Ron and Jeanie Burgin
Campus Crusade for Christ
Latin America and the Caribbean
http://www.burgin-costarica.blogspot.com/
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Guadalupe Gathering Place
Dear Friends,
Greetings and Happy Thanksgiving from San Jose, Costa Rica. Among the many things we are thankful for is the Guadalupe Gathering Place. (NOT pictured above behind Jeanie and me!). This new church is really a great source of joy for us. I am one of the leaders of the church and we have seen it grow from 15 to 180 on Sunday nights. God is using the church to reach an amazing variety of young people who really need His love. I was helping with the ESL class before the service this week, and I was paired up with a young man named Bryan. Bryan is not a Christ-follower (yet), but is very open. He lives alone with his mom and is going to night school to finish high school. He says he wants to be a cardiologist. I asked him what he does for fun and he said “Circus”. Ok, what do you mean? Well, he practices unicycle, fire-breathing and aerial silk climbing.
Another young man I have been talking to just came to Costa Rica from Brazil where he had been a monk for 8 years. He finished his degree in economics and was the financial manager for the order. Through a series of difficult circumstances including abuse by older priests and the deaths of his mother and father, he decided to start from scratch in Costa Rica. One of our young people invited him to come to church. Please pray for him as he seeks to give God “another chance”.
With my Brazilian friends in Ecuador: Joana, Octavio, Marcos, and Sonia
Great time in Guayaquil, Ecuador
Last week I was in Guayaquil with 20 Campus Crusade staff from all over Latin America and 38 Ecuadoran church leaders. We gathered to go through phase 1 of MC2, a training for church and small group planters. MC2 means Multiplying Churches and Communities. Phase 1 had 20 hours of training in the basics of Great Commission vision, communication skills, small-group dynamics (using only the Bible).
I spent most of the three day training at the table with the Brazilians. I love Brazil, and I love the opportunity to practice my halting Portuguese.
MC2 training prepares new leaders to start new small groups and churches. I was really impressed with the simple group Bible study method they taught. I have used it twice since I have come home and it is very effective. We want to be careful as we teach the Word of God, but at the same time help people understand that it is accessible and understandable even to new believers. As I was going through the training I was thinking about our growing church here in San Jose and how we could apply the training to multiply our impact in the Eastern part of the city.
Thanks for praying for my trip and your continued prayers for our ministry!!
Jeanie's small group out for ice cream.
Jeanie's Progress
Slowly but surely, Jeanie is recovering from her surgery and later her fall. She still has some pain, but has returned to a full schedule: teaching Women’s Bible study, leading a girl’s study, and teaching an ESL class. She likes to be busy!
Please keep praying for a full recovery!
But while he (the prodigal son) was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.
Luke 15:20-24
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