There has been a lot that has happened since our last update and we are excited to bring you up to speed! We pray you had a wonderful Christmas season, celebrating the birth of our Savior. It is so easy to become distracted with gifts, family, and the busyness of Christmastime, but we hope you all found the time to reflect on the reason for our celebration. Jesus came to this lost world to provide hope and salvation and that is worth celebrating! We had a wonderful time gathering as a church family on Christmas Day to worship together and honor the birth of Christ. We fellowshipped together after our service with a lunch and some fun activities including a piñata, cookie decorating, and games in our new gymnasium!
This was our first activity that we were able to utilize our new gym building! The construction at the church is advancing quickly, and we are so excited to see the progress being made as the weeks go by! The roof has been placed and the floor has been poured, and now louvers are being placed to complete the outer walls. This building will serve as a new and expanded sanctuary, and we aren’t very far from having our first official church service in our new building. It is a blessing to say that our church is growing and this new multipurpose/gymnasium will provide ample space to
have church and host new ministry opportunities.
We are currently working through the book of Hebrews on Sunday mornings. The lessons learned throughout this book have been a huge blessing to both us and the congregation. Apart from our usual adult Sunday School class that Brandon oversees, he has been given the opportunity to step behind the pulpit more frequently for preaching opportunities. It is exciting to see the growth he has experienced in this area since joining this ministry 3 years ago. As the church grows and ministry expands, more opportunities to preach and teach have pushed Brandon to lean into the Lord for the words to say and the confidence needed to get up front and lead. In our adult Sunday school, he has been leading the group through a book on spiritual disciplines. We have all been challenged in our own personal and spiritual growth, as well in our efforts to communicate the Gospel to those around us. As we head into this new year, it is exciting to hear different commitments being made and goals being set to spend more time in the Word, and to share the good news with others. Pray with us that God will use the members of Semillas De Vida to spread His Word and make new disciples this year!
In family news, our daughter Nora Grace was born in dramatic fashion on November 21st in el Hospital San Carlos. We made it to the hospital with only a few minutes to spare, just in time for her to be born in the emergency room! We are thankful for a healthy baby girl and for a smooth recovery for Samantha. Jackson loves his new baby sister and gives her plenty of hugs and kisses. The month of December was full of visitors. We had grandma Didi (Dienner) here for a couple of weeks to help, followed by the Hoover family. Jackson had plenty of entertainment to help with this adjustment of adding a sibling, and the families were able to soak in as much cuddles as they could. We were sad to miss this holiday season in the States this year, but we are looking forward to our trip in the month of May to see the rest of our family and friends!
As we look forward to this new year, we are excited and honored to continue to be part of the work that God is doing here in Costa Rica. Each year comes with its own new adventures and challenges, and we are so thankful to have you alongside us in prayer and support as we serve the Lord. We pray that you also will be looking for opportunities to share the truth of the Gospel with those around you this year, as we all strive to fulfill the Great Commission. We are so blessed by our faithful community of financial supporters that allow us to continue serving the people here in Costa Rica - thank you for all you do for us! If you are interested in becoming a monthly partner with us, please click
this link and follow the prompts, and feel free to reach out with any questions
or for more information!
Philippians 2: 8-11
And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Comments
Post a Comment