Greetings from Costa Rica and Happy November!
Thank you for your interest and support in Neighbors Outreach Worldwide here in Herradura, Costa Rica. We are delighted to share all that God has been doing in our lives and community. The most exciting news is that five friends we’ve been discipling made the decision to get baptized this past Sunday. We invite you to pray for the Serrano and Baiocco families as they get connected to a new way of life in Christ. There are many more just like them who have come into our home and lives and we ask for continued prayer as we navigate new relationships and experiences with a variety of stories within our community.
During COVID, we have seen a huge increase in unemployment estimated around 60% for our area. The borders have now opened and tourists are slowly returning, however many families are without basic necessities. Our first NOW Costa Rica program called “A Reel Difference” has taken many trips out to sea for the purposes of catching fresh fish to feed the hungry in our area. We are thankful for the generosity of many boat owners and captains as we fish to feed the hungry in these difficult times.
Jordanna has been doing some research in preparation for support raising talks next month and discovered some statistics that help put value and meaning to the work we’re set out to do in 2021.
Prostitution is not only legal in Costa Rica, but a legitimized business.
Americans, Europeans and Canadians are the top buyers of women in Jaco.
On average, a woman can earn $20 a day working in a “normal” tourism job (i.e. restaurant, hotel reception, etc.). However, a working girl can earn $100 per trick and turn several tricks a night on the streets or in designated hotels which exist for the sole purpose of selling women.
The police cannot stop a man from buying a woman for sex off of the street, in a restaurant or in a hotel. The only arrest a police officer can make is if a third party (i.e. pimp) orchestrates the sale of a girl.
Costa Rica has free medical care for all its citizens. The profession of “working girl” is written in the list of jobs in which a Costa Rican can become eligible for health coverage. A working girl is given two free clinic check ups with STD testing per month if she self-identifies as a working girl.
1 in 7 working girls in Jaco has HIV/AIDS.
In a group of working girls who were recently surveyed, 90% admitted to being sexually molested in their home as a child.
In speaking with a few business owners in the area, we have learned that Jaco’s sale of women for sex has become so commonstance that often many who have lived here for years feel numb to the pervasive nature of the sex trade industry in our back yard.
With your help, we can help equip the next generation of young women with the resources they need to combat the lure of the sex trade. We believe that in the future, Jaco will no longer be a sex tourism destination for Westerners eager to engage in such encounters. Please help us raise awareness back home and make Jaco a city on the map for God’s glory, not for the numbing nature in which it currently stands.
Prayers
Please pray for safe travels for Jordanna and the two children Monday, Nov 16th.
Please pray for Jackie, Jordanna and Pepper’s oldest adopted daughter, to have a safe and fruitful completion to her senior year of college and successful entry into the U.S. Peace Corps, if that is in fact God’s plan.
Please pray for Pepper as he continues to host troops affected by the atrocities of war.
Please pray for the following churches/groups in which Jordanna is scheduled to speak at the close of 2020.
Manassas Baptist Church Mission Council
Beale Memorial Baptist Church
Tappahannock Lion’s Club
First Baptist Church of Alexandria Mission Council
Northstar Church Network Association
Mt. Zion Baptist Church
Howertons Baptist Church
Ebenezer United Methodist Church
Smyrna Christian Church
Please pray for 40 or more families to join our monthly support team.
Thank you to our current prayer partners and supporters - we are encouraged by your faithful generosity!