It has been a great start to the year!! We kicked off the year with a ministry filled January, family visits all through February, and March has shown the blessing and importance of the whole body of Christ working together!!
[Here are the links to each monthly update so far: January 2018 Update, February 2018 Update, March 2018 Update]
As we enter April, we are thrilled to announce that our family has been accepted by SCORE International as official missionaries, and we are now entering our apprentice year with the organization!
A little bit of the backstory:
When we arrived here to Santa Rosa as newlyweds and began church hunting, we discovered quickly that all the evangelical churches in this area embrace false doctrine and are unwilling to change. Seeing the need for a firm foundation in the Word of God alone, Esteban began leading a small in-house Bible study and, by the grace of God alone, it has grown into a small ministry including: regular Sunday morning services, weekly Bible studies for women, special discipleship studies by topic, and a kids club and youth group on Saturdays. Never having dreamed that we would end up as a pastor family, we merely followed in obedience the conviction that the Holy Spirit placed on our hearts to disciple others in Truth (
2 Tim. 4:1-5).
From the beginning we have been able to count on Andy Gordley, Field Director for SCORE in Costa Rica and my GAP director almost 8 years ago now, as a mentor and guide to help us keep moving forward biblically. He facilitated a partnership with SCORE specifically through the GAP program by sending us students first a couple times a year, then monthly, and as of 2016 weekly, to work with us in ministry. We have also been able to receive several summer teams through SCORE that come for a week or so of ministry and construction work here on the property. This past fall, Andy suggested we look into applying to become missionaries with SCORE officially.
Why SCORE?
Choosing SCORE as our backing mission organization was kind of a no-brainer. As you may have noticed, the main component in the lead up to this decision was Andy himself. There's no other mission's organization that has been with us from the beginning or that we know from years back like SCORE. I myself did a short term trip with SCORE as a sophomore in high school, their GAP program in Costa Rica as a recent graduate, and since Esteban and I have been married living in Costa Rica we have kept in contact with the Gordley family. We are also passionate about SCORE's mission: "To glorify God through missions in obedience to the great comission," and core values: evangelize the lost, engage people in missions, equip others, and express the Gospel (
Matt. 28:19-20, 1 Peter 4:7-11). We thank God for the opportunity to be a part of such an organization.
Why NOW?
If the ministry started over 4 years ago, why look into joining a missions organization now? Good question! As I briefly touched on before, we aren't necessarily missionaries in the traditional sense, but rather a family serving where we live. However, since we serve a God who is "able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think" (
Eph. 3:20), the Bible study we started has gained momentum and grown into a ministry with potential much beyond our own abilities and imagination. A good example of this is just looking at the "coincidental" location (God's sovereign plan) of our property alone where there is soon to be a new government funded urbanization with 76 new families moving in right next door! We believe in investing time, love and the power of the Gospel into the lives of the people of our community, and have visions and dreams to transform this area into a center of spiritual growth and evangelism for our Lord Jesus. For this reason we decided that it would only be of benefit to have an organization like SCORE officially behind us. Not only does this provide a financial pathway for donations to reach needs, but also it provides spiritual, directional, and personal accountability. We don't have to feel alone or make decisions without a multitude of counsel in which there is safety (
Prov. 11:14, 15:22, 24:6).
I hope this gives a little insight into how we've gotten to where we are. It is a true joy to be counted as part of the SCORE team. And while our situation looks a little different than a typical sent out, supported missionary, being part of a group of couples and families also giving their time and energy to serving the Lord through missions is more than encouraging! Pray for us on our journey as we develop this ministry for the glory of God and the discipling of the nations!!
