The Christmas dinner for the prostitutes looked like it would go over like a lead balloon...at first. Three hundred dollars had been raised for the dinner and then was stolen out of the office of one of the pastors. The crime remains a mystery...no one knows who did it or how. More money was raised and the dinner went on anyway.
We passed out 79 invitations in the weeks leading up to the dinner. Thirty minutes after we were supposed to begin, only six had showed up. We shouldn't have been overly disappointed; the fact that six prostitutes would darken the doors of our church offices was still pretty good. But we were hoping for more--honestly, a lot more. Undaunted by the relatively low attendance, the director of the program and another person went out to the streets and invited folks once again to take a break from their work and come join us for dinner. 45 minutes later, twenty more prostitutes filed in in their "work clothes."
Before we ate, the prostitutes heard a message on God's purpose for our lives. An invitation was given for folks to receive Christ as Lord and Savior. One person accepted. Afterwards we passed out gift-wrapped copies of the book Una Vida con Proposito, a.k.a. The Purpose Driven Life.
About two thirds of the guests were men, most of whom were transvestites (don't ask me why this form of prostitution is so popular here; I'll never understand it). Martha and I sat at a table with a woman named Nuria from our church and four female prostitutes. Two were from Costa Rica and two from Nicaragua.
One of them, a young lady named Veronica, mentioned that she'd like to find other work, mainly because it keeps her out all night and she has several children. (The fact is that prostitution is a trap that snares many folks who are poor and lack job skills. It pays very well, is legal, and it's only way these folks know how make a decent living. To put it plainly, they get dependent on, if not addicted to, the money. So once you're in, it's next to impossible to get out. Understanding this, the Nexus program provides the funding for folks to live on so they can leave prostitution immediately and go get job training in another field. As you can imagine, this can take several years.)
I mentioned to Veronica that the church provides material support to folks who want to leave prostitution. She wanted to know more, so we introduced her to the directors of the program. Please pray that she'll take the next step.
After the dinner, they all filed out and, I presume, went to work. Pray that the message from the dinner and the book will take root and result in changed lives. I'll keep you posted...
Monday, December 20, 2010
Saturday, November 27, 2010
A Christmas Dinner for Hookers
We Church folks are often moved when we read of the conversion of Matthew the tax collector. Soon after Matthew's decision to follow Jesus, he threw a big party for none other than his old sinner friends. The religious folks stayed away--all except Jesus and his disciples. He was vilified and criticized by the folks who lived right, to which Jesus replied that it was the sick, not the well, who need a doctor.
Fast forward two thousand years. Here in San Jose, the Nexus (prostitution outreach) team gives a Christmas dinner for the street walkers every year. We've spent the last few Wednesdays passing out invitations to the prostitutes on the streets. We have invited maybe sixty prostitutes so far, and plan to invite a total of eighty. I missed last year's dinner because our family had gone to the US for Christmas and furlough. They tell me that the dinner is traditionally well-attended. The fact that any prostitutes would attend a church dinner can be attributed to the gifts of evangelism and compassion that prevail among the outreach team. The dinner is December 8. Please pray that it would be well-attended and for changed lives!
This past Wednesday night we ran into a teenager named Fabian, with whom I had prayed to receive Christ 18 months ago at the rehab center. He was out prostituting himself. The thing that was shocking to me was that Fabian was not a drug addict. The director of the center had taken him in because he was under 18 and had no place to go, as his parents had kicked him out. Fabian was basically a good kid. He stayed at the center for about eight months and moved on when the center closed. He was looking for work at the time. This is apparently what he found. I had never known him to be effeminate at all, but when I saw him last week he had developed effeminate mannerisms (though he was not in drag).
I tried to conceal my shock. I told him how good it was to see him again, and invited him to the dinner. The folks on the team said that he seemed genuinely glad to see me. Please pray for Fabian, that he would attend the dinner and, more importantly, return to Christ.
Fast forward two thousand years. Here in San Jose, the Nexus (prostitution outreach) team gives a Christmas dinner for the street walkers every year. We've spent the last few Wednesdays passing out invitations to the prostitutes on the streets. We have invited maybe sixty prostitutes so far, and plan to invite a total of eighty. I missed last year's dinner because our family had gone to the US for Christmas and furlough. They tell me that the dinner is traditionally well-attended. The fact that any prostitutes would attend a church dinner can be attributed to the gifts of evangelism and compassion that prevail among the outreach team. The dinner is December 8. Please pray that it would be well-attended and for changed lives!
This past Wednesday night we ran into a teenager named Fabian, with whom I had prayed to receive Christ 18 months ago at the rehab center. He was out prostituting himself. The thing that was shocking to me was that Fabian was not a drug addict. The director of the center had taken him in because he was under 18 and had no place to go, as his parents had kicked him out. Fabian was basically a good kid. He stayed at the center for about eight months and moved on when the center closed. He was looking for work at the time. This is apparently what he found. I had never known him to be effeminate at all, but when I saw him last week he had developed effeminate mannerisms (though he was not in drag).
I tried to conceal my shock. I told him how good it was to see him again, and invited him to the dinner. The folks on the team said that he seemed genuinely glad to see me. Please pray for Fabian, that he would attend the dinner and, more importantly, return to Christ.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
At the Site of the Landslide
Costa Rica made international headlines nine days ago when a landslide left 27 people dead. The avalanche took place on the other side of the city from us on the opposite side of the mountains from Tejarcillos. Rock and mudslides are very common here. Mostly they're a nuisance. Occasionally they're deadly.
Last night Cristina, one of our teachers in Tejarcillos, called and said that a friend of her sister's lived in a house that had been hit. They needed help getting the rest of the mud out of the house and would I be willing to take some folks there and help out. So today four of us went out to the site. What we found was shocking even nine days afterward.
Usually landslides happen where there are cliffs or steep dropoffs. Whatever makes up the side of the mountain gets wet and comes loose. It normally falls straight down in a fairly small area. That was what I imagined had happened this time, but it was completely different. This time the landslide took place about three miles up the mountain and came rushing through a mountain pass in a torrent of mud and rocks.
This is what I saw: The house we went to clean has a four-foot wall in front of it. There were mud stains three feet high up the wall. Unfortunately, the weight of the onslaught forced open a door and broke through a metal panel of the gate, allowing the mud to rush into the house. The family had heard the noise and screams before the torrent reached them and got out of bed (it was between 2 and 3 a.m. when it hit). They ran to a neighbor's house behind them which was slightly out of the path of the onslaught. Everyone got there safely. At the house I saw a bed frame about a foot high. It was still completely covered in mud. All the appliances that were on the floor (refrigerator, stove, etc.) were destroyed. Our job was to clear away the foot-deep mud in a utility room.
In front of the house was a small river. Its banks were 15-20 apart, about eight feet high, though the water was 6-12 inches deep and maybe eight feet wide. I said to Cristina, "Now I can see what happened. This river must have flooded and become a torrent with all the rain and helped bring down all this debris from the mountain." Cristina told me, "Steve, you don't get it. That river wasn't there before." It had been created by the landslide.
The work went quickly and so we decided to hike up to where the worst of the damage had occurred. Again, the only word for it was "shocking." You could see where one house had been spared by a few feet and the house next door had been wiped out because of the whims of the twists and turns of the onslaught. We saw where there had been houses just nine days earlier, and now there was nothing. Well, almost nothing. The families were wiped out. There was twisted corrigated metal and splintered lumber. A child's backpack with Winnie-the-Pooh on it. Two blankets that had once kept someone warm on the chilly nights there. Ruined speakers from a sound system resting fifty feet apart. I wondered what songs they had played the last day they were used.
There were boulders as big as trucks. Water still shot 20-25 feet in the air from a ruptured pipe. We hiked maybe 1000 feet up the mountain. We finally reached a point where we could see the top of where the landslide started. It was maybe three quarters of a mile away and another 1000 feet up. We couldn't see below it though from our vantage point. This was another shock. There was a small bald spot way up the mountain. It looked like nothing. Apparently the little bald spot had grown and picked up speed like the proverbial snowball on the way down.
Afterward we had lunch at the house to which the family had retreated. They asked me to say the blessing. I was thankful for the food and fellowship. Thankful for all those that God spared. I trust that He was in control that night. But there's still so much I don't understand. It was hard to say thanks for this meal when so many others nearby were displaced, grieving, or dead. I prayed anyway. I hope you will too.
Last night Cristina, one of our teachers in Tejarcillos, called and said that a friend of her sister's lived in a house that had been hit. They needed help getting the rest of the mud out of the house and would I be willing to take some folks there and help out. So today four of us went out to the site. What we found was shocking even nine days afterward.
Usually landslides happen where there are cliffs or steep dropoffs. Whatever makes up the side of the mountain gets wet and comes loose. It normally falls straight down in a fairly small area. That was what I imagined had happened this time, but it was completely different. This time the landslide took place about three miles up the mountain and came rushing through a mountain pass in a torrent of mud and rocks.
This is what I saw: The house we went to clean has a four-foot wall in front of it. There were mud stains three feet high up the wall. Unfortunately, the weight of the onslaught forced open a door and broke through a metal panel of the gate, allowing the mud to rush into the house. The family had heard the noise and screams before the torrent reached them and got out of bed (it was between 2 and 3 a.m. when it hit). They ran to a neighbor's house behind them which was slightly out of the path of the onslaught. Everyone got there safely. At the house I saw a bed frame about a foot high. It was still completely covered in mud. All the appliances that were on the floor (refrigerator, stove, etc.) were destroyed. Our job was to clear away the foot-deep mud in a utility room.
In front of the house was a small river. Its banks were 15-20 apart, about eight feet high, though the water was 6-12 inches deep and maybe eight feet wide. I said to Cristina, "Now I can see what happened. This river must have flooded and become a torrent with all the rain and helped bring down all this debris from the mountain." Cristina told me, "Steve, you don't get it. That river wasn't there before." It had been created by the landslide.
The work went quickly and so we decided to hike up to where the worst of the damage had occurred. Again, the only word for it was "shocking." You could see where one house had been spared by a few feet and the house next door had been wiped out because of the whims of the twists and turns of the onslaught. We saw where there had been houses just nine days earlier, and now there was nothing. Well, almost nothing. The families were wiped out. There was twisted corrigated metal and splintered lumber. A child's backpack with Winnie-the-Pooh on it. Two blankets that had once kept someone warm on the chilly nights there. Ruined speakers from a sound system resting fifty feet apart. I wondered what songs they had played the last day they were used.
There were boulders as big as trucks. Water still shot 20-25 feet in the air from a ruptured pipe. We hiked maybe 1000 feet up the mountain. We finally reached a point where we could see the top of where the landslide started. It was maybe three quarters of a mile away and another 1000 feet up. We couldn't see below it though from our vantage point. This was another shock. There was a small bald spot way up the mountain. It looked like nothing. Apparently the little bald spot had grown and picked up speed like the proverbial snowball on the way down.
Afterward we had lunch at the house to which the family had retreated. They asked me to say the blessing. I was thankful for the food and fellowship. Thankful for all those that God spared. I trust that He was in control that night. But there's still so much I don't understand. It was hard to say thanks for this meal when so many others nearby were displaced, grieving, or dead. I prayed anyway. I hope you will too.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Why I'm Voting Republican
I (Steve) have never been a member of any political party, and I don't ever intend to join one. Why? Mainly because I have at times felt compelled to either preach or write on political issues, and I don't want to be accused of being partisan.
Having said that, however, I must confess that I have not voted for a single Democrat since 1994. There were three offices up for grabs on the Kentucky ballot that year. If you remember, that was the year of the Contract with America, which swept the Republicans back into control of the House and Senate. I voted for the Democrat for two of the three offices. The reason was that these Democrats were pro life, as were the Republicans, but the Dems seemed to understand better the nuances of other current issues, so I trusted them to make better-informed, wiser decisions.
Fast forward sixteen years. Though an independent, I have not voted for a single Democrat since that fateful mid-term election. Some would say I am a Republican dressed up in Independent's clothing. Some would say, "A rose by any other name...."
I don't see it that way. As it has turned out, every election since 1994 has been an easy choice for me. In the places I have been registered, each election has offered the option between a pro-abortion Democrat and a pro-life Republican. For me the choice has had nothing to do with whether the candidate has a D or an R next to his or her name, and everything to do with their stand on abortion. I have been called a single-issue voter. I find that term offensive. It is, I believe, an attempt to marginalize folks who have strong convictions on the abortion issue.
Almost anyone has minimum standards for who they'd vote for. Would you vote for an avowed racist? A member of the North American Man-Boy Love Association? You wouldn't? But doesn't that make you a single-issue voter? Of course not. Even if you agreed with a racist or pedophile on most other issues, you would vote for someone else because you find their stand on that one issue to be so repugnant. These are qualifying issues. To qualify for my vote, one must affirm what I'm convinced that everyone really knows, but many refuse to admit: that a baby in the womb is a real human being, created in the image of God, and deserving of legal protection. My arguments against abortion, very briefly, boil down to the indisputable biological facts concerning fetal develpment. You can't treat these facts seriously and conclude that the fetus is not a person. If it is a person, then anyone reasonable person will agree that it's wrong to take an innocent human life. In my judgment, a candidate must affirm this to be qualified for public office. For the past sixteen years all the ones who have done so happened to be Republicans; all those who have failed to qualify have been Democrats.
Of course, there are other very important issues. It's my observation that both parties have been completely out of touch with the American people. When the Republicans were in office, we went to war on a false pretense and the economy tanked due to irresponsible policies. One of these was constantly claiming to be for smaller government and fiscal restraint while habitually passing federal budgets with so much pork and waste that it boggles the mind of anyone who's not a politician. So the people ousted them.
Then the Democrats took over. My observation is that the people gave them a very limited mandate: fix the economy. Then we can talk. But the Democrats failed to fix the economy and tried to implement a radical liberal agenda that the people didn't want. This included trampling on states' rights, record deficits due to government-run-amok (which our children will have to pay back), gay marriage, self-affirming, practicing homosexuals in the military (no one is saying that gays can't serve; only that they stay out of their fellow solders' faces with it), tax-payer funding of abortion-on-demand, and government takeover of private industry (also known as socialism).
The latest polls are predicting that the GOP will take control of the House, and shrink the Dems' majority in the Senate to 52-48.* I'll be faxing in my vote to help make that happen, trusting that the GOP learned its lesson in 2008.
What will you do? Leave a comment!
*Independent senators are counted with the party with whom they tend to lean.
Having said that, however, I must confess that I have not voted for a single Democrat since 1994. There were three offices up for grabs on the Kentucky ballot that year. If you remember, that was the year of the Contract with America, which swept the Republicans back into control of the House and Senate. I voted for the Democrat for two of the three offices. The reason was that these Democrats were pro life, as were the Republicans, but the Dems seemed to understand better the nuances of other current issues, so I trusted them to make better-informed, wiser decisions.
Fast forward sixteen years. Though an independent, I have not voted for a single Democrat since that fateful mid-term election. Some would say I am a Republican dressed up in Independent's clothing. Some would say, "A rose by any other name...."
I don't see it that way. As it has turned out, every election since 1994 has been an easy choice for me. In the places I have been registered, each election has offered the option between a pro-abortion Democrat and a pro-life Republican. For me the choice has had nothing to do with whether the candidate has a D or an R next to his or her name, and everything to do with their stand on abortion. I have been called a single-issue voter. I find that term offensive. It is, I believe, an attempt to marginalize folks who have strong convictions on the abortion issue.
Almost anyone has minimum standards for who they'd vote for. Would you vote for an avowed racist? A member of the North American Man-Boy Love Association? You wouldn't? But doesn't that make you a single-issue voter? Of course not. Even if you agreed with a racist or pedophile on most other issues, you would vote for someone else because you find their stand on that one issue to be so repugnant. These are qualifying issues. To qualify for my vote, one must affirm what I'm convinced that everyone really knows, but many refuse to admit: that a baby in the womb is a real human being, created in the image of God, and deserving of legal protection. My arguments against abortion, very briefly, boil down to the indisputable biological facts concerning fetal develpment. You can't treat these facts seriously and conclude that the fetus is not a person. If it is a person, then anyone reasonable person will agree that it's wrong to take an innocent human life. In my judgment, a candidate must affirm this to be qualified for public office. For the past sixteen years all the ones who have done so happened to be Republicans; all those who have failed to qualify have been Democrats.
Of course, there are other very important issues. It's my observation that both parties have been completely out of touch with the American people. When the Republicans were in office, we went to war on a false pretense and the economy tanked due to irresponsible policies. One of these was constantly claiming to be for smaller government and fiscal restraint while habitually passing federal budgets with so much pork and waste that it boggles the mind of anyone who's not a politician. So the people ousted them.
Then the Democrats took over. My observation is that the people gave them a very limited mandate: fix the economy. Then we can talk. But the Democrats failed to fix the economy and tried to implement a radical liberal agenda that the people didn't want. This included trampling on states' rights, record deficits due to government-run-amok (which our children will have to pay back), gay marriage, self-affirming, practicing homosexuals in the military (no one is saying that gays can't serve; only that they stay out of their fellow solders' faces with it), tax-payer funding of abortion-on-demand, and government takeover of private industry (also known as socialism).
The latest polls are predicting that the GOP will take control of the House, and shrink the Dems' majority in the Senate to 52-48.* I'll be faxing in my vote to help make that happen, trusting that the GOP learned its lesson in 2008.
What will you do? Leave a comment!
*Independent senators are counted with the party with whom they tend to lean.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Martha Gets Stitches Out
Martha went to the doctor this past Wednesday and got the inner layer of her stitches out. How do they do that without opening her up again, you ask? Well, as it turns out, the stitches rise to the surface on their own and begin to poke through the skin. Ouch! She still needs to go in for a thorough checkup for hidden moles, and then will have to have checkups every two months for the next year.
The outreach by our kids in Tejarcillos was postponed a week by the rehab center we were partnering with, and Martha and I could not attend on the new date. Fran and Ileana, some adult volunteers, and the children pulled the whole thing off beautifully. The only thing Martha and I contributed was funding. This underscored Martha's and my belief that we have worked ourselves out of a job. If we should decide to restart the church it would require Martha and me to be more involved, but if we continue on as a parachurch ministry, we would feel totally comfortable turning the reigns of the ministry over to them completely, and just continue raising funds for them.
Next week we plan to build an additional bedroom onto Fran and Ileana's house, which also serves as a headquarters for the ministry there in the slums. They have recently taken in two family members to live with them. One is their granddaughter Alexa and the other is Fran's mother Norma who is in poor health and can no longer live alone. Norma is staying in a small bedroom with Alexa and two of Fran and Ileana's daughters. It has created a crowded, uncomfortable living situation for all involved, so First Presbyterian Church of DeLand, FL, and a men's interdenominational prayer group have provided the funds for us to build an extra room.
The outreach by our kids in Tejarcillos was postponed a week by the rehab center we were partnering with, and Martha and I could not attend on the new date. Fran and Ileana, some adult volunteers, and the children pulled the whole thing off beautifully. The only thing Martha and I contributed was funding. This underscored Martha's and my belief that we have worked ourselves out of a job. If we should decide to restart the church it would require Martha and me to be more involved, but if we continue on as a parachurch ministry, we would feel totally comfortable turning the reigns of the ministry over to them completely, and just continue raising funds for them.
Next week we plan to build an additional bedroom onto Fran and Ileana's house, which also serves as a headquarters for the ministry there in the slums. They have recently taken in two family members to live with them. One is their granddaughter Alexa and the other is Fran's mother Norma who is in poor health and can no longer live alone. Norma is staying in a small bedroom with Alexa and two of Fran and Ileana's daughters. It has created a crowded, uncomfortable living situation for all involved, so First Presbyterian Church of DeLand, FL, and a men's interdenominational prayer group have provided the funds for us to build an extra room.
I taught a class on development and pastoral care of preschoolers at a local seminary two weeks ago. They were trying me out as a teacher in their program for folks who need training in ministry but lack a high school diploma. It went well as far as I could tell, but I haven't heard back from them. This is not unusual in this culture, even when someone is interested in hiring you. Folks just aren't in any hurry. It's also the normal way for Ticos to let you know they're not interested. So it could be either one at this point. I'll keep you posted...
Friday, September 17, 2010
A Taste of Normalcy
This has been a crazy year: Martha'cancer, two burglaries to our house, numerous car repairs totaling more than $2000, plus all the "normal" stressors that we'd expect to have. Well, two-and-a-half weeks have now passed without any new emergencies!
That makes this a good time to update you on a few things:
Martha's Cancer: Martha got her exterior layer of stitches out this past week. There's another layer of stitches underneath that still has to come out. How do you get stitches out that are beneath the skin after all the wounds have healed? That's a question for greater minds than mine! It's my understanding that these are not the kind that dissolve. She'll have to go in for checkups every two months for the next year or so. See the previous blog entry for the rest of the details.
Tejarcillos: The children's ministry is going great. Fran and Ileana's house is bursting at the seams on Friday nights and we are prayerfully considering whether to build or move. We're doing an outreach at a nearby drug rehab center a week from Sunday. We've been wrestling with the idea of restarting the church or continue on as a para-church ministry. Tejarcillos has lots of churches today, but they tend to be highly pastor-centered and authoritarian and either extremely fundamentalist or pentecostal. The idea of starting a new church would be to establish something balanced in which people how to think for themselves and interet the Bible, rather than a pastor telling them what to think. Fran and Ileana are not in a place to help make these kinds of decisions right now. Some people take in stray animals. Fran and Ileana tend to take in stray family members. They've taken in Fran's biological mother (she did not raise him) recently and it's put a lot of stress on the family. That was after taking in daughter Natalia's little girl Alexa, who is two. Their adopted daughter Fiorela is also Ileana's biological granddaughter. Now they have three girls and Fran's mother in one bedroom in a small house. So we've been raising funds to build another room onto the house. Once things feel normal for them, we'll make some decisions about how to move forward in ministry.
Teaching Seminary? A week from Saturday, I'll be teaching part of a course at a local seminary. I have room on my "plate" for more ministry and the seminary needs help with its "certificate program." This is a program of fourteen courses designed for folks who have discerned a call from God to pastoral ministry but lack a high school diploma. The seminary will be trying me out, so it's sort of an audition. The course is congregational development, and I'll be teaching a one-hour segment on the pastoral care of young children. So please pray that it goes well!
That makes this a good time to update you on a few things:
Martha's Cancer: Martha got her exterior layer of stitches out this past week. There's another layer of stitches underneath that still has to come out. How do you get stitches out that are beneath the skin after all the wounds have healed? That's a question for greater minds than mine! It's my understanding that these are not the kind that dissolve. She'll have to go in for checkups every two months for the next year or so. See the previous blog entry for the rest of the details.
Tejarcillos: The children's ministry is going great. Fran and Ileana's house is bursting at the seams on Friday nights and we are prayerfully considering whether to build or move. We're doing an outreach at a nearby drug rehab center a week from Sunday. We've been wrestling with the idea of restarting the church or continue on as a para-church ministry. Tejarcillos has lots of churches today, but they tend to be highly pastor-centered and authoritarian and either extremely fundamentalist or pentecostal. The idea of starting a new church would be to establish something balanced in which people how to think for themselves and interet the Bible, rather than a pastor telling them what to think. Fran and Ileana are not in a place to help make these kinds of decisions right now. Some people take in stray animals. Fran and Ileana tend to take in stray family members. They've taken in Fran's biological mother (she did not raise him) recently and it's put a lot of stress on the family. That was after taking in daughter Natalia's little girl Alexa, who is two. Their adopted daughter Fiorela is also Ileana's biological granddaughter. Now they have three girls and Fran's mother in one bedroom in a small house. So we've been raising funds to build another room onto the house. Once things feel normal for them, we'll make some decisions about how to move forward in ministry.
Teaching Seminary? A week from Saturday, I'll be teaching part of a course at a local seminary. I have room on my "plate" for more ministry and the seminary needs help with its "certificate program." This is a program of fourteen courses designed for folks who have discerned a call from God to pastoral ministry but lack a high school diploma. The seminary will be trying me out, so it's sort of an audition. The course is congregational development, and I'll be teaching a one-hour segment on the pastoral care of young children. So please pray that it goes well!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Martha's Surgery Goes Well
Martha went to the doctor yesterday to have more flesh cut out of her back where one of her malignant moles had been. They cut an additional centimeter all the way around the previous incision. Everything went well and she was in and out in less than an hour-and-a-half. She is blessed to have a good team of doctors here.
She'll now have to go in every two months for checkups for the next year. The surgeon also strongly recommended that Martha have a chest X-ray since melanoma can spread to other parts of the body so quickly, and because these three malignancies appeared somewhat suddenly. She also needs to see an ear/nose/throat specialist for a thorough exam. If a hidden mole should become malignant and not be caught, it could spread to other parts of the body.
Meanwhile, life has gone on for us. The boys have been fine and not overly concerned. Martha continues to go to the women's prison (see two entries down for a brief update), and our other ministry endeavors are going well. Thanks for all your prayers. Please keep it up!
She'll now have to go in every two months for checkups for the next year. The surgeon also strongly recommended that Martha have a chest X-ray since melanoma can spread to other parts of the body so quickly, and because these three malignancies appeared somewhat suddenly. She also needs to see an ear/nose/throat specialist for a thorough exam. If a hidden mole should become malignant and not be caught, it could spread to other parts of the body.
Meanwhile, life has gone on for us. The boys have been fine and not overly concerned. Martha continues to go to the women's prison (see two entries down for a brief update), and our other ministry endeavors are going well. Thanks for all your prayers. Please keep it up!
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Martha Diagnosed with Cancer
Only one mole in a million becomes malignant, but Martha has had three diagnosed with melanoma in the past couple of months. Melanoma is the most serious of the three types of skin cancer (the others being basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma).
Because melanoma is highly malignant and often spreads to other parts of the body, early diagnosis is essential. Fortunately, that's been the case for Martha. At first the doctors thought there was just one mole with melanoma, and they cut that one out in June. A couple of weeks ago, they cut out the other two, which were on her back, as a precaution. As a further precaution, they did biopsies on the moles. We were stunned to learn that both were also malignant. We just found out today that they did not catch all of the cancer around one of the moles. Martha is scheduled to have more flesh cut out next week.
Please keep her in your prayers!
Because melanoma is highly malignant and often spreads to other parts of the body, early diagnosis is essential. Fortunately, that's been the case for Martha. At first the doctors thought there was just one mole with melanoma, and they cut that one out in June. A couple of weeks ago, they cut out the other two, which were on her back, as a precaution. As a further precaution, they did biopsies on the moles. We were stunned to learn that both were also malignant. We just found out today that they did not catch all of the cancer around one of the moles. Martha is scheduled to have more flesh cut out next week.
Please keep her in your prayers!
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Changed Lives at the Women's Prison!
God is doing miracles through Celebrate Recovery in the lives of the foreign women in prison.
Here are a couple of examples:
Denise (not her real name) is an American who has a degree in criminology and chose drug trafficking as a career and was living a double life. Caught smuggling drugs out of Costa Rica, she was just sentenced to five years as part of a plea bargain. She “came clean” with her parents and says she is thankful that she was caught and relieved of the burden of her secrets. Her job in the smuggling ring was recruitment of young women to transport drugs. Her goal now is to take what she is learning in Celebrate Recovery and mentor young women coming into the prison.
Alexandra is from South Africa. She was caught smuggling drugs the very first time. She, too, gives thanks to God that she was found out, and is learning to make better choices through Celebrate Recovery.
These are just two of the women who are working hard and seeing changed lives through Jesus Christ and Celebrate Recovery.
Now for some more cultural contrasts from an article that appeared in the English newspaper Tico Times:
Here are a couple of examples:
Denise (not her real name) is an American who has a degree in criminology and chose drug trafficking as a career and was living a double life. Caught smuggling drugs out of Costa Rica, she was just sentenced to five years as part of a plea bargain. She “came clean” with her parents and says she is thankful that she was caught and relieved of the burden of her secrets. Her job in the smuggling ring was recruitment of young women to transport drugs. Her goal now is to take what she is learning in Celebrate Recovery and mentor young women coming into the prison.
Alexandra is from South Africa. She was caught smuggling drugs the very first time. She, too, gives thanks to God that she was found out, and is learning to make better choices through Celebrate Recovery.
These are just two of the women who are working hard and seeing changed lives through Jesus Christ and Celebrate Recovery.
Now for some more cultural contrasts from an article that appeared in the English newspaper Tico Times:
In the US:
The large double size of a product adds up to a 50% savings.
In Costa Rica:
The large double size adds up to more than the total price of two of the small sizes.
In the US:
Most people eat a different meal every night.
In Costa Rica:
People eat rice and beans every day. (In fact, tomorrow we're having a group of folks over to the house from Tejarcillos. We told them we'd be preparing American food. While some were excited about that, others couldn't understand why we'd serve anything but rice and beans and are not excited about eating anything else!)
Monday, May 24, 2010
Do-Nothing Response to Crime Prevails
Now for the people's response to crime here. This could be a very short entry, because there's not much response!
Here are a few examples:
An employee of our next-door neighbor saw the guy who robbed our house. He had been casing it from their cow pasture. He also saw the man walking away from our house with a suit case. He did not bother to call the police.
A few weeks earlier, another neighbor stood by and watched as a man fitting the same description entered the property of a house across the street and walk away a few minutes later with a number of things he did not possess when he went in. The neighbor did nothing.
A week or so after our house was hit, the next door neighbor's farm hand saw the same man casing another house in the neighborhood. He did call us and followed the man a short distance, but did not call the police.
A few years ago a Costa Rican friend was on a bus trip with us. He saw someone steal a fellow passenger's suit case. He watched the thief walk off the bus with the bag and did nothing. He did, however, learn a lesson. He saw someone stealing a bag on the return trip and called out. The owner of the bag chased the thief down and got his bag back.
Natalia's boyfriend Cesar was murdered in broad daylight at a crowded section in the middle of Tejarcillos. No one saw anything.
Last year a Costa Rican friend who lives in the slums was away from home when gunmen entered and held up his son at their home. The men took everything they could carry from the house, including the food and clothing. They made several trips to and from the house. In full view of the neighborhood, no one saw anything.
One Costa Rican friend had his business broken into, found the culprit, and, knowing that nothing would happen if he called the police, cut a deal with the thief. He paid him off not to burglarize the business again. The thief kept his end of the deal.
The do-nothing mentality is not limited to crime, however. Martha and I have both happened upon dying pedestrians who were hit by trucks. In Martha's case, one man did offer his cell phone, while no one else in the substantial crowd that had gathered tried to help in any way. We had only been here a couple of months, but Martha prayed with and comforted the woman with the little Spanish she knew.
Last fall I came upon a man who was dying in the street after a truck ran him over. A crowd was gathering but no one tried to help. I went over and prayed with and comforted the man until he died.
One day when my parents were visiting we were walking past a field where a large brush fire was burning. Embers were beginning to float across the street where people lived in flimsy houses. Folks were watching the fire from their door steps. So I asked the folks at the first house we passed, "Have you called the fire department?" "No," they said. So I called the same question up to the folks at the next house we passed. Again, the answer was no. My parents were getting pretty stressed by now. I did not have a cell phone. I said to my parents that those people could easily call the fire department if they chose to, and if their houses burned down there wasn't really much we could do about it.
Why are the people here like this? The answer is probably complex, but I believe it boils down to a deep-seated fatalism. We Americans are taught that we are the masters of our destinies. Here, and probably throughout the "two thirds world," the attitude is "lo que sera sera," (whatever will be will be) and "lo que Dios quiera," (whatever God wills). There is a time to be born and a time to die, so no one does much to prevent either event.
More next time. Thanks for taking the time to read this!
Here are a few examples:
An employee of our next-door neighbor saw the guy who robbed our house. He had been casing it from their cow pasture. He also saw the man walking away from our house with a suit case. He did not bother to call the police.
A few weeks earlier, another neighbor stood by and watched as a man fitting the same description entered the property of a house across the street and walk away a few minutes later with a number of things he did not possess when he went in. The neighbor did nothing.
A week or so after our house was hit, the next door neighbor's farm hand saw the same man casing another house in the neighborhood. He did call us and followed the man a short distance, but did not call the police.
A few years ago a Costa Rican friend was on a bus trip with us. He saw someone steal a fellow passenger's suit case. He watched the thief walk off the bus with the bag and did nothing. He did, however, learn a lesson. He saw someone stealing a bag on the return trip and called out. The owner of the bag chased the thief down and got his bag back.
Natalia's boyfriend Cesar was murdered in broad daylight at a crowded section in the middle of Tejarcillos. No one saw anything.
Last year a Costa Rican friend who lives in the slums was away from home when gunmen entered and held up his son at their home. The men took everything they could carry from the house, including the food and clothing. They made several trips to and from the house. In full view of the neighborhood, no one saw anything.
One Costa Rican friend had his business broken into, found the culprit, and, knowing that nothing would happen if he called the police, cut a deal with the thief. He paid him off not to burglarize the business again. The thief kept his end of the deal.
The do-nothing mentality is not limited to crime, however. Martha and I have both happened upon dying pedestrians who were hit by trucks. In Martha's case, one man did offer his cell phone, while no one else in the substantial crowd that had gathered tried to help in any way. We had only been here a couple of months, but Martha prayed with and comforted the woman with the little Spanish she knew.
Last fall I came upon a man who was dying in the street after a truck ran him over. A crowd was gathering but no one tried to help. I went over and prayed with and comforted the man until he died.
One day when my parents were visiting we were walking past a field where a large brush fire was burning. Embers were beginning to float across the street where people lived in flimsy houses. Folks were watching the fire from their door steps. So I asked the folks at the first house we passed, "Have you called the fire department?" "No," they said. So I called the same question up to the folks at the next house we passed. Again, the answer was no. My parents were getting pretty stressed by now. I did not have a cell phone. I said to my parents that those people could easily call the fire department if they chose to, and if their houses burned down there wasn't really much we could do about it.
Why are the people here like this? The answer is probably complex, but I believe it boils down to a deep-seated fatalism. We Americans are taught that we are the masters of our destinies. Here, and probably throughout the "two thirds world," the attitude is "lo que sera sera," (whatever will be will be) and "lo que Dios quiera," (whatever God wills). There is a time to be born and a time to die, so no one does much to prevent either event.
More next time. Thanks for taking the time to read this!
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Exodus International Has Latin America Conference Here
Last week Exodus International had its regional conference for Latin America at a nearby church. Six of us from Nexus, our church's outreach and restoration program for prostitutes, attended.
Exodus International is a controversial, worldwide ministry to persons with same-sex attraction. Why is it so controversial? Because conventional wisdom (i.e., that of the American Psychiatric Association, the gay lobby, Hollywood, and most journalists) says that gays cannot change, and they shouldn't be expected to, because, a) homosexuality is perfectly normal, b)homosexuals are born that way, and c) God made them that way. My purpose in saying this is not to ridicule or shame persons with same-sex attraction. I am, however, criticizing those institutions of our society that accept and propagate such ideas without stopping to examine them critically or consider other perspectives.
Exodus, on the other hand, teaches that, essentially, there is no such thing as a homosexual (hey, I keep trying to tell you it's highly controversial!). All of us are born heterosexuals. That's what God makes. Along the way, people sometimes develop same-sex attraction. This is a feeling. Nothing more or less. Is there any other group in our culture that lobbies for and receives civil rights based on their feelings? What society calls homosexuality is really a displaced sense of identity based on dysfunction and abuse that people suffer growing up.
Contrary to popular belief, Exodus does not try to turn gay people into straight people. The emphasis is on holiness, healing, and learning intimacy. Intimacy with God, that is. As people stop practicing homosexual behavior and heal from their hurts, some, but by no means all, stop experiencing same-sex attraction and begin to be attracted to the opposite sex. Some marry. But that is not the goal.
Ten persons who had come out of homosexuality shared their testimonies. Common threads that ran through all the testimonies were that the people had indeed changed, that they were happier now, and that, the turning point came when they found a church welcomed and did not shun them. Churches often speak of hating the sin and loving the sinner, but few seem to practice it. Evangelicals tend to hate the sin and the sinner, while liberal mainliners often seem to love the sinner and the sin.
One of the biggest things that attracted us to the church we go to here, Comunidad El Camino, is that it welcomes people "tal y como son" (just as they are) without condoning sin. Some guys come in drag. Others are completely restored from homosexuality. A dozen or so are in the process of learning to live as men. Prostitutes can show up without feeling embarrassed. Folks come in straight off of the streets. It's truly a hospital for sinners. Let's not forget that Jesus gravitated towards folks like that and away from religious folks like you and me!
Exodus International is a controversial, worldwide ministry to persons with same-sex attraction. Why is it so controversial? Because conventional wisdom (i.e., that of the American Psychiatric Association, the gay lobby, Hollywood, and most journalists) says that gays cannot change, and they shouldn't be expected to, because, a) homosexuality is perfectly normal, b)homosexuals are born that way, and c) God made them that way. My purpose in saying this is not to ridicule or shame persons with same-sex attraction. I am, however, criticizing those institutions of our society that accept and propagate such ideas without stopping to examine them critically or consider other perspectives.
Exodus, on the other hand, teaches that, essentially, there is no such thing as a homosexual (hey, I keep trying to tell you it's highly controversial!). All of us are born heterosexuals. That's what God makes. Along the way, people sometimes develop same-sex attraction. This is a feeling. Nothing more or less. Is there any other group in our culture that lobbies for and receives civil rights based on their feelings? What society calls homosexuality is really a displaced sense of identity based on dysfunction and abuse that people suffer growing up.
Contrary to popular belief, Exodus does not try to turn gay people into straight people. The emphasis is on holiness, healing, and learning intimacy. Intimacy with God, that is. As people stop practicing homosexual behavior and heal from their hurts, some, but by no means all, stop experiencing same-sex attraction and begin to be attracted to the opposite sex. Some marry. But that is not the goal.
Ten persons who had come out of homosexuality shared their testimonies. Common threads that ran through all the testimonies were that the people had indeed changed, that they were happier now, and that, the turning point came when they found a church welcomed and did not shun them. Churches often speak of hating the sin and loving the sinner, but few seem to practice it. Evangelicals tend to hate the sin and the sinner, while liberal mainliners often seem to love the sinner and the sin.
One of the biggest things that attracted us to the church we go to here, Comunidad El Camino, is that it welcomes people "tal y como son" (just as they are) without condoning sin. Some guys come in drag. Others are completely restored from homosexuality. A dozen or so are in the process of learning to live as men. Prostitutes can show up without feeling embarrassed. Folks come in straight off of the streets. It's truly a hospital for sinners. Let's not forget that Jesus gravitated towards folks like that and away from religious folks like you and me!
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Costa Rica Lets Assassins Go
A few years ago assassins came to Costa Rica from Colombia. Part of a drug cartel, their assignment was to murder several government offcials who were trying to curb the drug trafficking here. The men were caught and arrested. What do you think the penalty was for conspiring to assassinate government officials? Death? No, there is no capital punishment here. Life in prison? Wrong again. These men suffered the dreaded fate of...deportation. That's right. Costa Rica sent them back to Colombia without even trying them.
I tell you this because it is the typical Costa Rican response to crime. Negociate and appease or do nothing. Think I'm exaggerating? Read on...
Our landlady Debbie Sasso was storing clothing in a meeting room on the property a few years ago when a thief broke the window and stole it all. Debbie, who is Dutch, went looking for the clothes and found them in a mom-and-pop convenience store in a nearby neightborhood. She confronted the store owner about selling her clothes and he cooperated with her and told her from whom he had bought them. She went to the thief's house and confronted him. The man was irate that the store owner had ratted him out and went to rough up the store owner. But the owner had other ideas and made a pre-emptive strike. He punched the thief in the nose and flattened him, leaving him bleeding profusely. At that point, Debbie went to the OIJ, Costa Rica's version of the FBI, and brought two officers back. They stopped two blocks away from the scene.
"Well, aren't you going to do something?" she asked.
"No, he might have a gun," they replied. And that was it, except that they told Debbie that they knew this particular thief and she could file a formal complaint against him and add it to the stack of complaints already pending in his case. Seeing the futility of it all, Debbie went herself and demanded her clothing back from the thief's family (who were wearing them) and the store owner. She got a few things back, which is more than most people get.
So you can see how ineffective law enforcement is here.
To end on a positive note, in the last blog I shared some of the more interesting cultural contrasts between the US and Costa Rica as published in an English newspaper here. Here is one of the many good things about being here:
In the US...
You throw or give away appliances, from blenders to washing machines, when something goes very wrong, because the repairs cost more than the items are worth.
In Costa Rica...
you can afford to keep repairing things time and again at a minimal cost.
Next blog: You've seen how the police and government respond to crime. How do the people react when something happens?...
I tell you this because it is the typical Costa Rican response to crime. Negociate and appease or do nothing. Think I'm exaggerating? Read on...
Our landlady Debbie Sasso was storing clothing in a meeting room on the property a few years ago when a thief broke the window and stole it all. Debbie, who is Dutch, went looking for the clothes and found them in a mom-and-pop convenience store in a nearby neightborhood. She confronted the store owner about selling her clothes and he cooperated with her and told her from whom he had bought them. She went to the thief's house and confronted him. The man was irate that the store owner had ratted him out and went to rough up the store owner. But the owner had other ideas and made a pre-emptive strike. He punched the thief in the nose and flattened him, leaving him bleeding profusely. At that point, Debbie went to the OIJ, Costa Rica's version of the FBI, and brought two officers back. They stopped two blocks away from the scene.
"Well, aren't you going to do something?" she asked.
"No, he might have a gun," they replied. And that was it, except that they told Debbie that they knew this particular thief and she could file a formal complaint against him and add it to the stack of complaints already pending in his case. Seeing the futility of it all, Debbie went herself and demanded her clothing back from the thief's family (who were wearing them) and the store owner. She got a few things back, which is more than most people get.
So you can see how ineffective law enforcement is here.
To end on a positive note, in the last blog I shared some of the more interesting cultural contrasts between the US and Costa Rica as published in an English newspaper here. Here is one of the many good things about being here:
In the US...
You throw or give away appliances, from blenders to washing machines, when something goes very wrong, because the repairs cost more than the items are worth.
In Costa Rica...
you can afford to keep repairing things time and again at a minimal cost.
Next blog: You've seen how the police and government respond to crime. How do the people react when something happens?...
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Ministries Keep Moving Forward
There's more to tell you about the aftermath of the burglaries, but, since we haven't updated you on the ministries in a while, I thought we'd do that now.
Tejarcillos is going so well that we have been considering starting having church services again. This is a somewhat complex issue, though, and we are holding off on a decision. Points in favor:
1. The people have come to accept Fran and Ileana as spiritual leaders, and now look to them for guidance.
2. In a recent Bible study, the adults who attended all said they considered our ministry to be their church.
3. While there are now a number of churches in Tejarcillos, the pastors tend to be extremely authoritarian and either strongly Pentecostal or Fundamentalist. There is a lack of balance in the churches and the people are not permitted to think for themselves.
Points against:
1. There is no place to meet near Fran and Ileana's.
2. I (Steve) am reluctant to step back in as pastor, because we have worked hard to establish and empower a Costa Rica ministry.
3. Fran has many good qualities of a pastor, but lacks training, is not really motivated to get it at the moment.
4. Our family is plugged in to a good Costa Rican church, and we are reluctant to pull back from it.
Some folks have asked how Natalia is doing. In a previous blog, I described how her boyfriend was murdered by gang members and she was in hiding. She is still living in the "hideout," but has gone back to work and is looking for another place to live. So she is slowly getting on with her life.
Celebrate Recovery is going extremely well, both with the women's prison and the outreach to prostitutes. The assistent warden in charge of education, who works with Martha and the other Celebrate Recovery leaders, keeps urging them to start the program with the entire prison population. Right now they are working only with the foreign women who speak English. Martha and the leaders continue to feel that they need more time to establish the program with the foreigners and are not ready to open it up to the entire prison.
With the outreach to prostitutes, in typical Costa Rican fashion, we talked and had meetings for nine months before finally getting it off the ground a few weeks ago. Right now we are implementing the program with outreach team only. If things continue to go well, the plan is to extend it to the folks who are in the rehabilitation program.
Finally, an article appeared in the Enlgish newspaper here contrasting the US and Costa Rica. Here are a few of the contrasts [comments in brackets are mine]:
In the US...
You can complete your month's shopping, be it organic yogurt, prescription drugs, shoes or tires, in a single store.
In Costa Rica..
You must go to four specialty shops to buy shoelaces, thread, perfume, and paper clips.
In the US...
People scurry aside if they think they might be in the way.
In Costa Rica...
You must ask for permission (permiso) to get through. [for example, people are always standing aroung blocking doorways, aisles, sidewalks, etc. They won't move out of the way unless you ask. This is one of the things that drives me nuts here!]
In the US...
TV shows cut off whatever is happening in an interview or reality show [or sporting events] to run the advertisement on time.
In Costa Rica...
TV shows sometime cut off commercials and run as much as 10 to 20 minutes late because everyone gets so involved in an interview or reality show.
In the US...
There are bicycle lanes between the sidewalk and the car lanes along a great many roads and highways.
In Costa Rica...
You are lucky to get a sidewalk at all, or, for that matter, even a bit of room on the shoulder of the road.
Tejarcillos is going so well that we have been considering starting having church services again. This is a somewhat complex issue, though, and we are holding off on a decision. Points in favor:
1. The people have come to accept Fran and Ileana as spiritual leaders, and now look to them for guidance.
2. In a recent Bible study, the adults who attended all said they considered our ministry to be their church.
3. While there are now a number of churches in Tejarcillos, the pastors tend to be extremely authoritarian and either strongly Pentecostal or Fundamentalist. There is a lack of balance in the churches and the people are not permitted to think for themselves.
Points against:
1. There is no place to meet near Fran and Ileana's.
2. I (Steve) am reluctant to step back in as pastor, because we have worked hard to establish and empower a Costa Rica ministry.
3. Fran has many good qualities of a pastor, but lacks training, is not really motivated to get it at the moment.
4. Our family is plugged in to a good Costa Rican church, and we are reluctant to pull back from it.
Some folks have asked how Natalia is doing. In a previous blog, I described how her boyfriend was murdered by gang members and she was in hiding. She is still living in the "hideout," but has gone back to work and is looking for another place to live. So she is slowly getting on with her life.
Celebrate Recovery is going extremely well, both with the women's prison and the outreach to prostitutes. The assistent warden in charge of education, who works with Martha and the other Celebrate Recovery leaders, keeps urging them to start the program with the entire prison population. Right now they are working only with the foreign women who speak English. Martha and the leaders continue to feel that they need more time to establish the program with the foreigners and are not ready to open it up to the entire prison.
With the outreach to prostitutes, in typical Costa Rican fashion, we talked and had meetings for nine months before finally getting it off the ground a few weeks ago. Right now we are implementing the program with outreach team only. If things continue to go well, the plan is to extend it to the folks who are in the rehabilitation program.
Finally, an article appeared in the Enlgish newspaper here contrasting the US and Costa Rica. Here are a few of the contrasts [comments in brackets are mine]:
In the US...
You can complete your month's shopping, be it organic yogurt, prescription drugs, shoes or tires, in a single store.
In Costa Rica..
You must go to four specialty shops to buy shoelaces, thread, perfume, and paper clips.
In the US...
People scurry aside if they think they might be in the way.
In Costa Rica...
You must ask for permission (permiso) to get through. [for example, people are always standing aroung blocking doorways, aisles, sidewalks, etc. They won't move out of the way unless you ask. This is one of the things that drives me nuts here!]
In the US...
TV shows cut off whatever is happening in an interview or reality show [or sporting events] to run the advertisement on time.
In Costa Rica...
TV shows sometime cut off commercials and run as much as 10 to 20 minutes late because everyone gets so involved in an interview or reality show.
In the US...
There are bicycle lanes between the sidewalk and the car lanes along a great many roads and highways.
In Costa Rica...
You are lucky to get a sidewalk at all, or, for that matter, even a bit of room on the shoulder of the road.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Moving Forward After the Burglaries
Today is the ten-year anniversary of our move to Costa Rica. Can you believe it? I can't!
A friend wrote recently and asked a very good question. If the burglar got into our house so easily twice, then what good would it do to replace what was stolen?
We now have bars on the window he broke into in addition to the other barred windows at the house. We´ve installed an alarm system and reinforced the back door, which was always vulnerable even when locked. He took the house key, but we have changed the lock. We had not worried too much about break-ins before because the house in set back about 120 yards from the road and was therefore something of a secret. In eight years of living there, it had never been broken into. The landlords have what has normally been a good watch dog. We have left the house for several months at a time without anything like this happening. Everything has changed now, though. Everyone in the neighborhood (especially the potential thieves) now knows that the house was broken into and the watchdog did not do her job. So we'll probably never have the peace of mind we once did with the house, but the extra measures will help.
But it also must be kept in mind that this is simply a reality that we face every day. If the criminals really want to get to you and your stuff you can´t stop them. This was the second house we have lived in here in which burglars made a forced entry and walked away with thousands of dollars of stuff. The reality is that the criminals dominate the lives of the people here. They are the only ones with a can-do attitude in the country. I plan to write more about this on the blog soon.
We know four families here who have suffered home invasions and been held at gun point. One family had everything taken--even the food and clothing from the house. In a fifth case, an acquaintance of ours came home when the burglar was there. The thief shot our friend, critically wounding him. Two people we know have been forced out of their cars at gun point and had the car stolen. I can´t even count the instances of people getting held up at gun point and having wallets, , purses, backpacks, and jewelry taken.
In one case, a friend of ours was in her car stopped at a traffic light. The car was full of children. They had just left McDonald's and were digging into their Happy Meals when a man went up to the car and smashed the window, sending shattered glass all over the children and their food. The man grabbed her purse and took off.
So, we try to take precautions, but sometimes we forget or fail. And the precautions don't always work when the criminals are brazen enough and willing to take risks. In our case, the guy walked around the house on a metal roof, which makes a lot of noise. Then he broke into the front window in full view of the landlords' house, which is across the driveway from us. It was 5 in the afternoon and the landlord was at home.
The hardest thing about this is the stress it's put on Caleb. Please pray for us. It's been easy to forget that we need prayer more than money. We think we've accounted for everything. Here is an inventory and what we think it would cost to replace things:
2 laptops $1200
2 digital cameras $400
power drill and mag light $150
2 new back packs $120
boom box $75
horse tack $70
Caleb's fishing rod $50
external DVD drive $50
heart rate monitor $30
hair dryer $30
head phones $20
house key
Martha did not want to put a price on the jewelry. Taken were her engagement ring, wedding band, gold necklace (my wedding gift to her), diamond earrings, earrings bought in Israel, and various sentimental items from childhood.
As you know, we do not receive any remuneration whatsoever from our mission agency. We depend entirely on the generous gifts of folks like you to make ends meet, or in this case, replace things that were stolen. Please see the previous blog entry for the addresses where you can send contributions...
A friend wrote recently and asked a very good question. If the burglar got into our house so easily twice, then what good would it do to replace what was stolen?
We now have bars on the window he broke into in addition to the other barred windows at the house. We´ve installed an alarm system and reinforced the back door, which was always vulnerable even when locked. He took the house key, but we have changed the lock. We had not worried too much about break-ins before because the house in set back about 120 yards from the road and was therefore something of a secret. In eight years of living there, it had never been broken into. The landlords have what has normally been a good watch dog. We have left the house for several months at a time without anything like this happening. Everything has changed now, though. Everyone in the neighborhood (especially the potential thieves) now knows that the house was broken into and the watchdog did not do her job. So we'll probably never have the peace of mind we once did with the house, but the extra measures will help.
But it also must be kept in mind that this is simply a reality that we face every day. If the criminals really want to get to you and your stuff you can´t stop them. This was the second house we have lived in here in which burglars made a forced entry and walked away with thousands of dollars of stuff. The reality is that the criminals dominate the lives of the people here. They are the only ones with a can-do attitude in the country. I plan to write more about this on the blog soon.
We know four families here who have suffered home invasions and been held at gun point. One family had everything taken--even the food and clothing from the house. In a fifth case, an acquaintance of ours came home when the burglar was there. The thief shot our friend, critically wounding him. Two people we know have been forced out of their cars at gun point and had the car stolen. I can´t even count the instances of people getting held up at gun point and having wallets, , purses, backpacks, and jewelry taken.
In one case, a friend of ours was in her car stopped at a traffic light. The car was full of children. They had just left McDonald's and were digging into their Happy Meals when a man went up to the car and smashed the window, sending shattered glass all over the children and their food. The man grabbed her purse and took off.
So, we try to take precautions, but sometimes we forget or fail. And the precautions don't always work when the criminals are brazen enough and willing to take risks. In our case, the guy walked around the house on a metal roof, which makes a lot of noise. Then he broke into the front window in full view of the landlords' house, which is across the driveway from us. It was 5 in the afternoon and the landlord was at home.
The hardest thing about this is the stress it's put on Caleb. Please pray for us. It's been easy to forget that we need prayer more than money. We think we've accounted for everything. Here is an inventory and what we think it would cost to replace things:
2 laptops $1200
2 digital cameras $400
power drill and mag light $150
2 new back packs $120
boom box $75
horse tack $70
Caleb's fishing rod $50
external DVD drive $50
heart rate monitor $30
hair dryer $30
head phones $20
house key
Martha did not want to put a price on the jewelry. Taken were her engagement ring, wedding band, gold necklace (my wedding gift to her), diamond earrings, earrings bought in Israel, and various sentimental items from childhood.
As you know, we do not receive any remuneration whatsoever from our mission agency. We depend entirely on the generous gifts of folks like you to make ends meet, or in this case, replace things that were stolen. Please see the previous blog entry for the addresses where you can send contributions...
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Our House Burglarized
Our house was burglarized twice in three days last week. Stolen were Martha's wedding and engagement rings, two laptop computers, a pair of head phones, power drill, two digital cameras, two back packs, some of Caleb's school books, a pair of diamond ear rings, a gold necklace, and the house key itself. Every bit of Martha's jewelry was taken.
The window where they broke in is still not secured, so we have to have an adult in the house at all times.
Any help you can give us toward replacing these things would be most appreciated. As you can see, this sets us back several thousand dollars. We also need your prayers. We are heartbroken, angry, discouraged and, to be honest, a little scared.
The first burglary took place when I went out to file the insurance claim on Caleb's elbow (it's fine now and the doctor said it definitely never needed surgery). I neglected to lock the back door to the house. Someone went in, took the laptops and head phones from the kitchen and left. Two days later we went to the beach to celebrate Joseph's 5th birthday. We made sure the house was locked up and Caleb locked some of the valuables in a closet just in case. Otherwise it would have been even worse. This time they climbed up on the roof and broke in through an upstairs window. I'm still shocked at the brazenness of the burglary. The window was in full view of our landlords' house, which is 50 feet away. They were home and their windows were open at the time. Both burglaries took place during daylight.
Unfortunately, crimes rarely ever are solved here. No one ever "sees" anything or wants to get involved. The investigators said they would be back over to look into some of the construction workers working next door and interview some people, but have never come back. So the criminals operate with near impunity.
We have reinforced the back door, and hope to get bars on the window where they broke in. If you can make a contribution to help us to replace some of these items, please send to:
TMCI
Box 1761
Columbia, SC 29202
Please make check out to TMCI and indicate that it is for Steve and Martha Jeavons in memo or with a sticky note attached.
If you do not need a receipt, you can make a check out to us and send it to:
Frances Gordon
1624 Hazen Rd.
DeLand, FL 32720
Thanks!!!!
The window where they broke in is still not secured, so we have to have an adult in the house at all times.
Any help you can give us toward replacing these things would be most appreciated. As you can see, this sets us back several thousand dollars. We also need your prayers. We are heartbroken, angry, discouraged and, to be honest, a little scared.
The first burglary took place when I went out to file the insurance claim on Caleb's elbow (it's fine now and the doctor said it definitely never needed surgery). I neglected to lock the back door to the house. Someone went in, took the laptops and head phones from the kitchen and left. Two days later we went to the beach to celebrate Joseph's 5th birthday. We made sure the house was locked up and Caleb locked some of the valuables in a closet just in case. Otherwise it would have been even worse. This time they climbed up on the roof and broke in through an upstairs window. I'm still shocked at the brazenness of the burglary. The window was in full view of our landlords' house, which is 50 feet away. They were home and their windows were open at the time. Both burglaries took place during daylight.
Unfortunately, crimes rarely ever are solved here. No one ever "sees" anything or wants to get involved. The investigators said they would be back over to look into some of the construction workers working next door and interview some people, but have never come back. So the criminals operate with near impunity.
We have reinforced the back door, and hope to get bars on the window where they broke in. If you can make a contribution to help us to replace some of these items, please send to:
TMCI
Box 1761
Columbia, SC 29202
Please make check out to TMCI and indicate that it is for Steve and Martha Jeavons in memo or with a sticky note attached.
If you do not need a receipt, you can make a check out to us and send it to:
Frances Gordon
1624 Hazen Rd.
DeLand, FL 32720
Thanks!!!!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Caleb Breaks Elbow
Before I tell you about Caleb's elbow, Natalia has moved out of her hiding place and beginning to branch out and try to live normally again (see previous entry). I don't have details, but will let you know when I get them.
Things have been hectic with various health challenges. I've been laid up with a stomach thing since Saturday and was already behind on the blog. The other health issue (as the headline states) is that Caleb was rollerskating and fell backward, landing on his hand. That's what hands are for, right? To cushion our falls so we don't land on more delicate things like elbows and knees? Not this time. He fell so hard on his hand that his humorous (upper arm) collided violently with the bones of his forearm, resulting in a fracture of the tip of the humorous. But finding all this out was another less-than-welcome Costa Rican adventure.
Before I continue, let me say that Costa Rica has socialized medicine. It's paid for with a tax of something like 15% on wages which are split between employer and employee, much like American Social Security is. Costa Rica also has no military whatsoever, and has clearly made tough decisions and sacrifices according to what it sees as its priorities. In contrast, it seems to me that in the US, we want to have everything: low taxes, universal health care, government bail-outs, a top-flight military, and to be able wage multiple wars simultaneously. The health care system here works fairly well here if you're willing to live with long waits in line, being treated as a number, and the occasional bad diagnosis by a doctor you didn't choose. These are small prices to pay in the country with 20% poverty. But there's private health care, too. If you have good health insurance, you can use it, and that's what we've normally done.
Caleb had been skating with his youth group and I picked him up at midnight. It was obvious he needed the elbow looked at, but it could wait till morning. Sunday morning, we took him to the Children's Hospital, a public hospital which is one of the best in Latin America.
When Joseph broke his elbow last November, we had taken him there because they always have an orthopedist there on duty. On that occasion, Martha had dropped us off at the hospital leaving us with the car and she took the bus back. We were there for less than an hour and left with Joseph in a cast. Joe and I drove back to the house and got there ahead of Martha's bus. It didn't cost us a cent. The strange thing, however, was that the orthopedist never said a word to Joseph and treated him as though he were a plaster of paris project in a college art class. Good care, no bedside manner.
So, satisfied overall with the treatment (and the price) Joseph got, we took Caleb to the Children's hospital. We also took him there because the private system doesn't always get it right with bones, either. When Caleb was six, he broke both bones in his forearm falling out of a tree. The bones had to be set, but after two weeks they were displaced again. They recommended surgery. We got a second opinion, and the doctor said he disagreed. We forewent the surgery and never had any problems with the arm.
But I digress yet again. Children, as in Children's Hospital, is defined as 12 and under. We did not know this. The day Caleb fell was his 13th Birthday. They refused to see him. Having been less-than-satisfied with the treatment Caleb got at the private hospital when he was younger, we went on to the public hospital, Calderon Guardia. This hospital made the US papers a few years ago when a fire broke out and 18 people were killed. But in spite of this, it's known for providing good treatment.
Unlike the Children's hospital, it took all morning to get Caleb X-rayed, diagnosed, and into a cast. They would call the next day and tell us if Caleb needed surgery. No call came. So on Tuesday I tried to reach the hospital from our home phone to see what was up. The emergency number for the hospital did not work, and I could not find any other number for it in the phone book. I was going to have to go there personally and wait in line to get someone to speak to me. Just then, we got a call on Martha's cell phone. The doctor said that, yes, Caleb needed surgery, and that we would have to drop everything, go to the hospital that morning, and fill out the paperwork before noon. The next day was surgery day. Otherwise, he would have to wait another week and the bones would have started healing.
We wanted to get a second opinion, but also needed to get the arrangements made if he needed the surgery. After going to the hospital, waiting in various lines, and filling out the paper work, it was all arranged to have Caleb there at 6 o'clock the next morning. After that, we called around feverishly to find someone who could see him that afternoon. By this time it was after 1. The doctor who had given him the second opinion seven years ago had retired. His replacement could not see him till the next day. Other doctors were not answering their phones. We stopped to pray that God would provided us with a good second opinion that day. We'd heard good things about the orthopedic specialist at the Catholic Hospital here. We had to call information three times to get a number that worked.
Finally we got through to his secretary and explained the situation. She gladly got ahold of him and he agreed to see us at 4:30. They took new X-rays and he said no to the surgery. We called the public hospital to cancel. His followup appointment is tomorrow, March 5. If you read this before then, please pray for good news. If after, please pray for the healing of his bones.
We'll keep you posted!
Things have been hectic with various health challenges. I've been laid up with a stomach thing since Saturday and was already behind on the blog. The other health issue (as the headline states) is that Caleb was rollerskating and fell backward, landing on his hand. That's what hands are for, right? To cushion our falls so we don't land on more delicate things like elbows and knees? Not this time. He fell so hard on his hand that his humorous (upper arm) collided violently with the bones of his forearm, resulting in a fracture of the tip of the humorous. But finding all this out was another less-than-welcome Costa Rican adventure.
Before I continue, let me say that Costa Rica has socialized medicine. It's paid for with a tax of something like 15% on wages which are split between employer and employee, much like American Social Security is. Costa Rica also has no military whatsoever, and has clearly made tough decisions and sacrifices according to what it sees as its priorities. In contrast, it seems to me that in the US, we want to have everything: low taxes, universal health care, government bail-outs, a top-flight military, and to be able wage multiple wars simultaneously. The health care system here works fairly well here if you're willing to live with long waits in line, being treated as a number, and the occasional bad diagnosis by a doctor you didn't choose. These are small prices to pay in the country with 20% poverty. But there's private health care, too. If you have good health insurance, you can use it, and that's what we've normally done.
Caleb had been skating with his youth group and I picked him up at midnight. It was obvious he needed the elbow looked at, but it could wait till morning. Sunday morning, we took him to the Children's Hospital, a public hospital which is one of the best in Latin America.
When Joseph broke his elbow last November, we had taken him there because they always have an orthopedist there on duty. On that occasion, Martha had dropped us off at the hospital leaving us with the car and she took the bus back. We were there for less than an hour and left with Joseph in a cast. Joe and I drove back to the house and got there ahead of Martha's bus. It didn't cost us a cent. The strange thing, however, was that the orthopedist never said a word to Joseph and treated him as though he were a plaster of paris project in a college art class. Good care, no bedside manner.
So, satisfied overall with the treatment (and the price) Joseph got, we took Caleb to the Children's hospital. We also took him there because the private system doesn't always get it right with bones, either. When Caleb was six, he broke both bones in his forearm falling out of a tree. The bones had to be set, but after two weeks they were displaced again. They recommended surgery. We got a second opinion, and the doctor said he disagreed. We forewent the surgery and never had any problems with the arm.
But I digress yet again. Children, as in Children's Hospital, is defined as 12 and under. We did not know this. The day Caleb fell was his 13th Birthday. They refused to see him. Having been less-than-satisfied with the treatment Caleb got at the private hospital when he was younger, we went on to the public hospital, Calderon Guardia. This hospital made the US papers a few years ago when a fire broke out and 18 people were killed. But in spite of this, it's known for providing good treatment.
Unlike the Children's hospital, it took all morning to get Caleb X-rayed, diagnosed, and into a cast. They would call the next day and tell us if Caleb needed surgery. No call came. So on Tuesday I tried to reach the hospital from our home phone to see what was up. The emergency number for the hospital did not work, and I could not find any other number for it in the phone book. I was going to have to go there personally and wait in line to get someone to speak to me. Just then, we got a call on Martha's cell phone. The doctor said that, yes, Caleb needed surgery, and that we would have to drop everything, go to the hospital that morning, and fill out the paperwork before noon. The next day was surgery day. Otherwise, he would have to wait another week and the bones would have started healing.
We wanted to get a second opinion, but also needed to get the arrangements made if he needed the surgery. After going to the hospital, waiting in various lines, and filling out the paper work, it was all arranged to have Caleb there at 6 o'clock the next morning. After that, we called around feverishly to find someone who could see him that afternoon. By this time it was after 1. The doctor who had given him the second opinion seven years ago had retired. His replacement could not see him till the next day. Other doctors were not answering their phones. We stopped to pray that God would provided us with a good second opinion that day. We'd heard good things about the orthopedic specialist at the Catholic Hospital here. We had to call information three times to get a number that worked.
Finally we got through to his secretary and explained the situation. She gladly got ahold of him and he agreed to see us at 4:30. They took new X-rays and he said no to the surgery. We called the public hospital to cancel. His followup appointment is tomorrow, March 5. If you read this before then, please pray for good news. If after, please pray for the healing of his bones.
We'll keep you posted!
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Natalia's Boyfriend Murdered
If you've heard our presentations on Tejarcillos, you may remember Natalia. She was the young teenager who attended our ministry functions faithfully, and eventually brought in her sisters and parents, Fran and Ileana. The latter were living together unmarried at the time. In the six years since then, they have grown mightily in their walk with God and taken over most of the functions of the ministry, including managing funds, children's and youth ministry, discipleship of adults, and leading their own Bible study. None of this would have happened if not for Natalia.
Sadly, after bringing her parents into the ministry, Natalia, now 20, made some poor choices. She dropped out of school, and began seeing a young man named Victor, who was known for his womanizing and drug use. She got pregnant and now has a beautiful little girl named Alexa. That boyfriend ended up in jail. Next, she began seeing a young man named Cesar who was a gang member.
One night a few weeks ago, Cesar got into an altercation with a member of a rival gang. They ended up pointing pistols at one another in the ultimate stalemate. The other gang member pulled his trigger...the gun jammed, and Cesar escaped without firing his own weapon.
A few days later, Cesar went by Fran and Ileana's to pick Natalia up to go out. Natalia was not ready yet and Cesar said he'd go around the block and be right back. Cesar never made it. Fifty yards away from the house, he was surrounded by gang members and shot dead. Had Natalia been ready to go out, she would surely be dead, too.
Natalia gave a statement to the OIJ (Costa Rica's FBI) and is now in hiding. The killer has not been aprehended. He did, however, drop by Fran and Ileana's to "reassure" them that his quarrel had been with Cesar, and he had no interest in harming Natalia. We believe that this is most likely a ploy to bring her out of hiding into the open.
Natalia is being protected by Cesar's gang. We do not know where she is. Her little girl Alexa is being cared for by Victor's mother. Natalia calls Fran and Ileana but they cannot call her. Neither can visit the other at their respective homes. We have offered to have them get together at our place.
Please pray for:
Sadly, after bringing her parents into the ministry, Natalia, now 20, made some poor choices. She dropped out of school, and began seeing a young man named Victor, who was known for his womanizing and drug use. She got pregnant and now has a beautiful little girl named Alexa. That boyfriend ended up in jail. Next, she began seeing a young man named Cesar who was a gang member.
One night a few weeks ago, Cesar got into an altercation with a member of a rival gang. They ended up pointing pistols at one another in the ultimate stalemate. The other gang member pulled his trigger...the gun jammed, and Cesar escaped without firing his own weapon.
A few days later, Cesar went by Fran and Ileana's to pick Natalia up to go out. Natalia was not ready yet and Cesar said he'd go around the block and be right back. Cesar never made it. Fifty yards away from the house, he was surrounded by gang members and shot dead. Had Natalia been ready to go out, she would surely be dead, too.
Natalia gave a statement to the OIJ (Costa Rica's FBI) and is now in hiding. The killer has not been aprehended. He did, however, drop by Fran and Ileana's to "reassure" them that his quarrel had been with Cesar, and he had no interest in harming Natalia. We believe that this is most likely a ploy to bring her out of hiding into the open.
Natalia is being protected by Cesar's gang. We do not know where she is. Her little girl Alexa is being cared for by Victor's mother. Natalia calls Fran and Ileana but they cannot call her. Neither can visit the other at their respective homes. We have offered to have them get together at our place.
Please pray for:
- Natalia's safety
- That this would lead her back to the Lord
- For Fran and Ileana, who are worried sick about her
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Zechariah and the Angel
I made an interesting discovery recently. I was reading through the book of Acts where Paul is before the Sanhedrin (the Jewish council). Paul announces that he is there because of his hope in the resurrection of the dead (Acts 23:6). Then in verse 8 it says, "for the Sadducees say there is no resurrection or angels or spirits, but the Pharisees believe in all of these."
What the Bible never tells us (because most of its original readers would know it already) is that the priests were Sadducees. Being just a few days before Christmas, my mind went to the story of Zechariah the priest. Recounted in the first chapter of Luke, Zechariah has gone into the sanctuary of the Lord to burn incense. Verse 12 says that Zechariah was "shaken and overwhelmed" The angel Gabriel tells him that even in their old age, he and his wife Elizabeth will become the parents of the "Voice crying out in the wilderness," prophesied centuries before by Isaiah to be the forerunner of the Savior. Namely, he was to become the father of John the Baptist. Verse 18 has Zechariah saying to Gabriel, "How can I be sure this will happen?"
I've always thought, "What a strange question. Here an angel is telling him this, and he still wants more proof. What could be more trustworthy than the announcement of an angel?" Gabriel seems to have thought so too, as he scolds Zechariah and then strikes him deaf and mute until the baby is born. But that was always my other problem with the story. It always seemed to me an excessively harsh punishment for a momentary lapse in Zechariah's faith. Verse 6 has already told us that Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God's eyes.
But it all came together for me when I read the story of Paul before the Sanhedrin. Zechariah was a righteous man, but he lacked one thing. He was a Sadducee. Sadducees did not believe in angels. Even as Gabriel was speaking to Zechariah, the good priest was incredulous. His line of thinking must have been "Angels do not exist. Therefore I must not be seeing an angel. I must be hallucinating. But what if it is real? This experience could come and go, and I'll never know if it was real or a figment of my imagination. And what of my colleagues? They'll laugh me out of Jerusalem if I tell them I saw an angel. I can hear it now. 'You talked to an angel? Yeah, and I dined with the Emperor last night!' I know; I'll ask it for a sign. Then when it doesn't happen, I can go back to not believing in angels again."
That's why Gabriel struck him deaf and mute. So that, not just he, but everyone involved would know that his experience was real.
The Christmas season has now come and gone. Our family spent most of it in the US where petty squabbles like whether I should greet my neighbor saying "Happy Holidays" or "Merry Christmas" never seem to end.
An interesting difference between Americans and Costa Ricans is that in nearly ten years of living there I have never met a single atheist among them. I have only heard one Tico say they did not believe in a personal God but only in a "cosmic force" (and that person was mentally ill!). "Feliz Navidad" is still the accepted greeting.
So why does Costa Rica need missionaries?
1. Missionaries from countries like the US provide specialization in less-developed areas than Costa Rica has, like Celebrate Recovery, proficiency in English, and theological training. For exmaple, Costa Rica does not need Americans to evangelize their prostitutes. They can do that just fine on their own. What I can offer them, however, is training in Celebrate Recovery to help folks get out of prostitution. Once they have that, they won't need American missionaries for it anymore.
2. Missionaries can do work that others cannot do from an economic standpoint. It does not make good economic sense to do what we've done in Tejarcillos: Spend time with the people over a period of ten years, lead maybe a dozen of them to Christ, and train up a couple of high school dropouts to do children's ministry. Yet that's what we've done over the years, and those two leaders now have a burgeoning children's ministry along with various discipling relationships among the people. I just read today that Jim Zorn was fired as coach of the Washington Redskins because he hadn't built a winning team after two years. I'm sure glad Tejarcillos isn't the NFL and that God is such a patient team owner!
3. Central and South America have long legacies of political instability. Even now, the Sandinistas are back in power to the north in Nicaragua, and the coup controversy in Honduras has yet to be resolved. Costa Rica has had a stable democracy for more than 60 years. Therefore, it has become a centralized location for learning Spanish, theological training (including online seminaries), and as a headquarters for ministries to the rest of Latin America.
4. Finally, like Zechariah, the Ticos believe in God, but too few have had a real experience with Him. Luke 1:6 says that Zechariah and Elizabeth were "careful to obey all of the Lord's commandments and regulations." To most Costa Ricans, religion is a matter of obeying commandments and regulations. Seeing the futility in this, they gave up on it long ago. Someone must show them the Living Christ and how to know Him personally as Lord and Savior.
What the Bible never tells us (because most of its original readers would know it already) is that the priests were Sadducees. Being just a few days before Christmas, my mind went to the story of Zechariah the priest. Recounted in the first chapter of Luke, Zechariah has gone into the sanctuary of the Lord to burn incense. Verse 12 says that Zechariah was "shaken and overwhelmed" The angel Gabriel tells him that even in their old age, he and his wife Elizabeth will become the parents of the "Voice crying out in the wilderness," prophesied centuries before by Isaiah to be the forerunner of the Savior. Namely, he was to become the father of John the Baptist. Verse 18 has Zechariah saying to Gabriel, "How can I be sure this will happen?"
I've always thought, "What a strange question. Here an angel is telling him this, and he still wants more proof. What could be more trustworthy than the announcement of an angel?" Gabriel seems to have thought so too, as he scolds Zechariah and then strikes him deaf and mute until the baby is born. But that was always my other problem with the story. It always seemed to me an excessively harsh punishment for a momentary lapse in Zechariah's faith. Verse 6 has already told us that Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God's eyes.
But it all came together for me when I read the story of Paul before the Sanhedrin. Zechariah was a righteous man, but he lacked one thing. He was a Sadducee. Sadducees did not believe in angels. Even as Gabriel was speaking to Zechariah, the good priest was incredulous. His line of thinking must have been "Angels do not exist. Therefore I must not be seeing an angel. I must be hallucinating. But what if it is real? This experience could come and go, and I'll never know if it was real or a figment of my imagination. And what of my colleagues? They'll laugh me out of Jerusalem if I tell them I saw an angel. I can hear it now. 'You talked to an angel? Yeah, and I dined with the Emperor last night!' I know; I'll ask it for a sign. Then when it doesn't happen, I can go back to not believing in angels again."
That's why Gabriel struck him deaf and mute. So that, not just he, but everyone involved would know that his experience was real.
The Christmas season has now come and gone. Our family spent most of it in the US where petty squabbles like whether I should greet my neighbor saying "Happy Holidays" or "Merry Christmas" never seem to end.
An interesting difference between Americans and Costa Ricans is that in nearly ten years of living there I have never met a single atheist among them. I have only heard one Tico say they did not believe in a personal God but only in a "cosmic force" (and that person was mentally ill!). "Feliz Navidad" is still the accepted greeting.
So why does Costa Rica need missionaries?
1. Missionaries from countries like the US provide specialization in less-developed areas than Costa Rica has, like Celebrate Recovery, proficiency in English, and theological training. For exmaple, Costa Rica does not need Americans to evangelize their prostitutes. They can do that just fine on their own. What I can offer them, however, is training in Celebrate Recovery to help folks get out of prostitution. Once they have that, they won't need American missionaries for it anymore.
2. Missionaries can do work that others cannot do from an economic standpoint. It does not make good economic sense to do what we've done in Tejarcillos: Spend time with the people over a period of ten years, lead maybe a dozen of them to Christ, and train up a couple of high school dropouts to do children's ministry. Yet that's what we've done over the years, and those two leaders now have a burgeoning children's ministry along with various discipling relationships among the people. I just read today that Jim Zorn was fired as coach of the Washington Redskins because he hadn't built a winning team after two years. I'm sure glad Tejarcillos isn't the NFL and that God is such a patient team owner!
3. Central and South America have long legacies of political instability. Even now, the Sandinistas are back in power to the north in Nicaragua, and the coup controversy in Honduras has yet to be resolved. Costa Rica has had a stable democracy for more than 60 years. Therefore, it has become a centralized location for learning Spanish, theological training (including online seminaries), and as a headquarters for ministries to the rest of Latin America.
4. Finally, like Zechariah, the Ticos believe in God, but too few have had a real experience with Him. Luke 1:6 says that Zechariah and Elizabeth were "careful to obey all of the Lord's commandments and regulations." To most Costa Ricans, religion is a matter of obeying commandments and regulations. Seeing the futility in this, they gave up on it long ago. Someone must show them the Living Christ and how to know Him personally as Lord and Savior.
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