Babushka Pictures

Peterson update

(Krystiana Kosobucki graciously wrote this–a BIG thanks to her!)

In 2002, Dan and Andrea Petersen felt God calling them to be missionaries in Scotland. In June of that year, they left Indianapolis with their three children, Lydia, Otto, and Jack-Lewis, to settle in Glasgow, Scotland. Dan works with UCCF, University and Colleges Christian Fellowship, which is the British  “InterVarsity.” The organization work with the Christian Unions in reaching out to students on college campuses. Dan currently works with seven different colleges around Glasgow. Please pray that another staff worker can be found for next year, as the work load is rather hard on him. To learn more about UCCF, go to their website at http://www.uccf.org.uk/

          Andrea is mostly busy with things around the home, especially since their family was joined by a baby boy, Hugo, in 2005. However, all four of the children are now in school, giving Andrea more time for other things. She has especially enjoyed being able to spend time with other mothers from the school, and is happy to find that several of them are quite open to the gospel. This year, Andrea has started an online store, where she sells handmade dolls and other things. Check out her shop at flanneryo.etsy.com.

          The four Petersen children all attend the Scottish schools. Lydia, now age thirteen, is in the local high school and loves it, especially her art class. Otto and Jack-Lewis, ages twelve and ten, attend the elementary or “primary” school in their town. Otto is interested in computers, and Jack-Lewis in art. Hugo, age three, started nursery school this year. Despite small faults such as dumping water on computers, Hugo’s primary purpose in life seems to be to make his family laugh. All of them have learned Gaelic fluently, but Otto has especially excelled in this.

          The family currently attends Woodhill Evangelical Church. In general, Scotland is not an especially easy place to do missions type work, so please pray for the Petersens. They can always use prayer for finances, and also just that they would be continually encouraged in their work and lives.

Stilwell update

The Rehab Center, Casa de Amor, seems to be progressing nicely. We are hitting a space in which we are growing both in administrative capacity and direct service to the men in the house. We currently have 8 men who are living in the center, ranging in age from 19 to 55. They also range in length of time spent in the house, the newest having just 3 days to the most mature having already graduated from the program and doing a renovation period. Rafa and Wiston are two of our youngest and are just about to graduate. They both hope to stay in the center, Wiston to finish his elementary school work and Rafa to develop his skills as a leader and helper in the center. They have both been just great guys and are much loved. These two graduates bring the count of graduates to four – adding to the two older men (both in their fifties) who graduated last year.

We have been doing regeneration and new life orientation modules to our current program offerings. This last month God started to mend our relationships with the local drug enforcement agency and we are now receiving free intake and counseling services through them. Not only does this expand our range of services, but it also provides us with a shade of legitimacy that we need to work more freely within the community and to receive our much-desired not-for profit status.

The Casa de Amor is formed as a legal association under Costa Rican law. It is a great blessing and a requirement of the law to have to have a board of directors-a a junta directive, in Spanish. Starting our third year of operation, we have just formed our second board of directors and it appears that we have a really great group of people to work with. We have two Pentecostals, two catholics, one messianic believer and then Kim. The professions range from a student finishing her masters thesis in forensics to a retired fisherman. It is our hope that this group can guide us through the process of securing a property (perhaps the one we are currently on) and building a more functional facility to continue serving this group.

As a church we have been meeting on the beach and it is going well. We even have a small Sunday school group that has their lessons right there on a sheet – Jimmy and Jared have been doing the teaching and Kim the Sunday school group, so the Sunday school group has been even more popular than normal! (Of course, sand is a large part of every section of the service.) We serve the three families that work at the Casa de Amor, the guys living in the house, the surfer population and then anybody who wants to come along and join us.

We have a small bi-lingual ladies study and are currently studying Beth Moore’s study on the Psalms. It is especially exciting that we are beginning to act as sisters in Christ –understand, sharpen and strengthen one another. God has been so faithful to use our differences in culture and language as assets to the group, rather than hindrances. Kim also has an English bible study with some of the local guys and then continues to lead a bible study on the beach on Mondays for the beach crowd. We see several of these guys inThis study has a tendency to feed the Sunday morning services then frequently spills into the Sunday morning service

The kids are super-great. All are growing physically, emotionally and spiritually – what we all want, right? They attend three different schools but all of their classes are in Spanish, whether they are in private or public school. When we first arrived our concern was their Spanish, but now our concern is their English! In pure Tico-style we spend most evenings together eating, doing chores and homework. But in addition, we spend one evening as family night – watching a movie, playing cards, etc., and then continue our Sunday night family meetings, in which we are studying Revelation – it comes at just the right time for the kids as they are beginning to notice conversations or newspaper articles about the beast, the dragon, 666, etc.

Jeremiah is continuing his studies at the two-years-in-one night school, so that he will graduate this year with a Costa Rican high school diploma. He is also working in English in home school in some courses that will help to give him the equivalent of a high school diploma from the States – things like American Literature, Civics and Social Studies – he knows lots about Costa Rican government, but very little about U.S. government! He spends the rest of his time with his chickens, surfing, working at a part-time tour job and eating and sleeping.

Sam is in 8^th grade and thoroughly enjoying the sports programs at school. He participates in soccer, in-door soccer, swimming and cross-country track. And then on the weekends, for a little more physical torture, goes to the gym with his high school buddies. He does a great job at his school work and seems to shine especially in the special and group projects which the Tico culture values so highly. Sam and Corinne are in the same facility for classes and Sam seems to be enjoying being “big brother,” to Corinne. Several of his buddies are bi-lingual and bi-cultural, including one who has grandparents in both Indiana and Vietnam.

Corinne is finishing her last year in “school,” because high school starts in 7^th grade and she certainly looks the part. She has grown a half an inch monthly now for 7 months and is maturing so much in personality as well. She also likes the school where she studies and is especially enthusiastic about English classes, art, and the upcoming science fair. On Thursdays she waltzes out of her after-school dance class and on Saturdays loves her work at the local vet’s office where she even gets to help with some of the surgeries.

Gabriel (the Goobster) is in first grade at one of the local elementary schools and is a perfect first grader – loose front teeth, learning to read and believes as truth everything the teacher says! It’s perfectly adorable. His favorite snack is ring bologna with ritz-like crackers and his favorite school lunch is rice with chicken (arroz con pollo) with refried black beans and salad. He has 25 classmates and attends Monday-Friday 7 am until 2 pm. In his spare time, he fishes in the little creek behind the house, rides bikes and plays tops with the neighbor boys.

Kim and I are both fine – I continue to have my hands plenty full with the school and life schedules of this bilingual, bi-cultural tribe. A little part-time job managing a building gives me lots of opportunity to be on the inside of Tico business culture and I have learned soooo much by attending bible classes at the local Foursquare church. Their offer to let me attend classes there has sharpened my Spanish, provided me with some much-needed Christian fellowship and given me additional opportunity to learn from and influence them – they have no program to send, support or grow missionaries and we have been able to help them with that desire.

Kim is super-busy with all of the needs of the center, the church and the family, but is enjoying trying to grow some of the local plants and growing in computer skills and refining some of his teaching techniques as well as fixing everything that breaks here at home and at the rehab center. He recently helped an older friend of ours in San Jose get into a nursing home and has enjoyed helping some of the local surfers learn some life skills. He started taking Spanish classes from a neighbor and is trying to keep up with the kids….especially the boys.  

–Laura

Quepos, Costa Rica

Kate’s Trip

Please pray for Kate Monahan as she heads to Costa Rica to see the Stilwells today–May 18-June 1

* For customs and baggage, and traveling mercy

* For wisdom and discernment in prioritizing what gets done during the time there

* To be a servant to the Stilwells and also have fun with her friends

* For a safe return trip

Odds and Ends

Cassie is now in Ukraine until May 5. Please pray for her and those serving there:

* The Holy Spirit to change hearts

* For the hearts to be servents

* For hearts to be open to the gospel

* For God’s favor and wisdom

* For health and travel mercy

* To be a blessing to all those who are involved

* For joy, peace, and unity

Jim and Karen K. have returned to the field after their furlow and family growth spirt (Maria Joy–born on February 21st), with their finances in order. Please pray as four new people have joined their team is Asia, and the trasition as many of the younger people who were helping have now returned to their own villiages. Pray for a home for Ebenezer, as well as an office for the language project, as new accomodations are needed.

Vanessa McElroy is back in Ukraine and happy. Please pray for the re-entry into Ukraine and the upcoming yearly national conference in Kyiv (for provisions, the presence of the Holy Spirit, and grace on speaking before and during the conference).

Rachel Winzeler is very happily returning to Brasil July 6. Right now she is busy finishing the school semester at Ivy Tech and working at Circle Center. Her father just had a minor heart attack last week, but is doing well at home, sneaking out of the house to buy chicken to BBQ in the backyard, even though he is supposed to resting. (heh. sounds weird to write this in the third person. anyways–thanks for all the prayers everyone!)

The Wilsons had a great Easter service in Japan, and ask for prayer on visas for new and returning interns, new students at the international school, the trip to Ch*na in May, and their family as they travel to Oregon in June.

Thank you for your time. If you have any prayer requests, please make sure to let someone know. or you could e-mail me: amobrasil99@hotmail.com. God bless.