Life in Costa Rica

Jackson Scott Hoover  Born on April 24, 2021 at 6:48am weight: 3.070kg height: 51cm I am not usually one to share a ton on social media, but over the course of my pregnancy I found that I loved hearing about others birth stories and hospital experiences as I prepared for my own! It was comforting to hear that many of my fears and worries were not uncommon to others, and that every experience is so different, but also similar in many ways. I also am so blessed to be able to share this experience after being told two years ago (when I was diagnosed with lupus) that I might never be able to have a successful pregnancy!  We decided to have our baby here in the public hospital in Costa Rica, which meant I didn’t really have the option to make up my own “birth plan” – I would also need to be prepared for whatever COVID protocols were in place when he decided to come, and to have my Spanish skills prepared for such a high-pressure situation! On Thursday afternoon we headed to my...

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 ev...

Hey everyone, it has been a while since our last update, and so much has happened! We know that everyone’s lives still look quite different due to the pandemic, here is a little glimpse into all that we have been up to over the last few months. Towards the beginning of the COVID lockdown, we began thinking and praying about starting to look for a house/land to purchase, instead of continuing to rent our current home. The extra time gave us the opportunity to drive around and see what our options might be in the area. We are excited to say, that after months of searching, we came across a plot of land that we really love, and that fits very well into what we can afford! It is a decent sized plot of farmland where we will be constructing our home on the land. Things have been moving along very well, and it looks like construction will start next week! We are excited to have this opportunity to build a home and use the property to provide jobs, and further our ministry. If you would...

 Hi friends, We want to take a minute and share what life has looked like in our little part of the world in the midst of this pandemic. We know everyone is facing unique and difficult times right now, and we are praying alongside you for things to return to “normal” once again! We are always thankful for social media and the ability to communicate regularly with people back home, as well as to stay informed of how things are being handled in our other home. Some of you have asked, what does social distancing and an economic crisis look like in Costa Rica, and how has it affected your ministry? ·          Driving restrictions were put in place from the very beginning to avoid unnecessary travel and gatherings. We are currently not allowed to drive on Sunday or Monday, or we could face a $200 fine. ·          A curfew was put in place from the beginning, starting at 5pm, which was later ex...

It has been a little while since our last update and we wanted to fill everyone in on what God has been up to in the past few months here in Santa Rosa, Costa Rica. We hit the ground running when we got back from our time in Pennsylvania. We were invited as a church to be part of a Christmas party that was held in the town of La Aldea. La Aldea is a small town where we have been invited to start a Bible study. We were very excited to be able to host a Gospel-centered Christmas party for the kids from there and all the surrounding villages/towns. Since our time here we have been able to make some strong connections with the families there, and we are looking forward to continuing our Bible study and relationships with the people. It has been amazing to see the growth in the people as God continues to open eyes and hearts to His saving grace. The first two weeks of January we held summer camps for the kids and youth from our church. The first week was geared towards the childr...

Hi everyone, It's been a few months since our move to Santa Rosa and our last post, and we are so excited to share everything that God has been doing in our lives and ministry! We have been adjusting well into this new environment, and are thankful for the amazing body of Christ we have around us to support and encourage us daily. It has been awesome getting to know Esteban and Hannah better and learn alongside them as we join in their service. This month we officially became members of the Church "Semillas de Vida" (Seeds of Life) and have jumped into full time ministry. Brandon has been able to help out with a few Sunday morning sermons, and has now taken the position of teaching a 30 minute Sunday School lesson before each service. He has been focusing on discipleship - what it is and how to implement it in our everyday lives. At this point Sunday School is still in the main room with everyone, but as the church grows and the building expands, we plan to have multi...