In one tiny corner of an obscure little pueblo in the northern central region of Costa Rica, there is a flowing congregation of Nicaraguan families who’ve fled job-less and desperate situations to find a slightly more hopeful one. Apparently, their living situation, of which I was only allowed to glimpse the outside of, is one of grim dirt floors and meager belongings. About 100 steps away is a family home that has become over the years, a home of safe refuge and prayer for these families. This home belongs to Ana and Julio, who have become our dear friends and ministry partners.
These families are mostly made up of single mothers and small children and are among those who’ve yet to know anything about Jesus. At least when they’d first arrived. They hadn’t seen or read a bible; in fact most of them can’t read, they didn’t know anything about church or hymns or prayers. They weren’t excited about having dangerously walked their small children single-handedly through the rough terrain that led them from their beloved home country to this one, but as they saw it, they had no choice. They needed to make money, to find hope and to feed themselves.
Once in Costa Rica, the jobs they were able to obtain were factory jobs, cooking, or cleaning for tourists. These jobs were often far away from where they could feasibly live, and they would have to leave their younger older children to care for the littler ones for sometimes 14 hours at a time while they walked many miles to and from their job to earn piddly pay.
Ana and Julio, and our friends Carmen and Eliomar had asked us to come from our town of Florencia, about an hour’s drive away to teach them about Jesus, to pray with them, to read the children’s bible with them and to sing songs. We’ve thrown an annual Christmas party for them complete with gifts and a special dinner – both of which they’d never experienced before. It was as nice a party we could muster up under the circumstances, and by no means could be compared with any Christmas party we’d attended in the States – and yet, it was the most special, blessed, and magical Christmas party I’d ever attended.
This year is so very different in that we will not be physically there; however, we know that it will carry on with our dear friends, and we still very much want to be a part of this simple, noble and holy night. I wish we could convey to you all in something more than words what this party means in the grand scheme of things. What a gift to offer a drink of water in this way to very thirsty sojourners, and to love in this way to very lost souls. But I try to, as I implore you to consider donating this Christmas to the poorest of the poor.
There is also, by the coast of Puntarenas about a three-hour drive from our property in Sonafluca, a good and holy priest who is ministering right now to a group of about 200 extremely poor children. He is currently in the hospital and his concern is for the flock he shepherds as the doctors try to figure out what’s ailing him. Last year during Mamon Chino season (small red fuzzy looking fruit balls), Brad was able to drive three truck-loads of this tasty fruit to Padre Wilian so he could bag them and sell them in order to raise money for all the poor families he shepherds. It would be a big blessing, needless to say, for him to provide these kids with a gift or some sort of diario (bag of food staples) to feed their families this year for Christmas.
And lastly, there is our project in Guatemala that provides catechesis, an after school snack, and a safe place for kids to be in the poor village of San Jorge. Our local ministry partners there are carrying the torch and have had a particularly tough time lately with family death and sickness. But they are tirelessly moving forward through the grief and loving and serving the poor through it all. Every day they wake up and open their door and their hearts for those in need, providing them with food staples and pleading their cases while trusting God to provide.
Please share this burden with us as we help take care of the poor God has placed in front of us. We are now taking donations through Gift of Hope at the link below. Please write in the comments if you have a preference for where your gift should be directed. Your gift goes directly to the poor! Thank you for your consideration. God bless you all and have a very joyful Merry Christmas!!
https://giftofhopeandafuture.org/donate
Schmitz Family Missions 