RECENT ANSWERS TO PRAYER

Dear partners in ministry:

Thank you for your prayers.  We want to share some answers to prayer that we've seen lately

 *Erik Lopez, one of our seminary grads, was named co-pastor of Emanuel Baptist Church in Aserrí, with special responsibilities for their new mission church in San Marcos de Terrazu.  It's been a joy to watch Erik grow as a leader and to see the church reaching out.

 *The candle making cooperative at the Butterfly Transformation Center is moving right along.  Women from the church and community are using their gifts and gaining new skills and confidence.  Currently, Mylinda is working with the women to find regular buyers (other than you work team folks) for the candles.

 *Gary teaches a preaching class Tuesday nights at the Mansion of Light Baptist Church in La Guácima .  14 brave souls signed up and for some of them it's the first time they've ever spoken in public, or even read a scripture from the pulpit.  But in spite of the terror, each of them is working with a biblical passage from which they will preach.  The other night, Jessica (who also makes candles) was talking about her scripture text, its context and her interpretation when it hit her; she was a real live theologian and a preacher in the making!

 *Sarah Nash, a volunteer from Olympia, WA, has returned to Costa Rica and will do a year of language study.  She's is getting reacquainted with her friends at the Aserrí church and helping us in ministry, but her primary emphasis here will be to learn the language and the culture and seek God's direction.

 *Hope Lambert, another volunteer, also arrived recently and is serving in a ministry in the needy community of La Carpio and living with her Costa Rican friends Alba, Geanina and Pablo.

 *Volunteers Jenn and Chris Savage are serving in Cahuita and Limon, on the Caribbean coast.   They are doing a lot of teaching at a school and helping out in many ways. 

 PLEASE PRAY FOR:

 *Pastors for our churches.  Many of our churches are currently without pastors.  Pray that God would raise up new leaders and help the churches see that they can do meaningful ministry during the transitions.

 *Churches.  Some of our churches are doing good ministry, but others are in conflict or are dysfunctional.  Pray that there would be healing, reconciliation, and new energy.

 *Sarah as she battles grammar and phonetics.

 *Hope as she dives into ministry in La Carpio.

*Jenn and Chris as they serve and adapt to life and relationship-building on the Caribbean.

 *Candle buyers.

 *Gary's students.

 *Please continue to pray for the people of Haiti and Japan and please give generously to relief and rebuilding efforts.

 Finally, we want to let you know that we will be in Puerto Rico next month at the biennial of the American Baptist Churches.  We hope to see some of you there.

 In the meantime, thanks for your prayers and for your ongoing financial support that allows us to see God at work in Costa Rica.

 Gracias,

 Gary