Risen Hope Mission to Costa Rica February 2022

This month has been a month of transition at our school. We added fourteen new missionary

families, added a new principal and assistant principal, and lost our Spanish teacher all in the

same month. In addition Moosesend has begun charging for their service, so I will begin

sending this newsletter by email without the help of their editing software. Constant change

seems here to stay, and it has been stressful for the entire school community. I am posting

this without Lynn's help editing so bear with me.


Sojourn and The Spanish Language Institute News


It was very exciting to welcome fourteen new families to our language school this month.

When they first arrived the entire cohort was exposed to COVID. Can you imagine coming to

a foreign country and immediately being placed into quarantine for ten days. Our school

Sojourn Academy was able to drop off care packages for them. Here are some pictures. 



The Admin. team in my car


Giving the new arrivals care packages



We were able to invite one of the new families, (the Hansons), over for hospitality later in the

month. They are from Illinois  and will be deployed to Panama to help an indigenous church

there. I was able to share with them my own indigenous experiences in Panama when I was

a teacher at PALCS.


 

The new administration decided to have us make benchmark tests within the week it was first

announced. This was very stressful for Lynn, but after she was done she was able to escape

for some R&R with our daughter Carolyn in Florida. We look forward to things settling down

now that our leaders have a month under their belt. 


Local Church Partners In Costa Rica News


The Cartago church is doing well. I did not understand until recently that there is no tax

deduction for giving to churches in Costa Rica. (With the notable exception of the Catholic

Church.) Our friends Kevin and Pri invited us over for Bar-B-Que and explained some of the

differences in the banking system. I am writing this post while I am waiting in the bank of

Costa Rica all afternoon. It seems that when we cashed our paychecks they gave me a

majority of obsolete money, and now I need to exchange it. Oh the joys of banking in Costa

Rica!


My good friend Bob Wright came to visit us this month. He came to the Cartago church where

he was warmly received by Allan Monge and many of the brothers and sisters. Bob has been

a great help in moving the church from our store front to its current location in a bodega.

(Warehouse) Bob and I went out to lunch afterwards. Here is a picture of us at the Cartago

Restaurant where we enjoyed hospitality together.

 


We had a work day at the Cartago church this month. We painted a wall to offset our new

screen to display the words for worship. Here is a before and after picture. Worship has been

my favorite part of the Sunday Service. In learning Spanish we have found that we

understand reading first, and our ability to speak second, and our ability to understand last. I

felt I was really able to connect in worship this past Sunday in a meaningful way. I am also

able to follow along during the message with my bilingual bible that was a present from the

Cartago Church. Lynn and I are very thankful for our bilingual bibles. 


Before

After


I had the opportunity to get together with my pastor Tim Shorey this month. I am teaching an

apologetics course, and it was very helpful to bounce ideas off of him. We are so grateful for our

partnership with Risen Hope Church. I have an amazing community group, and we get to enjoy

community over Zoom in a foreign county once a week. Mark Praetor has recently completed a BLOG

post on missions where he announced a new website. You can find it here. I am so grateful for the

partnership of Sovereign Grace, Risen Hope and Covenant Fellowship. If you missed the post on

Gospel Patrons that I wrote this month you can find it here. 



Pat teaching in the chapel



Lynn in her classroom. 


Please pray...


  • that things become more stable in our school. Transitions are hard on the teachers and the students. 

  • our new after school bible study will continue to grow. So far our best attendance has been ten students. :) 

  • for all three of our Costa Rican churches in Cartago, San Jose and Playa Azul. Pray that they will continue to grow, and be self supporting, and embrace our polity. 


Thanksgiving 


I always tell my students that we should remember answers to prayer as much as our prayer

requests. 

This month...

  •  I was able to start a bible club at the school, 

  • we continue to have a good number of teachers and staff participate in our Wednesday morning prayer meetings, 

  • God has met me in coming up with messages to give to the high school on Thursday afternoons for the high school chapel. 



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