Well since I last wrote in March we have seen a lot of change here in the church. We have a person to run the children’s ministry, a new couple, new outreach, foosball table, and other things. It has been a challenging time for us, but the Lord is leading. I put that verse in this update because for me I have been in a constant battle with my thoughts; they have not been very obedient to who I am in Christ. It has been a time of growth for me, and I thank God for correcting me. It has been taxing to see people leave the church and the changes that have taken place. Some have left because of better jobs in other cities and others have left because of the changes that have taken place. I write this so that you will please pray for the church here and for me. I want to serve this church as God has called me to, but I have been losing hope and direction. Anyways, on with the awesome work the Lord is doing here.
We have had a girl named Bailey come down from the States to help us get a kids ministry set up for the church.
She is a great girl and fits right in with our family. Right after she got here she started to plan for a kid’s outreach that would have puppet shows, crafts, Bible stories, games, and so on.
We had it during Easter when the kids had a week off of school. There was about 27 kids the first day, 20 the second day and about 11 the third day. We think that there were so few on the last day because it was the day of purification for the Catholics (A day that they don’t work or go out much so that they might take the time to purify themselves in the preparation for Christ’s death). Anyways, it was a lot of fun with the kids. We were hoping that this “Kids Festival” would start up a weekly kids club, but after a few weeks the kids stopped coming. We are going to try again soon in another neighborhood so please be praying that the festival will have an impact on the kids, and that they would want to return weekly. Also be praying for Bailey, sometimes it can be discouraging in the ministry here.
As far as people in the church we have seen people come and go. Among the ones that have left are Odelva, Camilla, Gezel, and Jennifer. Please be praying for these women. Odelva is expecting her second child and is in the process of building a little house a couple hours south of us. Jennifer had to leave due to problems in a relationship, but she is doing great in the harbor town of Limon. Keep praying for Camilla and Gezel. As many of you know they have been with us for a long time, but due to different situations they have decided not to come any more. As far as the new people, we see new people just about every other Sunday, but for some reason they never come back. However, we do have a new couple that has been coming consistently. His name is Jorge and her name is Gladis. They just had their second child. Chelly and Annie threw a baby shower for her about a month and a half ago that went great; almost all of her family came! Sona and Carlos are continuing to come on Wednesdays. Please be praying for them and their family, they are going to be changing some things soon.
Darwin and Gerry are now serving guys at a local drug rehab called Crae. They have been teaching through James and a little of Galatians on Fridays. It has been great to see how the guys are responding to the teaching. They have many questions about what it means to follow Jesus and how to follow Him. As always there is a big turn over in the rehab so be praying for the new guys that come in and the guys that are leaving. Also be praying for my friend Dennis’ rehab and the guys there. As some of you know we were trying to get into the local prison, but God has other plans. The door was shut due to space at the jail. They told us that they are full of religious groups and that we need to wait until they build a larger meeting place. So we will wait a year and try again.
Thanks for your time in reading this update and for your prayers. Please write us to let us know how you are doing and what the Lord is doing in your lives so we know how to better pray.
Blessings,
Schockey Family
