Transitions

     You can see from the photo how happy Carlos and I are at the completion of renovations to his home.  He and his family live among 45,000 others that have moved into Los Guido, what was an old coffee plantation southeast of San Jose.  It is a noted crime area, most are from Nicaragua, most are here illegally and finding work is difficult.  Carlos and his family fit the profile, however he has work.  He is self employed collecting metal and possible recyclables.  He loads them on his bicycle that he has outfitted with a basket above dual front wheels.  A reverse tricycle I suppose.  He pedals miles daily checking out places to pick up material.  He may be netting about $50 a week.  His children, 3 girls and a boy are all under 7. They  are sweet, helpful and always with bright smiles. The two in school are working hard at their studies under mom’s watchful and caring eye.  

 

 At the dedication ceremony we sang, prayed and celebrated the blessings of the Lord for His provision.  A few folk from a local church across town made some funds available and a couple of us provided the labor to make the transformation. 

A few of the notable changes were a bathroom and a hot shower for the first time, some extra elbow space, electricity through out almost to code, and a roof that shouldn’t leak for the next 10 years.  It is a mix of some new materials and plenty of recycled materials from the original dwelling. 

Carlos is full of energy, a caring husband and father and fun to work with.  He is forging ahead here in Costa Rica after arriving some 15 years ago.  He left Nicaragua where there was little to do to make money, and less opportunity for him as he never went to school and doesn’t read and barely writes.  He has been working steadily since childhood.  One beautiful example that he is to his neighbors is that though he has little, he always gives some food to the drug addicts that knock on his door.  The family is a great witness for Christ in their community.

       So that is Carlos and his family in transition.  I, Bob, am also in transition.  There are endless places to lend a hand here and I will keep a hand involved for sure.  (I’m helping build a home church in one of the roughest areas south of the city currently).  But on a more permanent note I am starting to transition into being the administrator at a local seminary, ESEPA.  They have a need of a CFO type person who also knows maintenance.  ESEPA was launched about 30 years ago to train pastors and send them out. They offer an excellent education through the Master’s level, with a mix of North American and local professors.   About ¾ of the students are from Costa Rica and the rest are from other Latin countries.   

     B and I will celebrate 38 years of marriage this month!!  We hope to take in a few Pacific sunsets to celebrate the date and reminisce of the great blessings we have in each other, our family, our friends and supporters like YOU!

 If you have friends or a church community that you think would like to hear us share about our time here or missions in general, let us know and we’ll work up a plan to visit and share while we are in Maine during this August..

     Blessings to all,  Bob n B

      

Graduation

 Wow! What a day! After starting with about a dozen girls in our Celebrate Recovery program we graduated 2 of them last week. The program lasts about 1 1/2 years in prison and so we lost some of our girls because they were released and others dropped out. Overall the two who did finish shared how the program had changed their hearts. Living in the prison, according to the girls, brings out the very worst in one. One of the two told us how she now prayers for the girls who hurt her and steal from her when before she plotted how to fight with them. The other woman went from hardly speaking in the class to becoming very bold with the truth! How exciting to see lives changed! One of the girls, Monique, who got released to finish her term outside in the prison's bakery is wanting to continue on with the study until she finishes it. We will start up again next week.               

Going to the prison each week has it's own little challenges! Never a week goes by when the rules have been changed and we need to do something differently. But, even in the middle of these God's grace has been with us and we have progressed forward in His love.

As our group is an English speaking group we are unique. I do not believe there is any other group that meets on a weekly basis to support the women who speak English. Because of this we get a wide variety of women who come, just to get out of their cell. That is not a problem for us, God can use any excuse and when they sit under God's love and grace we see their hearts changing.   God has proven Himself to be bigger than any obstacle we have had to face and He has shown Himself to be faithful, and for this we are so thankful for His new mercies every day!

 The blue building in the background is where I started a new Bible Study this week. You may recognize it from when we had the two teams there. We have come to know and admire the local Costa Rician missionaries who work there day in and day out. When we were there they asked we might serve with them for a day a week. I told them that my work was not with children but with women in studying the Bible. They were enthusiastic  because none of the volunteers who have come along side them to  teach Bible Study. There are several classes in crafts and English but as yet no formal Bible Studies.

Last week were were in the community visiting women to see if there was any interest in having a Bible Study. Several women responded yes, but one never knows if they were just being polite and not wanting to offend, as is customary here.I spent all weekend pondering and praying over what I should use as an introductory lesson. I knew that I wanted to speak about God's true love for us but how? It was not until late Sunday night that I finally got what I felt was God's direction! I chose to teach the story of the Prodigal Son and the father's love for his son. They could all relate to a son gone astray, as they live this reality every day in their lives and  their children's lives.
They shared how a parent would feel very angry if a son asked for his inheritance while the father was still living. Then when we talked about the love the father had for his son, it was easy for them to see that this was a different kind of love then they had experienced ever before. I was excited to not only have 5 women to share with but women who were interested and asking lots of questions! The woman and baby on the right under the title Costa Rician Children in our blog(bobandbsbriefs.blogspot.com) is one of the women who joined us in the class. Her name is Yerling.
We will be memorizing Isaiah 49:16 this week. Their assignment was to not only memorize the passage but to look to see how God would use this truth in their lives this week.
I invite you to join us in this challenge and see what God does in your own heart as well. Love to hear from you!
Speaking of hearing from you! I jsut wanted to remind everyone that we have a new mailing address. It is: Bob and Barbara Nesbitt  APDO#782-2350 San Jose, Costa Rica.
We would love to have a few of you try it out and see of it works!!!!!

Easter in Costa Rica

The city of San Jose is deserted, the streets are empty. The people have either gone to visit family in the country or they are at the beach. This is Semana Santa, Holy Week. Holy Week is not celebrated by the Evangelical Church like it is by the Catholic Church here in Costa Rica. The Evangelical church believes that they celebrate the Resurrection of their Savior each and every Sunday. The tradition of the Catholic Church is filled with symbolism, observed by holy days and parades.

Botanical  Orchard Garden

A friend and I went to visit a beautiful botanical garden on Good Friday. It was a time for us to walk and talk as we observed the beauty of God’s creation. We also took time to spend individually in prayer and meditation over the meaning of Easter for us.

 One of the passages that I spent time thinking of was Jesus’ words in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world, whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”

I believe in this passage Jesus shows us the reason for His coming, to be the light in our lives that will open up the darkness of our minds and hearts to His truth and that this truth will  set us free from the power of sin in our life.

More and more I am growing in the knowledge of my need for a Savior, that I need to rely on His power to set me free every single day. What a great gift we have in a savior who came to liberate the world from sin and bring us to a place of freedom and light.

 May our hearts glory in this truth this Easter season as we celebrate his victory over sin and death!

We hosted our second team with Christ for the City this past week. They were from Shannon Christian High School, South Carolina. This team had 23 students and was a delight to work with.

Each brought their own special talents but all brought lots of love to share with the children of La Cuenca. Some of the students had never flown a plane before nor left the United States. It was quite eye awaking to see the poverty in La Cuenca for them. Their hearts were broken and they went home changed. Here are some comments the students made:


I rely way too much on material things instead of God.
I learned prayer can do amazing things.
I learned God is present through suffering. I saw that in the children of La Cuenca.
It's the little things that matter.
I learned that I am really self-centered.
As Christians in America we get blessed with things but here I see the blessing  is relationships.
Now I see everything God does for a reason.
They know their need for God.
I learned I am really stubborn and self-centered.
We all grew in patience.
It wasn't as much about what we got done but the relationships we developed.
I learned that what we have often distracts us.
I realize I always look for joy in the wrong places.
I got such joy from watching my host mother smile.
We spent the last 4 years with more of a relationship with our school books than with each other.


What wonderful observations. Please join us in praying that God will continue to grow them in a desire to serve Him where ever God chooses.

 

 It is always interesting to stop the regular course of events and reflect for a time about what has transpired recently and to write about those events and the reflections.  

We have begun working with Christ for the City International here in San Jose.  (Actually the main office is almost behind our house!)  We are helping host short term teams at this point.  We love their model of home stays in the communities for the entire team, us included. So for 11 days we were in a tough neighborhood northwest of the city.  

The team we hosted was from Canada, all girls in 11^th or 12^th grade.  Never have we experienced such a mature, loving and caring bunch of high scholars’.  They interacted well with the children and the women of the area as well as the host church from the barrio.  We also were stretched by the conditions in the slum (so thankful for our camping histories).  The girls shared their testimonies and by the end of the week, they were really connecting and touching the ladies hearts. B had a chance to chat with one woman who was noticeable touched by the testimonies of the girls. She had a chance to listen to her story and pray with her. This has lead to the start of a new relationship for B.  

 During times of debriefing with the team it was evident that God was working deeply with each one of them in terms of love, relationships and culture/world views.  It was a privilege to see such changes in them in such a short time.

 For me, Bob, I was delighted to go on a men’s retreat with our church in the mountains.  It was really the first time that I’ve had verbal skills and opportunity to get to know some of the men here in our area.  My “equipo” were a diverse bunch but we melded really well.  I’m hoping to press on with some of them as male fellowship has been thin for me for many years now.   One of our team tasks was to dunk ourselves into a cold, yes COLD, mountain stream during a group challenge. Thanks to good modeling from leadership at NWMC during our time in Maine, I was able to lead the charge for my group.

 Reflections of a more somber tone.  Life is fragile, short and in need of hearing the Gospel before it ends here on earth.  This was imparted to me during a trip to the beach for a debrief with the team.  The scene is 8 girls in the water playing on “boogie boards” and I am out a bit deeper.  Moments later they are passing me by as a rip tide has captured them. Scene three, all but one are able to help each other to shore.  So one young lady is heading offshore and I’m heading after her. The next ten to fifteen minutes were probably some of the most challenging I’ve ever experienced.  The short of the story is that we did get back in, a bit traumatized but so thankful to God for his mercy on both of us.

The following few nights were times of reflecting on the brevity of life, the need of a savior to continue life beyond this world, the thankfulness of a good outcome, the sobriety and the gut pains when I wasn’t sure of the outcome, and for God’s protection over the mind of this sweet young gal about her experience.

Thank you for your prayers as we take another team into the same area next week.  They are a larger group, 26 people, so the logistics are quite a bit bigger.  We are with them 24/7, so prayers for our energy are appreciated and for safety in all aspects. 

What's a verse?

This was the type of question we heard yesterday in our Group in the Women’s Prison, El Buen Pastor. We are starting a new group of Celebrate Recovery and have about 8-9 new women joining us at the moment. Our requirement is that after 1 month of attendance you receive a Bible with special devotions for Celebrate Recovery Groups.

   The real excitement came for us when we watched them open up their Bibles. It felt like Christmas morning! The ones who received them are not professing to be Christians but you would not have known that by their joy in receiving them. What’s a verse? How do you find the chapter number? New, old testament? Great questions!

            We were teaching on the meaning of hope using the letters of the word hope to illustrate that real hope comes in knowing Jesus as one’s Savior. As we looked up passages they were so excited to be finding them on their own! I know God is just starting His work here amongst them and I pray that He will have the victory in their lives as they seek truth. Keep praying with me!

Other exciting news is that Bob has been praying and seeking God for what’s next, thank you all for your prayers in this. He has been busy helping out with another missionary who is fixing/building a home for a family with 4 children in one of the slums here, Los Guido. He is also helping out in the mountains in Vara Blanca, where the earthquake happened about 2 ½ years ago, as they remodel a community center into a school.

We are also looking at getting involved with Christ for the City Missions. They are in need of help with their short term teams. We will be coming alongside the director, Carlos, helping him with two teams, one in March and the other in April. Thank you for continuing to pray for wisdom in knowing God’s will at this time. Here we are with Magali and Hugo, who work in the slum where we will be helping out with the short term teams. there is about 400 hundred families living here in these conditions, including many women with several children who are without husbands.

We have our first visitor form Maine coming today! Kathy, my sister, is coming down to serve with us and be an encouragement to us as well. We are so excited to have her here with us! She will be sharing on prayer with my Spanish Bible Study and with the missionary women who live here in the city. She will also join me in the prison next Wednesday to share her testimony with the women in our group. 

Transitions

                                            Bob, B Stephanie and Mary

TRANSITIONS

 January has been a time of transition for me (Bob).  In December I finished up working at Sojourn Academy.   So this past month I checked in with a bunch of ministries here in the valley and others as far away as Chile and Mexico to see where God would have me involved.  It has become a slow process and after a month there are options but nothing that is getting the green light at this point.  There is a lot of need, but I’m waiting on the Lord to help me not just jump at the first opportunity.  Waiting isn’t one of my fortes so being on the sidelines is testing me a lot.

 On the up side we are able to attend a great study on the book of Revelations given by a seminary professor.  He will be returning to the states in April and B asked if he would do a small class at his house before he leaves.  He agreed to it and what a great teacher he is.

Another transition is that the young lady that B had been discipling, Stephanie, has gone to her 10 month training in Mexico.  She left in mid-January and we won’t see her again until mid November.  There were multiple sendoffs, we had one, her family as well and her local church.  There are many teary eyes when someone close heads out far away.  For most here in Costa Rica it is rare to have or know someone that is off to a mission field out of country.  The airport goodbyes alone took about 1 ½ hours as 4 loaded vehicles made the trip.  We are very fortunate to be close to the family.

 We have a roommate living with us now.  Mary is one of the teachers at Sojourn and through circumstances she moved in with us over New Years.  (by the way Happy New Year to you!)  She will be with us until July when she will return to the Chicago area.  She just happens to be an acquaintance of Christa Thorpe as they were at Wheaton Graduate School together last year.  Small world isn’t it?         

B continues to be busy leading two different Bible Studies, one in English, The Gospel Centered Life and one in Spanish over the Gospel of John. The ministry at the Women’s prison had lost a few women over Christmas and the New Year has brought 4 new ones to the group. It is exciting for her to see God’s hand in bringing these women to an understanding of God’s love for them. She is also involved in a training given by EnTrust Ministries to missionary women to teach them how to help the women in their countries how to teach and disciple other women. It is a pilot program here in Costa Rica and she is very excited about the possibilities it holds.

We are happy to announce our first mid coast Maine visitor, Kathy Todd.  Kathy, B’s sister, will be visiting at the end of February.  We are thrilled and it just happens to coincide with my ¾ year birthday!  

We have a bed and an air mattress available should you happen to be in the area, we would love to see you!  We are not firm with our dates for a Maine visit, but expect to be there most of August.  My dad will be 90 this summer and we are looking forward to a family gathering to celebrate it.

Thanks for continuing to join us in Bob’s search for exactly where God wants him.