Ministering the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Costa Rica with Praying Pelican Missions, networking with local churches,  serving in our community,  and connecting mission teams to  life- changing ministry opportunities.
From Seed to Fruit
Seeing fruit is amazing.  It does not always happen, but when it does, it encourages me so much!

This past month we had team of 16 participants from Red Rocks Church in Colorado.  We were able to connect with a poorer neighborhood called Martina Bustos.  You might remember the story about the community that did not have water for a week...this is the same community.  Six months ago I took a team of 7 people there to support a local children's feeding program.  While we were there, we met a young man named Luis.  He played soccer with us for awhile and then went along his way.  It did not seem like much at all, he was just one of the few people that showed up that day.

Fast forward to the Sunday when the Colorado team was here.  I was sitting in church and a young man sitting behind me caught my eye.  It was the kind of eye contact made where you both realize you know each other, but you do not know from where.  

The next day we were back in Martina Bustos playing with the children and assisting the feeding program.  I had taken some of the team on a quick walk to see the community and a young man walked out of a house to greet us.  It was the same guy from church on Sunday, and the same guy from six months ago...LUIS!  It finally made sense to me why we locked eyes.

Luis began telling us how he started to go to church...wait for it...six months ago!  Could it be that us stopping to show Luis love by kicking around a soccer ball planted a seed in him to draw him closer to Jesus Christ?  I believe so!  Literally as he was telling us his story of starting to go to church six months ago, I was doing some mental math and was blown away that I could see this fruit today.  Luis even told us that he walks to church sometimes twice a week!  That's a very long walk from his community to the church!

To me this was huge.  We tell our teams that everything we do points back to the local church, but sometimes doubt creeps in and you wonder if you are making an impact.  That is, until someone like Luis shows up as a gentle reminder to keep loving, keep sowing seeds, and keep proclaiming the name of Jesus in everything we say and do!
Sudden Need Update...80%
A few months ago we found out that we were not able to renew a large grant that we had received one year prior.  We sent out an urgent email to ask for help, here's a little recap of that need:

THE NEED:  Our current need was for $1,000 more in Monthly Support.  There is no  commitment too small.  We currently have people giving gifts that range from $10 a month to $300 a month.

AN INCENTIVE:  Anyone that signs up to give at the $100 a month level or more, and has given that amount for at least 6 months, receives one free mission trip a year (excluding flight fees) to see first-hand the work that you are sowing into! 

THE UPDATE:  We have been so blessed to receive about  80% of the need in Monthly Support!  We are still in need to help make up the shortfall, so if you feel the Lord leading you, you can start your Monthly Donation here! 
Please Pray:  Pastors & Staff this Month!
We have two large events coming up this month that we have been working on and praying about for a long time.  

October 14th we are hosting our first ever PPM Pastor's Conference.  We have over 75 pastors and wives coming so far!  The morning sessions will focus on the heart of the pastor, being healed, and embracing their calling.  The afternoon sessions will be practical, addressing things such as hosting a missions team, feeding a team, and so on.  We are so excited to have all of our ministry partn ers together in one place, and excited to meet new pastors that are interested in Praying Pelican Missions as well.

October 15th-16th we will be hosting our 2nd Annual Staff Retreat.  We now have 22 staff that we are excited to get to know better, worship with, grow with, and train in all things PPM.  Our goal is grow local leaders to take ownership of what God is doing all over Costa Rica with our ministry partners!

We covet your prayers for both of these back-to-back events!

Blog Update
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Everyone needs to take some time and let out some confessions.  Here are a few of mine:  

You would think after 15 months of living and serving in Costa Rica that we would have ti all together by now.  You would think that we have somehow "arrived" or have crossed every cultural barrier. You would think.   Allow me to share my confessions for a moment: 1.   The Bugs Do Not [...]...ยป
Love,
Nathan, Laura, Darrell, Reagan, Abigail,  Malachi  & Isaiah Norman