April 2021 Update

Hi everyone, we are well into 2021, and after a year of living and serving in the midst of a pandemic we are relieved to see things slowly move back to feeling “normal” again. Over the last few months, the number of new covid-19 cases in Costa Rica has been decreasing greatly, allowing officials to remove restrictions and curfews. We are excited to see kids returning to school for the first time since last March, and are thankful for the overall health and safety of our community and church during this past year!

Since the completion of the new addition onto our church building, we have begun incorporating an adult Sunday School hour on Sunday mornings. So far, Brandon has led the church through a series on soteriology – the doctrine of salvation. We are now going through a series of lessons on apologetics, where we are learning how to defend what it is that we believe. It is exciting to see people get excited about learning how to bring up conversations about Jesus and salvation in everyday encounters, and to share their own testimony as a tool for spreading the Gospel! Please keep praying for Brandon as he leads this study, and for our church as they gain an excitement for sharing the Truth of the Gospel with the lost. In our main service time, we are studying through the book of 1 Corinthians together which has been a huge blessing for our church as well.

At the beginning of March welcomed our friends from the Tri-M ministry for a week-long intensive course on Spiritual Disciplines and the book of 2 Timothy. They also came back again this past weekend for a one-day workshop on eschatology.

We have also been continuing with our study in the town of La Aldea. This is always a highlight of our week, as we are so thankful to be a part of the work that God is doing in this little town. Brandon has been leading the small group through the Gospel of Mark and we are excited to see the continued growth in this small town. We have especially been encouraged with the growth in the life of David. He is one of our original connections in the town and we have been excited to see his passion and desire to reach others with the good news of the gospel.

Here on the farm, we officially moved into our new home in January! We are slowly finishing up details as we go, and were excited to be able to host a few visitors from San Jose already. We are excited to see how we can use this property and home to further our ministry here in Costa Rica, as we invest in animals and trees in the hopes of potentially providing a few jobs and some income for a few people we are working with.

We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our baby boy in just a few weeks! Thank you to everyone for your encouragement and prayers during the last few months. So far, we have had great reports from the Dr. and Samantha has been feeling healthy throughout the whole process! We couldn’t be more excited to welcome this little life into our home in May, and are looking forward to the visits from family and friends throughout the summer months.

We also want to say a huge thank you for all the prayers and encouragement in our unexpected trip to PA at the end of March. Brandon’s grandfather passed away on March 14, and we were thankful to be able to make the trip home the following week to attend the viewing and funeral services, and spend time with family. It was a bittersweet time of mourning as well as reflecting on the hope and comfort we have in Christ. We are thankful for all that Grandpop has done for us over the years, and for the part that he played in Brandon’s testimony of salvation! We were also glad to be able to see family and friends sooner than expected, and share in our joy of expecting our baby in May!  

Thank you again to our financial support team! We would not be where we are now if it weren't for our financial supporters. If you would like to join our team and be apart of what God is at work doing feel free to reach out to us and we would be happy to provide more information. https://cmcmissions.org/donate