Living the Call Together

Dear Worshippers,

On Sunday, we witnessed a powerful illustration of going as the Costa Rica team exited to our exhortation, “Sing of His love in Costa Rica”. What a beautiful moment! They were going. We were sending. We were living the call together.

You may have not thought about them over the last couple of days. I am certain their families left behind have. They are thinking and praying for them almost constantly. They are living the call together. Let us pray for them.

They are others that will be leaving from our midst soon who need our prayer and financial support as well. Katie Hawkins leaves for training Sunday for CCO, and our own Alicia Davis will be heading to California for training next month then on to Vologda, Russia. They need us to live the call together. They need our giving.

Opportunities to live the call together abound. What opportunities to do so will yet cross your path today, I do not know, but the Way-Maker. Yield yourself know to him, as the Costa Team has, and as Katie and Alicia have, then hold on. It will be quite a ride.

See the message below from Pastor Goodin It is an update from the team.

In Christ,

Pastor Scott

----- Original Message -----
From: Chuck & Robbi Fanberg
To: cma@cmachurch.net
Cc: jessicaleighgoodin@yahoo.com
Sent: Monday, June 12, 2006 10:14 PM
Subject: Update

Greetings, all!

We have enjoyed this first day in San Jose, working at the local Alliance church. About half the team conducted two VBS sessions, from 9-11 and from 2-4, with two different groups of children. The rest of us dug out a lengthy grassy area that has been an eyesore alongside the street side of the church. We prepared it for concrete today. Tomorrow and the next day we hope to transform it into a decorative concrete border, embedded with stone.

We spent the evening with Chuck and Roberta Fanberg and their daughter Melanie. They have a lovely apartment, quite spacious, looking over the city to the southwest with the mountains in the distance. The next two or three evenings we will join several cell groups and share personal testimonies. On Friday, we travel 5 hours to Bri-Bri, over a road that is in very poor condition in places. It will be hot, muggy and probably quite muddy there. Chuck says what we are doing this week is getting us ready for “real” missionary work in Bri-Bri. There are many more children there, so we will continue to do VBS.

So far, no sickness, no injuries, no problems. We got through customs fine. The toothbrushes sent by Linda Oliver held us up a short time. They couldn’t comprehend why anyone would be carrying a couple hundred of these. The Fanbergs had a bus waiting for us and it was quite a frenetic experience as they loaded the back of the bus with our over-abundant pieces of luggage. By the time we got to our “bed and breakfast” it was past 1:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Savings Time. San Jose is in the Central time zone and does not observe Daylight Savings Time, so we are two hours behind you.

The bed and breakfast is interesting. The accommodations are certainly adequate and hardly primitive, but it’s not up to the standard of even a low-budget American motel or hotel. But better than we’ll find at Bri-Bri, I’m sure. It is in a very rough neighborhood, and we have been warned not to take a walk anywhere. It appears almost all the homes and businesses in San Jose are barricaded with bars, man with spooled razor wire topping the wrought iron.

Jim and Marcella Whetsell rode their motorcycle to the church today to see us. It’s about a 75 minute trip, and they left in the mid-afternoon to beat the rain that comes virtually every day during the rainy season. It was great to see them again, and they are happy and doing well. Their Bible study averages 8-12 people weekly.

Every team member is contributing well, and each one seems to be fully engaged in the experience. Bill is doing an excellent job as team leader. We have had a couple good times of sharing and prayer, and each is keeping a journal.

We’re not sure when or whether we will be able to email again, both because the internet is not easily accessible and because our schedule is very, very full. They have planned our days and evenings with a lot of activity. Keep us in prayer We hope to have many stories when we return.

Please forward this to anyone who might be interested in a report. We are “Living the Call Together” in Costa Rica!

DG