And the decision is... we’re staying in Costa Rica for another year! Family life and ministry are going well.
Steve continues to work with the ministry leaders in Tejarcillos, and teach and translate at the rehab center. A few weeks ago, Steve gave an invitation and three of the men received Christ as Lord and Savior. Steve attended the annual Celebrate Recovery Summit at Saddleback Church in August. He will be implementing the program at our church in San Jose this next year.
Martha will be starting Celebrate Recovery in the women’s prison here. She is also counseling at a nearby pastoral center. A total of seven new Celebrate Recovery groups have now grown out of a group that Martha and her friend Melanie started in our neighborhood. In this newsletter, we wanted to give you personal testimonies of our experiences with the two new ministries we’ve become part of...
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
New missions here
This past Spring I was approached by a fellow missionary about the possibility of starting a Celebrate Recovery meeting inside the women's prison here in Costa Rica. I was told that the women who were foreigners in the prison did not have any programs or help in English and that they desperately needed counsel and a means of working on the issues that had gotten them in a foreign prison in the first place.
The problem was that no other group had been allowed to meet with these women more than twice a month. To do the Celebrate Recovery program well, they would need to be allowed a meeting once a week for a two-hour time period. Another missionary had been meeting with the Latin women twice a month for Bible study and for the past twenty years, but to date, no one had been permitted to give a course or recovery program weekly.
After several weeks of prayer and counsel, I realized that God had given me a heart for these women and that I needed to try-- needed to attempt the daunting task of seeking permission to meet with them. A meeting was scheduled with the prison warden. We asked friends and family to pray for this meeting and for God's favor on our presentation. The missionary who would partner with me in this venture and I attended the meeting. Initially, my stomach buckled as the warden began the conversation, as his Spanish was rapid and difficult to understand and he was pressed for time and wanted a quick rundown of our proposal. The other missionary had little Spanish, so I knew that it would most likely be up to me to understand and respond. Silently, I prayed. God answered. My nerves subsided and my comprehension was restored. As I shared with the warden about our hopes to bring Celebrate Recovery to the prison, he shared that he had read a book by Rick Warren, who helped found the program. We had a wonderful conversation, and, at the end, he granted us permission to work with these women each week for the time we needed to do the program! The only hitch was that we would need to help in getting the classroom ready by providing the paint for the walls and chairs, etc. We jumped at this opportunity and are busy with preparations for preparing our course and our classroom!
What an answer to prayer! What seemed out of reach and impossible to so many around us was as a door that had been swung open by the Lord. It was as if God wanted us to learn and remember that nothing, nothing is impossible if ordained by Him (Matt.17:20). This will be the first program of recovery taken to this group of women from foreign countries and it is a blessing that God has allowed me to be a part of this process. God is teaching me all the more about trusting Him regardless of my circumstances, apart from what others say or believe, and in spite of how I feel. He truly does have wonderful things in store for His children.
Steve’s Story
We attend a church here in San Jose called Comunidad El Camino. The church has several outreach programs, including one called Nexus, which seeks to reach male prostitutes. These are not just any prostitutes, however. The vast majority are transvestites. I participate in this outreach. The only word I can think of to describe these men adequately at first glance is “freakish.”
In my work with drug addicts here, I have known young men who have worked as prostitutes. They were not homosexuals, but simply could not pass up the money. When a young man tells me this it does not surprise me. In spite of this, my first reaction in my first encounter with a transvestite prostitute was shock. I had to force myself not to stare. “Surely this one is a woman.” “Where does he hide his Adam's apple?” “This one's feet are too large. He should not be wearing sandals if he wants to pass for a woman.” These and many other thoughts raced through my mind.
The people who volunteer their time in this program have spent many evenings reaching out, offering prayers, sharing snacks and Bible verses, gaining the trust of these men. What impresses me about them is how naturally they converse with the prostitutes. How sincere they are in their concern for them. And how openly the sex workers relate to members of the team. It is fascinating and wonderful to be a part of.
What I have learned from the experience is this: that no matter how freakish these men may appear to us, we really are not very different at all. When we ask them how they are, what their concerns are, and how we can pray for them, they often answer in their best female voices that business is down and they are concerned about money. Others live in fear that they will be harmed by their clients. Many acknowledge that what they are doing is wrong, bad for them, and dangerous to their health, but they can't seem to let it go. Every single one that I have spoken with has believed in God.
Who among us does not feel the pinch of a slow economy or worry just a little about money? Who does not fear, if just a little, that he or she will be the next crime victim in this city? Very few among us have not sinned sexually either a little or a lot. And when we're really honest about it, most of us struggle with some form of excess or hang ups that are hard to let go of. And because of all this, at the end of the day, each one of us needs a Savior, Someone who loves us and will deliver us from evil.
And so I am learning not to judge. I am learning to see that someone who, on the outside, is as different as one can possibly be from me, has the same needs, hurts, hang ups, and desires that I have on the inside. Jesus did not judge sinners; He laid down His life for them. And I am among them.
There are eight men in the Nexus program who have left the streets and the transvestite lifestyle. I will be taking the men and the dozen or so team members through the Celebrate Recovery program during the next year.
The problem was that no other group had been allowed to meet with these women more than twice a month. To do the Celebrate Recovery program well, they would need to be allowed a meeting once a week for a two-hour time period. Another missionary had been meeting with the Latin women twice a month for Bible study and for the past twenty years, but to date, no one had been permitted to give a course or recovery program weekly.
After several weeks of prayer and counsel, I realized that God had given me a heart for these women and that I needed to try-- needed to attempt the daunting task of seeking permission to meet with them. A meeting was scheduled with the prison warden. We asked friends and family to pray for this meeting and for God's favor on our presentation. The missionary who would partner with me in this venture and I attended the meeting. Initially, my stomach buckled as the warden began the conversation, as his Spanish was rapid and difficult to understand and he was pressed for time and wanted a quick rundown of our proposal. The other missionary had little Spanish, so I knew that it would most likely be up to me to understand and respond. Silently, I prayed. God answered. My nerves subsided and my comprehension was restored. As I shared with the warden about our hopes to bring Celebrate Recovery to the prison, he shared that he had read a book by Rick Warren, who helped found the program. We had a wonderful conversation, and, at the end, he granted us permission to work with these women each week for the time we needed to do the program! The only hitch was that we would need to help in getting the classroom ready by providing the paint for the walls and chairs, etc. We jumped at this opportunity and are busy with preparations for preparing our course and our classroom!
What an answer to prayer! What seemed out of reach and impossible to so many around us was as a door that had been swung open by the Lord. It was as if God wanted us to learn and remember that nothing, nothing is impossible if ordained by Him (Matt.17:20). This will be the first program of recovery taken to this group of women from foreign countries and it is a blessing that God has allowed me to be a part of this process. God is teaching me all the more about trusting Him regardless of my circumstances, apart from what others say or believe, and in spite of how I feel. He truly does have wonderful things in store for His children.
Steve’s Story
We attend a church here in San Jose called Comunidad El Camino. The church has several outreach programs, including one called Nexus, which seeks to reach male prostitutes. These are not just any prostitutes, however. The vast majority are transvestites. I participate in this outreach. The only word I can think of to describe these men adequately at first glance is “freakish.”
In my work with drug addicts here, I have known young men who have worked as prostitutes. They were not homosexuals, but simply could not pass up the money. When a young man tells me this it does not surprise me. In spite of this, my first reaction in my first encounter with a transvestite prostitute was shock. I had to force myself not to stare. “Surely this one is a woman.” “Where does he hide his Adam's apple?” “This one's feet are too large. He should not be wearing sandals if he wants to pass for a woman.” These and many other thoughts raced through my mind.
The people who volunteer their time in this program have spent many evenings reaching out, offering prayers, sharing snacks and Bible verses, gaining the trust of these men. What impresses me about them is how naturally they converse with the prostitutes. How sincere they are in their concern for them. And how openly the sex workers relate to members of the team. It is fascinating and wonderful to be a part of.
What I have learned from the experience is this: that no matter how freakish these men may appear to us, we really are not very different at all. When we ask them how they are, what their concerns are, and how we can pray for them, they often answer in their best female voices that business is down and they are concerned about money. Others live in fear that they will be harmed by their clients. Many acknowledge that what they are doing is wrong, bad for them, and dangerous to their health, but they can't seem to let it go. Every single one that I have spoken with has believed in God.
Who among us does not feel the pinch of a slow economy or worry just a little about money? Who does not fear, if just a little, that he or she will be the next crime victim in this city? Very few among us have not sinned sexually either a little or a lot. And when we're really honest about it, most of us struggle with some form of excess or hang ups that are hard to let go of. And because of all this, at the end of the day, each one of us needs a Savior, Someone who loves us and will deliver us from evil.
And so I am learning not to judge. I am learning to see that someone who, on the outside, is as different as one can possibly be from me, has the same needs, hurts, hang ups, and desires that I have on the inside. Jesus did not judge sinners; He laid down His life for them. And I am among them.
There are eight men in the Nexus program who have left the streets and the transvestite lifestyle. I will be taking the men and the dozen or so team members through the Celebrate Recovery program during the next year.
Funding Desperately Needed!
We need your help. We feel called to this work and are excited about the vision the Lord has given us. But, we do not have sufficient support to make ends meet. We will only be able to fulfill our one-year commitment here if we can raise our income by at least $300 monthly. Please know that we are forgoing things like daily preschool for Joseph, car insurance, internet, cable TV, saving for college and retirement, and music and swimming lessons for the boys. Steve’s ‘87 Suzuki Samarai breaks down about once a month. In addition to the repair expenses, he has to cancel ministry activities whenever the car is in the shop. We desperately need a reliable car, but lack the funds to buy one.
Also, please remember that we receive no salary or remuneration whatsoever from TMCI. They do not provide health insurance, pay our taxes, or have a retirement fund. This is all the responsibility of the missionaries, and is not TMCI’s purpose. What TMCI does is graciously and faithfully pray for its missionaries, deposit support checks in our bank account, send receipts to our donors and provide a tax deduction for donations.
Therefore, we depend entirely on the generous support of people like you. We base our monthly budget on the pledges we receive. If pledged funds are not sent, or if a donor drops off without telling us, it is like having our pay docked, and we have to scramble to make ends meet that month. Also, the Tejarcillos and Celebrate Recovery ministries are funded entirely by your gifts to us. That’s why your partnership is crucial! We plan to be in the States for a brief furlough from December 17 to February 5, and would love to speak to your church, family, or civic group about the work we do. Please e-mail us at smjeavons@yahoo.com call us at 011-506-2273-0925.
Also, please remember that we receive no salary or remuneration whatsoever from TMCI. They do not provide health insurance, pay our taxes, or have a retirement fund. This is all the responsibility of the missionaries, and is not TMCI’s purpose. What TMCI does is graciously and faithfully pray for its missionaries, deposit support checks in our bank account, send receipts to our donors and provide a tax deduction for donations.
Therefore, we depend entirely on the generous support of people like you. We base our monthly budget on the pledges we receive. If pledged funds are not sent, or if a donor drops off without telling us, it is like having our pay docked, and we have to scramble to make ends meet that month. Also, the Tejarcillos and Celebrate Recovery ministries are funded entirely by your gifts to us. That’s why your partnership is crucial! We plan to be in the States for a brief furlough from December 17 to February 5, and would love to speak to your church, family, or civic group about the work we do. Please e-mail us at smjeavons@yahoo.com call us at 011-506-2273-0925.
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