June Update

Learning globally

Last week I was in Orlando for a meeting of our Global Team, consisting of the leadership teams from all 13 of our areas around the world, as well as the Global leadership team. We were working toward a unified vision and mission as we focus on 2020. What an amazing time of praise and worship, planning and vision as we work together, trusting God for great things.

Dela Adadevoh, our Global VP for Leadership

Lots of travel

In just the last six weeks, I have been in Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, and Panama, meeting with staff, doing an audit, training accountants, and helping to build capacity in our national ministries. (Jeanie says explain that. Okay :) Build capacity means to create financial, measurement, and communications systems that can handle our ministries when God multiplies our ministries and disciples by tenfold). I will be in Venezuela working with our operations team the second week of July. Then on to Colombia the week of July 23. What great people I have the privilege to serve!

MINISTERING LOCALLY

It seems like it has taken a long time, but we are beginning to see how God wants to use us here in Costa Rica. Josh McDowell, a well-known speaker and author with Cru, is in the midst of a Latin America tour called “The Naked Truth”. He is equipping pastors and youth leaders to confront our culture in the area of love, sex and dating.

We were coming down to the wire here in San Jose with no sponsor and no place for the event. I was asked to take the lead. It has been a great experience recruiting and working with our key sponsor, la Federacion Alianza Evangelica Costarricense, the national association of evangelical churches. This week we finalized arrangements with the church in downtown San Jose which will host the event on August 18. They are praying for 700 pastors and youth leaders to attend. Please pray that these leaders use what they learn to impact thousands of young people throughout Costa Rica.

Out of that working relationship has come a friendship with one of the key pastors of the alliance and an opportunity to preach this Sunday at his church in one of the poor areas of San Jose.

Jeanie and I have been praying about our own church involvement, and I have been invited to serve as an elder in a new church plant in the area called Guadalupe. It is an English speaking church targeting young professionals and students who speak English. We are very excited about the vision and the opportunity to serve this new growing church.

The Guadalupe Gathering Place

 

We are glad to be the “older couple” who bring wisdom and experience into the mix. Please pray that many will come to Christ and many new disciples will be built at the Guadalupe Gathering Place.

Jeanie is progressing since surgery on her retina 10 days ago, though not as quickly as we would have hoped. She is still seeing the flashes of light that caused the visit to the doctor in the first place. Please pray with us for complete healing.