Greetings and Happy Fall Y’all. We sure do miss pumpkin pie, the sound of crunchy leaves and the change in seasons, but the month of September has brought great joy nonetheless here in Costa Rica. September 15th marked 202 years of independence in Costa Rica. Our family celebrated with classmates and friends and then began moving four years worth of items from our condo to our new home. While the work is still in progress, we’ve yet to have sinks, kitchen cabinets and the like, we’re happy and thankful for the provision the Lord has given us through Pepper’s work at Freedom Alliance to build our own home in Costa Rica. We’re thankful for the plot of land we were able to secure. One-third of the land now holds our family home, while the remaining two-thirds is underway for preparations for ministry resources. We had so many helpers, help us move as well. What a blessing this community is.
We have had the pleasure of getting to know the builders very well. Paulino and Juan built our English-speaking, International Church, Horizon Church four years ago and have helped other families inside the church build homes. Julian played a crucial role in helping us as well as our wonderful engineer Dany. This team was clearly given to us by the Lord and we are forever thankful. These relationships will continue to serve us well as we carry on building on the property.
We weren’t quite sure why the team didn’t build the security and retaining walls while building the house but we came to quickly see that waiting was a wise decision. The amount of land preparation was extensive. Much machinery was brought in to level the land, dig trenches for irrigation and prepare for the vision of the entire end vision for NOW Costa Rica Mission. The property is about ½ an acre. We hope to have an open-air sports facility, intern quarters, a small kitchen and showers all housed at the top of the property in a facility called a “Multi-uso”. Horizon Church in Jaco has a mulituso and we see how much it is used for teaching, fitness, feeding the community and offering showers and even housing in times of desperate need like floods. We know this facility will be well used and it is our next campaign we are seeking funds for at this time.
In order to safely build a mulituso, the property which is adjacent to a mountain, must have two retaining walls and a security wall around the property. This will keep our family safe as well as any ministry resources and guests we host. While we were discouraged to hear the total expense was estimated to be double what we originally thought, we believe preparing the foundation is of utmost importance. We also recognize that petty theft is a frequent crime here, so ensuring adequate safety measures is also of utmost importance. God has provided all that we need up until this point for the irrigation, security and retaining wall projects. So we stand in affirmation that this will continue. It is by partnering with great supporters such as you all reading this update that we are able to walk in confidence knowing the resources will continue to come. We still stand in awe that we get to witness this unfold, now from the beauty of our own home.
In the future we hope to have an outdoor worship space with fire pit, swimming pool for teaching swim lessons and eventually a formal educational center. But for now, we know we can do a lot with a multiuso. We pray this land will be used for many to come find refuge, safety, activities but most importantly Jesus. We believe working with mission teams like those preparing to come from Pennsylvania and Virginia in the new year, we can offer camp-like experiences to reach the most vulnerable children and teens. Through our efforts and your support we can truly help more families in this community combat the lure of the sex-trade in Jaco.
Herradura is the closest, most vulnerable community to Jaco for entering the sex trade. Most of the residents live in extreme poverty and have little access to dignified work. We aim to teach this next generation about those risks, about the gospel and equip them with language skills and job readiness so as to access work that does not put them in compromising positions.
Thanks for helping us execute this vision. We covet your prayers.
Prayers: Jordanna’s health - chronic recurring mono has still impacting Jordanna’s ability to work at full capacity.
Construction workers - pray they see Jesus through us and that they understand they are a part of something big to come. Pray that the rainy season is minimal and the large rains continue to hold off until the wall is secure and stable.
Multiuso - pray that we can start at zero and work our way raising funds for this structure. Pray that our teams coming from PA and VA can help us with this work in the new year.
Travel - pray for Jordanna and the children as they fly back to the US in 7 weeks to celebrate their nana’s 75th birthday. Pray for an avoidance of sickness and a fruitful thanksgiving visit.
Israel - pray for Jordanna and Pepper as they prepare for a journey with their church family to Israel in December. Pray that Jordanna is fully healed from mono by this time and that the Lord continue to provide for the Ailors personally for this amazing experience, to walk where Jesus walked. They will celebrate Pepper’s birthday there and will reflect upon a decade of marriage thus far.
Praises: The Children are doing very well in their new school www.hispodsjaco.com
Pepper’s work is thriving and he and Jordanna are very well known and recognized in Herradura. We aim to continue representing Christ as best as we can here now living among the local people.
Our home is a blessing to us. We now have a place where we can hang pictures and make our own. What a joy the Lord has given us to raise our children in their very own space.
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