Final Week Countdown

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As we approach our travel day to the USA there are so many thoughts and feelings circling our hearts and minds - it is hard to put into words the emotions that come with leaving one home to return to a place and culture that feels so familiar, yet so distant at the same time. Excitement to be close to family and friends, while grieving the farewells/“see you laters” to those who have become like family to us here. Anticipation for what life will look like in a new place and home, while holding tightly to these last days in the home we have built over the last 6 years. We are so grateful for the community we have formed here in Santa Rosa, and for the support they have shown us as we work towards this transition. 

The Lord has been so kind to us in our 15 years (9 of them as a married couple) here in Costa Rica as he has allowed us to know and serve Him in so many different contexts of ministry. From our days in the gap program and serving in the church in Tirrases, to the many short term teams we have led and translated for, to our roles here in the church of Semillas de Vida, and all the life lived in the midst of ministry. The Lord has sustained us through many hardships as well as we have navigated learning to live in a foreign context. Through various health diagnoses and operations, the pain of seeing family suffer through hardships and losses from afar, and learning to raise a family of our own far from loved ones… He has covered us in such grace and taught us how to truly lean not on our own understanding as He continues to bless and provide for us in so many ways. We know that closing this chapter of our lives is yet another step of faith and obedience, and that His presence remains here even in our absence. As we release this season and embrace the next, we pray for strength and guidance as we strive to continue to glorify and serve the Lord wherever he might lead us!


Our wonderful church family in the States and our faithful supporters is one way that the Lord’s provision and grace has been shown to us on the daily. We could tell so many stories of how God has blown us away with the continual support of these loved ones! Even now as we prepare for our arrival in PA we are overwhelmed with gratitude for all the kind words, prayers, and material gifts that have been sent our way. We know that God has sustained us over the years and will continue to provide for us until the end and we are extremely thankful for the people that He has placed in our lives to be apart of His work in Costa Rica.


Once again, we are so thankful for our time in Santa Rosa, serving in the ministry of Semillas de Vida. It has been an honor to be able to serve alongside our dear friends Esteban and Hannah and their family, and to see dreams become reality as the church has grown into what it is today. The people here have accepted and embraced us as family, and we will carry their example of Christ's love with us for the rest of our lives. Please continue to pray for this ministry as they also adjust to this change - that God will continue to raise up leaders from within, bring more people to a saving faith in Him, and that many will be able to impact the world for His kingdom.


In family news, the date of meeting our new baby girl is rapidly approaching. We ask for prayers for our travel day as we pack our entire lives into a handful of suitcases (along with our dog Beans) and with Samantha being 7 months pregnant. Soon after we arrive we will have an appointment with a doctor to help orient us with the birthing process in the U.S. The other two, Jackson and Nora, are excited to travel but also trying to wrap their little minds around all that is happening. Jackson will finish up with preschool here this week, and Nora is carefully planning all the things we will need to get for the new baby's nursery!





- Pray for our hearts as we are leaving behind many people whom we love dearly in Costa Rica

- Pray for our church Semillas de Vida as they also adjust to this change

- Pray for our cultural adjustment after living abroad for the past 15 years

- Pray that God will help us to find where we can invest our giftings for His glory in the Lancaster area

- Pray for Samantha and baby girl as her birth day is rapidly approaching

- Pray for travel mercies on May 20th







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