Ministering the Gospel of Jesus Christ with Praying Pelican Missions, networking with local churches ,  and connecting mission teams to  life- changing ministry opportunities.
Unhealthy Missionaries?
Yes, you read that right.  Unhealthy missionaries.  Looking back in life you can always see things that you should have done better, better choices you could have made, and how things could have been done a much different way.

Since moving to South Florida we have been able to "church shop" and we have taken this very seriously.  It has been these times of worshipping in church and hearing the Word of God IN ENGLISH that have had the most impact and have brought us healing.

In the last year of over 3 years in Costa Rica we did find an amazing church that was a great fit for our family.  Our friend base, where we had fellowship with other people who spoke english, came from this church.  To this day, we still miss our pastors and friends there.  It was our safe place of refuge where we were accepted.
What did NOT happen in that church in Costa Rica was something that no one ever saw, not even us!  As you all know, Laura and I were not very good with Spanish.  We loved going to church though and worshipping in Spanish.  Yet when it came time for hearing God's Word in a corporate setting, we understood nothing.  We could figure out the theme, but honestly, after about 10 minutes our brains hurt from trying to translate everything in our heads and soon enough we tuned it out and started day-dream until everyone stood up for the final song.

At one point early in our time at the Costa Rican church, the Pastors (who became very close friends to us) offered to translate all of the preaching notes into English so we could follow along easier.  In my pride and not wanting to make more work for them, I said "no thanks, we are ok."

The language barrier not only kept us from being fed spiritually, but also gave us an excuse not to serve in our local church.  We served many places around Costa Rica, but not in our church.

Where is all of this going?  We feel God has led us to a church where we are now committed to.  Hearing God's Word preached in English is bringing healing and renewed strength to us.  Now we are eagerly looking for ways to serve, where we can use our God-given abilities to support and help our local church.  Another advantage is that, due to having more than one service, serving doesn't take us away from being fed spiritually.

Now we see, but then we couldn't.  We were not very healthy, just surviving, but now we are ready to start thriving!  As we are filled up we will have more to pour out to our community and the world!

Thank you everyone for your continued prayers and support.  Our transition seems like it has been miraculous!  God has been so faithful to us!
From South Florida to the World, 
you're helping to make missions happen!  
Thank you for your prayer and financial support!
This Season of Ministry
This season of ministry back in the USA is very different than what I (Nate) have been used to.  Right now I am in a recruiting season.  It's a chance to talk with churches, schools, and individuals all over the USA and share the great opportunities that await them as they plan to serve domestically or internationally with Praying Pelican Missions.  This requires a lot of time on the phone advocating for our partner pastors and dreaming with others about stepping out in faith to answer the call to GO!
I also have begun working with our international staff, setting them up for success as they are our staff on the ground in our international locations.  Since our busy summer season has ended, it gives our in-country staff a chance to go out, meet our partner pastors, and hear about the fruit that has been harvested from the short-term trips.  This is an exciting time of hearing from our pastors and dreaming about the different ways we can partner with them in the future. 

This fall season is also prep season for me as I will be traveling to Costa Rica and Guatemala to put on 2 staff conferences and hold multiple staff training events.  It is these times that help set us up for success as we encourage partners, strategize the ministry opportunities, and train our in-country staff to help lead life-changing mission trips!
Upcoming Events
  • October 8-10 Nate will be in Fort Wayne, Indiana participating in the CMI Global Convention.  CMI Global is a fellowship of pastors/churches that Nate is ordained through.  He will also have a booth there promoting Praying Pelican Missions
  • November 2-4 Nate & Laura will be flying to Costa Rica to put on the 3rd Annual PPM Pastor's Conference and Staff Training events in Liberia, Costa Rica.
  • November 4-7 Nate will continue on to Guatemala for their 1st Annual PPM Pastor's Conference followed by Staff Training events.
Reagan finished off her soccer season with these crazy girls!
Our good friend Taylor came to visit us. Our first visitor!
We were so happy to spend a few hours with Laura's brother and his family!
The kids are enjoying exploring our neighborhood on their bikes!
Love,
Nathan, Laura, Darrell (in DE) , Reagan, Abigail,  Malachi,  & Isaiah