How do we know that God still wants us in Costa Rica?

  Club house sign and some of the boys in one of the Bible study classes in Parrita.

Honestly as our time at the camp was coming to a close and we were simultaneously exploring new ministry needs and opportunities the thought did cross our mind…maybe we just go back to Virginia.

There are still days where the thought of heading back to the good ole United States sounds so good. We still miss our families. We still miss our friends. We still miss the churches. I still miss playing in the band True Liberty with some of my dearest friends. But God wants us here in Costa Rica.

One thing we have been dealing with is our house in Virginia that we have. We were blessed to have some great friends helping us out with the house, Doug- my father in law, Steve G., John C., Ben F., and others. Also we had some good renters that have been in our house since May of 2013. The lease on our house was about to expire, we were feeling unsure about where God wanted us, and we were freaking out for a second about having to look for new renters and of having to pay a mortgage without the means to do so. I called Steve, my friend who is managing our property for free with my father in law to see how things were with the house. I was almost looking for a reason to move back to Virginia for a second. Isn’t it funny how fast we can doubt and how far away from Gods plan our doubts can lead us in just the blink of an eye? Anyway, Steve told me that the contract on the house had been renewed. The people in our house want to rent it for 2 more years! No kidding. God is awesome. And He speaks plainly when you listen.  That’s just one of the 500 ways that God reassured us that He still has plans for us here in Costa Rica.

So we are here in a new area, with a new ministry, a fresh outlook, and more encouraged than ever that when we submit ourselves to God and follow Jesus with our whole hearts and love others, incredible things happen. God is moving and we are so excited to be following him.

The need is still here. There are communities all over this country that are hurting and broken. People still need to be reached and here about Jesus. We now have a good working ability to communicate in Spanish. We have made many good connections here, build relationships with churches and ministries and good friends. We believe that God is just beginning to use us here in this place and we are only seeing the beginning of what God is doing through our family. We still have a desire to be here and continue to share the gospel and make disciples of Jesus Christ. The best is yet to come!

How did we decide on our new home?

The Wells family with Bonnie’s parents in front of the new house.

So we shared about the house we are renting in our April newsletter that we posted earlier and emailed out to many of you. I’ll paste that story below in a minute if you haven’t read it yet. But here’s some other stuff first.

The boys and girls Christian clubhouses that we will be serving in are located all around the Jaco area in Costa Rica. There are currently 4 clubhouses out here so we wanted to be centrally located.

Before we started house hunting, we prayed specifically that God would be very clear on the place He had for us to live. We prayed dear Lord we would like a home centrally located to the ministry, with 3 bedrooms, that can be easily accessed, oh yeah and we can’t afford to live out here so it needs to be cheap too. We also prayed that God would be very clear. We have been praying for large blinking signs for everything because we are not too smart and because we need that extra reassurance from God right now.

So we found a house we liked near some people we know. But it was still under construction and the owners had been MIA living in some other country for a few years. So strike one. We found lots of houses that we liked that were way way out of the price range. We found one house that was kind of doable price wise and located in a gated community. Safe, clean, had AC, but the kids would have to share a room (a sacrifice that I was happy for them to make so I could have AC). We found a man to show us the house. He got the keys and headed with us to the house. It was brand new. Fully furnished. The guys puts the key into the door to show us the house and we are praying “ God show us the way, a clear blinking sign, open and close doors for us”. Wouldn’t you know it…the door wouldn’t open. The guy tried for about 10 min to open the door…nothing. My friend who was with us is pretty handy so he gave it a shot. Nope, he couldn’t get it to open either. The key went in, the lock turned but wouldn’t open. Finally the guy tells us he’s gonna go around back and try to find another way in. Bonnie and I looked at each other and knew that God was saying NO to this house…he literally was not opening the door. The guy finally got in somehow around the back and insisted on showing us the place. It was nice. Small, but nice. Had 2 bathrooms which was awesome and the master bath was bigger than any bathroom I’d seen in my life. And it had AC in the living room…. But God said no.   So he led us to the house we are in now – pasting the story from our newsletter below now..

“Finally on the last day of our scouting trip before we had to head back and pack up our house in Orosi, we stopped at a little corner store near where our friends live in Esterillos. Bonnie and I went up to the lady in the store and asked if she knew of any homes for rent in the area. She told us no. She was an older Costa Rican woman that ran the store which was in her home. She seemed stand off-ish and not so pleased that we were in her doorway. She was about to send us on our way when she asked, “why?”. She wanted to know why we wanted a house. Was it to rent for a week for vacation? Was it to spend a month partying with friends and wrecking the joint? Was it for use as a drug house? She had no idea. Just before she slammed the door in our face God softened her heart and she asked why. So we told her. We are missionaries here in Costa Rica. We have been living in Orosi for almost 2 years. We were moving here to this community long term to work with youth who were at risk of victims of abuse or sexual exploitation. We want to help youth that are at risk or involved in gangs, or drugs, or anything that is harming them. We want to tell people about Jesus, teach people from the Bible and be a blessing to those we meet. The woman immediately smiled. She was so excited. So she gave up her secret. She did have a house. The house she grew up in just a few doors down from her store. Her mother passed away a few years ago and left the house vacant. It was a humble house. Very basic. Nothing fancy. But   a good solid shelter. God spoke to us and told us that this was the place for us. It needed an electrical system, ceiling, and many repairs. The woman explained that they are trying to sell the house. It has actually been for sale for about 10 years but the house is in such disrepair that no one wants it and the family has been suffering financially due to health problems and financial troubles in their business (catching and selling fish). We shared that not only do we want to rent the home but that we want to make repairs on the home to bless them (and make it a little nicer for us while we are here). We shared that we would make the repairs for them and purchase the materials for them all so that they could sell the house and it would help them tremendously financially. So here we are, renting this house with a handwritten contract, making repairs to the house, and building relationships with this family. This is our first “mission outreach project” in our new area.”

Already 5 of our good friends here in Costa Rica have come and helped paint the house and install electricity in the house. Bonnie’s parents visited us in March and helped us unpack and make many repairs on the house. God is good. We still have to finish the ceiling and make drains for the sink and shower, but the house is looking good and the family that owns it is watching with curiosity. We are praying that through this time the family will understand that we love them and we pray that they will come to know Christ. The mother has an inoperable tumor in her head that causes her daily pain, the father is a struggling fisherman that wants nothing to do with God because of the hurt and pain he has suffered in his life and many of the family is struggling in many ways. We truly believe that God sent us here in part to share the gospel and show love to this family. Pray for them and pray for us as we build relationships with them.

What about our children and our safety?

We were called as a family to missions outside the USA when Vince was 2 and Veronica was just 3 weeks old. As a family we have always had to consider our safety and the safety of our children, and honesty let’s just get right to the point, there is no place safer than walking in God’s will. So rather than worry about our safety we strive to walk closely with God, hear His voice and follow where He leads. We trust that God will keep watch over our family everywhere He brings us. Of course we are not blind to dangers or risks that our children may face. We still are vigilant in watching over them and protecting them. But we are praying to be able to parent with wisdom, without worry and without fear. Our greatest desire for our children is actually not their safety, it is that they would seek, know and follow God. Bonnie and I are following God and hoping to set an example to our children as we teach them and lead them.  So maybe the area we are now living in Costa Rica is “worse” than the area we were in before. Maybe this life isn’t “ideal” for children. Maybe we are putting our kids too much “at risk”. But is there no danger in the states? Are kids not still bullied in schools all over the US? Are kids not abused and hurting all over the US? Do people not get in car accidents, get sick or die in the states? Obviously right? So we don’t worry. We trust God. We know that it would be perfectly fine to serve God through living, working in ministering in the good ole U.S of A. But the point is that is not where God has called us at this time.

All that to say this. We will be homeschooling our kids. Let me rephrase, Bonnie will be homeschooling our kids and I will help a little. Our kids have been in 5 different schooling situations in the past 2 years. They need some consistency. Also we have run into several situations especially with Vincent and his safety in schools that make us hesitant to put him in another similar public school situation. There are private schools in our new area but they are all 110% full this year and very very expensive. So the kids will be homeschooled and also have opportunity to take some classes in the community center like taekwondo-do and ballet.  They are happy, they are learning, and they are growing closer to God.

Will we still be involved in Skate Ministry?

(Skate park in the new community center in our new area. One of the possible new locations for a skate ministry.)

Will we still be involved in skate ministry? Yes. If God wills.  Remember we never had intended or set out to start or be involved with skate ministry. Skate ministry found us. And we see that it works and we love it now. So if we get the opportunity to do it again – we will jump at the chance.

Right now we are working with youth that are at risk of or victims of abuse and sexual exploitation. One of the boys club houses we work at may prove to be a good place to have a little skating. One of the rewards the boys will be receiving as a result of good behavior and participation is a trip with us to a local skate park. We still have the “shop decks” from the skate church in Orosi so we will be able to let the boys here enjoy them some.

Also there is a church in Jaco that has expressed interest in reaching out to the skaters in their community. We will be working with the church as they prepare to move forward. The plan is to build a roof over part of the church parking lot and then build some portable ramps (much like we had at the camp). Lord willing we will be able to assist this church in this new ministry opportunity and possibly tie it in as well with the boys and girls Christian clubhouse programs we will be ministering in.

What’s going to happen to Skate Church Orosi? / What is happening at the camp in Orosi?

The Wells family with the skaters at the list night of skate church Orosi.

Well, February 18^th 2015, was the last night of Skate Church Orosi with us leading it at the camp after 1 year and 1 month of incredible skate ministry.  The camp was obviously never intended to be a skate park. We always knew our time there for skating may be limited when we started. We saw a need to reach youth, we saw a way to reach them through skating, and we ran with it. Youth came to Christ. Lives were transformed. It was awesome. But like often times it happens, good things sometimes come to an end. The camp now has a new missionary family working there to continue assisting in hosting mission teams and the national churches that rent the camp for retreats. They will be focusing on the groups that come to the camp and will be excellent hosts for the national churches and missions teams. The camp will continue to host international mission teams and assist the teams with their work, be a retreat center for national churches to rent for teaching weekends, retreats and baptisms just like it has been doing for the past many years. We wish the new family and all of our dear friends that are around the camp well and we pray God’s best for them. We served at the camp for nearly 2 years. We gave it our best. We worked with nearly 20 different mission teams; served the community any way we could, repainted the entire camp, worked on many many repair, maintenance and construction projects, and hosted many evangelistic events. We learned so much about ministry, about mission teams, about leadership, about Costa Rica, about the Spanish language, and about God during our time there. But God knew all along that the camp was only to be a stop on our journey. So when God speaks and moves, we listen and follow.

As for the skaters…I have donated all of the skate ramps to the skaters in Palomo and Orosi. The ramps are currently in the homes of 2 of the older skaters being stored. There is a plan in motion to build a cement pad in Palomo. I am putting a responsibility and challenge in the hands of the skaters. I told them that if they guard the ramps well and iron out the details for building the cement slab that I would help them mix the concrete and help to raise funds to build a roof over it. It’s time to see the skaters step up. Also, several members of the local church in Palomo are reaching out to the boys. A friend of mine has started a bible study in his home and has been inviting all the skaters in Palomo to be part of it. A few pastors have taken interest in watching over the guys and helping where possible in the skate park project. We did our best to hand of the ministry to good people and we are leaving it in God’s hands and praying for them. We still keep contact with many of the skaters and have plans to organize skate outings with them every few months.

April 2015 Wells newletter update

Wells Newsletter – April 2015

Last time we talked things were going so well. We had our home finally finished and were living comfortably, the ministry was vibrant and growing, we had a full schedule of mission teams coming down to the camp in 2015, people were coming to Christ, people were being discipled and growing in their faith, our kids were loving school, Bonnie was enjoying teaching her classes and working at the camp with me. Life was good. But sometimes God’s plans our bigger than ours. Sometimes when you least expect it God changes everything. In a matter of 4 weeks, God moved us from the camp ministry to a place 3 hours away working with youth that are at risk or victims of abuse and sexual exploitation.

So in early February it was becoming clear that the vision that God had given us to pursue was different that the vision of the ministry of the camp. We love mission teams. We love how lives are transformed through God moving in the hearts of team members and those the team serves. Mission teams, when done well, are a beautiful thing. But God was pulling our hearts more and more toward daily community outreach, evangelism and discipleship – specifically to youth. So many kids in elementary school and teenagers were suffering from sexual abuse and exploitation, living without knowing or having relationships with their fathers, having strained relationships with their mothers, not having any kind of relationship with Christ, and just plain struggling through life. Costa Rica is beautiful for sure but there are many communities that are stricken with poverty. Some communities are poor in many ways but mostly spiritually. The camp was involved in outreach and evangelism but many duties also included maintenance, planning for teams, preparation of team ministry, office work, administrative work – all good things – all necessary things– but things that took time from us being able to invest directly in the lives of our community the way God was calling us to do.

God knows we are stubborn. Maybe I am more stubborn than Bonnie, just maybe. The point is that God knows us and He is good. So God used various situations to shift our hearts, our lives, and our activities to be where He wanted us. While I was content to serve with my family at the camp for the rest of my life, God willing, but God didn’t will. He was moving us.

We got a call from friends of ours down in the Jaco area of Costa Rica. It is about 3 hours from the camp and is near the Pacific Coast. They told us that they were working with a group of people involved in youth ministry and wanted to know if we could move down by them to work with them. My initial response was no. No thank you, I have a great ministry where I am. We are ministering to skaters and who would continue the work? What about the camp? What about the teams?  What about our friends in the community? What about the churches we were serving with? But wouldn’t you know it, within a matter of days God provided people and answers for each and every of my questions. God made it clear that He was moving us. I’m going to post some stories to our blog about the questions we had and the way God answered – Like what will happen to the teens in the skate ministry? Go read it. If it was all written here it would make this newsletter be about 15 pages. We will have it broken up into different titles for each story. God is amazing.

So at the end of February we loaded up the car and drove to Jaco. Our family spent time seeing the ministry we would be working in, we spent time meeting our new ministry partners and ministry team, we spent time with the youth that we would be coming to work with, and we scoped out the area.

One area of concern was, “where would we live?” Some friends of ours live in a quiet gated community in Esterillos, just outside of Jaco. The homes are more “American style” if you will. There is nothing wrong with living in an area like that but we were concerned for 2 reasons. 1- the cost of living is significantly higher in the Jaco area, and 2-we wanted to be part of a Costa Rican community, not closed off in a private community for ex-pats. But we looked at 2 houses in that type of set up anyway. God said no. We looked at homes in Jaco. God said no. Finally on the last day of our scouting trip before we had to head back and pack up our house in Orosi, we stopped at a little corner store near where our friends live in Esterillos. Bonnie and I went up to the lady in the store and asked if she knew of any homes for rent in the area. She told us no. She is an older Costa Rican woman that runs the store in her home. She seemed stand off-ish and not so pleased that we were in her doorway. She was about to send us on our way when she asked, “why?”. She wanted to know why we wanted a house. Was it to rent for a week for vacation? Was it to spend a month partying with friends and wrecking the joint? Was it for use as a drug house? She had no idea. Just before she slammed the door in our face God softened her heart and she asked why. So we told her. We are missionaries here in Costa Rica. We have been living in Orosi for almost 2 years. We were moving here to this community to work with youth who were at risk of victims of abuse or sexual exploitation. We want to help youth that are at risk or involved in gangs, or drugs, or anything that is harming them. We want to tell people about Jesus, teach people from the Bible and be a blessing to those we meet. The woman immediately smiled. She was so excited. So she gave up her secret. She did have a house. The house she grew up in just a few doors down from her store. Her mother passed away a few years ago and left the house vacant. It was a humble house. Very basic. Nothing fancy. But  a good solid shelter. God spoke to us and told us that this was the place for us. It needed an electrical system, ceiling, and many repairs. The woman explained that they are trying to sell the house. It has actually been for sale for about 10 years but the house is in such disrepair that no one wants it and the family has been suffering financially due to health problems and financial troubles in their business (catching and selling fish). We shared that not only do we want to rent the home but that we want to make repairs on the home to bless them (and make it a little nicer for us while we are here). We shared that we would make the repairs for them and purchase the materials for them all so that they could one day sell the house and it would help them tremendously financially.

So here we are, renting this house with a handwritten contract, making repairs to the house, and building relationships with this family. This is our first “mission outreach project”. Already 5 of our good friends here in Costa Rica have come and helped paint the house and install electricity in the house. Bonnie’s parents visited us in March and helped us unpack and make many repairs on the house. God is good. We still have to finish the ceiling and make drains for the sink and shower, but the house is looking good and the family that owns it is watching with curiosity. We are praying that through this time the family will understand that we love them and we pray that they will come to know Christ. The mother has an inoperable tumor in her head that causes her daily pain, the father is a struggling fisherman that wants nothing to do with God because of the hurt and pain he has suffered in his life and many of the family is struggling in many ways. We truly believe that God sent us here in part to share the gospel and show love to this family. Pray for them and pray for us as we build relationships with them.

          

Aaron with some of the guys from Orosi              Wells family with Bonnie’s parents

Our main work out here will be with the youth. We will be joining a great team of people who have established boys and girls Christian clubhouses in hurting communities. Many of the boys and girls in the clubhouse ministries have been affected by sexual or other types of abuse, prostitution, sexual exploitation, drug abuse, or other types of violence. We will be sharing the gospel to these young men and women through Bible studies, English classes, vocational classes, and our lives and actions. Bonnie and I will also be working to partner with 2 local churches as well. These are two churches that are in the neighborhoods that we will be working in. There is a great hurt and a great need here in this new location. Please pray for us as we partner with new friends and new churches to put an end to sexual exploitation, to the violence, and share with people about the freedom, forgiveness, salvation, and the abundant life that is found in following Jesus.

You may have questions. We had questions. I will be making posts to our blog that is in desperate need of updates. http://www.valleyroads.wordpress.com

We will share things like this:

-What will happen with the skate ministry in Orosi?

-Will we still be involved in skate ministry?

-What is happening at the camp?

-How did God reveal the new home we should live in?

-How do we know what we are still supposed to be serving in Costa Rica?

-What about our kids? What about our safety?

Though much prayer and godly counsel, God brought us through this roller coaster of a journey. God has been answering clearly, specifically, and quickly each of our prayers. We are still serving with Global Outreach Mission. We are still serving the people of Costa Rica. We are still striving to walk close to God and remain in His perfect will. We still are absolutely blessed by your prayers, support, and encouragement. We are still in this together. We are still about sharing the gospel and making disciples of Christ. We still love you. Much has changed, but much has remained the same and God is still good.

Until next month.

Aaron, Bonnie, Vincent and Veronica Wells

Prayer points:

For our marriage – adjusting the new climate of high heat and humidity has been challenging.

For continued financial support- the cost of living is much higher in our new area

For Vince and Veronica’s schooling- Bonnie will be homeschooling the children.

For the new ministry opportunities and the new relationships.

For the family that owns the house we are currently renting – specifically the mom who has a cancerous tumor in her head.

Praise of thanks for our friends from Orosi that helped us paint and install electricity in the house.

Praise that Bonnie’s parents were able to come down and visit us and help us work on the house.

Jesus is NOT the reason for the season.

Growing up I remember on year when my mom worked for a small company that sold christmas decorations. She had these parties where ladies would come and look at all these little knick knack things and buy Christmas decorations for the house. My mom was able to earn some extra money for our family by being a sales lady and she usually got a few little bonus gifts. I remember one time all us kids got a Christmas pin. It said, ” Jesus is the reason for the season” Very cute, very catchy and rhymey. But maybe not so accurate.

Isaiah 9:6English Standard Version (ESV)

⁶ For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon^[a] his shoulder,
and his name shall be called^[b]
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

The child, the savior is what we celebrate at Christmas. Obviously. But is Jesus the reason for Christmas. Maybe not. It would be like saying that I was born and that’s the reason for my birthday. That’s kind of like circular reasoning. On my birthday I celebrate the fact that I was born- but that’s not the reason. The reason I was born was because God planned it and more specifically because my parents made me. That is the reason for my birth.

So what was the reason for Jesus’ birth? US! We are the reason He was born. Because God created us, because he loves us, because we sinned, and because He had to make a way for us to be with Him again. It was His plan all along. At Christmas we celebrate our savior – but we are the reason for this season.

From Isaiah, – for UNTO US a child is born, UNTO US a son is given.

Also – Luke 2:11English Standard Version (ESV)

¹¹ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

For UNTO YOU. It’s like God, the angels, and the prophets all knew the people, us, we need a savior. And because we need a savior, God sent His son Jesus. We are the reason for all this. And we are the reason because God created us and loves us. If it wasn’t for fallen men God would never have had to send  His son and there would be no Christmas.

Please understand that this is not being selfish or bragging. Actually it hurts to admit that we are so broken and far from God in our natural state. But we celebrate the fact the Jesus was born on Christmas. But we should understand that the reason for Christmas is not Jesus birth, the reason is so that we can experience a rebirth. That 2nd birth talked about in the gospels, that birth from above that we can not control or instigate. That 2nd birth into a new life in Christ that is His gift to us. That new life made possible through the way, the truth and the life that is Jesus.

So Jesus is not the reason for the season. We are.

 

No one wants your opinion

As many questions as I have been asked there is one thing I am learning – no one wants your opinion, no one cares what you think.

I am speaking about the times when people have come to me asking spiritual questions, questions about the Bible, and more specifically the question “do you think it’s ok to ________”

When someone asks a question, someone that is not a believer, not a Christian, not a Christ follower, when they ask me a question about what the Bible does and doesn’t allow – they are not really looking for my opinion or thoughts. What they are really looking for many times is validation or permission to do the thing in question. Is it ok to smoke? Is it ok to drink? Is it ok to move in with my girlfriend? Is it ok to steal as long as it’s only small things? Is it ok to smoke pot? Is it ok to dance? Is it ok to play music in secular venues?

It seems so many people are at a loss of what to think, and they are in the sea of the giant list of do’s and dont’s that people suppose the Bible contains. The short answer is this – if you feel like it’s wrong, it probably is. Not necessarily a “sin” or immoral, although sometimes it may be. But if something feels wrong to you – and you want permission to do it – a natural thing to do is seek approval somewhere to ease your conscience.

Here is what I have decided. No one wants my opinion. They want my permission, which I have no right or authority to give. I first had this thought process really sink in last year during my time at Niagara Adventure Camp in western NY just before I moved to Costa Rica. Now it’s time to really implement it… No more giving my opinion in these matters. No more telling people what I do or don’t do. I believe the right thing to do is point people to the Bible. The Bible, our scriptures, are the living, breathing, inspired Word of God, that is totally relevant and guides our paths and lets us hear from God himself.

As an opinionated person it is hard not to share my thoughts – especially when asked point blank, but as a follower of Christ I am dead to my old self and alive in Christ and live through His power. It only makes sense to speak His words, not mine…

Romans 14

New International Version (NIV)

The Weak and the Strong

14 Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. ² One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. ³ The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. ⁴ Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.

⁵ One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. ⁶ Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. ⁷ For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. ⁸ If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. ⁹ For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.

¹⁰ You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister^[a]? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. ¹¹ It is written:

“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’”^[b]

¹² So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.

¹³ Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. ¹⁴ I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean. ¹⁵ If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died. ¹⁶ Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. ¹⁷ For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, ¹⁸ because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.

¹⁹ Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. ²⁰ Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. ²¹ It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.

²² So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. ²³ But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.^[c]

Romans 15

New International Version (NIV)

15 We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. ² Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. ³ For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.”^{[a] 4} For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

Skate Church Orosi – The Vision

The Vision:

So far through this very young skate ministry we have seen some incredible things happen. The vision for this Skate Church Orosi is to share the gosepel and minister to all of the skaters and BMX bikers in Orosi Valley and to help other similar ministries reach their communities.

  

The idea is not only to provide a safe place to skate, but to encourage them to grow in progress in their skill. We share a devotional or a message each week tying Biblical truth to different elements found in skating. Like below we had a skate fail video and talked about how God can work through failure and how God uses the weak, and how it is important to get back up and keep moving forward.

We have begun to meet and partner with people from organizations like Skate Costa Rica, Grupo Skate Urbano, Extremo Producciones, and Next Generation Alliance and we are excited for any opprotunity to partner with them. There is a skate festival in Turrialba on March 14th, 2014 that we have been invited to. A team from the States that is being sent by Luis Palau’s NGA are coming down and partnering with local churches and skate organizations. They have invited us to participate in this event. I hope to bring several skaters and BMX’ers to attend the event with me. We want them to see how big the Christian skating scene in Costa Rica really is, to hear the preachers that will be there, and build into the lives of these great people.

In reality, we have outgrown the building on the camp where we are holding the weekly Skate Church already. We are currently rotating shifts of skaters thought the night, sharing helmets, sharing boards, and we need to figure out a good way to give the BMX guys some time on the floor. With nearly 40 skaters and 10-14 bikes in the building it’s hard to share the floor sometimes. We would like to see a large 20×30 meter cement pad laid on the camp property in the near future. How awesome would it be to have a living, breathing, active, daily skate park for Orosi Valley right in the camp! It would serve as a more suitable place for skating than in our meeting building and could also be used for many other activities of the camp (soccer, children’s ministry, picnicking, etc)

This ministry is all about skating, but it is so much more. Giving people an opprotunity to skate provides us an opprotunity to share the gospel, to meet many people from our community, and to build into the lives of the many talented skaters that are in our community. From the youngest to the oldest, from the beginner to the expert, whether they ride 4 wheels or 2 or 8 – we love everyone that comes out to Skate Church.

 

Here are the statistics so far: Over $1,200 has been invested in building ramps, purchasing skate boards and parts, buying saftey gear, snacks, and flyers. We meet every Wednesday and so far there have been 6 nights of ministry averaging 60 people each night. We have seen at least 42 people that have prayed for salvation and are begining a new life in Christ. This is only just the beginning!

Please join us in prayer for this ministry. We are very open to ideas to grow and expand this ministry. We would love to have teams come down to help us put on week long skate camps, help us build ramps, and build the outdoor space. This will take lots or prayer, time, and of course finances. If you would like to partner in some way with what is going on here at Skate Church Orosi please email me at (wells@missiongo.org). You can make a financial contribution online at ( https://www.gifttool.com/athon/MyFundraisingPage?ID=1354&AID=2101&PID=298917&Preview=Y ) Just make a note that it is for “Skate Church”.

Costs: If you are thinking of giving here are some of the costs for important items.

$30 – $60- skate deck,  $50 set of a wheels, $40 set of trucks, $2 pack of screws, $10 -$20 bearings, lumber and paint for 1 ramp $150, metal for grind rail $50. We also could use funds to help with transportation costs and food costs for each week – $15 covers snacks and gas money for 1 week. Also we working to get an estimate for the new structure we hope to build.

Please pray for guidance as we work to reach people through this ministry. Pray for the skaters lives and for their safty. Pray for workers to help us grow this ministry. Pray for finances to expand and reach more people and keep the momentum going. Thank you for your time, consideration, and prayers.

This is the latest picture from some of the group on week 5 – Wednesday February 26th, 2014. We are excited about Skate Church Orosi. We are excited about what God has already done and for what He will do. Pura Vida!

– Forgoten Post “Sloop John B”

This is a post that I saw in our blog drafts folder. It is dated October 31, 2013. It is interesting because this is the time that our car trouble started. And I just got my car back this week.- complete and ready to go, after many- many problems. So this is how we were doing back 4 months ago. Maybe it posted and you read it. But it looks like it was floating in “saved drafts” land. Any here it is….remember this was written on October 31, 2013….much has changed since then..

” If I remember correctly there is an on Beach Boys song called sloop john b. In the chorus they sing – “I wanna go home, why won’t you let me go home, yeah yeah, this is the worst trip- I’ve ever been on. ” If I’m honest that’s a little how I feel today. Since this is my blog and I’m writing it and you got trapped into reading it… I’m gonna whine for just a minute.

Yesterday our car broke down. Today I was told that the engine seized. Pistons, rings, and bits – oh my. Was told I will be a big 8 day repair. The auto store is not wanting to honor their warrantee. Awesome.

My cell phone was brand new in June. It has been broken for a month. The current repair store its at told me that after a week of work- it’s ready. They flat out lied to me. After much confusion and lies on their end they handed me the phone late this afternoon and told me it was all set. I stood in the store and sure enough – the phone kept shutting down and not restarting. – mismo problema. They told me they could rest the factory settings. It will fix the problem. Super quick. – one hour? No sir much faster. – 5 minutes? No sir, it will take at least 2 hours. Ok. 2 hours. So I will come back in two hours. – no sir, we won’t have it ready till Saturday. – perfect…

Meanwhile bonnie is at the farmers market trying to get some produce- today everyone it trying to get ” the gringo price” They were trying to charge bonnie 30 to 50% more than normal. So we have no produce….

We got in the car to head home. A guy runs up to the car and stands in front of me. Holding change in his hand a yelling at me – blocking my way. This was not an attended parking spot. I feel that he saw a family of gringos and was trying to score some change. – not today buddy…

One thing after another today. We headed home and on the way past the world famous golden arches. It was better looking that if it had been ronald Reagan holding and American flag riding a horse and resting a bald eagle on his arm. Thank God for McDonald’s. The kids went nuts in the play land. And we cried a little in our hamburquesa con queso y papas fritas. But we prayed and took a long – deep breath.

On the way home we checked the camp po Box. We had a package for us and our friends at the camp. It was from a mission team that we hosted in August from Texas. It was a reminder that we are not here alone. People believe in us and the work God is doing through us. People care about us and are praying for us.

Today sucked. It was a crap day. But tomorrow at 7 am we have Spanish lessons, at 10am band lessons, at 6pm bible study. Life goes on- we have a calling to fulfill. We press on. I count my life nothing. Only to finish the race set before me. So devil. You pathetic waste. Tell me. Is that all you got?!? You lose – you lose- haha you lose. God has over come the world, and we are children of the most high God. If He is for us – who stands a chance against us. I will rise above- I will stand and fight. I’m standing tall. With my family at my side – God in the lead , and my friends at my back. Bring. It. On. “