Christian Light Foundation Costa Rica
Evangelism and Discipleship
Together in the joy of the Lord
© 2012 Christian Light Foundation Costa Rica.   Contact Us
Thursday, January 5 - by Andrea
  Our last day in Costa Rica was a busy one!  After spending the last nine days working alongside the leadership team, we wanted to treat the team for their hard work and dedication to reaching the lost in their community and disciplining those that have committed their lives to Christ. These kids are truly remarkable. They go door to door to share the good news of Jesus Christ. They study the Word of God day in and day out. They memorize hundreds of Bible verses and they lead discipleship groups. They play crazy games with the kids in their community and most importantly, they live a life above reproach. It’s no surprise to hear that there is a waiting list of kids who desire to be on this team. They are looked up to in their community.
  We surprised the team to lunch at McDonalds and a trip to the clothing store to pick out a new jacket. Most of these kids never step foot outside of their town, let alone get to eat a hot meal. They hardly ever get anything new, or pick out something new for themselves. We were honored to eat lunch and laugh and play with them, and it brought us pure joy to see their excited faces and their new jackets.
  I ask that you pray for the leadership team at Iglesia Nueva Vida. They desire to live a life that is completely different from their surroundings, and that is no easy task. They come from broken homes, abuse, and poverty. To say that everyday is a struggle for them is an understatement, yet they stand firm in the Word of God. They have a hope that they want everyone to know and experience for themselves.
  This trip has been such a blessing to us all and we can’t wait for the next one!

Wednesday, January 4 - by Veronica
  Today was a great day of fun in the sun at Costa Rica’s famous Jaco beach. The team was up early and ready to go…some ready to shop until they dropped looking for the best souvenirs around while others took their chances at the local zip line attraction. For both groups, I am certain today was a day we will remember always. As we drove through Costa Rica this morning, God gave us the opportunity to enjoy much of what Costa Rica shares with the world (their large variety of wildlife, dense vegetation, and beautiful scenic views). However, I could not help but think about the places in Costa Rica unseen by the world, such as Los Guido. The children of Los Guido are inspiring with their immense love for the Lord and passion for spreading the Gospel. As we spend our last day with the leadership team at La Finca tomorrow, I know our team is proud of all the work the kids are doing and will continue to do when we leave. I know I not only speak for myself, but for others on our team when I say, we look forward to the day when we will serve along side one another again.
  It is with a humble heart that I ask the church body to pray that what we have seen and experienced on this trip will transfer to our daily lives in our local communities. Please pray that when we plant our feet firmly on the ground in LAX, we serve the Lord with the same courage and fearlessness we dared to have in Los Guido.

Tuesday, January 3 - Kyle and Brian
  On a plot of land, in a community not valued enough by many to be found on a map, sits a church building which earlier today received a fresh coat of paint. Our agenda reads that we participated in a ” La Finca work project”, but with the inspiration of all the children eager to help (so many that often we were short paint brushes), it did not feel like neither “work” nor a “project.”
  Battling some, at times, uncooperative winds, the youth leadership team and our mission team painted the church building, living quarters and the adjacent chain link fence. This was in anticipation of the upcoming “Mission Conference” (a 3-day event promoting the idea of “Here, Near, and Far”) which focuses on missions within Los Guido, La Carpio, Tejarcillos, and Nicaragua with speakers including Pastor Santiago of Nicaragua. God provided us with the resources to complete the project in time for the event. We spent the day taping, painting, and cleaning, to finish what we had started the day before, resulting in a beautiful site for worship.
  Following the afternoon events, we gathered, ate dinner and participated with members of the Iglesia Nueva Vida de Los Guido (The New Life Church of Los Guido) in a prayer service. A church member provided a passionate devotional reminding us that our love for God must come first and our struggles need to be relinquished to Him. Next, Pastor Mark made two specific prayer requests: Success of the Mission Conference and flourishment of the feeding/tutoring center. As we broke into smaller prayer groups based on age, one member of the adult group gave a moving prayer thanking God for our team, his “Hermanos en Cristo de Norte America” (North American brothers and sisters in Christ) and referring to Iglesia Nueva Vida as a safe haven for children. Please continue to keep us in your prayers.
  Please keep Mark’s requests in your prayers: the success of the Mission Conference, as well as the growth of the feeding/tutoring center.

Monday, January 2 - by Josh
  It’s been nearly a week since our team arrived in Costa Rica and in a few short days our trip will come to an end. Time is flying by! This Mission House feels like home and the new friends we have made already feel like family. God is at work in this place.
  Community Bible Church has a long history with the Christian Light Foundation and Iglesia Nueva Vida de Los Guido (The New Life Church of Los Guido); this history helps tell of God’s story in Costa Rica.  In 2007, a team from our church, which I was blessed to be part of, walked slowly around a piece of farm land, containing nothing more than a dilapidated barn, praying that God would deliver this land into the hands of the missionaries and church. By 2008, God had showed His faithfulness and the land had been purchased. Our new team prayed, with outstretched arms, that God would allow for a church building to be built; a place where the people of Los Guido could come and worship God in spirit and in truth. We returned in 2009, and with God once again pouring out His faithfulness, their house of worship stood in place of that old barn. Where animals used to eat, sleep, and poop, the people of God now worshiped! In 2010, at the request of Mark Kuzdas, who heads up CLF Costa Rica, our teams began praying even bigger prayers…asking God for even bigger things! As we stood in a circle on a sloped hill, Mark shared that God had given him the vision and passion to build a massive feeding and tutoring center; something of Ark like proportions for a community like Los Guido. As we stood there, hands linked with one another in prayer, God was already orchestrating His plan to fulfill this vision. Last year, when our team arrived at La Finca, we were greeted by the sight of a gigantic building. I have to admit, I didn’t really believe it would happen. But God did it. He provided over a quarter of a million dollars, and many other provisions, and the building was built.
  Along the way, CBC has had the awesome opportunity of being a part of God’s story in Costa Rica. In a way, placing small puzzle pieces that make up the beautiful picture of what God is doing in and through this place. We’ve mixed and poured more cement than any human should see in a lifetime, we’ve rerouted sewage (on numerous occasions), we’ve painted (my, have we painted!), and we’ve trenched. We’ve also had the awesome opportunity to encourage the local church, provide food for the community, and love on thousands of kids.
  With every year comes new opportunities to be used by God. This year is no different. By now, hopefully, you’ve read the other blogs and have been given a glimpse into what God’s been doing: two days of VBS in the streets of Los Guido with hundreds of kids and moms hearing the Good News of Jesus Christ;  bags of food, encouragement, and prayer being brought into the homes of the youth; soccer games…lots and lots of soccer games, all played in the name of Jesus (at which my primary role has been spectator, since I lack the slightest bit of athletic ability!); hours of street evangelism, with our team of 14 walking the streets, knocking on doors, and being the hands and feet of Christ. All of this, and more, in less than a week. God never gives us a shortage of opportunities.
  Today, our team was able to be of some assistance back at La Finca. We split up into four teams and were assigned a designated area to paint. Some of us worked inside the church, repairing some water damage and giving the interior a fresh coat of paint. Another group worked outside, similarly repairing some damage done by the rain and rolling on a new coat of blue. Yet another group worked on the fence that runs along the side of the property. Rust is starting to appear, so in order to keep that from getting any worse our team gave the fence a facelift with a shiny metallic paint. The final group worked on a small house that sits on La Finca. This house serves as home for a lovely couple that keep watch over La Finca at night. A lot was accomplished today. You can be proud of the team you sent! Tomorrow, we will continue our work at La Finca before attending an evening service at Iglesia Nueva Vida.
  Please keep us in prayer as we head into another day of work. Pray for energy, solidarity, and strength. Pray that God would use our final days to work in us and through us!

Sunday, January 1 - by Tiffany
  Last night many of us stayed up to ring in the new year Costa Rican style. The team had some great bonding time while waiting on 12 am. Equipped with party hats and noise makers, we waited with anticipation to see this country’s sky light up. It was well worth it since the fireworks were so beautiful.
  We dined at La Finca for lunch followed by the church service. At the service it was very encouraging to see many of the children and families from the VBS held earlier this week attending for the first time.  The sermon Mark preached was very relevant. He discussed the importance of missionary work for the church to surrounding areas. Also it was very convicting when he stated that to be successful with missionary work, we must start locally by evangelizing to our church, school, home, neighborhood, and city before being able to reach other areas of the world.
  We concluded the night with a deep devotional, delicious ice cream, and frozen chocolate covered bananas which was the perfect end to a great day.

Saturday, December 31
  Today was a day that had God’s fingerprints all over it. Paul said in 1 Cor. 9:22 that he wanted to be all things to all people so that he might by all possible means save some. Today the CBC gringos tried to be professional soccer players for the glory of God. It all started a couple days ago with Mark, the missionary, when he told some young men that the gringos wanted to challenge them in a game of soccer. His sole purpose for throwing us under the bus was to entice these young men into coming to the church property so that we might share the love of Christ with them. Well, it worked out perfectly. They schooled us in the game of soccer and we took the beating like men (and women).  After the game was over we licked our wounds and shared a dinner together and they left knowing that there is a church not far away that loves them. As a surprise, they each received a professional Adidas soccer jersey as a gift from the team.
  Today’s attraction was definitely two fold. The soccer game where the gringo’s took a beating and the slip and slid for the local kids. Close to one hundred showed up for this event that occurs weekly where kids enjoy the soapy water and other games. The best part is that it all happens at church. In a city that has absolutely nothing to offer the kids, the church has stepped in to fill the void with the good news of Jesus Christ, delivered  in a way that is attractive and packaged in love.
  To wrap up the day, we put on a dinner in honor of the leadership team.  These kids work tirelessly and sacrifice so much in order to further the kingdom of God.  Because of this, we wanted to show them we appreciated their work by serving them dinner and enjoying fellowship together.  Together we went around asking for specific prayer requests from each leadership team member and from our team.  We then paired a team member from our team with a leadership team member and shared a time of intimate prayer.  After the time of prayer, we enjoyed dinner together.  Afterwards, the leadership kids smashed the piñata we bought them and the candy flew in all directions.  The night was wrapped up with s’mores around a bonfire, soccer and a game of tag.  We did our best to show them that their hard work does not go unnoticed.

Friday, December 30 - by Lindsey and Lanaya
  Today we continued our trip with our second day of street evangelism. We walked through the streets of Sector 7,  which is one of the most dangerous areas of Los Guido. Through narrow dirt roads we started our journey. The houses were in poor condition with walls and roofs made from pieces of tin nailed together. We were careful not to step in the running water and sewage that flowed on the sides of the roads. We are humbled with the condition of living of this area. Our team handed out candy, stickers, and balloon animals to anyone who answered to the knocking and calling out of the leadership team as they invited the children to the VBS. It was exciting to see all of the kids who were shy at first fill the street as the VBS began.
  Once the street was filled with kids, the fun began!  There was singing, dancing, and lots of games. We found it encouraging to see kids keep coming to join in as the activities continued. It seemed that as the sounds of music and laughter traveled, more kids showed up. As soon as they walked to the area of the VBS, their faces lit up with excitement. The activities are just as fun for us Gringos to watch as it is for the kids to participate! It was amazing to the first timers to see just how much joy these kids radiate. They crawl onto your laps and go around patting your pockets checking for more candy. They are so accepting and comfortable with strangers. This is quite different than what we are used to in the states.
  During the sharing of the Gospel, we join up with the leadership team as they split into groups to help the children understand the message. The Gospel is received so openly, not just by the kids, but also by their moms. Often times, we will see the moms come out of the surrounding houses to hear the Gospel. It is amazing to see how God can use a VBS designed for young kids, to gather people of all ages to hear His Word. There is so much encouragement in being able to watch children (and parents, too)  hear the Good News, often for the very first time. Please be praying specifically for the seeds that have been planted the last two days of VBS. Pray that their desire to know more about Him will continue to grow. Also, be praying for more opportunities for the leadership team to share about the Gospel with the people of this sector after we leave.
  We wanted to leave you with another specific prayer request: At the first VBS, there was a handful of teenage boys that seemed reluctant to participate in the activities. Mark approached the boys and invited them to challenge the Gringo soccer team at La FInca tomorrow. In order to really grab their attention, he bribed them with lunch…and the bragging rights of beating the Gringos! Mark shared with us that this age group is an exceptionally hard group to reach ministry wise. Please pray that they show up tomorrow morning as this is an incredible opportunity to begin planting seeds for the Kingdom.

Thursday, December 29 - Jacqui
  The sun rises early in Costa Rica.  As I was sitting outside watching the rising sun and listening to the songs of the birds, I was filled with anticipation for the day ahead.  We started the day with morning devotions, discussing spiritual gifts and how coming together as a team we can accomplish much more then possible as individuals.  We discussed how sometimes being outside of our comfort zone, it fills us with excitement to see what God has in store for us, even when we are uncertain of our role.
  After another delicious breakfast prepared by our hosts, we headed to Los Guido for a session of Vacation Bible School for the neighborhood children.  We followed along as the Leadership team knocked on doors to invite the children and parents to the VBS.  The team thoroughly enjoyed being able to hand out stickers, candy, balloon animals (or balloons that sometimes resembled animals..smile) and distribute hugs and smiles to children along our path.   The children responded well to our enthusiasm and soon an excited crowd had gathered.  Several hours of songs, dancing, games and laughter set the stage for a time of great fellowship and worship. There was much energy and joy among the children and the team.  It was often hard to distinguish who was having the better time, the children or the team.   When the leadership team made the call for the children to circle around for the sharing of the gospel by use of a puzzle called the “bridge illustration”, the children were quiet and even the older teens and adults gathered around to hear the message.  I was simply in awe that all of this energy could be channeled into a productive learning/listening session.  Children and adults alike had pencils in hand to complete their puzzle.  It was apparent that the Lord was in this place and the message was getting through.
  We were remiss not to follow the advice of a wise group-member who stated “Reapply, or you will fry” (of the sunscreen).   However, the pinker versions of ourselves were able to continue into the afternoon session of delivering food bags to some of the Leadership homes (church members) in Los Guido, in appreciation for the work that their child(ren) had done this year.  The parents were all smiles to receive the token of appreciation and the team-members took turns praying over the homes of these members.  It was exciting to be the “face” of this distribution of appreciation.  Thank you to all of those who made this possible.
  We arrived back at the mission house exhausted and sunburned but overall feeling like we had the opportunity to witness God’s work and an amazing day.   We are grateful for the support of those who have sent us and continue to ask for prayers as we continue our agenda in the upcoming days.

Wednesday, December 28 - by Christian and Elsa
  The beautiful morning began with a story from 2 Kings; a story which took place in Samaria during the time the town had been besieged by the Syrian army. The town being surrounded by these armed forces did not allow food or supplies in or out of the town, resulting in a famine amongst all of the Samaritans. Within the town, there were four lepers who lived near the city gates. These lepers weighed their options: either stay in the city and die of starvation or leave the city and die at the hand of the enemy. They decided on the latter and to their astonishment, the enemy’s camp was deserted with an abundance of food and drink left behind. Principally, the lepers acted selfishly satisfying their own hunger and stealing treasures from the camp, all while their fellow citizens were continuing to die of starvation within the city. The lepers soon realized their selfishness and decided to share the good news of the enemy leaving. This story was used to illustrate that all too often, we can be selfish with the Good News of God’s unconditional love. We were encouraged to push ourselves out of our comfort zone to selflessly show the people of Costa Rica God’s love by meeting their physical needs of food, shelter, affection, but more importantly their spiritual need of an unwavering God.
  After devotional and a delicious breakfast provided to us by Meg and Rosa, we quickly entered our team bus and headed down to the Finca. For some of us, it was a time to see familiar faces that we have dearly missed and for others, an opportunity to get to know the Iglesia Nueva Vida leadership team. This is an important time for both teams as we will be serving alongside each other over the next 9 days. There is no better way to get to know one another than with a game of soccer! Ticos versus Gringos! We won’t disclose the final score (mainly because we lost count of the Tico’s score), but we were eventually able to get 3 past them. We spent all morning with the leadership team either playing games, singing songs, or sitting with them under the shade of a tree with lots of hugs to go around. We were also able to see the continued work God is doing here in Los Guido, as the feeding/tutoring center where construction began approximately 3 years ago, has recently been completed! It’s an amazing feeling knowing this place will be used to provide nourishment, shelter, and spiritual growth for the people of Los Guido, who have such an insatiable hunger for God’s Word. We never thought we would be so happy to see running sewage lines, a commodity we obviously take for granted on a daily basis back at home. Spending days digging these sewage trenches, knee high in sewage last year, seems miniscule compared to the hygienic and healthy environment it will now provide for years to come.
  We left the Finca and headed back to the mission house for a quick lunch before heading out to the local Wal-Mart to purchase various food items to make the food bags which will be delivered to the leadership teams’ families tomorrow. Thank you to all of those who donated to make these food bags possible and to everyone for their continued prayers/support. Tomorrow will also be our first day of street VBS, please pray for softened hearts and for God’s love to be made evident. We are looking forward to another day of God’s work to be completed!

Tuesday, December 27 - by Michelle
  Hello dear friends and family! We arrived safely this morning to the Mission House, after Mark, the head honcho of the mission house and Cori, our dear bus driver greeted us with smiles and hugs. The plane ride was long and sleepless for everyone, save one. Luckily for the rest of us, we were able to rest up for the remainder of the day, and are eagerly anticipating tomorrow’s activities with much excitement. We ask that you continually keep us in your thoughts and prayers, as we have our whole trip ahead of us! You can also be praying for the souls that we will be encountering over the next week; pray that we will be received with open hearts that are thirsty for the love and great Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ.We have such an opportunity to serve so many men, women, and children in this area. I hope you will join me in prayer that the seeds we sow here in San Jose produce good and lasting fruit. Thank you so much for your continued support, love and prayers. We desperately need strength from all sides! I am so happy to be a part of this team, and I am looking forward to tomorrow morning, when we get to see many of the friends we have made over the years.  
Veronica Avalos - Elsa Bermudez - Andrea Chittenden - Kyle Gridley - Jaqueline Hurd - Ron Johnson - Lindsey Keck Tiffany Kerr - Michelle Preddy - Christian Sanford - Jonah Schaefer - Lanaya Silva - Brian Riley - Josh Hager
Community Bible Church
San Bernardino, CA ~ December 27, 2011 - January 5, 2012
Team pictures
are on Facebook  here.