University Ministry
God has placed a special passion in our hearts for college students. College students are at a very unique, influential time in their lives. They are experiencing more freedom than ever! During these 4 years, they will make huge life decisions about what they believe and who they will be for the rest of their lives. They are open to knew ideas and challenge everything they have been taught- this is why we lose so many of our Christian youth when they go to the University. It is our goal to help our Christian students remain strong and even grown in their faith as well as to take this small window into unsaved students’ lives to challenge them in their beliefs and share Christ with them.
We will work alongside national leaders and fellow missionaries to build sustainable ministries on campuses throughout Costa Rica. Our primary function will be to raise up, disciple, and train leaders- equipping them with the tools they need reach their campuses. We believe that students reach students best. There is nothing more powerful than a peer sharing their story of how Jesus changed their life.
Our long-term dream is to develop an international training and equipping center for student and campus leaders. American university students, as well as students from any nation, would raise money to come to Costa Rica for a summer full of hands-on training and discipleship. At the end of the summer, they would return to their campuses energized, confident, passionate for the lost, and fully equipped to reach their classmates.
Community Development Programs
As Americans, sometimes we have the tendency to find a “quick fix” when we are faced with an overwhelming need. We see poverty, so we organize food drives and gather clothes to hand out. We ourselves provide for the needs we see in other people. However, many times this can do more harm than good in other countries. It can put local food and clothing stores out of business – which only adds to the issue of poverty. It teaches people in poverty that they are not able to help themselves – that their best option is to allow us to provide for them. This creates dependency which pushes them farther and farther into the hole of poverty.
God has placed a different approach in our hearts for ministering to the impoverished in Costa Rica.
We desire to create a community-driven ministry that will empower and equip those who are in need. We will immerse ourselves in the community that we want to affect and develop strong relationships with the people of that community. By listening to them, we are able to give them respect and have a more accurate understanding of their priorities. We will do an assets and needs assessment of the community, working side-by-side with the people who live there. Then together, we will use their local assets to create a long-term, permanent solution to the largest problems facing the community such as poverty, drug addiction, abuse, etc. By creating a community-driven ministry, we are able to give respect and independence back to the people of the community. By identifying the root of the problem, we are able to do more than a “quick-fix”. We are able to create a self-sustainable ministry that will permanently change a community for God.
We are so excited to use our God-given passions to help the people of Costa Rica and, more than anything, we can’t wait to share how incredible our Savior is with them!