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Check out what Extended Family member MacKenzie Butler has been up to in Costa Rica with Students International!
Welcome Teams!
For those of you who don't know, 50% of the ministry of Students International is working with and investing in short term teams who come from the states, and the other 50% is working with and investing in our sites and in the Costa Rican people (this dual objective is demonstrated clearly in our Mission Statement which reads, "Bringing students and the poor together, cross-culturally, to encounter God, share the Good News, disciple and serve other in occupational ministries"). These teams from the states primarily consist of high school students, college students, and/or groups of adults who come for outreaches of either one or two weeks.
Last week we welcomed our first group of 2014! They were a group of 25+ from a high school in the Memphis area, and in Las Fuentes we were blessed to serve with three of the students as well as their awesome leader. It was such a breath of fresh air to have new energy, passion, and four more hearts ready and willing to love on our kiddos! It is amazing to witness the relationships that are able to be formed in just one weeks time--across culture and even despite huge language barriers. It was also extremely encouraging to watch how God used the student's experiences here to convict them and transform their lives.
March Madness (not the basketball version) has begun in Costa Rica!
We call this month March Madness because it is honestly one of our busiest and most non-stop months! We not only have two wonderful short term teams coming from the states, but we also have the students from our semester program serving with us at our sites, as well as the privilege of hosting the Students International annual board meeting. It is a whirlwind that at times can be exhausting and chaotic, but that is also very exciting as we are able to see first hand what God is doing in and through both our visitors and the Costa Ricans that we work with. Please pray this month for health, rest, and transformed hearts for everyone involved in SI Costa Rica's ministry!
I am officially a licensed soccer coach! I received my E License and am currently taking classes once a week (along with William, one of our interns) to obtain my D License (which is one step up from the E). It was necessary for us to get our E License in order to be on the field for the tournament that we are currently in, and we decided to continue on to the next level because we are both interested in having a larger role in SI's soccer ministry in the years to come. Prayers for my brain and for understanding soccer concepts in a different language would be much appreciated =)
La Casa Verde continues to be an amazing resource for us. This year Cailah and I have focused on trying to have more intentional activities and cohesive themes, starting 2014 with 6 weeks of focus on love. In this time were able to learn about loving God (by examining and discussing various Bible Verses), loving our neighbor (and baking them cookies), and loving ourselves (which we celebrated with a "Beauty Workshop" full of nail polish and hair gel). We have now moved on to a theme of Salud (or Health) where we have had the chance to educate the kiddos about nutrition, exercise, and healthy life choices.
Our Internship Program continues to be a blessing. Our Interns (Costa Ricans) have stepped up to the challenges of this season, and performed incredibly with our first short term team. On top of their work with us at the sites, they attend high-school classes (at night), participate in weekly devotionals, and go to Institutes to have the option to work as Electricians in the future (they will receive their license in Electricidad).
A few weeks ago we had the awesome opportunity to take them to a local beach that they had never been to before, and it provided a great chance to bond, relax, and for me to get embarrassed while attempting to play soccer =)
AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING
I wanted to take the time to say THANK YOU once again to The Well Community Church! The Well did a "pass the plate" at a service in January with half of the proceeds going to support our SI Costa Rica Internship Program and the results were AMAZING. The generosity that was poured out literally moved me to tears, and because of this incredible donation, our Internship Program is more than fully funded for this year!!! If you are someone who prayed about this or participated in the giving please know that all of us here in Costa Rica are grateful beyond what my words can adequately express!