June Newsletter: Risen Hope in Costa Rica

  

May is here and gone, and we are on to our last two months in Costa Rica. This has been a difficult month. First of all, Lynn and I went home for Spring Break, and attended a funeral as well as visited my cousin who was diagnosed with a terminal illness. I got to share the gospel with him, and two weeks later I flew back to attend his funeral. :( While I was there, I caught COVID. As I was recovering, I got even more concerning news. A dear friend has been diagnosed with cancer. We are in the rainy season again here in Costa Rica, and when it rains it pours.


Final projects for Bible Class


 

For their final projects for the year in Bible class, my students have three choices: #1. Write a personal testimony of how you became a Christian. Here is an example of my personal testimony that I created for my students. Link

#2. Create a website that will explain how to become a Christian. Here is an example of a website I created for my students. Link 

#3. Create a worship song with an original melody. 

I am excited to report that the vast majority of my students are choosing option #1. This is encouraging because I know that this would not have been their choice at the beginning of the year. 


Our Grandchildren performed an excellent Easter play




 Lynn and I celebrated a belated Easter with our family two weeks after Easter. My grandchildren, with the help of Melissa, came up with a great idea for an Easter play. The play that my grandchildren created and performed made it feel like we did not miss Easter. They wrote a script based on the thieves who were crucified alongside of Jesus. I was very impressed with the thought, effort, and back story that they created for these characters. They also memorized lines and performed like pros. It was the best play they had ever done. 

Chapel 



 

In Chapel this month some really good things happened. We discussed the importance of hearing from God as well as praying to him. The students responded well to the message, and we were able to practice some Christian meditation. I was also able to share a guided prayer along the same lines in the Cartago Church. The main scripture I spoke from was Psalm 139. "How countless are your thoughts to me O God, and how vast are the sum of them, if I were to lie awake and count them, then they would be numerous than the sand on the seashore."



I also spoke on Christian Leadership. We used Paul's prayer from Philippians 2:6-8 to define Christian leadership. We played Hangman to think of the most significant quality in the leader's job description. The hints I gave them were that this master virtue consisted of Submission, Sacrifice, Suffering, and Service. The 8th graders were the winners. Jesus Christ best exemplified this virtue, but I also mentioned how the hero of the Costa Rican Filibuster War, Juan Santamaria was also a good example. Look at the passage and see if you can guess what this virtue is.


However, the highlight of the month, for me, was that someone else led chapel for me. Our vice principal Senor Oldemar was able to speak on Christian Fellowship and how our choice of friends and activities can help us become who we want to be or keep us from it. He captured the students' attention when he explained algorithms and then had the students scroll through their social media accounts to see what is capturing their time and attention. He told them a point blank that this reflected their current viewing habits. There were some shocked looks in the crowd, and it really made them think. They were still talking about the message days later.





Marriage Mentoring



Some of our marriage mentoring classes have been online. This month we visited our friends' house and shared a wonderful meal and fellowship. (We did not share the meal from the bunnies in the picture above, but Lynn enjoyed meeting them.)


Please pray…


  • No lasting problems from COVID

  • That my friend would be healed from cancer.

  • That we would be able to finish our service to Sojourn Academy with strength and joy. 

  • That we would get our car back soon.


Thanksgiving 

I always tell my students that we should remember answers to prayer as much as our prayer requests This month...


  • I want to thank God for giving success to someone new leading our chapel service.

  • Lynn finally is starting to feel comfortable in Costa Rica (now that I am beginning to get a little homesick)..

  • Lynn has become comfortable shopping (in Spanish) and taking transportation to church on her own.

  • For my students who are making a public profession of their faith in June.

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