2026: September

We cannot believe this year is coming to an end, with just three months left in 2026! Christmas is just 12 weeks away, and here in Costa Rica, the stores are already full to the brim with Christmas décor. Without Thanksgiving, we find ourselves eager to decorate in the fall. There’s no changing of leaves, gourds to decorate with, or pumpkin spice lattes to be had, so in lieu of those things, we just put up Christmas decorations in October and really enjoy having the holidays extended!

We pray you are enjoying all the seasons the Lord has for you, wherever in the world you are reading this from. We are so grateful that, wherever you are, you continue to be part of what God is doing here in Costa Rica.

We started this month with a returning mission team from Howerton’s Baptist Church. They have sent a team every year for five years, and the leader of the team, Mike Walter, was actually my youth director when I was a teen. It’s so exciting to see this small country church continue to make such a commitment to our work here, with a level of commitment and loyalty that seems to grow with every year.

This year, they made a bunk bed for a family with four children, one of whom has special needs. They also built a Gaga Ball pit on our property, put on a circus-themed Children’s Day for 80 kids, and served alongside Horizon Church in partner ministries like Awana, the Burrito Ministry, and the Finca.

We’re so thankful for the nine people who came to serve. Their willingness to use their time and talents to serve our community is such an encouragement to us, and we pray for continued impact on the children in whom they planted seeds of hope.

Every September, Horizon Church’s youth group takes students ages 14–18 to a weekend-long camp in the mountains. This year, we were able to send three leaders and 13 youth, several of whom worked hard to earn their scholarships.

We’re so thankful to partner with Sarah and Daniel Barrett at Horizon Church and their interim youth leader, Averie, to give our students another touchpoint throughout the week and a camp experience that draws them closer to Jesus. For many of our students, opportunities like this give them a chance to step away from the challenges of daily life, spend time with Christian leaders and friends, and grow in their relationship with the Lord.

September 15th, Costa Rica celebrated 205 years of independence! Several of our students from NOW Costa Rica were in the parade with their schools. River enjoyed walking around with friends and just relishing in the freedoms of this beautiful and peaceful nation.

Sometimes we’re still in shock, even after all these years, that we’re called to live and serve here. We never want to take for granted the privilege of calling Costa Rica home.

Our new intern, Seth, hit the ground running with swim lessons and boys’ classes. A fellow church member generously allowed us free use of her pool while we practiced how lessons can and should go in the pool before our own pool is built.

They live twenty minutes out of town, up a steep hill, and have an infinity pool—not quite ideal for instruction—but we’re so thankful to see Seth in action and to give our male teachers the opportunity to learn how to be swim instructor assistants.

It’s making us even more eager to have a pool right in the neighborhood, on our property, where students can walk routinely to receive the gift of survival in water. One day, we hope to teach beyond survival and perhaps provide job-readiness skills, such as how to navigate swift water or become a lifeguard or swim instructor. This area has a high demand for tourism-related jobs, and we would love to see our students equipped with skills that could open doors for their futures.

Last Saturday, we launched the first day of a 9-week training on our Foundations Course and Pillars Program.  This program was written specifically for our NOW Costa Rica students by our NOW Council and Board Members over the last two years, and we are officially launching the training of the curriculum to our teachers this season. The idea is that these 12 disciples will take what they learn this fall and tweak, adjust, and prepare as a team to teach the students in January.

We are delighted to empower our local team to do the work God has given us. This is one of the things we love most about ministry here—watching local leaders grow, take ownership, and use what God has given them to invest in the next generation.  Please be in prayer for ease, direction, clarity, patience, and unity as they work through this training together.

We are pleased to announce that, as of today, we are 68% of the way to our goal for our matching gift campaign for the Instructional Pool!

Any gift given during this campaign will be matched up to $20,000. We are praying for the matching funds to come in the Lord’s timing so we can better equip our students with the survival skills they need to navigate living in the flood zones and along the Pacific coast.

If you or anyone you know would like to give to this campaign, now is the time to do it so your gift can be matched!

We’re so thankful for the folks who step up to make matching gift campaigns possible. These opportunities mobilize our resources in a mighty way and make a true impact here on the ground. We are so grateful for everyone who gives, prays, sends teams, encourages us, or simply follows along with what God is doing here. You are part of this ministry, and we could not do what we do without you.

Prayer Requests

• Continued prayer and strength for our leaders in training this season as they prepare to refuel, learn, and inspire our students.

• Direction as we apply the skills learned through this current training to our classes in January.

• Prayer for our two November teams as they prepare to arrive:

  • Our first-ever Ambassador Team, Nov. 5–11

  • Cedar Street Baptist Church’s Art & Bible Team, Nov. 19–25

Thank you for continuing to walk alongside us. Whether you pray for us, give financially, send a team, encourage us, or simply take the time to read these updates, we are deeply grateful.  May God meet you where you are in this season, remind you of His deep love, and connect you to the Advent season to come in ways only He can do.

Let us know how we can be praying for you. We love hearing from you and consider it a privilege to pray for you and your families.