"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." Jeremiah 1:4-5

Frederick Buechner defines one's calling as, "the place where your deepest gladness and the world's greatest hunger meet."

Last weekend 35 pastors and church leaders from across Costa Rica came together to reflect, reaffirm and renew their calls to ministry. In silent reflection, small group sharing and community worship, we encountered our Creator calling us into partnership and reminding us of who we are and for what we have been created. Our second annual Call Retreat was designed to allow time and space to hear God's voice in our life and ministry. Focusing on the metaphor of God as potter and our lives as the clay, we were reminded not only of our need to be pliable and teachable, but that we hold in our fragile bodies a remarkable treasure of good news for a searching world. We celebrated the privilege and the pain of being called to share in God's life-giving plan as we so often find ourselves surrounded by signs of death and discouragement. Together we explored the depths, not always confident of what we might find, but in the process we rediscovered our solid foundation, Who holds us together and gives us the courage to be who we were meant to be.

This retreat was made possible by the prayers and financial support of our partners in ministry who have given faithfully and sacrificially to the World Mission Offering and International Ministries. Thanks for being a part of forming and transforming the servant leadership of the Baptist Churches in Costa Rica.