Two months ago we got back from our furlough. It was almost too easy to get back into the ministry and school routine… We were happy to find out that the trip did not have any negative influence [...]]]>

Two months ago we got back from our furlough. It was almost too easy to get back into the ministry and school routine… We were happy to find out that the trip did not have any negative influence on Troy’s and Julia’s schoolwork, they were up to date and even their grades got better after the independent and distant studies.

Since our return we have been part of building bathrooms for the community building of our village together with the women’s group. We have also helped a neighbor village with a project to open a public pharmacy (the government will pay the pharmacist and the medicine, the village has to provide the place and equipment). In September we started a new 4-month program for young moms in Nicoya.

October was the worst month of rains for a while… you even might have heard of floods and rains all over Central America. Even in Costa Rica some people died and many roads and buildings collapsed, even though it wasn’t as bad as other countries. We didn’t see the sun for a few weeks, it would rain day and night. We were thankful for our good Nokia rubber boots from Finland and consider ourselves privileged to own a drier unlike most others.

DTS

September 1st we started the first official course, or school, of our 5-yr old missions base. It is a YWAM course called DTS, or Discipleship Training School. We have fife local students from Guanacaste and three from the States. We want these schools to be a channel for mobilizing locals to world missions, so God really saw that desire and responded by sending 5 locals to the very first school!  The course consists of a 12-week lecture phase and a 10-week outreach. A Finnish couple, Kimmo and Laura, are the school leaders and our local staff member Yojhanna is helping to staff it. We have been helping mostly with translation and with everything else our help is needed. There is 3 full weeks of teachings left. So far we have had teachers from 5 different nationalities. Each week has a different topic and a different visiting teacher. We have thought on the topics of missions & evangelism and intercession.

Doing the DTS is a huge challenge to the local students. The churches here don’t usually do  or support missions, so these young people are real pioneers. Through their experiences and testimonies the church members and pastors can get to know what missions is about and our desire is, that it would wake them up to participate in fulfilling the Great Commission. The difficulty is that the students don’t receive financial support from their churches or church members. By trusting God they are trying to raise the funds to cover the school and outreach expenses. Some of them are selling their belongings, ice-creams, food… others cut hair and wash cars. These are small efforts compared to the total need, so we are expecting a miracle! Would you, someone you know or your church be willing to sponsor some of these local young people who have a call to missions? Please contact us, if you would like to do that.

Before the school started we were praying about an outreach in Central America, something financially more accessible to the locals. But when the whole school started praying together, God’s direction was very clear: South America. So plans are being made for 2 weeks of Bible Distribution in a coast community of Guanacaste and then the rest of the outreach in Argentina. You can read more updates about the school from the base facebook page: YWAM Guanacaste, Costa Rica. The picture below is the whole DTS group and some staff members.

Property

God had prepared a surprise for us while we were in Finland. As you might know, for a while we have tried to purchase property for the ministry to stop renting, and because we really need more room. We have looked into other options and also prepared a contract to buy the building we have been renting. However, everything has been moving slowly and we haven’t received peace from the Lord to move the ministry out of our village either. Then suddenly when we got back from Finland, our neighbor wants to sell to us a property we actually had offered to buy 6 yrs ago! This property is much bigger, better and cheaper than where we are now, and there is even a possibility to buy more around it later.

A non-profit Christian organization from the States, Changing Lives in Costa Rica, is willing to purchase the property and help us start building. They would donate the property to YWAM within 10 years. Our board talked about it, made a positive decision and the purchase will hopefully be signed any day now! The property is 2.5 acres  of pasture and some trees on the side of the village road. This is a beautiful blessing from God and it is making possible the growth and continuity of  the YWAM ministry in the area! It is also a huge challenge. Digging waterlines, installing electricity, fencing, making roads, building buildings…. it will be a long and a painful process. Construction here is slow, expensive and difficult, but we are doing this because of a vision of good facilities for lodging, kitchen, studying, offices, meetings and activities for staff, groups, schools, families and singles! So if, in the coming few years, you would like to use your giftings (construction, cleaning, gardening, painting…) in a practical way for the Kingdom, you are very welcome to come and volunteer!

Needs… and thanks!

Few weeks ago the whole clutch system of our truck needed to be changed and then the 4WD broke right after that. These fixings were expensive and out of our budget. Another unexpected cost we are facing is that Diego needs an eye surgery. He has a so called “surfer’s eye”, nothing too serious, but it is so big that it is affecting his sight and needs to be fixed. He also needs to buy good(=expensive) sunglasses. Besides these needs the time of the year is coming when we need to cover Christmas, house- and vehicle taxes and insurances, the children’s school yearly payments, books, materials and uniforms. In other words, financially the hardest time of the year for us. We are sharing this, because our regular monthly support is not enough for these. If you feel to help, please see the “donate” section of the website.

Besides needs like this, we also have many reasons to be thankful! Julia’s eyes were surprisingly declared perfect, she has no need to wear glasses any more!  And Nic Markus’ skin problems in his back are better and according to the doctor nothing to worry about. The colds, asthmas, stomach pains and flus from last month are now behind us and we are pretty happy about that.

The biggest worry and miracle we have gone through the last weeks is with Diego’s mom. She is 86, diabetic, both legs amputated, but she has been otherwise very healthy and sharp. Few weeks ago she was taken to the hospital with liquids in her lungs. She suffered three heart attacks within a week. Her lungs, heart and kidneys are not doing ther job anymore and her blood sugar levels are out of control. She has been in Nicoya and San Jose hospitals for almost three weeks now. Diego has a BIG family, and in this culture the way to react and process something like this is for everyone to be at the hospital almost 24/7, even when only one person at the time is allowed inside with her. There have been days with over 100 people in the hospital lobby for her! Diego has 9 emotional sisters, so he has been the rationalist, provider and the care-taker for them for the past weeks. He has been constantly driving back and forth to San Jose, being tired and stressed. We appreciate all the prayers, support and gifts given to us during this time! The past 4 days her condition has been improving so much that today she even sat in a wheel-chair and showered by herself! It is a miracle and totally unexpected. Now we are hoping that she would get well enough to bring her back to Guanacaste, which is her biggest wish. If it happens, we know it will be just for a short time, but we would definitely enjoy that special time together before she goes home with the Lord!

Plans for the coming months

Few weeks ago we had a group of 16 distributing Bibles in a 400 household community called Nambi. For the next weeks we will continue translation with the DTS and living through whatever happens with Diego’s mom. The last week of November, when the kids summer vacation starts, we are all driving to Honduras. We will be teaching at a YWAM base there for a week. The drive takes two days each way. We would like to ask prayers for safety and that the truck would behave itself . Mid-December we are hosting another YWAM Costa Rica retreat, all the bases and  ywamers from the whole country will come to our base for a weekend. After that the DTS will head to Argentina and  our family will spend Christmas & most of January at home, taking care of the ministry while everybody else is gone and maybe even starting work on the new property! 

Thank you for your prayers and support!

In the picture a DTS student with the “base kids”: Nic Markus, Robin and neighbor girl Genesis

Vacation! Last time we were shortly in Finland was two years ago, so now two months have felt too short to do everything we wanted to do, plus meet people and get enough rest. But we have been totally able to disconnect from life and ministry in Costa Rica, so it has been [...]]]> August 2011

Vacation! Last time we were shortly in Finland was two years ago, so now two months have felt too short to do everything we wanted to do, plus meet people and get enough rest. But we have been totally able to disconnect from life and ministry in Costa Rica, so it has been really good!

The children are taking valuable memories back with them. Some of their favorite things in Finland have been swimming in the lakes, sauna, Finnish food, fishing, soccer, biking, picking blueberries and playing with their cousins. Diego has strengthened the local soccer team by playing with them and coaching the juniors. I (Salla) have spent my free time running in the great weather, sunny evenings and beautiful forest roads. We are thankful to my parents, who once again have received us and taken care of us for such a long time even though their house has seemed like under a hurricane compared to their usual life.

Especially the past month we have traveled around the country, speaking and sharing with churches and visiting friends and supporters. We have been spoiled by good Finnish hospitality and it seems like next week is the perfect time to return to Costa Rica, because we could not handle any more ice cream, cakes or pies…

These changes to culture and lifestyle cause culture shock, which presents itself in different ways. For example, in the beginning Nic Markus refused to eat any Finnish food (he would just smell it and say NO!), but by now he is already enjoying his daily potatoes. Julia has been having a permanent honeymoon phase: everything in Finland is perfect, it is a dream land for her. On the other side Troy is frustrated because he cannot find even one pair of “normal” shorts in the store (the fashion is so different). Diego and I (probably the children as well) try to somehow come to a clear and organized conclusion and understanding of the different values and lifestyles of each culture… and of our place in each one of them. But there is no logical structure, it is all just a nice little disorder in your mind that can sometimes get confusing. But with time you just want to recognize and value the strengths in each culture and enjoy what you get.

One of the things we are most grateful about is that things in Costa Rica have been going well during our vacation! It has been such a relief to be able to actually forget what is going on in the ministry. God worked everything out so that we have had enough responsible and capable people to carry a huge work load while we have been in Finland. It feels strange, that it is actually going forward without us and shows that we have taken a big step forward in the history of the base we have founded. Praise God!

We are now getting ready to return to Guanacaste. We are facing a new period in ministry, since in few weeks we start the first Discipleship Training School at our base. And as we now have more staff, it is also time to renew structure and methods. We are excited about what God will do and how He will lead us! We are asking Him for wisdom, joy and peace to serve Him, our family and the people of Guanacaste.

These are some prayer requests for us as we return and for the rest of the year:

- The return to home, routine, ministry and school

- The staff team; division of responsibilities, unity. That God would call even more long term workers.

- Ability to draw boundaries. I especially feel the need to be more home with the kids, especially in the afternoons, evenings and weekends. I need the wisdom to organize my ministry activities so that it is possible and learn to say no to those responsibilities that are too much and sacrifice family time.

- Cars, that they would function!

- Health. We have continuously been very healthy and even Troy’s asthma has been much better.

- That our financial support would meet our need

- DTS: For God to prepare the hearts of the students and the financial need of the local students.

- The new course for teen mothers, which starts in two weeks

- Ministry with local churches

- The Bible Project, that it would move forward and be blessed and used by God!

The last few months have been pretty normal, keeping busy with ministry and school. The BIG difference has been that we have [...]]]> While the children are in school I “escaped” and came to the internet café here in Nicoya to write an update, which has been on my mind for a long time.

The last few months have been pretty normal, keeping busy with ministry and school. The BIG difference has been that we have new workers! After five years God has now called committed long-term workers to join our base. We are really blessed, because these are people with experience, leadership skills, initiative, excitement and spirit of service. It has been an amazing blessing and relief, an answer to prayers!

Yojhanna, originally from Guanacaste, started here in March as a coordinator for the Bible Project. She is 31-yrs old and has years of experience from working with youth and local churches. She also has administration experience, so she is doing great with all the lists, maps, receipts and organization that is part of the Bible Project!

The connection between Finland and Costa Rica got stronger when the Sarajärvi (Kimmo, Laura and Robin) family joined our base in April. They have already worked several years as YWAM missionaries. They are helping with leadership responsibilities and they will be leading the first Discipleship Training School at our base in September. In the picture is our current staff team.

BIBLES

We have celebrated the distribution of the first 10 000 Bibles! As Diego says, don’t think of 10 000 Bibles, but think of 10 000 families having received the Living Word of God in their homes! And this has happened by someone visiting them personally, sharing the Word, praying for them, answering questions and guiding them in reading the Bible. The project has already caused a great impact, but there is still a long road to walk; 84 000 Bibles are still to be purchased and distributed. But God is already at work, because the next order of 10 000 Bibles has been made and should arrive in early June. Thank you for everyone who has donated to this project! We strongly believe that God will use all of us together to bring this project successfully to the end.

YOUNG MOTHERS AND SEXUAL EDUCATION

This year we have continued with the course for teen mothers teaching them about education and studies. We found out about every option for studying and there are actually many opportunities available. Many of our girls decided to go back to school this year; some to high school, some to computer classes, others to learn how to fix sewing machines. The last part of this course that finishes in May is about micro business training. Each girl has had to choose and plan a business, product or a service that they have been working on during the training. These small steps can change their and their children’s future. One of the girls used to sell marijuana in the streets to make a living and provide for her two small children. Through this course she has found new opportunities, went back to school and now sells little purses that she learned to make.

I (Salla) have worked with Costa Rican teen mothers for 9 years. Since the beginning we have seen the need for good sexual education for young people. The families, schools, churches and government don’t really offer anything at all in this area and that is why there are so many pregnancies. Many girls admit that they got pregnant because of lack of information. They have many questions, but no places where to find real and honest answers based on facts. Since last summer more and more doors have been opening to our base for sexual education in local schools. The past two months I have been going every Tuesday to different high schools to teach sexual education classes. It is rewarding when the youth come to thank me and say that finally someone cares enough to come and talk to them about these things. And for me it is a privledge to respond to such a big need in this country, and to do it as a Christian and with Christian values.

THE BASE

We feel the Lord is guiding us toward purchasing the base property and He has also brought partners who are interested in helping us to see it happen. However, a multinational company has bought land on the other side of our home mountain and are planning on starting an open mine in there. As a village, together with surrounding communities we have tried to fight them and keep them from opening the mine, but it is practically impossible, since the local stock owners of the company are ex and present presidents, congressmen and other powerful people. The unfortunate truth in this country is that people and groups like this get everything they want, legally or illegally. It is difficult to say what the implications of a mine in our area can be, but possibly big changes to the ecosystem, dust, noise pollution… We are ready to proceed to buy the land, but are not sure what it will be like in the future to have this mine in the neighborhood. We would like to ask you to pray with us about the situation. If there is injustice with the mine, that it would not open, that God would stop them. And at the same time that God would open doors so that we could soon have a permanent place for the ministry and we could start the needy and urgent construction for more and better housing facilities.

During these months (May -August) the base seems like a bees’ hive, there are people coming and going all the time, every bed is taken and we all share the joys of living together in small space. In April we had about 50 people sleeping at the base at the same time (normal max is 38). From now till August we have lot of groups, activities, Bible distribution, first aid training, painting of schools, self defense training to policemen, children’s ministry, church ministry, youth camp etc. We thank God for the teams, staff, volunteers and translators!

DTS

Discipleship Training School is a 6-month program for Christians over 18 yrs of age who want to take time for strengthening their personal relationship with God and also get a missions experience. The first 3 months of the school is a lecture phase here at the base and then a 10-week outreach in another location, in this case in some other Central American country. Families and couples are also welcome! Our schools are bilingual (English and Spanish), so there is no language requirements. For more information write to: jucumguanacaste (at) gmail.com

FAMILY

Troy is really into basketball and soccer. He seems to have either practises or games several days a week. He is active, social and loves sports, but is also doing well in school.

Julia has started taking piano classes and would also like to try tennis. She can spend hours in her room drawing, doing crafts, but then also enjoys playing outdoors like playing with the dogs or racing cars with her brothers.

Nikkis is 4, but you cannot call him a boy, he wants to be called man. Once he was buying gum and the lady in the store handed him a pink gum. He looked at it and said: “No, give me one for men!”. He loves working like raking, cooking, cleaning, building, digging, pushing a wheel barrow or anything else that can be considered physical work. That’s are always more fun than toys and playing.

We are still so happy about our home where we can rest and relax as a family, no matter what is going on at the base. Sometimes it is hard to find family time, and that is especially why we are so much looking forward to going to Finland this summer! In a month we will already be there and we return to CR on August 15^th. Nikkis is looking forward to skiing and refuses to believe that it is summer in there too. Troy and Julia will attend a Finnish children’s camp and are looking forward to spending time with their cousins.They are also waiting for all the fun things you can do and eat in Finland. With Diego we mostly expect to get a rest, a break, free time and meet people. The last time we were in Finland for a longer time was 3,5 yrs ago. Even though we need a vacation, we also need to use part of this trip as a furlough. We will be traveling and sharing about our ministry at several locations. Our goal is to raise our support enough, so that covering basic expenses would not be a constant challenge and a burden.

Thank you for partnering with us!

We now have new website for the base, please visit it and get to know more about the ministry:

www.ywamguanacaste.com

YWAM Costa Rica (Heredia, San Jose and Nicoya) staff and student retreat in Guanacaste December 2010.

Distributing Bibles in Poso de Agua with youth from Cañal/ Raamattuja jakamassa erään kylän nuortenryhmän kanssa.

Most of staff and volunteers summer 2010 / Kesän 2010 työntekijät

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