Well, this past Friday morning, the friendly guys calling themselves "Jehovah witnesses" stopped by just like I thought they would. As the orginal time for them to arrive came and went, I wouldn't be honest if I didn't say I was a little relieved.Even though I had spent a few hours during the week researching their beliefs and printing some questions off which contradict what I believe as a Christian and what their translation says and they believe as Jehovah witnesses. (I will say this, these two men were very polite, considerate and courteous and the converstaion was played out in soft and respectable voices.) After their 'time' to arrive had passed and I thought to myself, "okay, I can get on w/ the rest of my day", they showed up. In my flesh after making my mind up that they weren't coming and was rehearsing my day in my head, I have to admit that I was taking back. I asked the Lord for strength and boldness to confront them w/ the Truth! As I approached our gate, I said that I was about to leave to run some errands (which I really was) and basically to say, "sorry guys, you missed your chance to hear about Jesus." Well, God had other plans!! They started to walk away after deciding btw us all that they would come back tomorrow (Saturday). I felt relieved for the moment but also TERRIBLE at the very same time. I thought to myself that I let them go w/out telling them the truth that JESUS is the ONLY way! not by works we are saved but by grace!! I immediatley jumped into our Montero to start it up so I could do my errands. This is where God, the Almighty, stepped in. :) Well, the Montero wouldn't start!! It wouldn't even turn over. Brooke and the kids were inside watching the action play out and Brooke later told me that I tried to start the vehicle 5,6 or even 7 times. She would know this b/c every time one turns the key over, there is a 'beep' from the alarm system installed on the vehicle. As I sat there in my vehicle and feeling terrible, I began to feel and hear the Holy Spirit tug on me like the kind of feeling spider man gets right before something is about to happen, he calls it "spider sense" . The name of Jonah came into my mind. Here I was deliberatly disobeying God by trying to 'run' and 'hide' not only from the JW's but most importantly from God himself! It didn't work, I knew I couldn't hide, I knew (just like Jonah) I couldn't run from God. So I sat there repented and then said, "okay Lord, I get it, I get it, You want me here, right now to talk to these guys." I exited the vehicle and proceeded to follow after the two men. At this point, they had gotten into their car and started to drive off. They went up 50 feet or so and started to turn around and that's when I yelled at them, "guys stop, my car won't start, I believe God wants me to talk to you gentlemen today and NOT tomorrow." They said, "okay" and we had an interseting conversation for over 2 hours! We went back and forth reading one scripture after another to each other stating our side and why we each believe what we believe. So, after an hour, hour and a half or so of this, I stopped them and said, "guys, we can sit here and do this all day long and not get anywhere." So I continued, "why exactly are two gentlemen here today?", and they gave me their answer. To which I said, "Well, I believe this...." and laid the gospel out on the table for them to either: a) accept it, repent and give their lives to Jesus that day, or b) not accept it, not repent and continue on their path of believing what they believe, which is the 'wide path' as the Bible states. They chose b).... They told me that our beliefs are different, that Jesus is NOT God but "a god" and that a person is only saved by deeds (or works) over the course of time. I questioned the history of their organization asking them all kinds of different questions from false prophacy to why they translated the Bible once again to fit their beliefs. After 2 and a half hours they quietly excused themselves for another engagement. So,...... we'll see. I hope that I stood strong (after my running like Jonah incident) like Jonah did when he spoke to the people of Nineveh and laid out the Truth that Jesus IS GOD and He can save us right here right now in the present and that ALL who believe in His name will spend eternity w/ Him in heaven praising and worshiping His heavenly name.
To my Heavenly Father,
Thank you for the opportunity and how blessed and honored I was to speak on your behalf that even though the 2 men left not giving their lives to follow You, that the seed of Truth was planted and someday will blossom and become fruit. This I pray in the name of Jesus,
Amen.   
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Jesus saves!! 08/02/2010
 

Last month w/ the help of East Hill Christian school, we held a 1 day VBS in Santa Rosa, our little neighboring town. During the VBS we had the kids write down their information (name, age, direction to their house, etc.) Well after some follow-up, Brooke and I have started 2 discipleship groups as a result of this process. Brooke has started w/ 3 girls and I have started w/ 2 boys. 3 of the 5 kids has since accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior as manypeople there have never heard the saving grace that is ONLY found in our King Jesus! We are sooo excited although the enemy of this world is already fighting against us. Just today, 2 of the 3 girls didn't make it to the group.... We are optomistic as we know our Lord and His legion of angels are fighting along w/ us in this 'battle' as He says in His Word, "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has annointed me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound."  Isaiah 61:1 (NKJV). Amen! Please pray for Wilmer, Kevin, Clency, María José and Urania. Please pray for their families as we found out that the parents of Clency do not believe in anything, they aren't even Catholic!! Hard to believe but true, considering that a overwhelming majority of people who live here say that they are 'Catholic', although most are not practicing Catholic. Also pray for my next 'opportunity' to talk w/ a couple of Jehovah witnesses who came by the other day. One of the two men spoke only English and he was looking for opportunities to 'talk' w/ folks. Well, they passed by here and I was home. We talked for a while w/ them steering the conversation to fit their 'beliefs'. I have to admit, I was a little rattled after their visit, almost a little irritated that they would use "nearly" the same version of the Bible I use (2 TIMOTHY 3:16-17) but twist words around or even have added words to fit what they believe... They asked me if they could come back this week to which I said "yes" and I will be prepared. I have done some research on their beliefs and how they 'twist' around (or have added to) the scrpitures. Lord willing, thru His strength and not my own, I am going to ask to pray for them and share what is so dear to my heart, that JESUS SAVES!!!! and it is NOT by our own actions or deeds. I pray for wisdom and boldness this coming week and for the Lord to use me in mighty ways for HIS glory and HIS alone, b/c as it stands right now, these two men are bound for hell believing in something that is 100% false, that works will save them. Please Father, touch these men who are 'blind' to You, who are 'dead' to You. I pray for a miracle this week. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.
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This was a recent post by our friends from East Hill Christian Highschool from Pensacola, Florida. They spent a few days w/ us here in Villareal helping further God's kingdom by putting on a one day VBS in a small town called Santa Rosa and allowing us to the opportunity to follow up and hopefully start a few disciple groups there....

July 1-5,

Thursday morning brought a very early start for the members of the EHCS
Costa Rica mission team.  We met at 3:45 a.m. at the Pensacola Airport and
sailed through our flights with no difficulty.  We landed in San Jose in
the afternoon, where Mark Kuzdas and Cori (our fantastic bus driver) were
awaiting our arrival.  THe bus took us to the mission house and we ate a
delicious hamburger lunch after we unloaded our luggage.  THe team was
overjoyed to be re-united with the other two member of the team, Kristen
and Pam Keller, who had arrived in Costa Rica earlier in the week.

At 4:30 p.m., everyone headed to La Finca, the church area in Los Guido,
so that we could meet with the leadership team from the church there.  THe
team helps us out during the various Bible Schools.  The returning EHCS
team members got to see all their old friends, and the new team members
made lots of new friends.  After a classic Costa Rican dinner of rice and
deans, we explained  how the Bible Schools would work and passed out blue
VBS shirts to the Los Guido leadership team.  Afterwards, we played until
nighttime and then rode back to the mission house for some much-needed
sleep.  We were completely exhausted from our day of travel and fun!

We did not get a break on Saturday morning; we were up and ready by 6:00
a.m!  We grabbed a quick breakfast of  pastries and Mrs. Keller's famous
muffins, then hit the road for Arenal.  Along the way, Cori took us to all
the best shops.  One souvenir shop housed a colorful toucan and a
butterfly garden in the back, and another shop was located in an area
completely surrounded by dozens of gigantic iguanas!  we pulled into our
resort hotel in Arenal around lunchtime, where we were welcomed by a
fantastic view of the volcano from our room windows.  We ate from a yummy
buffet at our hotel, then headed back to our rooms to relax.

That evening at 6:00, we hopped on the bus to the luxurious hot springs.
Each pool was a different temperature, ranging from cool all the way to
scalding hot!  The team favorites were definitely the large pool with a
heated slide and the spring with a waterfall that poured over your back
and shoulders.  Once everyone had their fill of the water, we ate dinner
at a scrumptious Asian buffet.  We went back to the hotel full and
completely relaxed!

On Saturday morning, we ate breakfast at the hotel, then drove to a quaint
shopping area for a few hours.  We came back to our hotel for lunch, then
hit the road for Guanacaste.  It was a long trip, but the team finally
arrived at a mission house there, five hours later.  We were greeted by
our friends, Matt, Brooke, Ethan, Isabelle, and Audrey McClain, who are
serving as missionaries in Guanacaste.  We ate dinner, unloaded our bags,
and hung out for the rest of the night.  Eventually, the boys went to the
Calvary Chapel, where they would be sleeping, and the girls settled into
their beds at the mission house.  Of course, going to sleep wasn't all
that easy with the sound of crowing roosters and the fear of scorpions and
cockroaches throughout the night!

Luckily, everyone survived the night, and we had a hearty pancake
breakfast Sunday morning.  After, we coated ourselves in sunscreen and bug
spray and rode to the beach.  We could not believe our eyes when we
spotted several monkeys swinging from the trees on our way there!  It was
a beautiful, sunny and we all enjoyed the waves and sand.  A few of the
boys even tried their hand at surfing the Pacific waves!  At noon, we
packed up and went back to the mission house to eat some arroz con carne
(rice with beef!).

Next, we began preparation for a prayer walk.  At 3:00 o.m., we drove to
the area where we would hold Bible School the next morning, and walked the
streets, praying and handing out VBS invitations.  After, we drove to the
church, a Calvary Chapel, where we performed two skits and Jocelyn sang in
the service.  Many of the girls helped out in the nursery and Sunday
school classes.  We had dinner at the church, went to the mission house to
practice puppet skits, then went to bed.

Monday brought the first day of our "marathon" of Vacation Bible Schools.
We got up early, ate breakfast, then went to the Salon Comunal, where we
set up for the VBS.  We did not know exactly what to expect today, but as
the children began to trickle in, our team was armed with balloon animals
and face paints.  It was a successful day--around 40 children attended the
VBS, and everyone had a great time learning about the Lord.  We had
puppets, praise and worship, Bible stories, crafts, and recreation.
Everything ran smoothly!  We felt blessed to be one of the first groups to
ever hold a VBS in this area, and our prayer is that it will start a spark
for Christ in the small beach town of Guanacaste.

As soon as Vacation Bible School ended, the team returned to the
Guanacaste mission house for the final time.  We ate lunch with the sweet
McClain family, then began the long trek back to San Jose.  Six hours
later, we made it home, safe and sound.  We called our families, showered,
gave massages, practiced skits, then finally called it a night.  We cannot
wait to see how God uses us tomorrow in the Tejarcillos VBS, and in the
many Bible schools to come!

Thanks,
Jocelyn
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This past Sunday, Easter Sunday to be exact, April 4, 2010. I had the priveledge to be a part of something special. My oldest daughter Isabelle, or Isa as most people call her here in Villareal was baptized. I had the most wonderful opportunity as her father to stand in the Pacific Ocean along w/ Pastor Phil McKay from the Calvary Chapel church here and walk her through the steps of what it means to be baptized and what is expected of her as a result of being baptized. I then had the opportunity to pray for this little jewel of mine to ask our Lord and King to be the rightful owner and take hold of her life and guide her through all the way to the end (finish line or heaven). To me, that warm Sunday morning standing there in knee deep water w/ a small crowd of believers in the background on the shoreline will be something I shall never forget. To be honest, it was like watching her be born all over again just like I had the opportunity of doing just over 8 years ago; and rightfully so, down w/ the 'old' and up w/ the 'new'. (This reminds me of a song by Kenny Chesney and Randy Travis called "baptism". If any one of you have ever heard this song, you'll know what I'm talking about. It almost brings me to tears every time I hear it.)

The new life that is that can be only found in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. John 3.
Thank you Lord Jesus for that wonderful experience!!
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