Holy Week In Costa Rica the time from Palm Sunday to Easter is called “Holy Week”. The children are out of school, work is usually more lax, and families often gather together throughout the week. A tradition for families during Holy Week is to bake different types of sweet breads made from cornflour and share it (picture included below). We were invited into the home of a family to have bread and drink coffee. The children of this family come to church but the parents do not, so this was a great opportunity to build a relationship with the family by sharing in their tradition and hospitality. A challenge that comes with holy week is that it is also tradition for families to use the weekend to go to the rivers and beaches, even people who would normally be involved in church. Despite this obvious obstacle, we prayed, prepared, encouraged our members, and invited other people in the town to come to church on this special Sunday to remember Jesus’s sacrifice and celebrate the hope we have because of His death and resurrection. All while resting in the truth that if there was someone God wanted to be there, the Holy Spirit would bring them. While we are the hands and feet of Jesus, every aspect of this ministry is the Lord’s. On Palm Sunday after listening to the Bible lesson about Jesus’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem the children enjoyed reenacting this joyous moment of worship! Eleazar, who is in our Youth Program, stepped up to be the humble donkey carrying Jesus (Jonathan) through the crowd who shouted, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” while waving “palm” (coconut tree) branches. Our hope was that this fun activity after the lesson would encourage the children to be thinking about our King Jesus during the week. Praise be to God! Not only did we see some new faces on Easter Sunday, but we also got to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and the new life we find in him through believers baptism! Dona Juana is a grandmother to several of the children who attend church. She has been coming for a few months and also hosts a small group Bible study at her home. But most importantly, she is a sister in Christ who felt convicted to get baptized in obedience to the Lord. She was full of joy as she publicly proclaimed her faith in Jesus to her community! Please pray for Dona Juana’s continued growth in the Spirit and that the Lord would work through her to reach her family and people in her community who are not yet believers. Reinforcements The blessings of having a sending church (OBC) are many, and we thank God continually for his provision through them. One of the most recent big impacts this has had on New Dawn is the ability to employ Jorge to work part time at church as the grounds keeper. Jorge is one of our members, the host of our Saturday small group alongside Lucy, and we can clearly see the Lord working in his life in many ways. He is also a highly skilled individual who is able to maintain the church building and work on projects that help us to do more ministry effectively. Ministry Highlight On Wednesdays we have a Sewing Ministry that meets at the church. During this time women (most of whom do not attend church on Sunday) come and are taught by Sonia on how to mend and make items that they can use and sell. Victor facilitates a devotional during this as well so this time is not only spent teaching women to sew, but also sewing seeds of the gospel for the Holy Spirit to grow. We praise God for how we have seen him use this ministry to bring Lucy (middle in picture) into our church family and pray that the Holy Spirit would continue to work in the hearts of the women who attend it to come to know him personally. Prayer Requests
Scripture “Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.” - 1 Peter 3:8-9
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January - March Hola! Welcome to the first monthly newsletter of New Dawn Baptist church located in San Gerardo, Costa Rica. Perhaps you don’t know anything about this ministry, or maybe you do and you’d like to stay more up to date with all that God is doing through it. Either way, this is for you! This first entry will look a little different as we get caught up and figure out exactly how to do this, but we plan to be posting at the end of each month to keep you better up to date. The purpose of this newsletter is to give glory to God for all that he is doing through New Dawn and give others the opportunity to be encouraged by and praise God along with us! We won’t talk a lot about specific numbers or seek to quantify the ministry that is happening here, but we do want to share what God is doing, let you know how you can pray, and give you an idea of what a church plant ministry in Costa Rica looks like.
We know how God can work in big ways through small groups, so we have started the first in-home small groups to gather together to study the Bible, pray, and challenge each other to live out our faith. Please pray that hearts would be humble and open to ask questions and grow together, and that God would be glorified through these meetings. Since the first Ochoas moved to Costa Rica they have been involved with a family of the indigenous Maleku tribe, specifically, a woman named Dalia and her daughter Beverly. This ministry has looked like weekly visits with her, and occasionally members of her family, to read the Bible together and tackle some of life’s hard questions and circumstances in light of the gospel. Praise be to God, Dalia is recognizing God’s grace in her life and growing in her love and understanding of His word. Valentines Day Event: Marriage and ParentingRelationships and families can be challenging and broken no matter where you are. Valentines Day seemed like the perfect time to talk about Christ’s love for his bride the Church, do we did! Many couples and single parents gathered at church to enjoy fellowship together and hear a message about what marriage and parenting should look like according to the Bible. We thank God for this opportunity and pray that he continues to work in the lives of those who came to bring them closer to Himself and strengthen their families on the foundation of His grace. Health Fair Event: Partnering with Praxis CenterWe partnered with Praxis Center based out of San Jose to have an event where people could have medical, dental, and vision appointments. The purpose being to reach people in the community who are in need of this care and draw people who do not go to church in so that they can have information about our ministry and be prayed with. This event was all day Saturday, Sunday afternoon, and Monday morning. We had ten volunteers from within the church and one from outside who attends Sonia's sewing class. Almost every teen from the youth ministry showed up to help and served their community with joy. The team that came consisted of local professionals (2 doctors, 1 dentist, 1 vision specialist, 1 pharmacist), members of the praxis staff, American retired medical professionals, and a large group of students with their professor. We spent the weeks leading up to the event planning how it would go, gathering materials, getting information to the community, making the appointments, and organizing volunteers. God blessed all this preparation and it showed great fruits when it came to the days of the event. Around 50 people received medical aid, not counting children, and 22 people received dental aid. Some of the people who came were ministered to and prayed with. People who have never come to church were exposed to the ministry and helped physically, giving them a positive view of the ministry. We also made great contacts with local health professionals and have a better idea about the medical condition of the community and how we can minister to and pray for them. We give God all the glory for how this event went and thank him for the opportunities it opens up for the future as well. By His grace, he taught us a lot and has further equipped us to serve the people of San Gerardo and point them to Christ, who gives heart change and life everlasting! |
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