There are no words. Well, there are a few...

 The summer is winding down for us here in Alajuelita. In CR it's actually not summer, but rather rainy season. But as far as teams-related ministry, the months of May - August are SUPER busy. It's always amazing to me all that God does through the short-term groups that come. A lot is accomplished, lives are changed, and we are always more in awe of our Great God!! Here's a glimpse of what's been going on.

Olivia with our sweet friend Whitlee, waiting to pick up a team at the airport.

With the Celebration Marrieds Team, delivering a sewing machine to a single mother. She said "It's beautiful." 

With the Celebration Children's Ministry Team, we visited sponsored kids, and it was powerful to see just how much it meant to the children and their families.

Lots & lots of feeding stations this summer. This one, in Upper Tiribi, was hosted by the Sub30 team, and  almost 200 kids came out to get a meal.

With the Mandarin Presbyterian Youth Group, as they dedicated a new home to the Lord. I love the emotion on the father's face. It was a very emotional day.

The inside of Maria's home, in Nuevo Millenium, where the sewage tank literally exploded inside their house.  They live in an area where we are prohibited from building or improving, so it's very hard to see something like this happen. 

One of our Summer Interns, Kyle. This photo was taken by Olivia. It was such a blessing to have Kyle and Virginia here this summer to help. 

Enjoying an afternoon in a local park. 

The finished home at one of our very challenging job-sites. The previous house had mud/dirt floors, and the team from Ridgecrest worked very hard in the mud to build the family a new house on stilts.

This is the family that received the house in the photo above. I love the joy on their faces.

Building a new house for a family from the local church here with the Vancleave Team.

Verbena Feeding Station - every Saturday we go to one of the largest impoverished areas and serve lunch. Typically there are between 75-100 kids who attend.

FUSE team praying with families, face painting and playing soccer in the park of Alajuelita. 

One of the highlights of our summer was working with the team from Grandview Baptist, The Crash. The Youth Pastor, Allen, is an old friend of Heather's, so it was a huge blessing to serve together here in Costa. Here is Allen, handing the keys to our friend Carlos, who received a new home that week. 

The Crash picking up garbage in Alajuelinda, the neighborhood where they served for a  week.

The group of children who prayed to receive Christ on the last day of VBS in Alajuelinda.

 

Our family with Allen on their last day here.

We still have a few more teams in August, and then we will have a little time to rest. It has been such a blessing to be a part of this time, and we are very much looking forward to a time to refresh in the weeks ahead, so that we can continue serving. Please be in prayer for all the families who received homes this summer, the children and adults who are new believers, the local church here, and the 6:8 Staff. This post by all means did not cover every team that served this summer, or all the things that took place. Thanks to all of you who support us in prayer, financially, and even coming to serve alongside us here in CR. God is so good!!

Messy

Things are never black and white here, but this is a situation that has me up, praying about how we should help...

Today we went back to a barrio and visited with a lady named Maria. One of our 6:8 Staff, Amanda, has a close relationship with her - but we all know her story. Here is the short version.

She lives in one of the poorest, dirtiest neighborhoods in Alajuelita, which is the poorest county in the nation.

Her house has raw sewage that comes up in the kitchen when it rains.

She is a single mom, living with a female partner and a lot of kids.

Her neighbors are related to her. It's her mother, sister and sister's boyfriend.

Plus the boyfriend has a bunch of teen/young adult males that come over a lot.

Her own family has threatened her and her children.

They have locked her in her own house, or told her that if she left, something bad would happen.

Why? Because her sister and sister's boyfriend are drug addicts and dealers. They have not only hurt her, but they have purposefully sought out the defenseless - older people, mothers with children - to rob for money to buy more drugs. They have asked Satan to come. This is serious darkness.

Because of all this, Maria has been having panic attacks. She has started taking an anti-depressant to just get through it. Today when we were praying with her, she was visibly shaking. 

On the other hand, Maria's mother has accused her of manipulating us. Her mother is very 'religious' and has a lot of harsh things to say about her own daughter.

What do you think? What do you think we should do to help Maria and her kids? I really want to know.

Do not deprive the foreigner or the fatherless of justice, or take the cloak of the widow as a pledge. Deuteronomy 24:17 

But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted; you consider their grief and take it in hand. The victims commit themselves to you; you are the helper of the fatherless. 

Psalm 10:14

Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow. 

Isaiah 1:17

The poor will see and be glad - you who seek God, may your hearts live!

Psalm 69:32

Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered.

Proverbs 21:13

Blessed to Give

This past week, we as a staff were able to give over 200 children a HUGE gift - the ability to go to school. Thursday we saw about 114 kids, and Friday we saw the rest. They were long, exhausting days. But I don't think many of the staff were thinking about that, to be honest. It was really overwhelming to be God's hands and feet. The verse, "it is more blessed to give than to receive" never rang truer for me.

Because of people (some of you reading this) giving $200 - a child gets to have an education this year. While the public school system here is free, the supplies, required uniforms and shoes are not. Just add those items up, and it totals more than most families here make in a month. PLUS, most families have more than one child in school.
And because of the generosity of others, we got to receive the blessing of seeing true appreciation, laughter, even tears, as everything was finally given to the children.

When a child entered the church, he/she would go immediately to registration and then to either get their nails painted or get a haircut. After that, they would come get their two uniforms. Once they tried on a uniform that fit, they got to take their picture for their sponsor. They were also given a copy of their picture - a sweet gift for a child that most likely has no pictures of him/herself.

After they were done with uniforms, they received two pairs of socks. Then they went to the backpack station where they got their new backpack, loaded with notebooks, construction paper, pencils, pens, markers, rulers, a New Testament, scissors, crayons, etc. The bags were HEAVY. Then they went to a table to write a letter or draw a picture for their Sponsor. After that, they received a brand new pair of shoes for school. Then they went to a chair, where one of our church members prayed over them in Spanish.

It was busy, crazy, and wonderful.

One family in particular touched my heart. The family was just found only a few days earlier, in a neighborhood we haven't been to yet. A group of staff found them, a family with seven children, living in very poor conditions. Once a sponsor was found, they were told to come to the church to get their supplies. They had never stepped foot in our church before.

Only five of their children are in school (one is finished, and one is too young), so as they came to get their uniforms it was a bit chaotic for a minute. Once they all had their uniforms, one of their daughters was thanking and kissing us repeatedly. She could NOT contain her excitement! It was so touching to see how thrilled she was. After their family was finished with all the tables, the Mom sent the kids back around to tell everyone thanks again. They all came with hugs, kisses and big smiles of gratitude. Everyone around agreed that it was such a blessing and that God is so good!

So thanks to you all. Thanks to those who gave. Thanks to those who prayed. Without you, none of this would be possible. Most important though, is that these children felt the love of God. They went away, knowing that God cares for them, and that He has not forgotten them.

"I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels."
Isaiah 61:10


Take a couple of minutes to see this video, for a better idea of how the two distribution days went.
http://vimeo.com/36327375

Just Not Fair

It's been a ridiculously long while since we've posted on here. Thanks to many of you, we were able to spend a few weeks with family and friends over the Christmas holidays. It was a MUCH needed time of running around crazy trying to see everyone refreshment. We truly enjoyed every minute of it! While we were gone, Olivia got sick and it turned out to be strep throat. We were thankfully able to purchase the medicine for $4 from Wal-Mart. By the time we came home, everyone was starting to feel much better.


The girls and I flew back to Alajuelita on a Tuesday. The following Sunday, I did not see our friends Marielos & Franklin at church. So after the service, I gave her a call. It turns out they were dealing with a LOT of sickness while we were gone. The thing is... for us when we have a sick family member it causes a little stress. Especially since living here, where we do not have health insurance. But to this point we have never had to choose between feeding our children or getting them a needed medication. Sure, we have sacrificed some things we were "used to" having, but after a year or so I can honestly say we don't miss much of the stuff (except Chick-fil-A). 


On the other hand, for their family, when someone gets sick it is a giant problem. Franklin works full-time at a local grocery store chain, in the meat/butcher department. Marielos stays home with their children, who are 8 and 4. Since October, Franklin's mother has been living with them in their very small home. She has been living with excruciating back pain for more than a year, and finally in October she couldn't take the pain anymore. She and her husband live 4-5 hours from Alajuelita, on a farm way up on a mountain. They have no running water in their house, and no kitchen. They both work the land to make a living. This type of work + back pain = a woman who can barely walk, can't sleep and constantly has a grimace on her face. 


Very long story short - in November I took her to a local private clinic, because she does not have social security here. The doctor looked at her and sent her for a CT scan of her back. She has several herniated disks in her lower back. They have told her now that she needs back surgery - but the earliest she can get in the operating room is October 2012! That is a year from when she came to Alajuelita looking for help. In the meantime, the doctors have given her a prescription for pain medication that will help ease the pain a little so she can sleep and maybe walk. There's only one catch - the medicine is $60 per month. Up to this point, they have been purchasing half of the amount ($30) and she is only taking the pain medicine at night so she can sleep. Thankfully, one of our dear friends just sent me an email saying their family wants to help with the prescription cost.

On top of that, Franklin has been sick for about 3-4 weeks, with a bad cough and chest pain. He went to the doctor, who told them it looks like it could be Tuberculosis. He is waiting until next Monday to find out the results of the exam. Please pray that the results are negative. 

Franklin, Marielos & Alison (Wesley was at school)

What is the point of this rambling story? Sometimes I just get aggravated with how unfair life can be. But then I'm reminded that God is just, not fair. He doesn't give everyone an equal life, but the one that they need. He doesn't provide how we expect, but in ways that blow our minds. And He doesn't need my input on how to handle this particular family's needs. He sees them - every part of them - and He knows exactly what needs to be done. Our job is just to ask Him what to do and then pray for His provision. Don't you think the same rule applies to our own needs? We just need to ask Him for direction and provision. And then lay it down. Stop worrying, planning, and complaining. And just trust Him completely. 

Psalm 145:17-19 -  The Lord is righteous in everything He does, He is filled with kindness. The Lord is close to all who call on Him, yes, to all who call on Him SINCERELY. He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him, He hears their cries for help and rescues them.

Be a Neighbor!

Before the 6:8 website was redesigned, there was a song called "Hookers and Robbers" by Charlie Hall that use to play while you viewed the site. It really was a good fit for the ministry that God is doing here in Costa Rica. There are certainly a lot of hookers around here, but I believe there are probably fifty times as many robbers in this area. Around here you can never let your guard down. For example, you never leave any thing valuable, or anything that might appear to be valuable in your car. If you have an empty back pack in your car, thieves will break in to your car just in case there is something in it. When we serve at our feeding center at Celebration Church, you do not set anything down and walk away from it for even a moment. If you do, it will be gone.

We have been living in the house we are in for 8 months. We are in a "gated" community. Now don't let that fool you, it's not like a gated community in the states. It simply has a concrete walls surrounding the perimeter and 24-7 security guards on duty. And though there is a wall surrounding the perimeter, some parts of the wall have bars and razor wire to prevent people from climbing in, and some parts do not. Why? This is Costa Rica, how am I supposed to understand why? That's just how it is.

Well, the wall behind our house is a part of that wall that does not have the deterring bars and razor wires. I really haven't been that concerned about it as there is a church directly behind our house. I have always figured there would be no problems.

I flew back to Costa Rica on Wednesday Sept. 7th. I got up at 4am, Costa Rica time. When I got home I said hello to everyone. Went to the feeding center and then went home. I decided I was tired and that I was going to lay down.

While I was laying there, not asleep, I heard a noise. Now there is always noise around here, but this noise was different. I thought it was my dog at first. As I listened more, I heard the sound of Velcro being pulled apart.

Now, my wife and girls attract mosquitoes like crazy. So I put up some screens on some of our windows and attached them with Velcro so we could open and close the windows and let the breeze in. So, the Velcro I heard was in baby Ava's bedroom. Not thinking, I jumped up (knowing at this point that someone was attempting to break into our house), ran into her room, pulled the curtain back, and caused one Tico robber to have to change clothes. I yelled at the guy in my native tongue (why?) and he ran off and jumped the wall. His eyes were as big as golf balls.

So I went out there to see where he went, and to my surprise, when I looked over the back wall for the first time ever, I saw 2 tin houses. These types of dwellings are the type that we rebuild all the time. They are usually occupied by very poor families. There was a make-shift ladder leaning against the wall which allowed them to get on the roof of the house, and then climb over the wall. The wall is probably 15' high.

Looking over the edge of the wall directly behind my house.




The dog defending his territory.

 

I called security and told them I had a problem and they needed to come to my house right now. They told me "mas tarde" which means "we''ll have to come a little later." When I finally got them to come I showed him what happened. He started throwing rocks on the house behind ours. Immediately a dog ran out and started barking. Now when the guy jumped over the wall, it was quiet. No dog was barking. This dog knows this guy. This guy must live in this house behind me. So now I have a constant problem.

Well, I started looking into how to secure our house to keep my family and our belongings safe and I simply could not afford it. I called my landlord and after a few sleepless nights, she informed me that she was going to install an electric fence and an alarm system. Praise God!!!!! The guys are at  my house right now installing it.

Now, all this time Heather and the girls were in Florida.I was here by myself, and I knew that my bride would not sleep in this house at all until it was secure. My goal was to get it done before they returned. They return a week from today, so everything worked out.

Now I've discussed this with multiple people and our first reaction is always to want to teach this guy a lesson. However, I don't think this is the Christ-like thing to do. I'm praying about how we can attempt to change this guys outlook on life so he doesn't feel the need to rob others to get what he wants in life. That's why we are here, to combat poverty. Poverty has an ugly, ugly face. Crime is always in the midst of poverty. If the guy had came and knocked on my door and asked me for help, I would certainly have done what I could to help him. But because of pride, many of the poor would rather rob someone else than to ask for help. Should I be unforgiving of a man because he tried to rob me, when most of the people we serve around here are probably stealing from other people to get by. It's so ingrained in the heart of this community that this is the only way to ever get what you need and want. My pride says, "who does he think he is trying to rob my family" so I'm no better than he is. Our pride causes us to react in different ways, but it is still ugly pride.

Now Christ said that we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. I could try to argue with him like the others did:

- So, Jesus, who is my neighbor? Is it the guy on the left and right of me that live in the "secured" community? Surely it's not the guy that lives behind me that tried to rob my family is it?

What is Christ going to say to me?

Well, let's just let His Word speak:

Matt. 5:43-48

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.  

Luke 10:26-29; 36-37
“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind' and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”....

( insert Good Samaritan story here. Mental note: there is no reference as to what type of character the victim in the story possessed. He himself could have been a terrible person for all we know.)

...“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Romans 13:9-10
The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

Romans 15:2
Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up.

Galatians 5:14
For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Ephesians 4:25-28
Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.

James 2:8
If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right.

That last one is powerful!!!

To sum it all up:

There are no excuses for who we call our neighbor and that's not even the point that Jesus made. The expert in the law asked him "who is my neighbor?” Jesus answered him with a question that caused the man to focus on the type of neighbor he himself was instead of worrying about who was in fact a neighbor to him. We are to worry about who's neighbor we are being, not who is our neighbor, or as is most often the case, who is being a neighbor to us. Favoritism is underrated, yet we all do it, while unconditional love is more powerful than we could ever dream, and we at times, choose to not exercise it.



A view of potential. Potential love. Potential change. Potential for the glory of God. If I will handle things His way. If I will step up and be the neighbbor.

 

Be a neighbor!

Learning to trust

The past week has been rough. Definitely not one of my favorite weeks since living here. BUT, can I just say how good our God is?!?

For almost 2 weeks, both girls have been sick. It started with a cough, then runny nose, then worse (croup-sounding) cough. Two Fridays ago, we took them to our Pediatrician here, Dr. Cordero. From the beginning she has been a blessing to us - she is up to date on the U.S. medical standards, she speaks English, she is very patient with us, etc. Anyway, on that Friday, she checked both girls and said that Olivia had something viral and to give her some medicine to help with the congestion. She said Ava looked "perfect".

So we went and got the medicine, and began taking it as prescribed immediately. A day or so later, Ava seemed to be getting worse again. Olivia did not seem to improve much, and she started running a low-grade fever.

All week I have been up at the church painting a mural for the childrens' classrooms... so Jeremy was here with the sick girls by himself. On Thursday, he called that afternoon to say that Olivia was upset and complaining about her ear hurting. When I came home a little later, I walked in the door to her screaming and saying her ear was hurting really bad.

Now I realize that this doesn't sound that bad. BUT, if you know Olivia at all, she typically does not tell us when she's sick... the last time she had an ear infection, we didn't know and by the time we took her to be checked (because she wasn't sleeping) it was very bad.

So I called Dr. Cordero's cell phone and asked her what I could get for her to help. Ibuprofen was not working. She told me some other pain medicine to try and told us to come in at 8:30 the next morning for her to look at the girls again. Olivia eventually calmed down and went to sleep.

The next morning we went to her office, and she checked both girls. Olivia did have an ear infection, and Ava had a DOUBLE ear infection! She gave us some antibiotics (from her cabinet) and told us an antihistimine to get to try and dry up the fluid before we fly this week.

At the end of the visit, she told us there was no charge! 


She gave us medicine for free, did not charge us for the visit, and told me to call her cell with any questions.

As we were on our way to the second appointment, Jeremy and I were discussing how we were going to pay for it - they usually run about $80 per child - and we ended the conversation by saying, "God will provide."

And He always, always does. In His perfect way.

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?" Matt. 6:25-27

Perspective & Provision - May/June 2011

We have been very, very busy the last 6 weeks. So busy, in fact, that we have neglected to share with you about all that God is doing! Please forgive us for not getting this update out sooner.

The month of May was consumed by a trip back to Florida. While there we organized all documents for Residency here in Costa. Our home church, San Jose Baptist, took a love offering and raised ALL of the money needed to pay for our residency application! We were truly overwhelmed by their outpouring of love, and God's constant provision. We also spent some time catching up with friends and family. It was a busy, whirlwind trip, but it was really nice to see loved ones.



Olivia & Ava on Father's Day 2011


As soon as we returned, Jeremy hit the ground running. In the past few weeks, he has worked with a couple of teams that have either built homes or made much-needed repairs to existing homes. We also had two friends come stay with us for a week. They helped out with a team that was here, along with some personal ministry opportunities. But the primary topic of this update is one particular family.

There is an earlier blog post about Franklin & Marielos, here, but for now I will continue with things that have happened the past two weeks. I (Heather) have personally been praying for an opportunity to build a relationship with a woman here, and from the first time we met, I have just loved being around Marielos. It has been a slow process to build this relationship, mostly due to the fact that my Spanish is very crude.

Franklin, Marielos & Allison (Wesley was at school), in front of their new home.

The week we returned, we went to visit them and see their new home. When we arrived, they had what felt like 50 people, crammed into their home. In all reality, it was probably about 15 people, but they were all in a very small living room. And it was storming outside. After the rain let up, some of her cousins left and we were again alone with their family and her Mother and Grandmother. Marielos asked us to please pray for her Mother, because her health is very poor and she has very little income. She told us in that moment that her Mother's "social security" is only a few dollars more than her rent each month.

After we left that day, I told her that we would talk again and see if there was anything we can do for her Mother. As we drove home, I kept thinking about how in the days leading up to our visit with them, I had felt very frustrated and even angry at times, with our situation. You see, the week before that we had no internet (our connection to "home") and our power was working intermittently. Neither of these things is life-threatening, but from my perspective they were very frustrating. In that moment riding home, I felt the Holy Spirit speaking to me, reminding me that it's all a matter of perspective.

Earlier this week, I had an opportunity to take our friends from Florida to Rosa's (Marielos' Mother) house, so that we could take pictures and see what her needs are. When we got there, I asked Rosa if there was anything they needed. She said "only a mattress", as hers was very old, dirty and flat. Because of her health problems and age, she was having a lot of difficulty sleeping. This is not surprising, considering the condition of her bed. As my friends continued to talk with Rosa, Marielos took me around the rest of the house, showing me her Grandmother's room and their bathroom (with no sink) and kitchen (with no sink, no refrigerator, etc.). She began to cry as she told me that her Mother had no food. She opened the kitchen cabinets and showed me that all they had left was a half of a bag of rice. She said her Mother did not like to ask for help, but that she truly needed it.

That day, Kelli & Kristina took Marielos to the local grocery store and paid for her to buy some basic staples - rice, beans, pasta, etc. It was another awesome opportunity to show the love of Christ to this hurting family. We prayed for them and left for another place. Rosa and her Mother were so grateful for the help, and once again, I thanked God for sending someone to take care of His precious children. He knows exactly the time and the need. Thankfully, because of their obedience, Rosa had food to eat that night.

Today, I was once again reminded of God's love, as a team here from Alabama took Rosa a new mattress. She cried as she thanked them, and continued to ask for prayer for her health and her family. She told them in tears, that she does not want to die. She wants to be healthy and be around to see her grandchildren grow up. I was overwhelmed as I listened to team members pray for her to have peace as she sleeps tonight, hoping that she may finally have a good night's rest.

Rosa (center) with the team members from AL.

No matter what we have going on personally, it is good to be reminded of how GREAT our God is! He knows every detail of your need, my need and even a Grandmother living in a tiny barrio in Costa Rica.

"You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, his generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus. Our God and Father abounds in glory that just pours out into eternity. Yes." Phil. 4:19, MSG

Rosa & Marielos "testing" the new mattress. The verdict? "Bueno!"

Our New Friends: Franklin, Marielos, Wesley & Allison

We met this sweet family about a week and a half ago. They have been asking for a new home for quite some time, so once Jeremy was told about them, we decided to go and see where they lived. The mother, Marielos, comes with their two children to church on Sundays at Iglesia Celebracion. Franklin works on Sundays, so he typically cannot attend.

Their family lives in an area called Cochea, which is located up the mountainside a little ways from where we live, in Alajuelita Central. Their home is located off the road, on a dirt path. As you can probably imagine, it is very, very dusty right now. But during rainy season, the path to their home is very muddy, slippery and dangerous. We cannot change this. But there are some things we could change.

First, their home is built on homemade stilts. We could build them a safer, more secure home, built on stilts made of steel, or possibly with a concrete slab foundation.

Second, their home only has three independent walls. The back wall of their house is actually just leaning against the house behind them. As you can imagine, this allows lots of water to enter the house from the back side.

Third, their home is full of holes. Holes in the floor, holes in the roof, holes in the walls, etc. A new home could have four solid, independent walls, not made from scrap metal.

Also, their toilet currently runs to a full septic tank, which then overflows into the ditch that runs alongside their house. It's possible that we could re-route this in a more sanitary way. (That's a picture of where the tank is located, above. It's under the scrap piece of metal, being held down by an old office chair.)

When I say "we" I mean a team from the U.S. could adopt this family, raise the funds needed to provide them a new home, and in the process be the hands and feet of Christ in a very tangible way. Over the past four months, we have seen how this simple act of generosity can change someone's life for eternity. Every single home-owner that has received a new home via 6:8 Ministries has been impacted for eternity. Some have begun coming to church, most for the first time. Three members of one family already prayed to receive Christ.

So this is not just about an earthly home.

This is about reaching out and showing the love of God to people He loves. How amazing that God can and will use you to draw others to Himself!!

Please pray for Franklin, Marielos, Wesley & Allison as they wait for a new, safer home. Pray for their needs to be met, for Franklin to continue to have work, for their children to stay healthy & safe, and for God to be glorified in their lives. Pray that they will feel His love for them, and believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior.

Meeting Needs

February was a busy month for us. We started the month off with a visit from Heather's parents and by moving in to a different house. We dropped Heather's parents off at the airport and proceeded directly to San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua for our mandatory 90 day exit from Costa Rica. When we returned we had a team geared up and ready to build one of our most challenging homes to date for a sweet and needy family. Alex, Rebbecca and their 4 children received their new home 7 days later.

In the middle of the build, the team took a free day on Valentine's day and we tagged along to have a special day together as a family. On this day God choose to sell our truck after 3 long months. Praise God!!!!!!!! We were definitely feeling the love of our Father in Heaven as we soaked in the beauty of His creation and came home to find our truck sold on Valentine's day.

Just one day after the team building Alex and Rebecca's house left, another team arrived ready to build a house for another needy family of five. Eduardo, Carmine, Carlyn, Allison, and Henry were all living in very poor conditions. Their home was built from scrap materials and was the equivalent of a shed that no one would want to even put their lawn mower in back home. This team of 4 married couples worked hard to build this family a new home. On the 3rd day of the build, one of the team members received a call from the states informing him that his home had burned down. Here they were in Costa Rica, building a home for a needy family, and their home burned down in the midst of it. To top it all off, he is a retired fire fighter.

Production slowed down dramatically this day as we all mourned for this family. The locals were offering to go to the United Stated to rebuild Gary and Mary Lynn's house that had burnt down. I was very moved by the genuine heartache our Tico friends felt for this couple they had only known for a couple of days. Our local friends did not understand how insurance works in the U.S. and were deeply disturbed that this couple had lost everything. We had to explain to them that they would be able to rebuild, but it would be a lengthy, strenuous, and emotional process.

We prayed over Gary and Mary Lynn that night at church and they naturally cut their stay short and flew home the next morning. When Gary left, he wanted to give 2 of our construction staff members a gift to show his love for them and the deep bond that they had began to share. Gary was limited on time, so he took 2 shirts out of his suitcase and left them for us to give to Victor and Mauricio. Upon receiving their shirts they understood fully what this man had just done. Gary had given these 2 guys that he had only known for a few days, 2 of the only shirts he had left. All the clothes he had left were in his suitcase. These guys took the shirts home and put them up somewhere to treasure them and to remember Gary and Mary Lynn.

The house build went on full speed ahead after the family's departure and we finished the house on the 5th day of the build. As we were finishing the home on the last day (Friday), Pastor Minor, one of our part time 6:8 Ministries Staff members, went to talk to the family. Pastor Minor came back about 1 1/2 hours later to inform me that Eduardo, his mother Aurora, and his father Javier, had all prayed to receive Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. Praise God!!!!! What a good way to finish up a home build and dedicate it to the glory of God! We dedicated the house and the team just couldn't walk away without buying them some new furniture for the home as well. It was a great home build.

This was the best home build yet this year on many different fronts. Now this family has a secure home with indoor plumbing and electricity. The team left the next day and we entered in to a week long break between teams. In this time we have been shopping for a car and getting caught up on some administrative duties. We begin another home build on March 6th with one team, and 2 other teams will be here doing other ministry as well.

Please click on the Expenses page to read about our residency and monthly needs. We are grateful for the unique relationships we have with each one of you. We truly miss you all very much.

with love in Christ,
Jeremy, Heather, Olivia and Ava Hicks

New Year, New Digs

We have sincerely been trying to work on an update to send out to everyone, but with Jeremy working with 3 construction teams back-to-back, his free time has been very little. I only say that to let you know that he is working on a specific update to email out this week. I look forward to being able to share more with you about the families who have received homes this year. God is truly doing amazing work here in CR, and we are so thrilled that He is allowing us to be a tiny part of it!

Thanks to the help of some good friends at home (in Jacksonville), we were finally able to sell the Durango!! Praise the Lord! We had no clue how long it would take to sell, but we are so thankful that it did - and happy that it has a new home with someone who needed it. We still have not purchased a vehicle here, but Jeremy has been on the hunt for one that's safe and in our price-range. Please pray that he will find the best car for our family. We appreciate your prayers about all of this.

Last month, we moved into a different home in the same neighborhood. We are now only 5 doors away from people we know - another prayer answered! It is such a blessing to have friends within walking distance. And honestly, another thing I am so excited about is our neighbors. We were never able to get to know our neighbors at the old house, because they never seemed to be home at the same time we were. At the new house, we have already been able to meet and talk to several neighbors. This is so exciting to me, since most of my time is spent here at home with the girls.

Our immediate neighbor to the left is actually our landlord's sister. And she speaks English. This has been a HUGE help to us in getting to know our landlord. Our neighbor's name is Maria. She and her husband do not have any children, but her Mother lives with them. I don't know for sure, but she appears to be about the same age as us. Her sister Nathalia, has a daughter named Camilla that is 5 years old. She comes over to play with her Grandmother quite often, so she and Olivia have been able to play together a few times. It is always interesting to me how kids can communicate without speaking the same language.

Would you please pray with me that God will continue to allow me opportunities to build a friendship with Maria? She told me that she enjoys speaking with me, because it's her only chance to practice English. She also told me yesterday that her family is Catholic, and most of her family lives about 20 minutes away. She is definitely interested in why we're here, and what exactly we are doing. Pray that we will be able to share our faith with her.

We are hoping to begin our Spanish classes in the next week or so. Please be praying that this will happen, and that God will continue to provide for the expense of language school. We are looking forward to the day when we can speak fluently with people and not need an interpreter.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support. Be on the lookout for an email this week with more details about the past month. [h]

Hopelessness and Helplessness

This post was written by Jeremy about one week ago.

Today we took a team of 6:8 staff members and a couple of guys from [The Refuge] Men's Center and went into an area called Los Anonos. We have a team house in Los Anonos, but it's in the "official" part of Los Anonos, not the part where people found a piece of empty property, some scrap materials and put up a shelter. The part we went into was the area down by the river. Pretty much anywhere down by the river around here is horrible. The rich in this community do not like the fact that their view is of a shanty-town. So why did they buy at that location? The shanty-town was there all along.

Well, in the first week of November 2010 (the week before our family moved to Costa Rica), there was a bad storm that dumped rain on Costa Rica for days. All the rain eventually channeled into the river and caused the river to swell and then flood. Continual rains also frequently cause mudslides around here. This area, Los Anonos down by the river, was hit from both the flooded river and a mudslide all within probably an hour or two at the most.

Let me give you the lay of the land. The area is about 5 football fields wide and about a football field and a half high, going up the mountain towards the wealthy areas. There were originally about 4,000 people there. The homes closest to the river were smashed with raging flood waters, completely sweeping most of their homes away the entire length of the community. A section of homes about 75-100 yards wide was being hit by flood waters from the river, when all of a sudden a mudslide broke loose at the top of the community, filling the homes in this area with mud. These people were trapped. Several people lost their lives as result of these events.

Now, the government has gone in and cleared all the debris from the homes that were destroyed. Looters have cleared the debris from homes that were abanodoned when they lost all power and clean water supply. There are now 2 different sections to Los Anonos which are seperated by the area that was destroyed by the mudslide. One section is without power and water. This section has heard that their homes are going to be torn down this week. The other section has heard that their homes will be torn down soon. All of these homes are completely "in tact" and as inhabitable as they ever were. What has happened? The government is seizing the opportunity to clear out the rest of this area due to the complaining of the wealthy. They are going to "blame" it on the flooding and mudslide, but the decision to tear down is not really due to the damage done by the weather.

People down there are having panic attacks. We talked to one elderly man that wept as we prayed for him, because he just doesn't know what his future holds. We were approached by another young guy named Nester that is trying to be a leader in his community. Nester kept asking us how all of the different missionaries in the area could work together. It didn't dawn on me until after we left the reason for his asking this question. We just kind of looked at him with a confused look on our faces as to why he was asking this. The reason he was asking was this: he wanted us to all work together to save his community. He knew what was coming. He is worried about his family's future.

As Nester walked us through the community holding his toddler daughter, I wondered what it might be like to be in his shoes. His only hope is that all the missionaries come together and either somehow stop what is going to happen or provide shelter, food and clothing for the 1500 - 2000 people that are about to lose their homes and their community. Even if all of the missions organizations in this area combined , we could not save their homes or community. The Red Cross has been long gone. We feel helpless and the community feels hopeless. It was a fairly depressing day.

We will continue to check on them in the coming days to see what we can do. Pray that God would somehow use all the missionaries here to step up and do their part.

The government did leave a little rent money for the people who had their homes torn down, but it was only for about 3 months.

This whole situation reminds me of the community we lived in back in Jacksonville. There's always a risk by letting your life mingle with people you don't know, or can't relate to. But let this story make us think about what we're doing the next time something like this is going on in our own neighborhoods. Think about how your decisions and actions affect other people less fortunate than yourself. What if we chose to associate ourselves with others instead of segregating ourselves from them? What if we thought about their children, and not just our own? Their lives, not just ours?

The Chinese developer that wants to come in and build high rise condos on this property has only one thing in mind. The people living here just want to make it another day. Not to sound cheesy, but really, what would Jesus do?

Year in Review

Last year was quite eventful for our family. God has been so good to us, and we have been amazed at all HE has done!

JANUARY ::  We celebrated Olivia's second birthday. It's hard to believe that in just a few weeks she will be 3 years old! She has grown so much this year.

FEBRUARY:: We were seriously praying about what God wanted us to do, and a "curveball" was thrown into the mix - it was not an easy or fast decision.

MARCH :: Our family visited Costa Rica for the first time. It was so helpful to have Olivia here with us on that trip, as we listened for God's voice.

APRIL :: We mailed out a letter to practically everyone we knew, informing them of our upcoming move to Costa Rica.

MAY :: We moved in with our friends, the Tings, who graciously accepted us in their home for three months. Jeremy and I also celebrated six years of marriage!

JUNE :: We enjoyed as much time as possible with family and friends. Since I was 7 months pregnant, that was mostly done inside, in the a/c.

JULY :: We moved in with my parents, to prepare for the changes ahead. They so graciously created a huge space for us to pack, sort, and purge as we began getting everything together.

AUGUST :: We welcomed sweet Ava, who has filled us with such joy these past four months.

SEPTEMBER :: We watched as Olivia became an amazing big sister, and thanked God for having our family around to help as we learned how to be parents of two. (We've still got a LOT to learn!) Jeremy made a return trip to Costa Rica with a team from FBCO, and returned home with greater assurance that this was God's calling on our lives.

OCTOBER :: We began final preparations to move to Costa Rica, including Jeremy's last day at work. It was an exhilirating and scary feeling - the realization that God alone is our Provider.

NOVEMBER :: We made the move to CR - our family made it's final move of 2010. The rest of the month was a blur of trying to get settled in to our new home.

DECEMBER :: We were able to be a part of our first home-building team. Together with a team from Michigan, 6:8 was able to build a new home for a single Mom and her two children. (See earlier post.) We celebrated our first Christmas as a family of four. We were so blessed to have friends to share it with as well. We also put up our first ever artificial tree. After Christmas, we were thrilled to have the Virtue family here - what a great, refreshing week!

As we look to 2011, I'm hoping to continue to see God at work in our lives, and praying that we will be vessels to be used by Him.

Prayer Requests

• Health
• We have several teams coming up this month that will be doing construction projects. Pray that our 6:8 Staff will be led to exactly the people who need our help, and that through a physical need being met, a door would be opened for us to share Christ. What a wonderful way to start of the year!
• Olivia - adjusting to the "reality" of where we live; missing family & friends
• Please pray for our truck to sell soon.
• Our neighbors - pray that we will be able to establish friendships with those who live closest to us.

Giving Thanks!

A lot can change in a two weeks. :)

Today marks two weeks for our family in Costa Rica. It has been some of the most interesting days in our family's life to this point, and we are so thankful to finally be here! The girls are both doing great - Ava hasn't skipped a beat - and Olivia is enjoying getting to live close by to friends old and new!

God has truly taken care of us each step of the way. When we got through the security screening in Orlando, an older couple approached us and asked if they could help us get to our gate. That was a huge help, since we had a baby, a 2 1/2 year old in a stroller, 2 diaper bags, 2 backpacks, and four rolling carry-on bags. They were so kind, and even ended up giving us some money before we parted ways. What a way to start the trip - thank you Lord!

When we arrived in CR, several of our friends were there to pick us up. It had taken them over an hour to get to the airport because of the traffic. Normally it does not take near that long. We were blessed to be able to rent a house that had some "loaner" furnishings, so we were able to get settled in very quickly. CR Craigslist has become our favorite website as we look for used furniture, etc. Jeremy has done a ton of running around with our friends here, trying to chase down the best bargain.

Olivia has slowly started settling in to our new home - after moving around for the past year, it's good for her to have her own room again, and once some of her toys were unpacked, she jumped right back into her usual routine. Play, play, play... and sleep occasionally. :) Mimi (Heather's Mom) was able to come help us for a few days, and that was a HUGE blessing. We were able to get a lot of the rubbermaid bins unpacked, and some of them sorted to use as storage or furniture. (They make great end tables, entertainment center, nightstands, etc.)

Our first Wednesday night we were all able to go to the English-speaking service, which is comprised of 6:8 Staff Families, some other Americans, and some English-speaking Ticos. It is good to have some time to worship and be fed. We had food too, which was wonderful. The kids all go into a room for the service time, and they were able to hear a Bible story, play games, crafts, etc.

Last Friday we took Mimi back to the airport. After we got back to our house, Olivia and Heather were able to go to the Women's Center. It was a wonderful opportunity to see how these women are being rehabilitated from drugs, abuse, prostitution... and the women were so sweet to Olivia. We actually enjoyed talking with them (with Becca & Keisa's help) and even played a game of Uno before we left! We are looking forward to building a lasting relationship with the ladies who run the center, as well as the women who are living there. I (Heather) am so thankful to be able to be involved in the ministries that are going on here!!

Jeremy has also been able to go to Tiribi, a barrio by the river, to look at a couple of construction projects. One of the houses they are looking at re-building is for a single Mom, who has an older son (maybe 8 years old) and a baby that's not much older than Ava. She lives in a tiny little tin-scrap metal shack, and most of her belongings are hanging in plastic bags all over her home. She and the baby sleep on a mattress, and her son sleeps on a couch, which they have to stand on end during the day so they can open their front door. It puts my "troubles" in perspective, and I am reminded to be thankful for a dry home and plenty of food for our children. Here are a couple of pictures of this sweet family. Please keep them in your prayers - I will have Jeremy update this with her name - but for now, our Heavenly Father knows her name and every need she has. Would you please pray that we will be able to be His hands and feet to this family?

Thank you for your support - you are such a blessing to our family, and we thank God for you!! We will try to send out another update very soon.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Love,
Jeremy, Heather, Olivia & Ava Hicks

Can we do it? Nope.

Did that sound negative? It truly isn't meant to be that way. Simply a desire for everyone we come in contact with to know for certain that we are not capable of "doing this". We have approximately a month left before our scheduled move date - November 13th - and about 2 months worth of things to be done. Raising support, packing our remaining belongings, getting vaccinations for both girls, etc, etc. It is truly overwhelming. But then I am reminded of how great our God truly is! NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH HIM! God has truly blessed us with some great examples of faith, and by watching their example, we are constantly reminded of how much we limit God by our simple, small thinking.

As of today, we still need to raise $1,000 in monthly support and several thousand dollars to cover moving expenses. Some things we thought were sold have "fallen through". It could be easy to get discouraged, but then I remember why we are doing this and who we are doing this for. We typically talk about the Ticos and the great physical, spiritual and emotional needs in Alajuelita. While that is 100% true, the great need is not the actual reason why we are going to leave everything and everyone we know (except the Gammages)... at least not the whole reason. You see, when God tells you to do something, it's going to be done - with or without you. (Remember Jonah? We're trying to avoid the fish-swallowing part.) So we are just asking God to use us, to accomplish His will through us, in spite of us. Would you pray that prayer with us? How does He want to use you? Is there any area where you are limiting God in your thoughts or beliefs? I know I sure do, and I want it to stop. Please pray that as we continue this journey we will keep our eyes focused on the Author and Perfector of our faith! Thank you for reading, praying and supporting us.

Here are a few pictures from our recent photo session with Kayla Knowles. You can see more of her work here. Thanks again, Kayla! You rock!!

We are still here, plus one!

The past month since our last post has been eventful to say the least. On August 27th, we welcomed our newest family member to the world!! Ava Leigh Hicks was born at 1:38pm, weighing 7lbs 9oz. She is a beautiful, healthy baby girl with a head full of hair (just like her sister). We have been blessed beyond measure! Big Sister Olivia has been adjusting very well, and we are so thankful for that. It is for sure a HUGE change in her 2 1/2 year-old-world, but she is rolling with it so well.

On the 13th, Jeremy left with a team from First Baptist Church of Oceanway (where he is the Interim Worship Leader) for Costa Rica. The team had a wonderful first encounter with the people of Alajuelita, and I'm sure there will be at least one more post specifically about Jeremy's experiences on this particular trip. While they were there, he was also looking for a house for our family. We have found a home where our family will be living - this is a huge praise!! We also have set a move date for our family, and it is quickly approaching. We will be moving to Costa Rica on Saturday, November 13th. We would greatly appreciate your prayers as we move forward in faith. We feel like we are about to jump off a cliff! It's exhilirating to trust God like that, but incredibly scary at the same time.

Over the next six weeks we will be busy with moving preparations... packing the remaining bins of our belongings, getting medicines and check-ups, getting Ava's passport, and raising the rest of the support needed for our family to live and minister in Alajuelita. We are also hoping to see as many friends and family as possible before we go.

Would you please prayerfully consider supporting our family on a monthly basis? We need a total of $1,200 in monthly support to reach 100% of our family's budgeted needs. We need support partners of all shapes and sizes. You may be thinking that you can't give much, so why bother, but that is not the case. God can use any gift, and we have been blessed by gifts small and large. It is so amazing to see God providing a way for us to go and minister to the homeless, the widowed, the orphaned, the prostitutes - those who are hurting - through our friends and family. It is overwhelming the way He loves us! By "us", I mean all of us. We have already seen God provide in ways that we could not have imagined, and it is a constant reminder that He is capable of so much more than we ask.

We also need churches, small groups, even businesses that would want to join together and partner with us on a monthly basis. It's exciting to see Sunday School classes coming together to pray for the people of Alajuelita, for our family and then to give generously towards the ministry. We are also leaving time open to meet with your group or church to share the vision of 6:8 Ministries, and to paint a picture of the needs in Alajuelita, so please contact us if you are interested.

 

To be a monthly support partner, click on the link below and scroll down to our family to give. Or, if you would rather mail a check, the address is there for you as well. This is also the place where one time donations can be given as well. If you have any questions about this process, please feel free to email us (jeremy@68ministries.com). We are happy to answer any questions or concerns!

http://www.68ministries.org/  - Click on "Donate" and look for The Hicks Family near the bottom.

To mail a check:
6:8 Ministries
c/o Linda Swain
RE: Hicks Family
9 Genesee St.
Scottsville, NY 14546

Thank you for praying for our family and the people of Alajuelita. God is at work and He is allowing all of us to be a part of what He is doing in Costa Rica. What an awesome opportunity! We will be updating you again soon, letting you know more details about Jeremy's trip and all that GOD is doing!!