Progress and Plans for New Mission Works in Costa Rica
We have been dedicated to nurturing couples with the potential to start new congregations in different parts of the country.
New Works and Leaders
San Isidro Mission
Over the past few months, we have held several Bible study sessions and discussions focused on the initiation of new works. The most promising project is set to begin in February 2025, in the city of San Isidro, located in the province of Heredia, which will include members from the canton of Moravia in the province of San José.
This new work will be led by Didier Rojas and his wife Éricka Chaves. They have been with us in Heredia since 2012 and have grown significantly within the church where Roxana and I have concentrated our efforts. Through cultivating a deep friendship and mutual support in times of great need, we have experienced growth exactly as described in Ephesians 4:16, where it is written that from the head, which is Christ, the members joined together by ligaments, according to the proper working of each individual part, grow to build themselves up in love. Didier and Éricka have matured to the point of being elders in the church in Heredia, but due to the need in other areas, we are willing to let them go so that the Lord can use their gifts in those places.
Other Promising Couples
Will and Shirley
Another couple with potential for a new work is Will and Shirley. They are a special couple with whom I have had five Bible study sessions, without pressuring them to attend church every Sunday. For them, it is easier to have weekly sessions of up to two hours with Frank, my collaborator, and me, rather than interacting with an already established group of people with their own internal connections, values, and affinities—things this couple does not necessarily share. Therefore, the work with them may not result in their integration into the church in Heredia, but into a group of about twelve people in a place called Turrúcares, about an hour from Heredia. There is a group of people there with whom they do have affinity, and they are waiting for our visit to evangelize them and start a new congregation there as well. We ask for your prayers so that a congregation of the Kingdom of God may also be formed in Turrúcares.
Dennis and Yoselin
A third couple we have had sessions with are Dennis and Yoselin, who will soon be moving to a place four hours from Heredia, called Guatuso. We have the challenge of preparing them so that they can form a new congregation in that place.
Shifting Perspective on Evangelism
A related theme to our work with these couples is the shift in our understanding of what the local church means to us in relation to the concept of the "Kingdom of God". We have come to understand evangelism from a broader perspective. We now see that it is not so much about working to make people members of the local church in Heredia. Rather, it is about bringing the Kingdom of God into their lives. Therefore, instead of "indoctrinating," we accompany people so that, through knowing our testimony, they can see the power of God reigning in our lives, making it easier for them to become church members later on. However, the result is not necessarily that they integrate into the church in Heredia, but that they can start forming their own group.
Collaboration with International Biblical Studies
Another important aspect of our work is our collaboration with Rocky Castleberry, director of International Biblical Studies, an online training effort for over 55 people from different countries, but mainly from Cuba. The last session of 2024 focused on giving several of them the opportunity to present a short sermon of 3 to 5 minutes and receive my feedback in order to evaluate the benefits of the training we have provided. As a result of the effort made in the last session, I was able to evaluate eight of them, including Eliécer Perez from the Dominican Republic, Lisanka Martínez and Henry Cabeza from Venezuela, and Rolando, Mirna, Dariana, Leonardo, and Juver from Cuba. Each of them chose a topic and decided to present either a thematic sermon or an expository sermon, according to the training that the Lord, by His grace, allowed me to provide through the collaboration with International Biblical Studies.
Ericka and Didier
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