Ministering the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Costa Rica with Praying Pelican Missions, networking with local churches ,  and connecting mission teams to  life- changing ministry opportunities.
Healing Pastor's Hearts
Nate was able to lead two back-to-back trips in the Santa Cruz, Costa Rica area this month.  One church from the USA has returned to the same church in Costa Rica for three years in a row!  It's amazing to see a true partnership take place.  From the moment the team gets off the bus they are embraced by their Costa Rican friends and jump in right in where they left off the year before.  It truly is a beautiful thing to see.  

One of our favorite things to experience on the trips is the time when we sit and listen to the local host pastors.  They share their testimonies, their call to ministry, how they met their spouse, victories and struggles in ministry, and information about the church and community.  This gives the team a good overall picture of the needs of the pastors and communities.
This time usually ends with the team laying hands on and praying for the pastor's family.  Over the last few trips, I have seen the team do deep ministry in these short moments.  We know that being a pastor anywhere in the world is not an easy job.  Yet we also know that healthy pastors grow healthy churches!  This is our goal, to encourage, equip, and support the local churches in Costa Rica and around the world!
Costa Rica Advisory Board
- Preparing for the Future-
Last year we added a new piece to the ministry in Costa Rica: a pastoral board of advisors.  We have seven pastors and pastoras who are committed to the vision of Praying Pelican Missions and committed to expanding the Kingdom of God all over Costa Rica.

Right now, the Advisory Board helps through consulting with the pastors of potential staff to get quality recommendations.  Some of our pastors have made it a goal to visit each trip and check in on our staff.  We have asked the Advisory Board to check in on the local host pastor, and spend time ministering to the staff running the trip as weeks can be long and difficult at times.

Our favorite thing to see is when our Advisory Board pastors join us in ministry with the team to experience exactly what the trip participants are experiencing as seen in the picture above.  The two people on the left are some of our Advisory Board pastors doing Food Distribution with us on the streets of Santa Cruz.
Our role will be changing soon, but our needs only become greater as our influence expands.  To support us on a monthly basis, go to
Nicaragua & Guatemala
-Expanding Our Tent Pegs-
This month, in addition to overseeing the ground operations in Costa Rica, Nate is now helping to lead our team in Nicaragua and Guatemala.  

We have an amazing full time local staff member in Nicaragua named Silver.  Nate has been working with Silver to help structure the ministry in Nicaragua that has already been going on for a few years.  Silver is an incredible asset to our ministry there!
 

In addition to a lot of structural work, Nate will be leading a trip in Nicaragua in April, followed by preaching at the first PPM Pastor's Conference in Nicaragua.  It will be a great time to meet the pastors that PPM has already begun relationships with over the years, but also to encourage and equip them even more!
"Enlarge the place of your tent,
stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back;
lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes."
Isaiah 54:2
The Big Move...A Slow Progression

It is only a mere five months until we move our family back to the USA.  There is much to be done both here in Costa Rica and in Florida.  We have begun to sort through our home: we will be donating the majority of our belongings to bless people here, and setting aside the few things we will be bringing back to the USA.  
One big life change is that we have found loving families for our two birds and for our puppy.  We knew we would not be able to transition to the USA as easily with three pets in tow.  The only animals left in our house now are simply unwelcome critters!

We are currently at a standstill as we try to make plans for our lives in Florida.  We applied for all of the children to attend a charter school, but the enrollment is determined by a lottery system.  They will do the drawing of names in mid-March. We are waiting to hear what the outcome is, then will make decisions regarding school for the children after that.  Our housing situation is dependent upon where the children will be attending school, so even a search for a home has been put on hold for now.  

So what can you do to help? 
#1.  Pray!  Pray for the right school and the right house!
#2.  You can also give!  This move costs a lot of money in addition to our regularly budgeted expenses.  If you would like to help us fund our move, you can give here.
Prayer Points
  • Pray for the right school for all of our children. Reagan and Abigail will both be in middle school, and this is a scary thought! 
  • Pray for Malachi and Isaiah, that they will adjust well to being in a new school and new learning style. 
  • Pray for our future house in Florida; that it will be in the right location, and will truly feel like our home.
  • Pray for peace in our house as we sort through not only the material things, but our thoughts and feelings about leaving Costa Rica and the people whom we love so much. 
  • Pray for the Lord to continue to guide us as we make big, important decisions in the next couple of months. 
March Event:  Staff Retreat!
This month we will host our 3rd annual Costa Rica Staff Retreat.  This year will be different though because we will also have our Nicaraguan staff with us as well!
March 2-4 we will have over 30 staff gathered to worship, grow, and learn the ropes of trip leading in Costa Rica and Nicaragua.  We are excited to see this group of amazing staff be trained and grow in their leadership.  

As part of our training, the staff will be keeping a Trip Journal just like on other trips.  This journal is for training, so it will not be as refined.  Yet it should give you a good taste as to what transpires over the weekend.   Click here to get retreat updates!

Please keep this event in your prayers as it sets the tone for our entire year!  It will also be exciting to have the staff from two countries together for one common purpose, taking the Gospel to the nations!
Love,
Nathan, Laura, Darrell 
(in the USA), Reagan, Abigail,  Malachi,  & Isaiah