Remembering Family

Since we are living in Costa Rica, Sandy and I are often asked: Do you miss your family and friends? Sure, we miss them, but we wouldn’t trade what God is revealing to us here through our school, our new friends, and our neighborhood for anything. Since we are in language school with about 130 other missionaries planning to work in Central and South America, it is amazing to hear where they are going, what they are going to do, and what they have already seen God do. We get frequent surprises…


For example, yesterday we stopped by our local panadería (bakery) (I'm teaching you a little Spanish here), and I was chatting with the girl behind the counter (in Spanish, of course!). Imagine my surprise when I looked down at the cash register and saw, I kid you not, a Hope Baptist Church ballpoint pen! Check the photo. I explained to the girl that the pen came from our home church in Las Vegas, en los Estados Unidos. I asked her if she knew how it ended up in her store. She didn’t know for sure, but guessed it came from one of her clientes (customers) or from someone across the street (we also attend the church across the street, Iglesia Bíblica Nazareth – Nazareth Bible Church).

Not only did our world shrink a little when we found we weren’t the first Hope people to visit here, but we also realized how BIG God’s world is. We realized that even though our parents, brothers, sisters, children, grandchildren and many friends are still back in the US, we are surrounded by friends and family here, also. Yes, family.

I immediately thought of the passage in John which says But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name - John 1:12. And then today, one of my FB friends, Philip, posted from Paul’s letter to the Galatians, For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus - Galatians 3:26. I am sure many of you have your own favorite passages that talk about the “family of God.”

It reminded me of the time my pastor, Vance Pitman from Hope Baptist Church, was talking about the time he was in Africa, in a small store about 8 feet by 10 feet, 4 hours from the nearest road, and someone called out – Aren’t you that pastor from Las Vegas!

Whether it’s bottles of water given out on street corners, car washes given to strangers, or ballpoint pens available at church, we are able to experience God’s overwhelming presence, and the closeness of our lives, all over the world. It’s just another reminder that if you are involved in praying for, and/or financially supporting Hope Baptist Church, or your own church, you are truly reaching further than you can imagine and in ways you may never know about. Praise God, Amen? AMEN!