Bethel Baptist Church

Sunday- We made it to the beautiful country of Costa Rica late in the day. Once we landed, we went straight to a church to settle in for the night.

We woke up early in the morning to the wonderful sunshine. We ate a quick breakfast and headed for a cultural experience to Wal-mart to get VBS supplies. After a relaxed morning, we hit the road to travel from San Jose to Nicoya. We arrived in the early afternoon to Anabelli's base. Once we got settled into our rooms we had a group meeting. It was a great way to understand the vision of this week and the desire of all our hearts for this week. This evening we went to church where we lead worship and Pastor T.J. gave the word. Afterwards we had a time of fellowship over a wonderfully cooked meal.

Today we woke up to a sunny day and headed to the church for breakfast. After breakfast kids from the community gathered for VBS. We began with some children's songs in Spanish. As we sang, more kids showed up to see what was going on. Then we went into a time for crafts where the kids taught us more Spanish. Then we went into a time of sharing where the children heard the story of creation. Afterwards the children played games with us. Then we had a wonderfully prepared lunch. After lunch we had a time of outreach to the community. There were so many cool experiences by sharing our faith with the people here. A few people were led to Christ and a man was healed! Amen. Following outreach we were able to bless the church here in Nicoya by painting the church. After a hot afternoon full of goodness and God, we sat down for dinner. We feel so blessed by the women cooking for us and feeding our appetites. The day finished with holding an abstinence class for the people in the community. We can't wait to see what God has for us tomorrow.

Another great day here in Nicoya! After a wonderful pancake breakfast we headed out for VBS. We were thrilled to have even more kids from the community join us and to share the love of God with them. We were able to finish even more painting for the local church. We hope to be able to finish all the painting and help get a new roof on the pastor's house. Evangelism this afternoon was another wonderful opportunity to share door to door with the community. We can't wait to share with everyone back home all the incredible things happening here. God is truly moving in this place.

So far this week God has really been moving. The people of Costa Rica are really open and accepting of us. Being here made us really slow down and think about our spiritual lives. We realized how much God can use the unworthy. God doesn't use the qualified, he qualifies the called, and the more we lean on God the more he can use us. It hasn't been easy but it has been great!

Everyone safely on the ground after a morning of zip lining!

Today we started the day with a wonderful breakfast at the church. It was a traditional Costa Rica breakfast of rice mixed with beans, peppers and spices. After breakfast we headed to our last VBS with the kids from the community. It was such a special time to spend with them. We said our last goodbye to the kids and gave them all giant hugs. We ate lunch at the church again and had some time to escape the heat. After lunch we went to work finishing up the painting of the church. The fresh coat of paint brightens up the sanctuary. Then we headed to a nearby church to do our final debrief meeting and watch the sunset. This was a great way to end an incredible week ministering the the people of Costa Rica. Finally we headed back to the church one last time for our last meal here in Nicoya.