Tico Tuesday, January 24th

Today, we had a staff retreat. A kind couple from church lent us a beautiful space that was open, yet protected from the wind, and there we

took some time to start evaluating the five purposes on which our church is based: worship, fellowship, discipleship, service, and mission. It was exciting yet overwhelming to think about a multitude of things we can do to reach out to the community the surrounds us. Upon recognizing the feeling of being overwhelmed though, I felt the Holy Spirit reminding me that the work doesn't rest on the 10 of us who were sitting around the table. The work of convicting and persuading people to come to salvation is his. As staff, it is our job to coordinate, promote, motivate, build teams, invest in and empower, and encourage others. We must be faithful in our tasks, therefore enabling others in the church to do what God is calling them to do. But also as we sat there processing different issues and concerns I was also reminded of the importance of praying for my church and its leaders. I am one of them. I have an idea of what it is like, and I tell you, it is hard. The head pastor and other teaching pastors carry very serious responsibilities, and as a sheep, I believe it is my responsibility to pray for my shepherds. And in my role as small group coordinator, I must care for the facilitators I work with as best as I can. It is challenging. And it is also exciting.
12 years ago when I went to Guatemala on my first missions trip I was introduced to some great words from Oswald Chambers: "Prayer is not the means to a greater work, prayer is the greater work." I wrote that on my prayer card that many of you still have. And so, in this 2017 (I can't believe January only has a week left!), I invite you to continue to join me in prayer. For my church and its leadership and your church and its leadership. For government leaders, for those who are suffering, for those who are mourning. May God attune our hearts to his and lead us in the great work of prayer.
Thank you so much for praying for me and with me!
Carrie

Tico Tuesday, January 17th

And we're back!

Subtle picture from small group

Wow, I feel like I could write a short novel about our time on that special Caribbean island this past week. But first, let me thank you for your prayers. Life on the island is hard, and especial in and around the capital city, the spiritual atmosphere is really dark and heavy. I know many of you were praying though, and I thank you. God answered them! God blessed our trip and our trip was wonderfully fruitful. We felt we surpassed our goals. From what I sense, these visits to my brothers and sisters on the island are like taking water to the desert. Not because we're great, but because they live in such a hard place in such hard circumstances. Yes, we bring a lot of donations (most people there live off less than $20/month), but I think just the time we can spend with them, the trainings we can give them, the friendship and encouragement we can offer them all mean so much. And at the same time, God blesses our giving and obedience and we end up leaving blessed and encouraged ourselves. I don't think there was a dry eye on anyone on our team the last day when we started saying our good byes and they thanked us and gave us each a wooden mortar and pestle with their fellowship's logo custom-made on it.
In our time there, not only was I able to give the small group training I'd been asked to provide, but I was also able to spend a lot of time talking with the young woman who is in charge of discipleship and small groups. She had a lot of questions for me and we joked a lot about my team leader's comment about the people there squeezing us like lemons all week. But that's what we were there for and I was so happy to share what I have learned with her. We also had the opportunity to visit a few of the small groups. That was really neat. It is such a gift, such a joy to be able to share with fellow brothers and sisters in other places. Being part of God's family is such an amazing gift!
Being able to go on this trip was a really special gift too. Thank you to those who gave to help make it possible. This trip helped me grow a lot and we were able to provide some tools and training for our brothers and sisters there and encourage them to keep on persevering and growing in the task set before them.
Thank you again for all your prayers and support. May God continue to challenge you, grow your faith, and use you to bless and encourage others!
Love,
Carrie