What a wonderfully full month of March we have had! We kicked off the month with one of our 13-year-old girls making the decision to walk the waters of baptism. Emilyeda has been in our discipleship classes on Saturdays for three years. She has been loyal to the classes and open to God’s leading in her life. She is the oldest of three girls in her family so we are praying her example proves promising for her sisters in years to come. Yendri, her 10 year old sister, just started classes this year. What a delight it has been to partner with this family. Be in prayer as they continue to navigate life in Jaco.
A few days later, we welcomed our friends Steve & Deanne Barstow for a 10-day visit to our home. They were able to teach classes in a variety of ways including teaching our girls groups how to make baked goodies with sourdough starter. They were able to talk to our leaders during lunch time, give advice about longevity in marriage and taught sessions at our church’s prenatal center. Deanne is a nurse lactation consultant. She brought with her a hospital grade breast pump and taught the center leaders how to use it. This will help clients of the center when they have trouble with things like mastitis or low milk supply. She also taught the clients directly about the importance of breastfeeding for their babies. We were so blessed by their visit. Our children have a wonderful relationship with the Barstow family and it was a delight to spend time with them.
Shortly after the departure of the Barstows, a team from Manassas Baptist Church arrived for spring break. It was during holy week here so our students were also out of school. John and Greta Dunn were amazing leaders of this team. They have been to Jaco a number of times which really aided in the smooth transition for the team on the ground. The team launched their week by teaching Sunday School at Horizon Church followed by a 28 hour camp out/slumber party. We had 20 teens attend, those who have earned their points in their discipleship group. We gathered at the guest house that the team rented for fun, messages from team members and dinner. Megan Downey shared about the value of God’s love. The boys then camped out at the NOW CR land and the girls slept in the bunk room of the guest house. The next day, the team poured into the teens with a variety of lessons about manhood, discipleship, feeling God’s presence, remaining committed to the faith and more. John Dunn closed out the experience with presenting the gospel message and we had a new student make the decision to follow Christ. We were so blessed to have this great impact for these young people.
The team also raised funds to help with two projects. One was a fire pit with benches for our property. We hope to have many future discussions and worship at this spot on the land. We are always so thankful when teams come to leave their footprint here, and this team was excellent in partnering with the locals to help build this for us! While the benches were being finished up, several team members went to the local elementary school to help with a painting project. Most of our students attend or come from this school, Herradura Primary School, so it was wonderful to have this team work as the first team from NOW Costa Rica to do a project at the school. We hope to have many more.
On their last day here, the team was able to fund the dinner for 30+ homeless men, women and families in Jaco. Mark Bazill was able to share a powerful message in Spanish that was just what the homeless ministry team said was needed. We were so thankful for this teams care and love for a variety of audiences here.
Our family is forever grateful for the friends, mission team members and supporters who continue to pray for our ministry and family. We are hopeful to launch the next phase of the multiuso project in April. Please be in prayer for upcoming visitors, our beloved Nana (Jordanna’s mom) and our good friends Jami & Leah Carneal in May. Sofia and Cristian are doing a wonderful job leading our discipleship groups. We ask for prayer as we plan for our states side visit to Virginia June 18 - July 28. If you or anyone you know wants to have us in your home for coffee & learning time about our work, please email Jordanna at jordannaailor@gmail.com We believe God is doing great things in 2024 and we appreciate your partnership this season. If you want to make a one time gift to our building fund, or know anyone who would be interested in giving, you can do so at www.nowcr.org clicking the green donate now button. We are ⅓ of the way to reaching our goal for the Mulituso project. We are also happy to do zoom presentations for groups you may be involved with. We know together, we can help change this generation and position families to successfully combat the lure of the sex trade here in Jaco. To God be the glory.
