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Costa Rica Life Update


Hello!

It has been a while since I have written an update! So here is a brief overview of the past few months of life here in Costa Rica!

October- I taught a 12 hour class on apologetics with a focus on the purpose and application of the practice for believers. We went to Nicaragua to renew our passports and we were able to stay in Santa Rosa with a couple of SCORE missionary families. While we were there we went to La Fortuna which is the town next to the Arenal Volcano and spent one day at the hot springs. I also had the opportunity to visit one of our other ministry sites and stay with the host family in Turrialba. We had our annual fall fest and as always we like to make things into a competition. This year students made music videos and competed in some other games. Through the month we had three other classes: Applied Hermeneutics, Will of God, and Doctrine of Salvation.

November- My ministry group was able to use money that was donated by Three Pines Community Church to do a food distribution in Los Guido. Three of the GAP students, Alayna, and myself bought food for about 10 families. Then we went with Salva, our ministry partner in Los Guido, to the homes of our youth group students. We had the privilege of getting to meet their families, taking them some extra food, and praying for them in their homes. Being able to care for our students is always a blessing. In November, our Bible classes included Cultural Critique, Proverbs, and 2 Timothy. We had a girls night/ guys night. We try to do one per semester where we split up, have some fun and spend some extra time with Jesus. This time us girls stayed in a beautiful house in the mountains. We also had two visitors; Arden from our SCORE home office and her friend Rebecca. They led a few devotionals for us and it was a sweet time together. For Thanksgiving we went to the beach and stayed overnight at a resort. Then that Friday we had a Thanksgiving dinner at the Villa.

December- We only had two weeks in CR before heading home for break. We had two Bible classes: Discipleship and Re-entry and Apologetics. These were two incredible classes geared towards preparing students to go home for break. A few visitors came down from Lancaster Bible College and it was a great time to connect with them. We also had a baby shower for one of our youth from Los Guido. Then I flew back to NY on the 15th. I spent break visiting family and friends.

January- I arrived back to Costa Rica January 3rd. The following week we began camp weeks. The school year ends in December for CR and starts again in February. It is the equivalent of our "summer vacation" so that is when we do camps with a few of our ministry partners. My ministry group spent the first week working with a SCORE team hosting a VBS in Los Guido. The second week we stayed at a camp about an hour from the Villa. We took about 40 youth to camp from Los Guido both from our youth group and from the church we attend. It was an incredible week of seeing our students study what it means to have their identity in Christ and to see many of them re-dedicate their lives to Jesus. Other GAP students helped with VBS, youth camp, teaching English and a house building project. The first week back Bible class was Identity in Christ. The week was spent looking at how we respond to the hard things in life and what causes those responses. Then the following week was Biblical Finance.

February- The first weekend we had a Superbowl party. For most of us it was more about the food than the game. Bible classes this month have included Marriage and Family, Colossians, Philippians (with our very own Ryan Harrison who did an incredible job) and this week is World Religions. For Valentines Day our Villa guys did an incredible job of making dinner and decorating the Villa. They were so sweet and it was a great time to see them care for the girls in the house. Last week, we did a second Battle-Cry. We try to do one each semester. It is a 24 hour period where students and staff are invited to sign up for two-hour time slots to pray and read scripture. This past week was Parents Encounter Week. We had 18 visitors with us and they were able to explore the area where their students live, go along to ministry sites, go to Spanish churches, travel to La Fortuna and experience Los Lagos hot springs.

This semester and honestly this whole year is flying by. It will only be a few weeks until we travel to Panama and then we will have families and friends back to celebrate graduation. Here are a few prayer requests:

-For God's guidance for next year. I am not sure what I will be doing. I have applied for a couple of things so please pray that the Lord would lead me to the next right thing.
- That all of us would finish well, both staff and students.
- For our ministry in Los Guido. Pray that the students would grow in their faith and be consistent in their walk with the Lord.

Thanks for your love and support.

Love has no borders,
Rachel Martha


In La Fortuna

At the border in Nicaragua


Girls Night

Fall Fest

Camp Week 1

Camp Week 2


Valentines Day staff photo


Late night staff Denny's trip

In Los Guido









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