, he was successful because from the very beginning he set the right precedent, he didn’t make the locals dependent on him.

As I see it, this is what the apostle Paul would do if he lived in our time: He would go into a village or town, and he would not worry from the very beginning about the church owning its facilities. He would understand from the very beginning that since there is no church yet, it doesn’t make sense to have a building yet, so he would use the facilities that are already in place: the homes of the families that open their doors to the gospel.

Buildings are important to have a respectable image and to give the church an identity to attract people, however, at this stage this should not be important. He must have patience; if he wants sustainable growth and an indigenous church to be the outcome, he must understand what is really important at this time: the first fruits. The first family or families that open the door can perfectly meet in one location of their own. The apostle Paul would want to concentrate on them. He would want to convert them and then train them. There would be of course others who would be converted later and would be considered first fruits too.

The first fruits are important; because in the absence of elders they are the natural leaders (1 Corinthians 16.15, 16) the rest of the converts should subject themselves too. If the evangelist does this well, he would not be the only one people would subject themselves too, he would be a first fruit too. It would be easier for him to leave and start new works.

At this stage the church is small and doesn’t own its own building, and this should not be an issue yet. When the building becomes an issue, the evangelist would not have to be the only one to worry about it; at this time there would be others to worry with him. Or, he could perfectly tell them that he wishes to move on and start new works, and let them as locals worry about the building. At this time he would have done a good job training them to be preachers and teachers. All his energies would have been concentrated on developing them as people and not on developing and controlling structures such as buildings and organizations. He would have done a good job at training them in doing personal evangelism, which is the best method to save souls. He would have taught many other skills like holding business meetings and making decisions, etc.

Planting new churches would be easier for him, because there would be families in the initial congregation who would live in the places where he wishes to start the process all over again. He would convince the brethren in the first congregation to let these families go. Some of the brethren from the initial congregation would want to accompany the evangelist to learn from him. Eventually, the evangelist could come back as a coach to help the first congregation in the process of appointing elders and hiring their own preacher.

This approach is natural. It does not require raising funds forever in the States for new preachers or for church buildings. It is totally indigenous, in other words, the churches are planted in such a way that they soon become self-sufficient in three important areas: organization, finances and evangelization (they will be self-governing, self-sufficient, and self-propagating). The churches would be taught from the very beginning to be responsible for such endeavors. There will not be precedent of dependence on US funds, which is what has kept many churches in Latin America from becoming self-sufficient.

Walter goes from thinking the worst to thankfulness

2009-05-12T10:54:00.000-07:00

This morning, Roxana and I went to see Walter. We were concerned about him because he had just gotten through with a four weeks flebitis episode in his rigt leg, but then his left foot began to show signs of a second episode. Earlier this morning, Walter and I had talked about this, and he was thinking the worst. The doctor was due this morning before our visit, so, when Roxana and I arrived we were there just on time to find out about the doctor's news. The doctor said, "not so"! It is just a little bit of trauma from his sandals! The doctor said his heart sounds strong, his lungs are in great shape, so we will have Walter around for a while. You could tell Myrna was really excited. So we hudled in prayer of thankfulness and thanked the Lord for the news. Walter will be 84 tomorrow, so we brought him a basket of fruit to show him our appreciation.

Bible Study at Doña Lorena's canceled, Elida wants to be baptized

2009-05-11T22:45:00.000-07:00

This Bible study had to be canceled. Doña Lorena was not available. She was baby sitting for her son who is a surgeon and was called to perform an emergeny surgery. Roberto and I decided to take the night off to rest. When I was home, Elida called me and she and I had a "Phone Bible Study," because she said she is ready to be baptized. However, she had a lot of questions about her former baptism in a denomination. Finally, she said she wants to be baptized on the Sunday that is closest to her birthday on May, 26. I explained to her that the meaning of baptism implies that you don't have to wait, because it is the actual time of conversion, etc. Now it is up to her when she will be baptized.

Sunday Evening Services (May 10, 2009)

2009-05-10T22:52:00.000-07:00

I call it Sunday Evening Services, but it is actually a Bible study. There were 17 people present, made up by 12 adults 2 teenagers and 3 children. This number included 6 visitors —people who are studying with us. The title was Understanding Our Need for Salvation. Participation was great, with people actually asking if they needed to be baptized. The answer of course was yes. They were open to continue to study with us, until a decision can be made. There were four trainees present. They are learning how to do the same thing with other groups later on.

Sunday Morning Services (May 10, 2009)

2009-05-10T14:23:00.000-07:00

There were 115 people attending! The following is the composition of the crowd: 89 members and 26 visits. The members were made up by 60 adults, 12 teenagers, and 17 children. The visits were made up by 20 adults, 3 teenagers, and 3 children. Out of the 26 visits, 8 are members from other congregations who may end up placing their membership with us.

The Sunday School crowd was a little lower than the Worship's. However still many people attended. This time I presented a contrast between Eros Love and Agape Love. Participation was high. Lots of comments and nodding of heads as the points were presented. Some of the young couples who are dating were specially interested. The singles did'nt comment much, but I am sure they really profited.

The sermon was delivered by trainee David Alvarado. David happens to be dating my youngest, Rebeca. He did an excellent job. I am not exagerating. He actually overdid me. His presentation was so professional, with Power Point, Pictures, Videos, and Text. He went out of his way to rent a video projector (We decided afterwards that the church will pay for this). One of the videos drove the point home very effectively. The crowded was touched. The title of the presentation was "The Power of the Parents Influence". The text used was Ephesians 6.1-4. David is a second year Business Administration students, who is paying his own way through college. His dad is a cab driver, no a member yet. His mother is a member here. She must have been proud of her son, and Rebeca, my daughter too.

The singing was led by Daniel Delgado, bank teller, single. Daniel demonstrated a special ability with his voice. He motivated the crowd to sing. He used the same equipment David had rented. So it worked out great, because everybody was able to read the words on the screen.

Carlos Hernandez presented the announcements. He was in charge of the last prayer too. His prayer was special in that he thanked the Lord for David's presentation. This is kind of unusual. I encouraged him to continue to do so.

What else? Oh, the contribution: $327.

Business Meeting

2009-05-09T20:15:00.000-07:00

This meeting is carried out every second Saturday of the month. From the group of 5 men who are elected to assist in the leadership, only Walter Jones and I were able to make it to the meeting. Thankfully there were two brothers who had been invited to be part of this business meeting: Roberto Ulate and Esteban Delgado. Also, four ladies had asked us to come to the meeting to express their desire to work in different areas such as. Essentially they proposed two areas of work where they feel they would be helpful: visitation and maintenance of the building. We discussed several aspects where we feel we need to mature as a church. We decided that we will teach the church the principles of Acts 6 and will apply them in the election of members who will be able to carry these works.

North West Bible Study

2009-05-08T23:30:00.000-07:00

Two of my trainees and I went to teach the North West Bible Study. When we arrived, we found out that the Youth Group was taking the family kids to another home where they would spend the night. Roberto wouldn't be taking the kids to that home and it would be a while before he could be back. So he and I decided to cancel the Bible Study for the first time in about three months.

My two trainees and I ended up spending some time encouraging one another. One of them let us know about all the pressure that has been mounting up on him, due to the very difficult family, work (or the lack of it), and career situations he is going through. We lent an ear to his words of anguish, and then prayed for him.

May be if the Bible Study hadn't been canceled this trainee would not have had the opportunity to be encouraged. But then, there is a question, why should a Bible Study have to be canceled for brethren to receive encouragement?

Baptism and midweek Bible Study at the church building

2009-05-07T21:38:00.000-07:00

Milady's co-worker was baptized! I had mentioned Milady in the April report as one of the few members who can and does personal Bible study. Milady asked Roxana and I to give her coworker one last Bible study, then I proceeded to baptize her. She is a call center agent. She lives in Santo Domingo, another town near Heredia, on a secondary road towards San José. We need to pray that in the near future, she and her family will be the seed of the church in that town. According to our philosophy of missions, new churches must be started with first fruits. This lady is the first fruit of Santo Domingo, although right now she is attending the Heredia church.

There were 21 attending the Midweek Bible Study. There were 13 adults, 1 teenager, 3 children, and 4 visits. We covered Romans 8.15-18. Other passages studied were Isaiah 6.1-7, Psalms 32, and 1 John 1.5—2.1 The main point was that we are adopted children of a God who is awesomely holy. We need to understand that God has made it possible for us to be adopted by taking away our sins. However, for us to be cleansed, we need to walk in the light, in other words, to confess that we do sin.

Personal Bible Study

2009-05-06T11:30:00.000-07:00

Elida, 23, is a girl who joined the Sunday evening activity two weeks ago. She is the one who wanted further Bible study after the Sunday evening service. We had made plans for her to come Wednesday morning to our house to spend another hour studying God's Word. Elida is a baby sitter, but she had the morning off.

She is interested in having knowledge of the Bible in general, so I helped her with a quick survey of the Old Testament. She had many questions, so I had a hard time staying on the subject. Finally, I gave her a copy of A Survey of the Old Testament, an issue I had translated for Truth for Today a few years back, and asked her to continue studying it.

South West Bible Study

2009-05-05T22:11:00.000-07:00

This Bible study is carried out at doña Maritza's. This lady has been coming to church for quite a while. She has two children, Michael who is 12, and Paula, who is 6. My brother Roberto came with Paula, her 3 year old girl. So there were six of us. We started at 8:45 p.m. and finished at 9:35. We studied Romans 1, 2, and 3. I tried to help Maritza understand the need we all have to be made righteous by Jesus' blood. However, for us to really apreciate this righteousness from God, we need to understand the futility of us pretending to earn it. So, a lot of emphasis was made on the fact that those people we consider better than us, are not really better in God's sight. Also, we need to accept that we are not better than those we consider worse than us. It's just like it says at the end of Romans 3.22 and the whole of 3.23: "… there is no distinction, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." There is not even one who measures up.

We are helping Maritza with a decision. She says she was baptized in a denomination. We are helping her decide whether her baptism was Scriptural.

Bible Study at Doña Lorena's

2009-05-04T12:15:00.000-07:00

Today was the third Bible Study we had with Doña Lorena. This is a neighbour of my brother Roberto, in the Norh East corner of the city. She was contacted in my brother's office one day when church member Myriam Brenes wanted my brother to notarize a sale of some property in downtown Heredia from Doña Lorena.

Doña Lorena was not feeling well today, so we kept it short, it didn't last more than 30 minutes. We studied 2nd Timothy 3.14-17. Concentrated on the idea of what "inspired" means. Then we went on to reflect on the power of God's Word, with support from Hebrews 4.12 and Isaiah 55.11.

Sunday Evening Service

2009-05-03T23:06:00.000-07:00

There were 14 people present in the first Sunday Evening Service in years. One was me, the preacher. Four of them were traineess. Four were children. Three were visitors. Two were women who are members. A couple who are visitors couldn't make it because she was not feeling well. The topic covered was from Ephesians 4.11-16, about the importance of being active members of the body to be able to grow until we all reach the full measure of the stature of Christ. One of the visitors, Elida, insisted on me giving her further Bible study. She came with one of the families who are members. I went to their home and gave Elida and the family one more Bible study. She was very interested on different subjects. We only had time for one. She had been a member of a denomination, where one pastor runs the church. She wanted to know about the biblical way of running a church. We studied most of the passages related the subject. When we are about to finish, since the home we were in was next door to the couple where one lady was not feeling, I ended having to take her to the hospital. I took her and her husband to the hospital. She was having an asthma crisis and actually collapsed. Her husband picked her up and put er in my car and we all drove to the hospital. I made sure she was taken care of in the hospital. I ended up getting home two hours later than initially expected.

Sunday Morning Services

2009-05-03T16:12:00.000-07:00

A total of 97 people attended services today. There were 57 adults, 14 teenagers, 13 children, and 14 visitors. Two of the visitors were members from another congregation. Three of them are members from Nicaragua who are considering membership in our congregation. The rest are studying with us during the week. The contribution was in the neighbourhood of 329 dollars. Attendance to Sunday School was large.

The Sunday School teacher was Carlos Ulate. We are studying a series from Truth for Today, Let't Get Serious About Love. We began studying today The Greeks Had A Word for It. There was a lot of participation. We concentrated on the word eros. Aboundant explanation was used to give the biblical idea of eros. A lot of single people present. They really needed to hear a positive approach to sexuality. It was aboundantly explained that God is not against it. However, His conditions must be met for eros to be enjoyed. The most important condition to be met is agape.

In the Worhip Service, the singing was led by Olman Brenes, a qualified song leader. Olman has an excellent baritone voice. He is a faithful man of God and family man. When he leads, the church does sing, because he commands a lot of respect. Today we started using the new songbooks. This is a compilation done by Raquel Ulate. The members are being asked to acquire their personal copy at the cost, two dollars.

The Lord's Supper was conducted by Roberto Ulate. Roberto and his whole family are still faithful after being baptized in September, 2008. Roberto did a great job. He is learning very quickly. Joshua, his son, led the Contribution prayer.

The announcements were given by Luis Montero, a young man who is very faithful, recently elected as part of the Youth Group leadership committee. Luis has a natural gift for public speaking. He is presently unemployed, doing odd jobs. We really wished he had the opportunity to get a college education, but he can't because he has to take care of his younger brothers, while his two older brothers work to make a living for the family of five. Their father died threee years ago and their mother married another man who didn't adopt them.

First Saturday of the month.

2009-05-02T19:44:00.000-07:00

It was first Saturday of the month. We had the meeting of the ladies in the auditorium and the meeting of the men in the largest classroom. There were 30 women and 20 men attending. Most men were singe adults and teens. There were only four married adults. We had a lively discussion about leading people to Christ, specifically, about How to Bring a person to the decision point of baptism. Key passages covered were John 3.1-6, Mark 16.15, 16, 1st Corinthians 15.1-4, and Romans 6.3, 4. The leaders and trainees of all the midweek groups were present. It was new stuff for all of them. They really needed to learn the connection between the gospel (death, burial, and resurrection) and baptism. There was a lot of participation from most of them. The basic message given was this: When you are teaching a person about baptism, help him or her understand that the salvation achieved by Jesus on the cross 2000 years ago is achieved in the person who is baptized today, because this person is united with Him in the likeness of His death (Romans 6.5).

In the women meeting, the class was taught by Sindy Elizondo, a single woman, who has been a member all her life. Sindy is professional high school counselor. She works for the public education system. Sindy taught a lesson about the three key factors needed for the church to have a successful work in the Lord: Like what you do, Work for the Lord without being told what to do, and Encourage one another. Roxana's report about the quality and creativity of her presentation is glowing. The person in charge of organizing these ladies meetings every first Saturday of the month is Milady Masís.

History of the Heredia church of Christ

2008-11-20T13:19:00.000-08:00

The Heredia church of Christ was established in March 1996 by Freddy and Damaris Astorga and family. He started it in his home in Barva, Heredia, another city North of the main city of Heredia.

Two years later there were 25 members and they were renting a location in Barva to handle the increase. In 1999, church member Miriam Hernández, a local business woman, loaned the church a meeting place in Heredia downtown, where the church met for three years free of charge.

During the three years in this location 40 were baptized and then the church was able to purchase the present property where the church meets. The church borrowed the money from INVU, a public housing institution, and moved into the new building in 2001. The loan has been paid off and there is no mortgage on the property.

By the year 2003, Walter and Myrna Jones, and Socorro Cruz, Myrna's sister, had moved to Heredia, Costa Rica. Walter and Myrna were very instrumental in assisting Freddy in the planting of this church, as they are today. Walter and Myrna provided emotional and financial support to Freddy and the church. Walter's presence has been very important for the church. One of the areas where Walter helps is the financial. He was elected as one of the men who assist in the leadership in the absence of elders.

In October 2006, Freddy Astorga went to the presence of the Lord at the age of 46 years. He left Damaris and three children, the oldest being 17 years old.

By the time when Freddy was gone, Carlos Ulate , former preacher at the Hatillo church of Christ in downtown San José, had moved his membership to the Heredia church, where he lives anyway. He and Freddy had been able to forge a friendship and by February 2006 Freddy had the vision to introduce Carlos as his co-worker, and assistant preacher. Carlos interprets this as the Lord's will for him (Carlos had left Hatillo, trying to have a break from heavy ministry burdens, and he thought he was going to have a break from ministry, but the Lord didn't think it was a good idea. He used Freddy to continue to use Carlos in the ministry).

So Carlos is elected to be the preacher in November 2006. Carlos then asked the church to elect other members to assist him in the Leadership.

The church has gone on. Since October, 18 people have been baptized and added to the church.

There are now 95 members.

Carlos is partially supported since September 15, by the Bammel church. The rest of his support comes from his half tenure as college professor at Universidad Nacional, the second largest public university in Costa Rica.