The last two weeks!

Here's a pictorial review of what we have been up to over the last two weeks!


Yesterday, we were asked to do some children's ministry teacher training in a church about an hour from the camp. Two churches in a small town invited us and we arrived at 8:30 a.m. The training began at 9 a.m. and lasted until 4 p.m. This is Kyle doing a demonstration of some gospel magic and explaining how to do a rope trick.

I did a session on Bible Storytelling and one on Bible verse memorization for kids and this is Heather demonstrating just one of the fun ways that we illustrated an important concept of "bridging" from different parts of a children's program i.e. from the main story right into the Bible memory verse.

Ken's parents just returned to the States on Thursday after being here for almost two weeks. In preparation for the children's ministry training, I have Carolyn, Ken's Mom, helping me trace felt squares which we then sewed into Wordless Books.

Yesterday, at the training, each teacher was given a wordless book of their own and after teaching it, we divided them into small groups for them to practice what they had learned.

Seems like a blur, but somewhere in between having family visit, getting ready for teacher training; I also did a few days of inventoring medicines for the upcoming clinic that we will be doing with a medical team coming for a week in May. After about three days of this, I decided I needed a break to spend some time with family, not to mention that I was nearly blind even with glasses on trying to squint to check expiration dates so that those meds that were expired could be disposed of.

Here's a picture of all the things that my in-laws brought to us from our home church, Hickory Grove, in Four Oaks, N.C. We had asked for donations for the "needy" church in which we did the teacher's training, however, so much was brought to us, that we were able to give some to our church here and we were also able to restock our children's ministry supply closet. Thank you SO MUCH Hickory Grove. We couldn't do this without you!

And with all the supplies came a need to tidy up the children's ministry closet so the supplies could be put away. With needing to inventory medicines, I enlisted the help of Ken's Mom, Carolyn, and Heather to organize the closet. Thanks Mom and Heather!

Thank You Hickory Grove Church/Grandma & Grandpa Dundon are here!

Grandma & Grandpa Dundon arrived safely on last Friday around noon.

We were more than overwhelmed with the ministry supplies that our home church (Hickory Grove Advent Christian Church, in Four Oaks, N.C.) sent down for a very needy church here. There was so much that we gave some of the items to our home church here, and they were so grateful to receive items that they cannot even buy here! We even still had enough to restock our children's ministry closet, that is after Grandma and Heather spent two days reorganizing it so there was enough space for items to be put away!

On last Sunday evening, we drove about an hour from here to go to the church that we knew needed the supplies for their evening service. I presented the Pastor with the supplies before the church service began. I imagine she wondered why I was hauling around a suitcase! To Hickory Grove she said toward the end of the service in front of her congregation, "Thank you so much to this church in the United States who cared so much about our church. We have been praying for a long time about our children's church program and the lack of supplies that we have. Tonight, through your church, our prayers were answered".

Now that's what it's all about! Thank you Hickory Grove. What you sent helped two churches and the campground ministry!

While Grandma & Grandpa have been here the kids have enjoyed showing them around the campground, introducing them to favorite fruits and foods to eat. The boys have been sleeping at the white house on the campground with them which reminds them of when we used to live in the States and they would get to spend the night at the Grandparents! I've already heard Kyle and Jordan comment to them that "time is going too fast" and "how they wish they could stay here with us". That's the kind of "low" side of being a missionary and having to watch your kids go through those growing pains of not having enough family around. We keep reminding them that in just about three months we will be home in N.C. again with so many people who are waiting to see them! By the way, while we are home in July, if you would like to have us come to your church, or you're an individual who would like to host a small group in your home to hear what we've been doing in Costa Rica and have your questions answered, we would love to hear from you at: sherri.dundon@yahoo.com. We would love to set up a date to do a missionary presentation in your church or home.

We've been enjoying the last couple of weekends off as Global Outreach recommended taht we close the camp from rental groups in the entire month of April. More details will come in another post about how you can be specifically praying for us! We have a lot of work coming in the next few months and are in need of your prayers!

Amazing Love

Sometimes we sing songs and that's all we do, just sing, the words. They hold no significant meaning to us probably because if you grew up in the church, well, you've been singing them it seems like forever. There's a worship song, that everytime I sing it, I start to cry. It's a song I've noticed of "opposites" and when I focus on the words I get emotional, every time. Being the mother of two boys, I cannot comprehend the sacrifice of even one of my sons for the human race. Which one would I choose? Today, as I reflect on the events in Christ's life, I am reminded of all that He went through for my sake. I find that I don't understand fully His love for me, for I know that if it was up to me to lay one of my sons down on a cross for you, it wouldn't happen. I wish that I could love like Him. For His love is perfect.

"I'm forgiven, because You were forsaken. I'm accepted, You were condemned. I'm alive and well, Your spirit is within me, because You died and rose again. Amazing love, how can it be? That you, my King, would die for me? Amazing love, I know it's true. It's my joy to honor You. In all I do, I honor You".

Holy Week: Bread, bread and Buns!

I feel like we've all gained at least five pounds this week! It seems like every day, someone has stopped over with bread which is the custom here in Costa Rica in celebrating Holy Week! My neighbors have been busy all week baking all different types of breads for this weekend, beginning tomorrow, Good Friday, when family members and friends will stop over to visit and celebrate the resurrection! We've been given bread with coconut, dried fruits, and with figs. So good, but so fattening! Even though we've had a group here all week renting the camp; missionaries from all over Central and Latin America; the boys jumped in to help me crank out some "sticky buns" to give as gifts back to the neighbors!

Here's a picture of my handsome helpers! I make the dough from scratch and they know how to do the rest!

Our buns rising!

All done, gooey and warm! The neighbors were so excited to receive these, but more importanly, we (the boys and myself) had a great time together making them!

A quote

"While I know myself as a creation of God, I am also obligated to realize and remember that everyone else and everything else are also God's creation"..Maya Angelou

Dear Lord,
Take a cast iron brander and burn it on my soul!

Moss

"Let all the heavens resound with His name; let all the earth sing His glory and fame. Ocean and mountain, stream, forest, and flower echo His praises and tell of His power" ("Blessing and Honor and Glory and Power" Horatius Bonar)

I took this photo in Feb. when back home in N.C. they were having snow storms. The particles of moss up close reminded me of the intricacies of each snowflake that falls. (You can click on the picture for a closer view). They say that no two are alike. I was also captivated by the colors of the moss. This, coming from a person who likes to snap pictures of rust! Simple moss...a declaration of His artistry!

Isaiah 40:8

"The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever".

"Small" Group is...

...getting "larger" Praise the Lord! This is the small group that began meeting in our house this past November, twice a month. It's a group of kids that attend the Youth Group of our church on Saturday nights; but the entire Youth Group is compromised of members from 4 small area towns. Each small town now has their own "small group" which also meets twice a month in a home, in addition to meeting with the large Youth Group every Saturday night. This picture is of the teens that meet at our house in our town, La Alegria, across the river from Orosi. It started in November with 5 kids and it has been growing ever since! Last night we had 17 attend. Heather and our Youth Pastor have planning meetings and have a strategy for the direction of each small group meeting held in our home, but last night it was outside in our garage because of the games they were playing. Before eating snack which we provide for them, they got into a circle to share individually something that they were thankful for and to pray! Please continue to pray for these teens, and for our Youth Pastor and Heather as they share the Word of God through these meetings!

Getting caught up!

I just realized it has been a little while since I have posted on here. What have I been doing? Well, getting caught up on some things. We are supposed to send an update letter to our supporters every four months through Global Outreach Mission. I am a little behind (sarcastically). Like, a year behind! Our last letter went out last March when I wrote it from my Mom's hospital room and sent it into the Mission. As most of you know, my Mom then passed away in July. We also had the wedding last May, and I guess I just lost my "groove" much to the dismay of Global. Some of you may have already received our March 2010 update. Then, there's tax "season" back in the States and so, of course I had to prepare those in order to get them back in time. And, we are in the process of working on the logistics for a medical team coming for one week in May. Then, there's camp business to assist Ken with, homeschooling, Spanish lessons with homework, and the household "stuff" too. It all helps to keep us busy and more importantly, out of trouble!

Chile - Far Reaching

We had a rental group scheduled for this weekend. When we made a "confirmation" phone call this morning we found out that the group would not be coming after all and that the person who did call us from this group a couple of days ago was supposed to let us know that, though they had forgotten. Apparently, the group that was renting the camp for the entire weekend, while a Costa Rican church, had invited a group of Men from another church in the same denominition located in Chile to have a retreat at the camp here with them this weekend. At least that is what the Costa Rican church had planned for until the earthquake hit in Chile. While all of the Men from Chile who were supposed to come are safe; at this time, they cannot make the trip and the Men's Retreat is postponed until they can coordinate another date together in the future; we will just roll-over this weekend's deposit into their next date.

Please, don't forget to pray for Chile!

Inside the "Crater"

I check the web cam located 600 km. on the east side of the crater of Volcan Turrialba at least once a day. Just a few minutes ago, while it is cloudy and overcast down here in the Valley, the sun is apparently still shining on the Volcan, though getting ready to set! Today is a quiet day from the crater as you can see just a bit of gray smoke rising on the left side. We have that once in a while. Cross your fingers, and maybe on a smoldering day I can get a clear picture off the web cam!

Sick, another team is here and....

It's been a couple of days of bleh! Got the Hickory Grove team to the airport and off on Thursday morning. On the way home from the airport we did the grocery shopping for the small team arriving on Sunday morning. By early evening I was beginning to not feel "so great", but with a rental group arriving Friday late afternoon at the camp; I continued to help get things organized for their arrival. During the early morning hours of Friday morning it hit me and hard. I got the same "bug" that some of the members of the Hickory Grove team had, what I really think was rotavirus from past experience with one of our kids having it and today, I feel, FINALLY, a bit better, though still having some stomach pains. Anyway, the rental group never showed up which proved to be a blessing in disguise and the small team arrived safely and are now working at the camp. I haven't met them yet; thought I'd stick it out one more day at home and not share my "cooties" with them. This morning was very special here in Costa Rica for our family! Via Skype we saw sonogram video of our grandchild, ultrasound photos and we got the special news that our first grandchild will be a boy! We are so excited and happy for especially Brad who wanted a boy! In our family, we could careless...boy or girl no matter, just healthy and for that, we thank our Heavenly Father that all things seem to be going well for the development of this baby!

Sad

Ken = :(
Sherri = :(
Heather = :***(
Kyle = :(
Jordie = :(

Here's what we look like! As if today was not sad enough for us with our church family going home; it has been raining torrentially and is so gloomy which makes it feel worse! Blah!!!

Thank you to the Hickory Grove Team for all your love and encouragement! We were so blessed to have you here and in the same way, we pray that we were a blessing to each of you! May God bless you BIG in the coming days!

And now...off to lay down for a nap!!!

The angels are singing!

Today, we finished all the projects with the team that Ken had on the "list" for us to do. After a 3 p.m. snack, the men cleaned up equipment and got things tidied up around the camp while the ladies headed to the kitchen to cook a spaghetti dinner for 100 men and women at the homeless shelter. At 5:15 we left the camp and made the trip into the Red Zone of San Jose, safely got into the shelter and set up to serve the dinner. Unfortunately, for the second time in three weeks, another church group also showed up and had dinner prepared to serve as well. We called last week and reserved tonight to be able to bring dinner in, and so this was a little frustrating for Ken & I, as many nights the homeless shelter, which operates solely on donations goes without having food for the men, and tonight again they had two dinners. The "new" Director infomed us that this would not happen again. When the residents had gone through the line and been served the Director sent word for our group to come and share their devotional as the group ate. I shared tonight since everyone felt uncomfortable having to work with an interpreter. When I was finished I gave an invitation and two men put their hands up asking for prayer. I asked them if they would mind coming forward and I would get the men that were with me (Norman, Gene, Freddy and Ken)to come back with me to pray for them. When I returned with our men just a minute later, the two men standing there had changed to eight! All the men gathered in a circle and I asked if any had come to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and one man said, "yes, I would like to pray for that". The others had very specific prayers and I stepped out of the "Man Circle" and let the men from Hickory Grove take over! I know that the angels are singing tonight and we were all so thankful to have this 1 come to the Lord! Pray that the Lord might work with the seeds that were planted here tonight. I am so thankful that our church group was willing to help us minister in the homeless shelter tonight!

Team Hickory Grove: Day 1 of projects

On Sunday, since our church service here does not begin until 2:30 p.m.; Ken & I took the team out after breakfast to see a couple of interesting, nearby sites. We stopped in to the wood carver and then also went on to the Ujarrus church ruins. We were back to the camp in time for lunch and to piddle around the camp before the service started. After the service, I invited our Pastor and his wife to stay and have dinner with our group. Some of the team played cards while others sat around the tables and talked before turning in for the evening.

This morning after breakfast we began our first day of work after having team devotions near the river which borders the camp property.

Here's a couple of snapshots from the last two days!

Kyle took this picture of me scrubbing the pool concrete deck with a metal brush. Helen, Debbie and Bonnie had already been doing this a little while, but I showed up late having to plan another menu for another team arriving this Sunday and staying until March 8. I needed to get that to the cooks, who will make my shopping list for me, and when we take the Hickory Grove team to the airport, on our way back to the camp we will do the grocery shopping for the next team.

Here is Heather with a watered down bleach solution leaning over the edge of the pool scrubbing the tiles with a toothbrush!

I guess Mr. Gene couldn't stand it any longer, borrowed Kyle's bike and rode with Jordan around the Celebration Center, and Mr. Gene did pass him and take the lead, but Helen thought it best only to post the pictures with Jordan in first place!

Here's Ken pulling the benches off their stands next to the fire pit. He wants the men to refinish them for him as they are rather weathered.

When the ladies finished scrubbing all around the deck with metal brushes to break up molds, etc.; it was dry enough to begin rolling on some paint. But, the clouds and rain soon rolled in and we actually didn't get a lot accomplished today as far as the painting project. We plan on trying again right after breakfast tomorrow!

Around the chain link fencing of the pool are small areas where the big frogs that we have down here can slip under and get into the pool. Once in the pool area they make a mess of the deck, jump in the pool and lay eggs. So, Norman and Gary (a GOM missionary visiting from Spain) got some chicken wire and placed it below the chain link fencing now making it impossible for the frogs to take up residence in the pool area.

On Sunday morning this picture was taken in the Ujarrus church ruins. It's the Hickory Grove Family and the Dundon's together. This is the church that for a split second Brad & Danielle has thought about coming down and getting married in. We love it here and wanted to share this with our family.

This is the beginning of Mr. Gene making the camp's corn hole game. After playing at Gene & Helen's beach house last spring, we knew this would be a wonderful asset to have at the camp for short-term teams or rental groups.

Jordan tried to get a game in, but Helen said it HAD to be painted. Here she is putting on the finishing touches AND we just got back from having a tournament in the Celebration Center!

This was takn after church on Sunday. This is our Pastor here in Costa Rica at the church planted on the campground. His name is Mario and his wife's name is Dinia. Here with the help of Heather, Gene is having a conversation with them.

Once Ken got the boards up to the Celebration Center, Freddie pretty much got to work on sanding the boards down with Norman and Debbie's help, making minor repairs and then helping the boards get setup for a new coat of varnish. Freddie & Norman having more experience with wood were helpful in instructing Ken on what type of varnish he should be using outdoors for the tropical weather conditions.

The sun was out this morning when the ladies began working on the pool and it wasn't too long before Bonnie & Helen needed to find a place to rest in the shade. Most people think that we live in very humid conditions, but we don't. In fact, we have very low humidity where we live, but when the sun is out, it can be very intense.

Tomorrow we will be finishing up some projects around the camp. In the late afternoon the ladies will be cooking a spaghetti dinner to take to the homeless shelter. We will go as a team to do the serving of 100 people! On Wednesday, we will have a free-day beginning after breakfast with going to the Britt Coffee Tour, lunch out, souvenir shopping, a butterfly garden and then dinner on the way home. Continue to pray for the team as we work at the camp and minister at the homeless shelter.

Hickory Grove Arrives Safely!

Bonnie L. just called on Ken's cell phone to tell us that they are on their way "home" to the camp from the airport. That was kinda weird to have her call me from within the country!! Unfortunately, they did not get lunch on the plane, so Ken is stopping to make sure they have a snack and drink (it's 2:39 p.m. our time now). Poor folks! I just wanted everyone, their families who might be reading this, the church to know that they are safe and we would appreciate your prayers over the next few days as we minister together! I'll update tomorrow night! P.S. I wish it could be every single person from our church on this team! Now that would be a mission's team! We miss you all so much! Okay, better go, I'm getting teary-eyed!

God is So Good!

Just a little history. Global Outreach Mission sent their first team to the Camp back in January of 2005. They had just a few weeks before that team came down, officially obtained the property in the end of 2004. We were appointed by Global Outreach Mission to serve as full-time missionaries in Costa Rica in November of 2004, and because Costa Rica was a brand new opening field for Global, having no other missionaries here in the country, Global invited Ken and I to be on the first team that went down in January 2005. Ken's focus for the two weeks that we were here was to begin construction on what would be called the Celebration Center building. My focus was to work at the camp, but also put together our family budget to be able to begin the fundraising process since Global was not quite sure how much to set our missionary budget at. It took us three years to raise our funds, another trip by Ken to come down and work on the building, and at the end of March 2008 we reported to the field of Costa Rica as licensed missionaries under Global Outreach Mission. For the last two years that we have been here, construction has still continued on the Celebration Center and some of the projects that we have worked on with teams/interns have included putting up the insulation into the ceiling, parging the interior and some of the exterior walls, adding new adjoining bathrooms, new windows and doors; and as you can see in the pictures below, we now have a brand new ceiling, ceiling fans and lights! For us, being on that first team that dug with shovels the holes for the beams and now five years later actually being here and seeing a ceiling going in is a five-year reminder to us of God's faithfulness to Global Outreach Mission! Below are pictures, before and after, over only a two-week period...To God be the Glory!

This is the old ceiling with the placement of new tracking for the ceiling panels.

This the brand new ceiling completed with the ceiling fans and new lights! Stunning!

This is the part of the construction team that did the work! Truly, with a "let's get it done" attitude!!!

This week, the next team and prayer requests

So, hope you've enjoyed the recent slew of updates!

Another team arrives in Costa Rica on this Saturday. This week's schedule includes last minute repairs to our van to be able to transport this smaller team around, the menu and schedule for the team is complete, but we still need to do grocery shopping and supply shopping for the team.

This team is special to us! We've been here two years next month and this is the first team from our home church, Hickory Grove Advent Christian Church, in Four Oaks, N.C....whoot-whoot! They travel to Myrtle Beach on Friday, so please pray for their safety on the road. They then depart Myrtle Beach on Saturday and arrive here in Costa Rica just after lunch. Please pray for safe air travel! They will only be able to stay for four days and we have a lot to do. While our church has seen "pictures" of the ministry here, this team is coming to "see" and understand better what we do, and our prayer is that in the future, more teams from home will be coming to Costa Rica! Pray as we serve in the homeless shelter and one team member shares with the people there, pray as they serve in the orphan home, pray as they work at the camp on a couple of different projects that they would be safe in their work, pray for our free-day and our time together here as we work side by side for Him. Needless to say, our family is very excited about them coming and being able to spend time with them!!!

For church family and friends, I will try my best to update the blog every day while the team is here!

Back to "Ministry"

The lady facing the camera is Ruth. She is a missionary intern staying at the camp for two months. She came with last year's January team and stayed behind for three months. Ruth helps us with chores and maintenance projects at the camp, but her biggest ministry is that of encouragement! It is such a blessing to have her with us. She even spoils us with homemade bread and cinnamon rolls! I call her "Mama Ruth"! The other lady in the picture is Amy Beth with her son, Alex, who is facing Heather in the background. Amy came with last year's January team, talked us into letting her stay another week and then returned to the States. In the last year, Amy has signed on with Global Outreach Mission as a missionary candidate and is currently in the fundraising process to be able to serve as a full-time missionary. And the country she has been appointed to? Costa Rica! So, that makes Amy and Alex part of our team! She is an LPN and will be serving as the Medical Missions Coordinator. Please keep her and Alex in your prayers as they continue to raise the necessary funds to report to the field and quite honestly, we need them ASAP!

Back at the camp, we cooked a homemade spaghetti dinner, buttered six loaves of bread, made drinks and brought it here to the homeless shelter in San Jose to serve 90+ men and women. Here, the team is putting together the plates and serving the homeless. This was the first time some of the "stragglers" got to go with us to the homeless shelter.

Dole and Chiquita - BANANAS, of course!

One last picture that I took while we were at the beach is of these banana trees. Dole and Chiquita are well known companies out on the Carribbean side of the country. The blue bags protect the bananas first from bugs and disease, but also helps to "push" the bananas along toward harvest. This was taken from up on the road and for as far as our eyes could see all we saw were banana trees! Ours at the camp look puny compared to these Big Boys!

A day off with the "stragglers"

This year after the two-weeks of team ministry was over, a couple of the members ("stragglers") of the team stayed one extra week hoping to see another part of the country. Ken and I felt that it was our "duty" to take them to the Carribbean side of the country to a small town called "Cahuita" (Kae-We-Tah) well known for it's waterfronts and national parks. Here's a few pictures of our travels there!

While we are very blessed with beautiful flowers right in the campground, whenever we get a chance to be out and about in other areas I always try and look for ones that I've not seen before. We have this type of flower, though I do not know the name, in the camp, but we have a different color combination. This flower was outside a hotel. I just thought the colors were so pretty!

Living in N.C. for a little over 12 years and traveling to Cape Cod, Mass. as a child; Ken and I have always been big fans of beaches. I have now lived in this country for two years and one thing that always captivates me and takes my breath away is the lack of commercialism along the beaches. This is actually what we would consider a "rest area" at home in the States. We just pulled the van off the road and into the sand, and we set up our tailgate lunch! When we came through the next day to return home, there was a tent set up in this area with a family sitting around a campfire. They had spent the night sleeping there. I wished I had a folding chair to sit in because I could have sat here all day just watching the waves.

Having been to Honduras, sugar cane fields always bring back fond memories for Ken. I love the shade of green leaves and beauty of the plant. In our travels to the beach we drove along roads with miles and miles of this sugar cane growing with an occasional processing plant off in the distance.

Ken took this picture of this monkey ironically perched upon this sign with a "What-Evah" attitude on his face! This is in the national park in the town of Cahuita right along the ocean. You just pay a donation to come into the park.

And apparently our family cannot read English or Spanish! Really though, everyone comes here to "feed the monkeys"! We watched various people feed the monkeys bananas, but Jordan, having been here last year knew exactly what these monkeys liked most. Creme filled cookies! This little guy has watched an Oreo commercial or two. He took the cookie apart and licked out the creme!

Our family has had the opportunity to see McCaw's here in the wild and also like this. When we passed this small reserve, I made Ken turn around and go back so our stragglers could get some pictures! There were rows of very clean cages with McCaw's, only two to a cage in them. You can actually go in and get a guided tour and learn more about these birds at this location, but it looked like we came through on a day when it might have been closed. What they are doing is actually mating them and returning them to the wild. I believe that they are becoming extinct in this country.

This was on our way out of Cahuita coming upon the Port of Limon. It is one of the only stops for cruise ships in the Carribbean and here they are in the distance at Port.

"Better to..."

"Better to love God and die unknown than to love the world and be a hero; better to be content with poverty than to die a slave to wealth; better to have taken some risks and lost than to have done nothing and succeeded at it" - E.Lutzer

And when a team leaves???

Well, the team left Sunday, January 31 and we headed back to the airport on Monday, February 1 to pick up a two-month missionary intern. Four members of this team also stayed an extra week in Costa Rica...AND...well, someone had to take them to the beach!! Here's how Heather finally found some peace & quiet after translating in Children's Ministry for two weeks. More photo's tomorrow on our day off, and how we ministered with those who stayed behind!

Global Outreach Mission - January 2010 Team/Part 3

Here is a "glimpse" of only part of the work that got done during the two weeks that the team was here. There were 5 simultaneous ministries taking place through this team; children's ministry teacher training, orphan home ministry, children's ministry during the medical clinics, construction at the camp and construction at a church. I will try and get some pictures of the new ceiling that got put up at the camp in another post as well as some orphan home pictures.

Here's one patient no one expected to have to see! Ken unfortunately hurt himself when his thumb got smashed between two blocks at the church while he was working there. He had a huge blood blister form and then pop. Gary, a Paramedic, on the team is making sure it is cleaned and bandaged well before Ken can return to work!

A picture of some of the new walls at the church.

In this picture, to the left is the Triage area where a patient is seen to have their vital signs taken before seeing a physician. To the right is the waiting area to be seen by a physician.

This is only part of our construction team this year. Half of them stayed back at the camp to install the new ceiling in the Celebration Center. This small team did a lot of work under very hot conditions. We know it blessed the church in a BIG way!

8 days of medical clinics with simultaneous children's ministry!

In the Triage area Adrianna was one of the nurses who took the patients History & Physical before seeing the physicians.

Global Outreach Mission - January 2010 Team/Part 2

For the first time in the almost two years that we have been here, we decided to also take the construction team, who normally stays at the camp and does projects there, mobile with the medical and children's ministry teams. This year, the construction team spent four days working in a very small, low income church in Cariari, just down the road from where the medical clinics were taking place. While the church had most of the supplies, they had very few bodies to help them build another wall around their existing church building to expand their church. Here's a picture of the wall taken on the second day of work.

Ken had to find our camera and take a picture of this! He couldn't believe how the Costa Ricans placed block! This was physically exhausting work, not to mention that this location is about 3 hours away from the camp, near the coast where it is very hot and humid.

While it took most of the children's ministry team to sort, inventory and prepare crafts for the upcoming ministry that would take place during the medical clinics; there were a few who put together 100 teacher's training manuals that was also going to be taking place on the first day of each clinic. These guys were bent over this table for a few hours putting the manuals into the binders, but we couldn't have done it without them!

Here's the entire team, missing just a few bodies to the left of the picture on the first night beginning to go through orientation.

Global Outreach Mission - January 2010 Team

A team of 35 people arrived at the camp on January 16, 2010. After orientation, the fun began of sorting and inventoring all of the supplies that they brought into the country to carry out their two-week ministry. This is just a small portion of the children's ministry supplies: Bibles, children's tracks, and all the necessary craft items.

This is a neat and tidy picture of how a pharmacy is made mobile for a medical clinic. All of the medications pertaining to "GI" (gastrointestinal) conditions are placed in one plastic bin or suitcase.

This is the pharmacy back at the camp coming to order; placing all the GI medications together in one location and then inventoring what we have to work with before the clinics even start. This has to take place for the neat and tidy picture to happen.

Wow...

I can't even begin to tell you how busy we have been with the team here. It's 12:55 a.m. and I should be getting to bed, but wanted everyone to know that God has been so good to us the last two weeks with no one on the team getting sick; safety as we traveled and minstered; and lives were changed on the team as told through testimonies as well as Costa Ricans who received the Lord!

The team leaves tomorrow so if you could remember them in prayer as they travel to the U.S. and Canada that would be awesome. A couple of team members are staying an extra week to see more of the country as well as hang out at the camp!

Well, Ken leaves at 4 a.m. to take a small part of the team leaving the country very early to the airport while I stay back at the camp and see off the bigger part of the team after a 6:30 a.m. breakfast. I will try and get some pictures posted this week to the blog of the team's ministries. For now, I just need some sleep. Buenos Noches!

Please pray, team arrival and last preparations

The team, 35 members strong, arrives this Saturday afternoon for two weeks of ministry. They are coming from the U.S. and Canada and their ministry will consist of Construction both at the camp and a remote, poor church; Medical Clinics; Children's Teacher Training; "The Pueblito" orphan home and Children's Ministry during the Medical Clinics. This morning I finished combining the Children's Teacher Training manuals (we are combining some CEF material with our previous manual), and now those are off to the copy center. Last year, we trained about 60 teachers with this training. This year we have had an even greater response and are planning on training 90 teachers. Last night we got the grocery shopping list back from Isa, our camp cook, after giving her the menu, and Ken is off doing the grocery shopping this morning. With the size of the team, plus our volunteers (doctors, interpreters, drivers) we will be housing 55 plus people at the camp; two or three people will actually have to stay in our home for everyone to have a bed. Today, I will be moving beds around in our house to make room. We will be traveling with this team to four different locations to minister. Mon. & Tues. half of the children's ministry team will be ministering at the orphan home. The entire construction team will be working at the camp on the Celebration Center building. The medical team will be at a poor church in Cartago along with the other half of the children's ministry team who will be ministering to the children during the clinic. On Wednesday, the 20th we will be traveling with the team to the Guapiles area and along the way having our "free day". On Thursday through Sunday we will be holding a medical clinic in this area along with simultaneous children's ministry. Thursday we will also be doing teacher's training. The construction team will be working on a building project serving a very poor and remote church. On Sunday afternoon we will begin our trip back to the camp. On Monday, the 25th will be another "free day" just to rest at the camp or walk over to Orosi. Tuesday, the 26th, we will be going to Tres Rios, right outside of San Jose. On Tuesday we will be doing teacher training again, the medical clinic will begin with simultaneous children's ministry, but the construction team will be back at the camp working on the Celebration Center building. We will continue ministering in Tres Rios through the 28th. On Friday, the 29th we will do a clinic and children's ministry for one day in Paraiso. On Saturday, the 30th we will be at the camp, cleaning up our mess, resorting ministry supplies and on Sunday, the 31st, the team returns to the U.S. and Canada.

How can you pray for us?
1. Pray for this team as they travel to Costa Rica on Saturday.
2. Pray for the clinics, that people might receive physical as well as spiritual healing.
3. Pray for the children who will be ministered to in children's ministry.
4. Pray for the teacher's training, that this would bless these remote, poor churches and that their teacher's would be encouraged and blessed!
5. Pray for the team members as they minister and our family as we minister (Ken as he heads up the construction projects back at the camp as well as in the remote church, Sherri as she teaches in the teacher's training and works in children's ministry, Heather as she translates in the Pharmacy, Kyle as he ministers in children's ministry and translates, Jordan as he helps in construction).
6. Pray for a harvest of souls, men, women and children.
7. Pray that all that we say and do would glorify God, not because He needs us, but because He allows us!

Volcano Update, Dr's appt...

Last night I woke up in the middle of the night at around 1:30 a.m. to what sounded like very small pellets of ice hitting the windows and roof of the house. I thought it was just the usual wind that blows the banana tree leaves that are very close to our house. I found out this morning that the Volcano (Volcan Turrialba) has begun to erupt and that had I gotten out of bed I would have seen the ash (which they say looks like snow) and small particles of debris in the air! A now 4-mile radius near the volcano has been evacuated. Today, scientists say that there is evidence that the inner walls of the volcano near the crater are cracking, yet, they do not know for sure when the "major" eruption will occur, but they are saying it wll occur eminently. They are not reporting large rocks or lava being seen with this eruption, but on the eastern side of San Jose (the capital city) which is about an hour and a half from our location here, there was reports of fallen ash as well.

I went with Ken back to his rheumatologist today and his pelvic x-ray does show rheumatoid arthritis lesions on his sacroiliac joint, but nothing that the doctor was surprised to find or at this point was grossly abnormal. All of his blood work, rheumatoid factor, and a number of other blood and antibody counts which I cannot remember all of the names of, were off the charts in numbers pointing to rheumatoid arthritis and inflammation. He has been taken off of his gout medicine that he has been on for a number of years since he obviously does not have that condition and is starting new medicines for the rheumatoid arthritis; one of which is also used for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy to help with the side effects called Methotrexate. This medicine should force his body into remission and also help limit the progression of the disease. He should be feeling much better in two weeks. He will return to his doctor in two to three months with follow up blood work, and in one year have to have repeat x-rays. Right now he is not on a rheumatoid arthritis diet so to speak, although we will be monitoring his diet closely as we always have with his gout diet, and are well aware that certain foods can contribute to flare-ups of rheumatoid arthritis.

That's about all for tonight's post. Been a long day in the city and tomorrow is packed with a meeting with the accountant for camp business, a trip to the municipality for camp documents, camp bills to pay for the New Year, a trip to the city to get the three-month supply of Ken's Methotrexate...it's time to hit the hay!

Another flare

Yesterday, Ken saw a rheumatologist for what appeared to be another gout attack. At least, we were told in the States by our family physician that he suffered from gout. The attacks are coming so frequently that he only has about a week and a half of pain-free and non-swelling living. The doctor yesterday ordered again more blood work, three weeks ago he had a uric acid level which was raging out of control; but even with three weeks of medicine he continues to have swelling and pain. He also had an x-ray of his back. Today we found out that he has a positive RA (rheumatoid arthritis) antibody. Tomorrow, the doctor has requested that Ken return to his office at 2 p.m. to talk to us. Being told the blood work results over the phone, having a better understanding of the symptoms of RA and seeing what Ken has been going through really seems like this is probably a more accurate diagnosis. Besides the joint swelling, fatigue is a very prominent condition and Ken often has to take three hour naps when he has a flare-up. So, continue to keep Ken in your prayers as we see the doctor tomorrow and as he continues to receive treatment to stop the apparent progression of this arthritic condition.

"I can do all things though Christ who STRENGTHENS me". Phil 4:13

The downside of being on the mission field was a reality again today. Danielle & Brad left to return to the States this morning after a two-week long visit. It was a tearful good-bye. The house is a bit quieter except for some gentle sobbing in the background as Heather and Jordan hug each other. Kyle has regained his composure enough to return to playing new Play Station games he received for Christmas. While saying good-bye is never easy, we are quickly reminded of how much we treasure our time as a family together. Truly, it is a very precious gift and it allows you to appreciate each other more! Thank you, Lord, for allowing us to have this time as a family, and thank you for being our strength when we are apart!