We had an incredible night this past Sunday at our housechurch. For the first time I can remember, the evening was really in the hands of the people that are attending as they encouraged each other and shared and prayed about the things that are going on in their lives. All of this began as we studied Matthew 24 and looked ahead to the future. I left that night with the distinct feeling that "they really are getting it". Right before our eyes we are seeing lives being changed. We're seeing minds being renewed and we're seeing people becoming eager to have an impact for Christ in their own hometown. That is exciting to participate in. I'm including a photo of our friend Jose who is going through a very difficult time at home. The skatepark and our housechurch have become a major source of strength and comfort for Jose as he learns to give his troubles over to Jesus. Please pray for him when you get the chance. He's an awesome guy and God is really working in his life.



In other news, we (me and the family) are in San Jose again. We came in on Monday so that I could go to my last dentist appointment and then we were planning to pick up a new intern this morning and bring her back to Puerto with us. Unfortunately, she missed her plane and was delayed until this evening. I'm actually waiting at the hotel right now and will be leaving for the airport in about a half hour.

San Jose by nature is not a fun, family friendly city. We usually visit the mall when we're here but there aren't too many safe, fun places to hang out while we're waiting for appointments, etc... This time was the same as usual until mid-morning when our new helper called to let us know she was delayed. Once we found out, we had some time to kill so we decided to go and see one of the nearby volcanoes. It turned out to be a great afternoon filled with cool mountain air (including a slight smell of sulfur) and incredible views. We actually got to walk around in the upper portion of the volcano's crater and looked down into a large lake that fills the lower, main crater. The views on the drive up reminded me of scenes from The Lord of the Rings. We were actually up above several large thunderstorms that were soaking the valley below. We ended up having a great time together and got to see some things that we haven't been able to see since we've been here. Unfortunately, we didn't bring our camera on this trip because we had no idea we'd have any free time. I guess this goes to show me two things: first, you never know what to expect when you come to San Jose and second, always bring the camera.

Changes

Earlier this week we said goodbye to the last team of our summer season. It was a whopper of a team...37 people, and most of them were teenagers. We had a great time with them and got quite a bit of work done as well. Since the group was so large, we divided them up into three smaller groups of 12-13 people each. One group went into town each day and worked at the local high school...painting and maintenance. The other two groups worked at the property each day, sanding, varnishing and cleaning the grounds. They also spent quite a bit of time each day with several of the local youth who really enjoyed the interaction.

Speaking of local youth, I have heard a couple of comments recently that really made an impact on me. A couple of days ago, a friend of mine that is the missions pastor of a large church in Florida said that on his last visit, he really saw a huge difference in the spiritual maturity of the youth we have been working with... that he can really tell that they are growing in their faith This means a lot because this was his third visit. He has come to see us each year that we have been here and has witnessed our work grow from nothing to what is happening now with the house churches, skate-park and AWANA's program.



I also had a friend tell me some amazing things. He has lived in Costa Rica since he was 18 and has been visiting Puerto Viejo for over 15 years. He said that he can't remembers a time when he saw so many teenagers' lives being changed and so many of them hungry to learn about God. He went on and on about the changes he is seeing in specific individuals' lives and directly attributed it to the work we are doing. I don't share this to toot my own horn but to let anyone reading this know that God is doing amazing things through your prayers and support. Lives are being changed and God is working in incredible ways and it is happening one life at a time as we live life together with our brothers and sisters here in Puerto. Sometimes all it takes is someone that is willing to say yes to God, to come alongside others...giving them to strength and encouragement to live for Him.

Family Time

Every now and then we get some time to ourselves. This past Saturday was a lot of fun as we took a trip to a waterfall about a half hour drive away. We brought Sebastian, one of the older youth, with us along with a family that lives in the next town. It was beautiful. The waterfall is about 70 feet tall and you have to hike through the jungle to reach it. Here are a few photos from the trip.

The Ripple Effect

Lots of things are happening...too much to keep up with. I wanted to post this note I recently received from our stateside director regarding several people that visited us last month with the mission team from SkateChurch in Steamboat Springs, CO. Good stuff and it goes to show that God is using this location to work in the lives of more than just the people here in Puerto. Vince was one of the oldest members of the team and a really cool guy. It's awesome to see how God used his time here in Puerto to draw him into relationship with Him.

Ok, so here’s the deal….sitting here in the office all the time, I’m rarely able to be witness to the awesome things that are happening in the lives of those you guys are ministering to on a day to day basis. However, being here in the states, I am able to follow up on the lives of those who have participated in a short term outreach and what God is doing in and through them. Well, this last weekend I drove 15 hours north to the BEAUTIFUL town of Steamboat Springs, CO and spent the weekend with Buck and Tara. While I was there I went and shared at Uzoa Church, (Buck and Tara’s church) and also heard the team share about their experiences. After service there was a baptism service and some of the team was getting baptized. Jessie and Ryan got baptized as did Bucks 10 year old son, Hunter, (he was the one who couldn’t make it down this summer because of his mom). It was a great service.

The awesome news was that Vince got baptized too. Vince was the big tall guy who cooked us all lunch that one day. It seems that since the trip, Vince’s life has been radically changed. His girlfriend Gretchen came and thanked me and you guys for the work that is happening in PV and how it has changed Vince’s life. Vince is a HARD CORE believer in prayer. You should hear the guy pray…it’s awesome! He’s charging for Jesus and he attributed his faith to the time he spent in PV. When he spoke at church, he spoke of each of you and the work you guys are doing. He was really blessed by everyone and God really got a hold of him in a major way!

You see, house churches, children’s church, skate ministry, café’s and more are all incredible parts of what we do, but short term missions is another AMAZING way that we partner together in ministry. Yes, these teams are coming down and doing some amazing work, but God is also bringing them down and doing amazing work in them. You guys are doing a great job. Your lives and work are not only affecting change in Puerto Viejo, but lives are being transformed all across the US. Keep charging team…I’m proud of you guys!

Jeremy Dyck
Alternative Missions

Another Baptism

Last week I had the privilege of baptizing two of my friends from house church. Peace, who became a Christian about three months ago, and Dexter, who chose to follow Christ about a year ago, were baptized in the Caribbean Sea that they love so much. It was a really cool evening. After the baptism, we celebrated with a big dinner and then built a huge bonfire on the beach in front of our house and worshipped God together. I love seeing the changes that are taking place in their lives as they follow Jesus, step by step.

Busy Times

Wow! is all I can say. We have been so busy for the past few weeks that I haven't had time to get online other than to respond to necessary emails. Some big things have happened over the past few weeks and although it will be hard to put it all down here, I'll give it a go. Right after Calvary Jupiter left town, we took 15 of the youth and young adults on a retreat up to the mountains outside of San Jose. Nothing like that has ever been done before and we didn't know what to expect. It turned out better than I had imagined it could. We met up with a combined mission team from two churches in the states (Thomasville Road Baptist Church from Tallahassee, FL and 1027 Church from Atlanta, GA). The retreat was held at a friend's goat farm on the side of a volcano named Barva.

Our focus was Christian living and service to others. It was an incredible opportunity to take the youth out of their normal surroundings so that they could focus on their relationship with God and with each other. Over the course of four days, we taught four separate bible study lessons. On the second day, we took the group on a missions trip to San Jose to a really dangerous section of town called Little Hell (one of the biggest crack distribution centers in CR). A local pastor provides several opportunities for the children that live in this area to hear about God and his love for them. We spent several hours with the group of around 50 children. I was so impressed to see how the group from Puerto Viejo reached out to them, sang songs, played games and just spent time with the children. One of our friends even gave his testimony, which is a huge step for him. Here are a few photos (to be added shortly) from the trip. The end result was that the group became much closer in their relationships with God and with each other. It was great!

Plans

Although we have a team arriving this coming Saturday, we are already in the process of planning for the next team which will arrive in early August. If everything runs smoothly, we will begin constructing a 3-sided deck and stadium seating around the metal container that houses all of our skate equipment. Once this project is completed, we will have the perfect venue for parents to watch their children and get to know each other. We will also have a great place for viewing our next annual skate competition which should take place next New Years Eve. Please pray that our permits come through and that everything goes smoothly. We have a lot of pre-work to set up so that it's possible for the August team to complete their portion of the project.

Crazy

Wow, things have gotten busy and crazy. I took the Calvary Jupiter team back to San Jose on Monday of last week but it seems like it was yesterday. There has been so much to do to get ready for the next team that I feel like I haven't had time to turn around. One of our friends on the CalJup team helped us immensly with some of the computer problems we have been having. I had to completely reformat the hard-drive of my laptop and it has taken me the better part of a week to get back online with emails, etc... Now, things seem to be working smoothly and I am able to send and receive emails as well as get online to post new blogs...

This coming Saturday morning we are leaving Puerto Viejo with a group of youth for a 4 day retreat. We'll be meeting a combined team from Thomasville Road Baptist Church (Tallahassee, FL) and 1027 Church (Atlanta, GA) up in the mountains above San Jose. It is going to be an interesting experience to say the least and I am really excited about it. The visiting mission team has been planning all of the bible studies and activities for our time together. We will be focusing on the topic of Christian living...basically what it means to live life for God. We will be hosting four separate sessions as well as games and activities with the group from Puerto.

On the third day, we are going to take the PV youth group into one of the poor neighborhoods in San Jose so that they can experience a mission trip of their own. It will give them a chance to serve others as well as experience the other side of missions first-hand.

Our last day will be spent rafting down the Pacuare river, half-way between San Jose and Puerto. I am really excited about this trip and the opportunity to get these guys out of the day-to-day and let them see what it is really like to focus on your relationship with God without all of the normal distractions. It should be an incredible experience for all of us.

SK8 Church says goodbye

Although this post is a little late, it was too good of a photo op to pass on. Here is a photo of the SK8 Church team on their next to last night in town. The youth have continued to ask about them since they left and are already hoping for a return visit. This team really made an impact on personal levels...

Chaos

The term "chaos theory" describes systems that appear to be random and disordered, but in reality posses an underlying order. Chaos theory also describes a lot of what takes place here in Puerto Viejo. On the surface, things can appear to be quite disordered, especially to someone that is not familiar with the culture and the people. However, whether it’s a session at the skate park or a day in the classroom at the collegio (high school), there is usually an underlying order to things that might not be readily recognizable at first glance.

The past few days, the visiting mission team from Calvary Chapel Jupiter (Jupiter, Florida) has been hosting ESL classes at the local high school. The high school is a one room building with acoustics that seem to magnify even the slightest sound into a roar equivalent to a jet taking off. It can be really difficult for someone that is not used to it to maintain focus, but it’s not as much of a problem for someone that is used to the underlying order.

The first day was got pretty crazy as kids were coming and going throughout the lessons and a few scuffles even broke out. It was quite an experience and I think was a little overwhelming for the team but things worked out and despite the craziness, the kids really enjoyed the interactions. They are used to learning this way as it is often the way things are. Anyway, the second day was much smoother and things really seemed to take on a good flow. The interactions were good and the kids and the team really enjoyed their time together.



At the end of the week, will the high school kids be fluent in English? No, but that’s not really the point. The purpose of these classes is to build relationships in order to gain an opportunity to really pour into the lives of the students over the long run. Visiting teams are only here for a week or two at most, which isn’t really a lot of time, but they add so much to the long-term work we’re doing. Through their sacrifice of time and effort, they help us to build and establish relationships with people and institutions that would be next to impossible for us to do on our own. Missions work truly is a partnership as the different parts of the body come together and work as one to share the hope of Christ to people that are searching. While it might seem like madness at times, there is an underlying order to things… it’s all a matter of perspective.

Cal Jup 2

This is my first day back online since Calvary Jupiter arrived. So far, we have had a great time with a great team. It was also great having Dan, our pastor and friend, down for a few days to see what the church has been supporting and praying for the past few years. We had a chance to go rafting together and yesterday, went looking for howler monkeys which we finally found at the last possible place we could check.

This week is a good but full week. Each morning, the team is hosting ESL classes at the local high school. It is a chaotic but good time and the students really enjoy the interaction. Through outreaches like this, we are able to build more relationships with youth and the visiting mission team really gets a chance to plug into the community in a meaningful way. In the afternoons, the team is doing light construction here at the skatepark. We are working to finish as much of the structural work in the cafe so that in the future, when someone joins our team to open and operate the cafe, all that will remain will be the layout and decorating of the restaurant. It's great having friends in town and I'm really looking forward to seeing what the rest of the week holds.

Cal Jup

I'm in San Jose tonight getting ready to meet Calvary Chapel Jupiter at the airport tomorrow morning. This is exciting because this is our home church and we have been waiting and hoping that they would be able to come down for a long time. We have some friends on the trip and some others that will become friends. I'm really excited for the opportunity we will have to show them around our new hometown and to introduce them to our friends. During the week, we will be working at the local public high school, hosting ESL classes in the morning and some light construction at our property in the afternoon.

I have really enjoyed seeing how each team that comes down adds more brush strokes to this painting we have been working on. Each team brings their own touch and reaches out to the Puerto Viejo community in different ways. Please pray for this upcoming week as we continue to pour into the lives of those that live here and those that give of themselves to serve a God that is greater than anything we can ask, hope or imagine. Please pray for the safety of Amy and the girls while I am gone.

SK8 Church

The team from SK8 Church (Steamboat Springs, CO) has been a great help this week and they have really connected with the local youth. One of the most interesting things has been getting to know many of the kids that are involved in that ministry. I would say that about half of the kids are not Christians, because this ministry is very much oriented toward reaching those that are not part of a traditional church. The ministry is led by Buck Chavarria and his wife Tara. The other leaders that are helping out are also Christians but many of the kids are not. Buck and Tara really feel called to reach out to these kids that come from such difficult backgrounds. They have even become the legal guardians of one of the girls that is on the trip.

Anyway, it has been awesome to see God working in the lives of these kids as they are completely surrounded by the love of God in action. Not only are they getting a chance to serve others, they are getting the straight truth about God's love and the good news of Jesus and his desire to have a relationship with them. Back home, these kids are surrounded by drugs and a variety of relgious options but here on this trip they are being surrounded by truth. I have also been really proud to see some of our local youth reaching out to build relationships with the kids from this team. It was a really big step yesterday for two of the local guys to take six or seven members of the team surfing. The local guys are often extremely shy when it comes to one on one interactions where they are the focus of attention so to see them step up to the plate and serve the members of this team was awesome.

It is a priveledge to be here seeing lives being changed...both locals and visitors alike. God is really doing some incredible things

Love All, Worship One

Here is a quick look at a bumper sticker that was printed for us by SK8 Church, a visiting mission team that is with us this week.

Makena's special day

Makena turned four yesterday. She was only one and a half when we moved here so she has been living in Costa Rica for well over half of her life. We had a fun day and she was so excited with her presents. She is crazy for Strawberry Shortcake right now and was not disappointed to find two dolls and lots of accessories hidden underneath layers of wrapping paper. Amy did an awesome job with the cake(strawberry cake with strawberry icing), Maili helped bust open the pinata and we had lots of fun celebrating the arrival of our littlest one four years ago. Here are a couple of photos from the day.

Night Monkeys and Showers

One thing I’ve learned after two years here in Puerto… you never know quite what to expect. This past Sunday evening, our house church started out well. We had three new visitors and one other teenager that had only been once before. One thing you should know…preparing for and teaching at house church each week stresses me out. I love it and hate it at the same time. I love it because I totally believe that it’s what God has called me to do and I love to share biblical truth with everyone that has come. I hate it because I have never liked public speaking and I always feel totally inadequate and under-prepared…no matter how prepared I am. On top of that, distractions really throw off my thought processes and tend to get me really flustered.

Anyway, the evening started out fine. We hung out for a while, shared food together, goofed around with the musical instruments and generally enjoyed each others company. TJ played a few worship songs and then we got into our bible study. Again we are working our way through Matthew. We are going through it chapter by chapter so that we don’t miss anything and so that we are able to talk about and study the events as they occurred. From the very beginning, I knew that this night was going to be a little different because when you are dealing with a small group setting, any changes in the people that are present changes the dynamics of the group. That being said, I started out by bringing everyone up to speed and setting the context for our study. The specific passage was the first 14 verses of the 22nd Chapter of Matthew, where Jesus tells the story of a king that invited specific people to the wedding of his son. When the people that were invited rejected the invitation, he sent his servants out to invite anyone that they came across. In some ways, this bible study was more technical than others we have done because there were so many things to explain and define to a group that was not familiar with many of the terms. Then, there’s the application of what we have learned.

Well, about ¾ of the way through the study, at one of the more critical parts, someone yells out, “I think I see a night monkey (which is an animal that looks like a giant bush baby, comes out at night and climbs from tree to tree)!” Everyone jumps out of their seats to see the night monkey which was right outside our living room, and there was totally chaos for the next ten minutes. I finally got everything back under control and we get back into the bible. Right as everyone is re-engaged, liquid starts pouring from the second floor through a crack in the floorboards right onto Jordan’s head. Turns out, one of our new puppies had snuck upstairs, hid in the corner and relieved herself. Jordan jumped up as the pee continued to flow.
Everyone started laughing and there was chaos for the second time in 15 minutes. We finally made it through but it was one of the roughest evenings (in some ways) that we have had in a while. The good thing is that God is working, people are learning and we are doing in less than ideal conditions (which has stretched me a lot more than them).

I am so self-critical. It’s amazing to me that they keep coming back, but they do and they are inviting their friends. We see changes in their lives as they are engaged in church by their own choosing and they love it. It is so cool to see God working in so many different ways, often in spite of our own feeble attempts. It has really shown me that what God wants is people that are willing to say yes… not people that have everything figured out or have the program perfected. In the end, we stand on the saving grace of Jesus Christ and his word. In these are the true power for salvation and change.

Root Canal

Skyway is gone and we are in San Jose for a couple of days. We were able to finish installing the playground on Wednesday, which was great news to the kids at the school. Unfortunately, it feels a little like keeping candy away from a baby because they have to wait a few more days until they can actually use it. We had so much rain that the water table was within a couple of inches of the surface of the soil, so it will take the cement some extra time to dry. Here is a photo of the Skyway team, a few of the kids from the school and the playground set. This has been a great way to simply bless the community in a way that gives something to the little children who can’t do it for themselves.



One of the other projects that Skyway completed was the metamorphosis of a large 55-gallon drum into a huge charcoal grill.

Wednesday afternoon and evening, we turned our regular skate session into a big cookout and invited all of the youth and their families. We ended up having between 50 and 60 people show up and it had a great time with food, music and lots of fun just hanging out. It was great to see some of the local youth helping to host the barbeque…serving the members of the visiting teams. I have a feeling that we will have even more interest in the house churches as we build more and more relationships through events like this.

We’ll be heading back to Puerto later today with Kathy, Amy’s best friend from nursing school, and her husband Mark. We came in to pick them up at the airport and also so that I could finish up phase I of my dental work. We have been to two dentists since we moved down but, just like in the States, not all dentists are created equal. The first two were not very thorough and missed a couple of potential problems that have now become real problems. I am heading in to the dentist in a couple of hours to get my first root canal. Doesn’t sound fun and I wish it could have been avoided but the tooth is cracked and causing a lot of pain. The downside is that I still have at least two more visits to the dentist to finish things out. At least we found a good one.

The Playground

We were blessed with a great day of sun (and heat) and were able to complete much more of the playground. We also found some different ways to help us steady and straighten the posts of the two central portions of the set which really sped things up. The kids from the visiting team worked hard and we were able to get far enough so that we should be able to finish tomorrow.

One of the things I enjoy about these types of projects (and we'll do more as we get closer to finishing construction on the cafe and skate-park) is because people in town get so excited about them. It's really cool to visit with parents that come by to thank us for the work that is being done and it gives us opportunities to share the reason we do these types of things.

Tommorow night we are hosting a huge cookout for our local youth group in conjunction with the visiting team after the evening skate session. Food is always a great way to bring people together and we are expecting around 50 people total. What a great way to celebrate finishing the playground...

Transform

Almost as soon as we started working on the playground, the rain began to fall. It's been mostly dry for the past couple of days but the post holes are still full of water. The other thing that happened as we began to work was that I got sick again. This time, it is a simple chest cold, but it has left me feeling pretty weak and unable to really pitch in and work with the Skyway team. I feel like a wuss. It's really unfortunate because working with the members of the team is such a great way to get to know the people that have sacrificed to help us. The good news is that we have two more full days of construction and a couple of really cool evening outreaches planned. Hopefully, the rain will hold off enough for us to pour cement (which may never dry) into the post-holes to keep the play set steady.

In other news, our house church went well last night. We have been studying and working our way through the book of Matthew. The reason we have been studying Matthew is so that we could really examine the person of Jesus together, outside of what people may have heard or assumed from past experiences. If someone heard in the past and believed that Jesus was just a good teacher, we find out that he actually claimed to be the son of God. We have also been able to study and discuss his parables, the ways he treated and responded to people and what he had to say to those that mis-represented his Father in heaven. Every time we meet, we ask the question, "What should these words that were written 2000 years ago mean for our daily lives right now, here in Puerto Viejo?" We get into some great discussion as we talk about what God's truth means for us as individuals and as a body of believers. It is really cool to begin hearing some of the youth explaining the truths that they are beginning to grasp. Truths that show they are really understanding that living for Jesus is more than following a list of rules or being at a certain place at a specific time on a specific day. Having a relationship with Him is something that should change our lives from the inside out. This was true last night as we talked about the ability of Jesus to change our lives through His power and how much of a struggle it can be at times. Please pray that God will continue to work in all of our lives as we live for him. Please pray that God will continue to reveal his truth and that he will protect the growing faith of our freinds as we walk this road together.

Outside

Here we are in the thick of it. The first of our summer mission teams from Skyway Church in Phoenix, AZ is here. Much of what we do with the teams for the past couple of years has focused on construction and outreach here at the skatepark. That being said, we always want to continue to be a blessing out in the community whenever we have an opportunity. That's where the team Skyway comes in. Several months ago we received a letter from a Children's Association here in town. They were aware that we had installed a couple of sets of playground equipment in the past and asked if we could do it again...this time at a building that is being used as a kindergarten.

Long story short, we said yes, Skyway raised the necessary funds and we are in process. By the middle of next week, this rather empty corner of a school yard will have a brand-new, rather large playground set for the kids to go crazy on. It's a great way to help the community and for us to continue maintaining a visible presence. We also end up meeting many new people and making new relationships during these times where we work "off-site". I'll put up more photos as we get closer to having a final product.

In other news, one of the coolest things so far happened at the youth activities. The visiting mission team brought down instruments and wanted to play a few worship songs. They went through a short set, and as they finished up, three of the youth that attend house church asked if they could get up front with TJ (who leads worship on our team) so that they could play for the Skyway group. Now this may seem like a small thing, but it was actually a huge step. They got up and sang and played their hearts out for a one-song set. It was so exciting to see them stepping out on their own to actually lead in worship. It was also a huge step for them as more and more, they begin to see themselves as a church and as a united body of believers. What a cool thing to be able to enjoy. God is really working in their lives and there are visible proofs.