Adventures in Banking

When we first arrived in Costa Rica, I noticed that every bank has a special teller window for “older folks.” I knew I was old enough to qualify but my pride wouldn’t let me take the short cut. As a result, for several months I waited in the “normal line” (sometimes for a very long time) before I could see a teller.

Eventually, I got over my pride and started using the “older folks’ line.” Sometimes it’s faster and sometimes it’s not. Like last week, for example.

I went to the bank to take out cash. However, the cash machine gave me all large bills, so I was forced to see a teller. Swallowing my pride, I sat in the “older folks” line. There were three people in front of me. I thought it might take 10 minutes tops. I was wrong.

As I sat waiting, I noticed the older gentleman at the window having a leisurely talk with the teller about his kids, his grandkids and any number of other topics. I kept trying to make eye contact with the teller to visually nudge him along. After all, I was waiting in line. Impatiently.

As I sat there, another older gentleman sauntered up to the teller to ask a question. As he walked past me cutting to the front of the line, he mentioned under his breath that he just had a “small question.” But it turned out that he, also, engaged the teller in jovial banter about local soccer teams and grandkids.

By this time, the gentleman sitting next to me assured me that he had very quick business. He would only be with the teller for a moment.  

I’m not sure how, but people here seem to have radar that I’m a gringo. I think I dress and look like everyone else around me. But something about me appears to scream that I’m not from Costa Rica. The guy next to me apparently sized up the situation: an impatient gringo was frustrated that the line was not moving more rapidly. He was right.

He looks at me and says, “Don’t worry. My business will only take a moment. I just have to pay my insurance bill.”

So, imagine my shock when he begins to chit-chat with the teller about his kids and grandkids and politics and sports. My eyes were drilling a hole through his head from the back side. His business may have been short, but his conversation was way too long for my taste.

Finally, it was my turn. I spent less than two minutes with the teller getting my change and I was gone. No small talk. No idle chatter. Just business.

I thought about it later and wondered if I had missed an important cultural nuance. People matter. The bank teller knew his clients and they mattered to him. The small talk I witnessed was important to everyone. It was a social hour. I was the only one bothered by it. No one else seemed to care about the wait. It was life. And a pretty nice life at that.

My mom used to walk quickly. She was always on a mission to get somewhere fast. I picked that up early on. For most of my life, I have wanted to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible.

But quicker is not always better.

Connection matters. People matter.

Costa Rica has a lot to teach me. I hope I learn.

Merry Christmas!

I will always treasure the memory of my first Christmas Candlelight Service. It was our first Christmas serving in Wisconsin. The church had windows along both sides of the worship center. As we held up the candles to sing Silent Night, it began snowing outside. Through the windows, I watched the glistening flakes fall as the candles flickered inside. In that iconic moment I felt like I was inside a snow globe. It was magical.

Since then, I have presided over hundreds of Christmas Candlelight Services. They never grow old. Every time we lift the candles to sing Silent Night it takes my breath away.

This year at English Christian Fellowship was no exception. A record-crowd of 235 people gathered. We kept bringing in more and more seats. We even had to “borrow” stools from the hotel bar but we still had people standing in the back.

The message at Christmas is essentially the same every year. But I never grow tired of proclaiming it: God loves us. God reached out to us in Jesus. God offers us grace and forgiveness.

This year, Pam and I are especially grateful to those of you who follow us and pray for us. Our lives are rich and fulfilling. We are incredibly blessed! Thank you!

I’m writing this blog on Christmas Day on the plane from Costa Rica to Santa Rosa, California. The Bond family will gather over the next several days to reconnect, laugh and create new memories. Pam and I look forward to some precious time with our clan.

On another note, some of you will recall the saga I began several blogs ago recounting my travails to get a Costa Rican Driver’s License. The saga continues.

Last week, I had another appointment at the Costa Rican DMV.  (To get the appointment, I paid $70 to my clandestine “DMV appointment maker.”) I had completed all the requirements the DMV-lady laid out for me three months earlier. But I’ve been around the block a few times. So, I didn’t really expect to walk out with my new license. I was not disappointed.

When I sat down with the one-and-only person who is the queen of granting foreigners Costa Rican Driver’s Licenses, she looked across her desk and said, “Well, Mr. Bond, I think I might be able to take care of you today.” At that point, she combed through my thick pile of paperwork. She carefully read each page and then even more carefully re-read each page. Finally, she took her official stamp and stamped each page...really hard.

At this point, I was thinking, “Wow, Steve, you might actually get a license today!” (I was wrong.)

When she finished, she told me to stand up and follow her. I thought, “Well, this seems strange. I guess there’s another door to walk through.” It felt a bit ominous. For some reason, I felt like I was being led toward a firing squad.

She led me downstairs and I was asked to sit across the desk from another lady. This new lady also read and re-read my thick pile of paperwork. Then, she typed, very slowly, some information into a computer. I sat quietly…waiting for men with rifles to appear.

After about 15 minutes, this new lady said, “Well, Mr. Bond, you’re all set.” I’m thinking, “But where is my Driver’s License?”

I know better, so I sat quietly until she added, “You can now make your appointment with Banco de Costa Rica to get your Driver’s License.”

I looked at her and smiled and began to chuckle out loud…a lot. How silly of me to think that I might actually get my Costa Rican Driver’s License in the Costa Rican DMV! No, that’s not the way it’s done here. “Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore!”

So, I made my appointment at Banco de Costa Rica. The first available date was February 12, 2024. It now looks like I may get my Costa Rican Driver’s License next year.

Pura Vida (Pure Life) is a common saying in Costa Rica that is used in a variety of situations. I’m not sure if there is an exact English equivalent. But the closest thing might be “Chill out…it’s all good.” However, my guess is the person who coined that saying never had to get their Costa Rican Driver’s License.

But it’s still good counsel. As we enter 2024, Pam and I send you this Costa Rican New Year’s greeting: Pura Vida!   

I Felt Like a "Real Missionary"

Last Saturday I felt like a “real missionary.” ECF’s Missions Team organized a week-long ministry effort on an island in the Nicoya Pennisula called Isla Caballo (Horse Island). Over thirty people from our church participated. Some went for the entire week and others went for a few days. Still others, like me, went for one very long Saturday.

We met at 3:30 AM at the Hilton Garden Inn (where our church meets on Sunday). 17 of us boarded a mini-bus for the nearly three-hour drive to a beach where a boat would pick us up. (It may bring to mind for some of you an old TV show that began as “a three-hour tour.”)

The beach was called Playa Blanca (White Beach), a hidden sliver of sand along the Nicoya Peninsula. To no one’s surprise the sand at the beach was...white.

We waited for a short while until a smallish boat arrived to ferry all 17 of us across the inlet to Isla Caballo. As most of you know, I swim decently. However, many in our boat did not know how to swim. As a result, as we jetted across the pristine calm water in the early hours of the morning, I was plotting in my mind what I would do to rescue the multiple non-swimmers if the boat hit a log and flipped.  

Isla Caballo is covered with dense foliage, like much of Costa Rica. As we approached the island it seemed to me to be shrouded in mystery. I was reminded of the scene in the film King Kong when the boat first arrives at the island where they eventually encountered the oversized gorilla. (I told you at the beginning of the blog that I felt like a “real missionary.”)

But once we arrived, the mystery immediately dissipated and we were engulfed by the love of the islanders. It was breathtakingly beautiful.

It was also stunning for me to see the grace and commitment of ECF’s team. The island does not have a water source and the only electricity comes from a small generator. (Water is ferried over daily from the mainland.) The scarcity of water and limited electricity produced spit showers and multiple layers of inconveniences. But our team ROCKED with servants’ hearts and genuine smiles.

Our team served in a variety of ways throughout the week…

• We built a new kitchen for one of the churches. The two churches on either side of the island are the heart of the community. As a result, the new kitchen will serve the islanders for both faith events and community activities.

• In the evenings, we showed episodes in Spanish from The Chosen to encourage the islanders.  

• We ministered to the children with creative activities and Bible stories.

• We held a soap-making workshop for the women with the hopes that some may use the skill as an income producing activity.

• We were “present.” Many of the islanders commented that our presence made them feel noticed, that they matter, they are not forgotten.

Our team boarded the boats to return to the mainland about 4:00 PM. We had a beautiful journey across the Nicoya inlet just as the sun was lowering in the horizon.

After a long bus ride home, we arrived at the hotel where our church meets about 8:00 PM…very tired but very grateful to have been able to serve in such practical life-giving ways.

ECF is still a small church by most metrics. But we have a HUGE heart for missions. I could not have been prouder of ECF’s missions leaders and the team they pulled together to do missions in our own backyard!  

Warmly,
Steve

All Creatures Great and Small

Psalm 104:24 says, “O LORD, what a variety of things you have made!  In wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of Your creatures.” 

I suppose anywhere one lives, there are “creatures” of different sizes and shapes. But here in Costa Rica I have had the opportunity to get to know some of the “most unusual” of God’s creatures.  (At least unusual for me!)

Last week, Stephen and I spent three days exploring the east coast of Costa Rica.  On the way there, we decided to take a more adventurous route to explore the countryside and we came back home using the more direct route. 

The Caribbean side of this country is not developed as much as the Pacific side.  The towns are quaint (other than the port city of Limon).  The roadside towns are made up of tiny shops and hole-in-the-wall eateries.  There are no large hotels along the eastern coast and not much beach either. 

Nestled in a small burg called Chauita is a sloth sanctuary.  This has been on my bucket list since we arrived in Costa Rica over two years ago.  I have seen a few sloths in the wild, but at a distance, hidden amidst tall rainforest trees.  Generally, I had to observe these sloths through a guide’s telescope.  That was thrilling enough but I was not prepared for the experience we had at this sloth sanctuary. 

The sloth sanctuary was undoubtedly the highlight of our trip.  We stayed the first night at the sanctuary to be ready for our early morning three-hour tour.  We were awakened around 4:00 AM by a loud roar that got louder and louder, then faded and went on for about an hour. 

I kept thinking that sloths weren’t that loud and then remembered that howler monkeys lived in the jungle surrounding us.  Google confirmed what we were hearing, and I also learned that howler monkeys are the loudest creatures on earth. Their howling can carry up to 3 kilometers! 

It sounded to me like the abominable snowman’s roar on the Matterhorn bobsleds at Disneyland. I expected to see a 40-foot King Kong emerge from the jungle into the clearing by our room!

After breakfast we were escorted into two different rooms where we were within inches of these precious creatures!  There are two toed and three toed sloths.  They are quite different animals, but live similarly in the trees. 

The sanctuary is a refuge for approximately 150 sloths.  Some have been rescued from being injured by dogs or other animals.  Others have been abandoned by their mothers.  The goal is to get the sloths back into the wild. But some, like baby sloths, will never be able to return to the wild. Apparently, if a mother sloth does not teach a baby sloth how to live in the wild in the first year of its life, they can never learn.  

We spent another hour in the Intensive Care Unit where we got even closer to the babies, but we were not allowed to touch them.  We watched them eat, learned why sloths don’t last as personal pets, and all the ways God has made these strange and beautiful creatures to be able to survive the rainforest. 

The proceeds from the small “hotel” where we stayed, donations, and the cost of the tour keep the sanctuary funded.  Some research has been done on these amazing animals, but there is still a lot that is unknown. 

For instance, they haven’t been able to find out what is in the mama sloth’s milk because she only produces what the baby needs at feeding time.  The baby’s sucking makes the mama produce milk.  As a result, at the sanctuary, they give the babies goat’s milk because it seems to be digested better than other kinds of milk. 

We have been taught that the word “slothful” means lazy, idle, unwilling to work.  However, we learned at the sloth sanctuary that the sloth is not lazy.  They are just conserving energy.  They can actually move quickly if the need arises.

I was amazed at God’s design of these beautiful creatures. For example, sloths have hair that grows from the middle front around to the back, unlike other animals that have hair that grows from the spine around to the front.  The sloth hangs upside-down so the rain follows the way the hair grows and runs right off the sloth’s fur. 

In addition, sloths know what leaves to eat and what season to eat those leaves. Some leaves are toxic for sloths at different times of the year and are edible at other times in the year. Somehow, sloths know the right season to eat each leaf.  

 All things bright and beautiful,

All creatures great and small,

All things wise and wonderful,

The Lord God made them all.

The Late Great Planet Earth

The Bible declares emphatically that Jesus will return to Earth to rule and reign physically from Jerusalem.

Hundreds of years before his birth over 300 prophecies predicted with extraordinary detail Jesus’ first coming. These included where and when Jesus would be born, his birth lineage, the scope of his ministry and the brutal death he would die.

However, this pales in comparison to the prophecies which predict the Second Coming of Jesus. There are over twice as many biblical prophecies regarding the Second Coming.

One of my favorites is Zechariah 14:4. “On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west…” This is crystal clear. When Jesus returns, he will physically stand on the Mount of Olives to begin his reign on earth.

Jesus came the first time as a Humble Servant. When he comes the second time he will come as a Ruling King.

Zechariah continues his prophecy: “The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name.” (Zechariah 14:9)

The recent events in Israel inspired Pam and me to re-read a book written 53 years ago. The book indelibly marked our generation of Jesus-followers. It’s called The Late Great Planet Earth by Hal Lindsey. It’s still in print. We highly recommend it.

In general terms, the Bible is clear that Israel plays a pivotal role in the events leading up to the Second Coming of Christ. The restoration of Israel as a nation is the fulfillment of many biblical prophecies, including Ezekiel 36:24. “For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you back into your own land.”

The area we now call Israel was promised by God to Abraham some 3,800 years ago. The Jewish people inhabited the land, on and off, from that time until AD 70 when God used the Romans to thrust them out due to their persistent sin.

But God promised that one day he would bring them back home. That promise was fulfilled on May 14, 1948 when modern-day Israel was founded. The land that God gave the Jews through his promise to Abraham was, once again, their home.

These facts are important to keep in mind given the current situation in Israel. The Bible predicts that many nations rise up against Israel during the last days. Pam and I have stood overlooking the Valley of Megiddo, otherwise known as the Valley of Armageddon. This is where the Bible says a final climatic battle will take place. (Revelation 16:12-16) 

The Bible also foretells clearly that armies will attack Israel from the north from the land of Magog (which Bible scholars identify as Russia) and from Persia (modern day Iran). Read Ezekiel 38 for more detail.

With that said, I cannot say with certainty when Jesus will return. But the fact that he WILL return is biblically irrefutable.

The fact that the events surrounding his Second Coming take place in Israel is also biblically irrefutable.

The fact that a final climatic battle will take place when many nations will unite to try to destroy Israel is also clear from Scripture.

Jesus warned us that world events would become horrific immediately prior to his return. “For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.” (Matthew 24:21)

Jesus also urges: “Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.” (Mark 13:33)

Don’t let the media be your only source for news about what’s happening in Israel. Dig into your Bible. God wants us to be alert. Jesus is coming back. You can count on it. Are you ready?

Our First Baptisms!

Sunday morning at 8:00 AM we gathered at the pool of the Hilton Garden Inn to baptize six people. These were our first baptisms since we arrived in Costa Rica over two years ago. Hallelujah!

The hotel gave us permission to use the pool early before their guests would normally use it. But since Costa Rica is warm all-day-long all-year-long, the setting was perfect. The pool is on the third floor with a panoramic view overlooking lush green jungle. It was a breath-taking scene.

Those being baptized reflect the fascinating diversity of our international church. We had people baptized from Ukraine, Honduras, Costa Rica, and the USA. Each one has opened their lives to Jesus to allow him to write a new story.

Fernando’s testimony brought a smile to my face. He had questions about baptism, so we met recently at a local café. He explained that he wanted to pursue God more seriously this year. One of his New Year’s resolutions was to put more action into his faith.

At ECF we provide every attender with an adhesive name badge at the doorway into our service.  (We want people to feel warmly welcomed.)  Fernando mentioned that, after church, he takes his name badge home and sticks it onto a wall. The wall is now filled with name badges! He said, “Steve, I think I’ve been to church more this year than in my entire life!”  That’s one way to put action into your faith!

Vita is another fascinating story. She was born in Ukraine, but left her homeland to study in the USA more than ten years ago. In time, Vita met Jesus and then married Rafa, who’s from Costa Rica. Vita has not been back to Ukraine in more than a decade. None of her family was able to attend her wedding. Before I baptized her, with tears streaming down her cheeks, Vita shared her commitment to love and follow Jesus.

Not all “church work” is fun. Not everything about ministry brings smiles and cheers. But baptisms are near the top of my list as one of my always-favorite moments. Today was a good day….no, it was a great day! God is at work and we get to go along for the ride!

Warmly,
Steve and Pam

The Smell of Poverty

Wednesday evening it was raining cats and dogs. This is the rainy season in Costa Rica. It rains almost every afternoon. Normally, this is a convenient excuse to hunker down and enjoy a quiet evening inside. But on Wednesday evening I had planned to help feed the homeless in downtown San Jose.

The tug of the flesh was palpable: “It’s too wet.” “I might catch cold.” “Maybe the homeless won’t be there because of the rain.” Even “the presidential debate is on TV and I don’t want to miss it.”

I have found that my flesh often battles against me whenever I want to do the right thing. Have you experienced that, too?

In spite of the tug to stay warm and dry, I went out in the rain and served. There were 14 of us from ECF, along with others who are part of a ministry called Esperanza Urbana.

We all carry sandwiches and bottled water. We distribute these to the street dwellers as we walk through downtown San Jose. During the day, the city streets are filled with bustling small businesses and crowds of shoppers.

During the night, the hubbub is replaced with an aching loneliness. What we see are mostly deserted streets dirty with litter and refuse. Here and there are small hovels of precious, but very desperate, human beings.

I had purchased a bright yellow rain suit over a year ago that I had never used. So, I walked the streets looking like the Morton Salt Man. As I walked along, I wondered what the homeless people thought about this odd-looking yellow-suited gringo who was completely dry while many of them were wet and cold.

The most impactful moment for me happened when I came across someone sleeping hunkered underneath an old ratty beach towel. I roused the shrouded figure with a kind word and the weary face of an elderly woman emerged. I offered her a sandwich and a water. She smiled and thanked me as she accepted my humble gifts.

I continued wandering down the street looking for more people under cardboard or flimsy blankets. I glanced back and saw the woman drinking the water I had given her. Her face haunted me as I slipped into my warm, dry and comfortable bed later that night.

I believe that woman was the reason God wanted me to walk the streets in the rain. God wanted me to see and smell poverty, again. I can so easily get caught up in my small little world filled with creature-comforts and pettiness.

As I think back about my experience, I realize that I need to be on those dark and dirty streets for what it does for me…even more than for what the food and water may do for the homeless.

Think about that. When was the last time you were close enough to smell poverty?

 We appreciate you, Steve and Pam 

The Border Crisis

As many of you know, there is a crisis along the southern border. Hundreds of thousands of people each year are trying to gain access into the United States. The crisis has raised intense political rhetoric and cost the lives of countless immigrants and more than a few Border Patrol agents. The issues cannot be addressed in sound-bites. They are far more complex than most people realize.

However, to place human faces on the border crisis, I would like to introduce to you Ronald and his father, Oswaldo. They are two Venezuelan refugees whom I recently met. In case you are not aware, over 7.3 million people have fled Venezuela due to its socio-political and economic collapse.

Ronald and Oswaldo first fled from Venezuela to neighboring Colombia. Earlier this year on January 5, they set out from Colombia on-foot with only a handful of belongings hoping to find refuge in the USA.

I hope it catches your attention, as it does mine, how desperate someone must be to attempt to WALK to the United States from Colombia. The Venezuelan exodus is one of the greatest humanitarian crises in history. Yet, oddly enough, it has received little or no attention in Western media.

Ronald and Oswaldo journeyed across Colombia before walking through the infamous Darien Gap. This tiny isthmus connects Panama with Colombia. The Darien Gap is 60 miles long deep in the jungle and notorious for robbery, rape and human trafficking, along with wild animals, insects and the lack of clean water. It is the only section without a road in the Pan-American Highway that stretches from Alaska to the tip of Chile. Last year, an unprecedented 248,000 refugees crossed the Darien Gap. This year the number is expected to rise above 400,000.

Ronald and Oswaldo were robbed of the money they carried while crossing “the Gap.” It took them eight treacherous days. They said it was the most difficult part of the journey. They had to sleep in the open with pouring rain. They walked on foot from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM, twelve hours a day.

Eventually, they crossed Panama and arrived in Costa Rica. Ronald and Oswaldo were in Cost Rica four months. They sold candy in the streets and washed car windows to make a few cents to purchase their next meal.

ECF partners with Esperanza Urbana feeding the homeless in downtown San Jose. That’s how we met them. Ronald and Oswaldo visited our Sunday service on June 18. Shortly after that, they continued heading north. Sometimes they walked. Sometimes they rode on top of cargo trains. Sometimes they took buses.

Once they made it to Mexico, they submitted their refugee paperwork to the US Consulate. After weeks of waiting, they were given the green light to cross the border. They said the happiest day in their lives was Sunday, September 3, when they legally crossed into the USA. Their perilous trek carried them through six different countries and took 242 days!

Ronald and Oswaldo are now in the Chicago area with extended family. They are hoping to secure work and begin their new life with freedom and opportunity.

This is the border crisis with real faces. I’m not sure if this story makes you cry or if it makes you angry. (It makes me cry and it makes me angry.) But I hope it affects you. Refugees are real people with real dreams who matter to God and they should matter to us.

Friends, the world is broken and hurting. Shouting at each other doesn’t help anyone. “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” (Matthew 5:7)

With love,

Steve and Pam

We're Not in Kansas

When I was a kid, every fall we would watch “The Wizard of Oz.” This was back in the day when we only had a handful of TV stations and they were all black and white. Watching the adventures of Dorothy and her tiny pooch, Toto, in the Land of Oz was an annual ritual. It was a fall tradition that our family looked forward to.

One line uttered by Dorothy is etched into my soul. She looks around at the fascinating new world of Oz and says, “Well, Toto, I guess we’re not in Kansas anymore.”

Pam and I have repeated that phrase countless times in our various migrations-for-Jesus around the globe. Recently, I repeated it again as I have been attempting to get my Costa Rican Driver’s License.

The adventure began several weeks ago when I finally completed my “residencia.” (How I got my “residencia” is a saga I’ll save for another day.) Long story short, I am now a legal resident in Costa Rica and no longer officially considered a “tourist.” Because of the cost, we did not process the “residencia” paperwork for Pam. I guess that means I’m married to a professional tourist.

With my new Costa Rican ID in hand, I naively thought that getting my Driver’s License would be a snap. I guess I forgot that “we’re not in Kansas anymore.”

A few weeks ago, I drove down to the Costa Rican DMV. The roads are tricky, so we often use WAZE to navigate. WAZE is a handy GPS app that rarely fails. True to form, WAZE took me right to the DMV.

The only problem is it doesn’t look like a DMV. It looks more like the UPS shipping terminal in Sparks, Nevada. So, I drove right past it looking for a building that looked like a DMV.

I was quickly corrected by WAZE and turned around and drove back more slowly. That’s when I saw it. A well-camouflaged smallish sign that said COSEVI, the Costa Rican equivalent of DMV. Ah, I now know where it is.

Next adventure, finding parking. You must be smiling. No, there is no parking lot at the DMV. What a silly thing to expect. “Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore.”

I drove down several blocks until I found a side street that had a parking space. I grabbed my things and headed back to the DMV. It opens at 7:00 AM. Despite my stumbling to locate the facility, I still arrived 5 minutes before it opened. There were about 15 people in line ahead of me. “What a blessing,” I thought. “I might actually get my license today!”  Wasn’t it PT Barnum that said, “There’s a sucker born every minute.”

Once I reached the front of the line, the guard asked what I was there for. I’m thinking to myself, “Well, I’m at the DMV, I’m not here to get a tooth pulled. What do you think, sir?” No, I didn’t say that. I may have thought it, but I didn’t say it. I was polite. After all, I am an ambassador for Jesus. (Sometimes I have to remind myself that several times a day.)

Once I explained my purpose, the guard directed me to an office at the very back of the facility. Remember I said that it looked like the UPS terminal in Sparks? Well, the office I was sent to was literally about a half-mile away. As I walked and walked and walked, I thought to myself, “Gee-wiz, I’m not here to train for a marathon, I’m here to get my Driver’s License!” After about 15 minutes walking, I finally found THE office.

Once I arrived, I was met by another guard. Sometimes I think they have guards that guard the guards in Costa Rica. They are ubiquitous, (that means that guards are literally everywhere.) This guard also asked me what I was there for. I started to point to a tooth, and then resisted and explained my plight. I was at the DMV, oddly enough, to get my driver’s license. Is that not what happens here, I asked?

Now, not to be boastful, but I speak and understand Spanish fairly decently. It’s rare these days when I’m left in the dust by someone speaking Spanish. I can track with almost everyone.

Well, except the guard at the door of the office that issues driver’s licenses. He spoke. Rapidly. I smiled. He spoke more. I smiled more. Then, he handed me a paper detailing more than a dozen steps I needed to take to get my license. At that point, I was quite certain I would not be getting my license that day. “Toto, I guess we’re not in Kansas anymore.”

I slowly walked the half-mile back to the front gate. What was I do to? Now, this might sound strange, but the biggest obstacle was that I needed an appointment. Ah, silly me, you think. Come on, Steve, how hard is it to get an appointment at the DMV? Glad you asked. Let me explain.

The type of appointment I need is only made online AFTER the 25th day of every month. And I must be in Costa Rica for 91 days in a row (without exiting) BEFORE I can have the appointment.

AND I was told clearly (I understood this part) there are thousands of people trying to get an appointment. So, when the schedule opens up on the 25th day of the month, I will have about 5 milliseconds to get an appointment. If I miss, I have to wait until the next month and try again. Did I already say it? “Toto, I guess we’re not in Kansas anymore.”

Once I got back to front gate (now well-prepared for an upcoming marathon), I had a brain flash. I’m not in the USA! I’m in Costa Rica! Maybe there is a “back-door” to make an appointment?

So, I asked the guard. He smiled and said, “Well, come to think of it, there is a guy who stands out front every day who sells appointment slots.” Of course, I thought to myself. A cottage industry! Brilliant!

Once “the appointment salesman” arrived, I was told the cost for an appointment was $75. Ouch! Someone is making a killing! But a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. I need an appointment and he can get me one. Done! Sold! What did PT Barum say?

But there’s one more caveat. I have to be in Costa Rica for 91 days straight before I can apply for the license. I qualify today. I’ve been in-country for more than 91 days straight. But I’m traveling to the USA next weekend for my nephew’s wedding. That knocks me out of line. Once I return to Costa Rica, I have to wait until early December before I pass the 91-day test again.

As a result, the saga continues. As it stands, my “appointment salesman” is going to make my appointment for the first week of December…for a fee, of course. At that point, I’ll make the long walk across the DMV again, and hopefully, will finally be able to get my Costa Rican Driver’s License. “Toto, I guess we’re not in Kansas anymore.”

Two Years

Pam and I just completed our second anniversary serving with English Christian Fellowship in San Jose, Costa Rica. The past two years have brought a whirlwind of changes in our lives and in the church we serve. This seems like an appropriate moment to pause and reflect. What have we learned?

SERVING IS GOOD

Over time, it’s easy in ministry to develop a sense of entitlement. This is especially true for someone like me who “served his time” laying down carpet for 3+ years at the Sparks YMCA while we were planting Summit. It happened slowly. Almost imperceptibly. I didn’t even notice. But, bit by bit, I began to think that it was someone else’s turn to do the “grunt work” in ministry. Without realizing it, I began to think I was above certain tasks.

Then we arrived in Costa Rica to lead a motley crew of 10 people from ECF who were tired and discouraged. And there was no facilities team to carry boxes, no secretary to look up addresses, no worship pastor to craft services and no kids ministry leader to recruit volunteers and find curriculum. That was a rude awakening.

This meant that Pam and I had to begin doing things that we had not done in many years. Boil it all down to this: we had to serve. And serving is good. It makes us more like Jesus. After all, wasn’t Jesus the one who washed the muddy feet of the disciples?

I heard his voice more clearly than ever one Sunday as I was carrying boxes of equipment into the hotel for church. Under my breath, I said, “God, what’s wrong with this picture? Why am I carrying boxes? I used to have people who carried boxes? Good grief, Lord, I have a Doctor of Ministry! Isn’t this beneath me?”

Then, Jesus whispered into my soul, “Steve, never get too big to serve. Serving is good.”

GROWTH IS GOOD

The first six months in Costa Rica were discouraging. Pam and I poured our hearts out and, yet, we saw little progress. We had almost no visitors. The few that did come looked around at the tiny group who were meeting in a room large enough to seat 500+ people and practically ran out the doors when the service was over. Most never came back.  

It is desperate when even the Pastor doesn’t want to go church! Desperate times require desperate measures. So, we said (in proper Christian terms, of course), “Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!”  

We moved the service time to Sunday at 11:00 AM. (The church had met for 40+ years at 5:00 PM Sunday evening.) We moved the venue to a hotel with a meeting room small enough to not feel swallowed up. We asked someone we hardly knew, someone who had not picked up his guitar in several years, to lead worship. We spent $50,000 on billboards plastered all over the city telling people about ECF. And we prayed.

Surprise, surprise…new people began showing up. They trickled in. One family and then another. Singles. English-speaking people from around the world. Some stayed. And the church began to grow. Slowly and steadily. This has continued for the past 18 months. Last Sunday we had 127 people in our service and the room was full of energy and life.

Growth is good. It gives life and hope to a congregation. Ben Merold was the pastor of my home church when I became a Jesus-follower. Ben once told me: “Steve, work to make this year’s highs next year’s lows.” The churches Ben served (and the churches I have served) have followed this trend. Perhaps the growth isn’t spectacular. But it’s growth. It’s is “up and to the right” slowly and steadily. And growth is good.

DISCIPLESHIP IS GOOD

In God’s wisdom and sovereignty Pam and I were introduced to Rooted a few years before arriving in Costa Rica. I’ve often said that Rooted is the best combination of head, hands and heart discipleship I’ve ever experienced.  We have been able to use the 10-week Rooted journey to create a new culture at ECF that’s biblically sound, relationally healthy and Jesus-centered.

Next week, Pam and I will begin the seventh Rooted group that we have had at ECF since we arrived. Each of these experiences has provided the brick and mortar that gives spiritual substance to our emerging congregation. To become a Jesus-honoring church, it’s not enough to simply attract a crowd. The crowd also needs to be transformed into a biblically functioning community. Discipleship is good.

SURRENDER IS GOOD

The past two years have been a season of constant surrender to God’s loving purposes.

·       Many times, Pam and I have both been incredibly lonely. We have had to surrender that loneliness to Jesus.

·       We have had to surrender again and again the ache in our hearts from living thousands of miles away from our children and grandchildren.

·       We have had to surrender the people who were once part of ECF but then decided to leave. This is always one of the hardest parts of ministry.

·       We have had to surrender Pam’s health.

·       We have had to surrender our finances.

·       We have had to surrender what we thought ECF would look like.

·       We have had to surrender comforts…Costa Rica is not the USA.

·       We have had to surrender to Jesus. Over and over and over.

After two years, Pam and I are different people and ECF is a different church. It’s been quite a journey. We asked the Lord for a new adventure. A new adventure is what he has given us. We thank Jesus every day for the unspeakable joy of living for him.

Warmly,

Steve and Pam