The beginning of June, we were fortunate to
spend a week with 3 married couples from Miami, Florida. They had come to go to different churches to
speak on marriage. Our family was very
blessed to have met these 6 people. They
were hilarious to be with and there was never a dull moment! Each couple brought their own dynamics to the
group and all added together made for a very fun week!
We started the week by attending a church
service at Damascus church in Alajuela, Costa Rica. Joel gave the message , basically on Matthew
7:24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into
practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”, encouraging us
all to make our foundation solid unlike the man that built his house on the sand!
At the end of the service, the congregation was installing around 40 new
members! This was a first for this
congregation. Each individual had
attended a class, and on this particular Sunday, they were signing an agreement
that they would uphold as a member of this church. What better way than to help hold your
congregation accountable! They received a certificate, were prayed for by the
leaders of the church, and you could feel the excitement from them!
The following day, we started off
with a little devotional and worship time.
During the devotional time we were talking about trials and how the
Lord uses them to strengthen us. And
how through these trials we can be assured that we are sons and daughters of God.
After we had finished our
devotion, we all began to get ready to go minister to some children. When a few people entered the mission house
where they were staying, they realized someone had robbed the house! Again for a moment our peace had been
robbed. Unfortunately for Albert and
Marta, their backpack had been taken that held an IPAD, cellphone, lots of
money, passports, his tennis shoes, and Marta’s watch and bracelet. Wow, how could this have happened when we
were all right there on the property.
The crazy thing was, we had just been talking about this very thing and
God immediately put us to the test! Of
course, their was a mix of emotions at first, but the way these people handled
the situation was absolutely incredible and what happened after was even more
amazing!
The very next day, when the
group had to go to San Jose to the Embassy for new passports, God showed us all
his plan is way better than ours and sometimes extremely hard to understand! While Albert and Marta were waiting on their
passports, the other couples from their group were walking around the area in a
park. They noticed a mother with her
teenage daughter that was severely handicapped throwing herself on the ground. The group decided they should go and pray
with the woman. Immediately instead of
thanking them, she was thanking God for sending people all the way from the USA
to help carry her burden. You see,
without the passports being stolen, this group would have never been placed
where they were. They saw that and
realized God had put them in this situation specifically for that woman. Not only were they able to pray with the
family, but they were able to bless her financially to be able to support her
child’s needs. What was a headache to
begin with turned into a moment of pure joy!
It was amazing to watch unfold.
Albert and Marta Joel and Ileana
Roberto and Leonor
Throughout the
week, we traveled to a few churches doing marriage conferences, each one with
different dynamics. It was cool to see
how their messages effected the different congregations.
Cinco
Squinez Church- Playing
a little game with the married couples
Kimball-always there to
greet you and so full of energy!
ladies
group discussion
We
also visited the homeless in a local park.
This ministry is one that our neighbors do weekly. I personally love going there, because it is
awesome to be able to feed these people who have literally nothing but the
clothes on their back. They all have a
different story to tell and it makes you realize, that with just one wrong
turn, it could be us. Some were
successful business men, musicians, students, and they have made a few bad
choices that ended putting them in their predicament. Thankfully, it is never too late to change
your life. And by God’s grace, we can be
forgiven.
The man sitting on the bench had a
seizure while we were there that was pretty bad. For the girls, it was definitely eye opening,
but something I am thankful they witnessed.
Madison’s friend back home was diagnosed just a few months ago with
Epilepsy and I have tried to explain to her what having a seizure is. So she actually got to witness it and knows
why it is important that she is praying for her! The crazy thing was this man had one in the
morning and the activity we were at in the afternoon a teenage boy had a severe
seizure. So please pray for this
homeless man, boy, and Madison’s friend Gracie.
Homeless
man
Walter, a man who had lost his wife, was
severely depressed, and then turned to alcohol to cope. As he shared his story
the tears rolled down his face, and you could really feel his pain. I got the pleasure of praying for this
man. Please pray for him and his
situation.
Waiting in line
for food J
Pray for this
little girl as she is learning how to walk.
She is 4 years old.
Below is her
mother Sujey and grandmother Yesenia.
.
Playing around
with the microphones telling stories.
Kids VBS:
playing a little music,
Finger nail
painting,
Facepainting,
Making a little
craft,
Plantains anyone?
A tr
A
A trip to Poas Volcano!
This is what you missed Miami Group! J
We have had several ask about sending mail to us. As of now, we still don’t have a PO box. The best thing to do is mail it to us at 1107
Eagle Crest Rd. Centralia, IL 62801 and my parents will send it with a
team. Those wishing to support
financially can either mail it to the above address or send to Feed The Crave
2511 Veterans Drive Effingham, IL 62401
marked for Kim and Shaun Splechter Family.
We want to thank all of you who are supporting us by keeping us in your
prayers or financially. We appreciate it
more than you could imagine!
