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During our itineration we drove nearly 50,000 miles. We’d driven from Kansas City, MO to Savannah, GA and from Erie, PA to Orlando, FL. With all of that driving, I guess you could say that we had gotten used to living out of our car. It had driven us through the winter snow the spring floods and the summer heat. Needless to say, moving to Costa Rica and leaving our car behind has been quite a change of pace.

Instead of racking up miles behind the wheel, we’re logging kilometers with our feet. Instead of loading up the kids in the van to head to the store, we’re busy learning which buses will get us there. Instead of hopping into the car to get to service, we’re hailing a cab. Some days, things go smoothly: the bus is on time and there are seats available, the cabs are plentiful. Other days, like this past Friday, it’s a bit more difficult: the bus arrives off schedule and the seating is standing room only, the cabs are occupied.

On the positive side, however, the lack of a car is helping us work our way out of the sedentary lifestyle that itineration can impose. Also, the change to public transportation has pushed us into interactions we’d otherwise not have. Take our encounter with Jimmy, for example. Not only was I able to share the gospel in our 20 minute taxi ride with him, I was also able to introduce him to the pastor friend that we were visiting that evening, linking him with a Bible-believing congregation in his own section of the city.

So things have changed. Drive-thrus are no longer an option, and there’s not even one travel mug in my cabinet, but life does go on for us in Costa Rica, in some ways for the better.

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At least we can say we have quiet neighbors...

By now, you´ve probably read our most recent newletter recording the next steps that we will be taking having departed from the States. Knowing our current location, in here in San José, you may have asked, “Why Costa Rica? Why travel thousands of miles past your destination when your calling would seem to take you elsewhere, especially after already having served for three years in Mexico?” As we were deciding whether or not to take this six-week refresher course, I found myself asking the same questions, and here are some of the answers that I arrived at:

  1. Because Costa Rica is the where CINCEL is located.

    Quite simply, if as A/G missionaries, we desire to study the Spanish language, CINCEL, the Spanish language institute of Assemblies of God World Missions in Costa Rica is the place to do it. It is the only A/G facility of its kind in all of Latin America. But more than that, the staff faculty and facilities are designed so that we can successfully immerse ourselves into the study and practice of the Spanish language. We are corrected and challenged in ways that we would be unable to attain in another setting, especially in Mexico, where, out of politeness or respect, we might get stuck in bad habits.

  2. Because clear communication is essential to what we do as missionaries.

    With a calling to “preach the Word”, we carry a burden to communicate clearly God´s message, calling a people, whose language is not our own, into reconciliation with Him. In order to do this we must dedicate ourselves to a profound study of the language, doing our best to ensure that we do not serve to confuse what God has called us to make clear.

  3. Because competence builds confidence.

    As we move out to do God´s work, there is a need to convey with confidence the message that we communicate. If we are more concerned with the language than we are the message, our self-doubt about how we say what we are trying to say may communicate to our listeners an uncertainty about the actual message that we share. An uneasiness about our competence in the language may even tempt us to keep our mouths shut when the need or the Spirit would have us do otherwise. Confidence, therefore, so that we might boldy declare our message can be built as we gain a competence in the language through our studies here.

  4. Because we work better together

    In a context like CINCEL, where A/G missionaries gather from all over Latin America, we find incredible opportunities to mix with other missionaries, to exchange our burdens and ideas with one another, and to sharpen one another as we study together. For example, I sat with David Isabelli, a fellow missionary to Mexico, recently during a break in the library. He shared with me insight into several ministry ideas that I had contemplated incorporating when we returned to Mérida. Without this opportunity, I might not have been able to have this interaction.

So as we move through these six weeks in Costa Rica, we’re looking forward to maximizing these benefits, understanding that because of them, we’ll be better missionaries.

We’re now only a day away from leaving for the field! Take a look at our online newsletter to get all of the information, including our next steps as we make our way to Mexico. Also, be sure to note our updated address and phone numbers listed on the sidebar. Click here or on the picture to see all that is going on!

Our online newsletter is viewable as a PDF document. If you do not have the Adobe Acrobat Reader software installed, you may download it here.


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This has been a season of transition for us, an upheaval of sorts, as we take steps to return to the field. As I’ve not been able to spend time for a full-length reflection, I thought that I might offer this hiaku to summarize a bit of what our last few weeks have been:

Missionary Transition

Cardboard box
All must fit inside
Frustration

Photo by: z287marc

Almost…

A friend of mine likes to describe soccer as a game in which something almost happens. If you had a chance to watch or listen to the recent World Cup tournament, you might have an idea of what he means:

A drive starts deep in the team’s own territory. The ball is moved up steadily through the backfield. Passes are made to advance across the midfield to the opposing team’s territory. Then, an attacker advances ahead, centers the ball to a teammate and the kick is made. The ball speeds closer and closer toward the goal. The goalie leaps to trap it, but it sails just past his outstretched hand. The crowd stands to its feet to cheer as the ball sails… just wide of the goal. Instead of a shout of jubilation a collective “Ohhh!” is heard. The team had almost scored a goal.

As we near the end of our time here in the States, our experience has been somewhat reminiscent of this scene. However, for us, it’s not been a trophy that we’ve been shooting for, but our visas. We had been told that all was ready and that we would be receiving them soon, but new complications have arisen taking a bit of wind out of our sails. We stood to our feet to cheer, only to watch as our efforts have still sailed wide of the goal. We still stand almost ready to leave for Mexico.

We appreciate it then if you would stand with us in prayer regarding this item. Pray for us that our visa complications will be resolved soon, and that, with visas in hand, we’ll be able to make plans for our departure. We understand that our departure date is still almost two months away, but we need to begin to make preparations now so that we don’t have to make last minute ticket purchases.

So pray with us that our visas will be delivered–that our shot on goal will hit the mark, that we won’t have to stay almost ready to to return to the field.

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This post was intended to be a prayer request. We had been several months without our visas as they had been trapped in the renewal process since November of last year. An oversight on our part, coupled with a complete change in the visa process had held up their renewal long past the month expected wait time. As we have been here in the US itinerating, that delay had been a mere annoyance, but now, as that time draws to a close, our need for those visas has become much more urgent.

Imagine then my shock when, after sending in additional documentation and paying all our fees, I receive an email saying that our expediter has yet to receive our visas that I was to have sent to him to be renewed! This was unwelcome news indeed; not only were our visas delayed, now it was possible that they had been lost!

This post was to be written to ask for prayer for this difficult process, that our visas would be found and that they would arrive soon. However, instead of sending that prayer request, I have the pleasure of posting a praise report! Just this week, we received word that a mistake had been made. Our visas, though delayed had not been lost. Furthermore, we would be receiving them in a matter of days.

So it seems as though we have an real-life example of Matthew 6:8 in process. Even before we had asked for prayer, our Father knew that we had need of our visas in order to return to Mexico. So rejoice with us! We have one less hurdle to jump on our way back to the field!

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I took a trip this past weekend to Washington, DC. No, I wasn’t being called in for the Supreme Court Justice hearings. Nor was I called in for my opinions on financial regulations that are being discussed in Congress. I had the opportunity to spend some time with my twin brother and his family while holding a service at the Bridge Community Church in Warrenton, VA. Here are a few random photos (It’s a work in progress, so check back if you’re able):


“Some random shots of my trip out east to hang with my brother and his family and to minister in Warrenton, VA”

From Washington/Virginia Trip 2010. Posted by David Godzwa on 7/03/2010 (9 items)

Generated by Facebook Photo Fetcher 2

As itinerating missionaries, we know travel. We’ve put over 40,000 miles on our car. We’ve stayed in homes and hotels. We’ve eaten in restaurants from Niagra Falls to the Gulf shores of Texas. But this last weekend, my boys and I experienced travel of a different kind: Royal Ranger Pow Wow 2010: Knights for Christ.

Pow Wow meant travel to Rocky Mount Royal Ranger Camp in central Missouri. It meant sleeping in tents, and eating in the open air. It meant BB guns, and tomahawk throwing, and non-stop action from early in the morning until late at night.

I took a few pictures of the event that I thought you might enjoy. Take a look, and relive with us a change of pace for this itinerating missionary family:


From Pow Wow 2010. Posted by David Godzwa on 6/18/2010 (10 items)

Generated by Facebook Photo Fetcher 2

Reading this via text email or RSS feed? Are the captions showing? If not, check out the pictures here:
https://www.disciplemexico.org/?p=1331

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Recognize this picture? If you’ve seen our missions display you might.

It’s a snapshot of our struggle to teach and train in spite of the lack of resources on the mission field. In that particular instance, I was trying to set up an old projector without a VGA cable on a kiddie table. The result, after an hour of work, was frustration. We went without the Power Point that session. It’s a common tale when we have to rely on what the local church may have on hand to facilitate our presentations. In many locations, even a white board is a luxury!

However, thanks to Vector Ministries and their Speed the Light challenge, the frustration that you see in the above picture is a thing of the past. This past Sunday, at Praise Assembly in Springfield, they presented us with a brand new Sanyo projector, complete with cables! Now instead of worrying about our equipment us as we head out to train, we’ll be able to focus on discipling those we’ve been called to serve.

Thanks Vector Ministries!

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ENewsSum10The school year is over, and summer is here. As we welcome those warmer temperatures, we wanted to update you on our progress toward Mexico.

Click on the image above or here in order to read the two page electronic version of our print newsletter.



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