February 2011

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.