The Wise Man Built His House Upon a Rock.....

  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.

 

waiti          

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.

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Playing around with the microphones telling stories.

Kids VBS: playing a little music,

 

Finger nail painting,

 

 

     

Facepainting,

Making a little craft,

 

Plantains anyone?

 

 

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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!