Life in Costa Rica

Hello dear friends and family, Here is a quick update on what life has looked like for us these last few months, we are excited to head back to the states to celebrate Christmas in just a few days! With each GAP year comes different types of challenges and triumphs. We love seeing God's hand at work through the program, and are privileged to be a part of His work! Throughout this first semester, God has been growing and changing hearts in big ways. There are 20 students in the program this year, many of them with open hearts for learning, growing and serving. We are always amazed to see how God grabs a hold of people within the first couple of weeks and and how he uses class and ministry to draw them to himself. During this first semester, 5 students realized their need for a savior and a relationship with Christ! It has been so encouraging to see these new believers grow in their relationship with Christ, and to see other students rally together to challenge and strengthen eac

Hey there everyone! It’s been a little while since our last update and we would love to fill you in on what the Summer months have looked like for the Hoover’s down here in Costa Rica. A view of the mountains from our home In our last post we gave some news that God was on the move, doing something in our ministry that was bigger than what we could have ever imagined. We closed the doors to the church in Tirrases in May and have been trying our best to keep in touch and meet with some of the individuals from the church throughout the last few months. We are currently trying to figure out the best way to continue discipling and pouring into the people that God has placed in our paths from that town. Through many different circumstances since May, God has been giving us the confidence and reassurance that, even though it is hard, He is guiding our steps through all the changes. Our summer months were busy working with our awesome summer interns and some short-term groups a

“I have learned to kiss the wave that slams me into the Rock of Ages.” -Charles Spurgeon- The past 10+ months have been some of the hardest, most challenging and most stretching months of our lives. They have also been some of the most joyous, exciting and growing months. As I sit and reflect on all that has happened since Brandon and I started life together as a married couple, I praise God for every high and every low that he has brought us through. I marvel at the fact that He has never left our side and is continually guiding us through every step of our journey. I am amazed by the grace and love that He has shown us daily, even when we don’t deserve it. All of these things have helped us to grow closer together in our marriage, and closer to God as he pushes and pulls us. We are thankful for the many people who have joined us in our journey and for the prayers and encouragement we have received daily! Before leaving for Costa Rica in August of last year, we asked a few pe

    Hey everyone!     We are well into the second semester of the GAP year and so far have had an awesome start to 2018 here in San Jose, Costa Rica. There is so much to reflect on and be thankful for over the past two months, and we praise God for the how He is working in and through us!     January included many busy days and nights packed full of signing, playing, teaching, praying and fellowshipping with the people from our church. We held two full weeks of Summer camps for the kids and youth of Tirrases. Both weeks looked very different from each other, but God definitely used each one to leave a lasting impact on both the students lives and ours. The first week included a VBS in the town of Tirrases for kids ages 6-11. In the mornings we had time to play games, sing, and spend time getting to know the kids. After lunch, we had a Bible lesson and craft in the church. We all had a great time being with the kids throughout the week as well as teaching them what the Bible has to s

        We have just returned from our Christmas break in the states, and are headed into a busy couple of weeks! We had a great time back in the states, and are so thankful for the time we were able to spend with friends and family during the holiday season. As we head into this new year, it is crazy to look back and see all that has happened in 2017. We spent more than half the year engaged, and prepared for our wedding while finishing out a GAP  Year here in Costa Rica. Brandon began taking classes with LBC online, and is working towards his degree in biblical studies. We found and rented our first home together and began to make it our own. We were married, spent an amazing month in Lancaster with friends and family and then picked up our things and moved back to San Jose, Costa Rica. Since then, we have started our first GAP Year as a married couple, settled into our home, and started raising a puppy together! We were handed a church less than two months into our marriage and a