As the pandemic continues, stay-at-home orders for several countries remain, and others begin to open back up, our work in each base is looking different every week. However, we are blessed to continue finding ways to serve God in the communities to bring light and hope. Today’s story comes from our Microfinance Site in Costa Rica!

Much like the rest of the world, Costa Rica has been riding the emotional rollercoaster of COVID-19. Beginning in mid-May, the government started phase two of opening the country. This phase affected small businesses as well as our ministry sites.

Many of the women in our Microfinance site are small business owners that have been badly hurt by the COVID-19 restrictions. Ivania is one of those small business owners who attended our Microfinance site for the last seven years. Now she facilitates a sewing class every Friday.
Independent small business owners like Ivania have been forced to close their doors, effectively cutting off or severely limiting their income.

With caution and guidance from local government, our site members are slowly returning to the microfinance site. New safety and sanitation protocols have the site feeling a bit foreign, but we are happy to be back!

The last few weeks have been a breath of fresh air to both our staff and the women that attend the sewing, knitting, nail, and cooking classes offered through the Microfinance site. Cindy, one of our site leaders, recently said, “Even though we were thankful to have the ability to stay in contact with the women through cell phones, we are very happy to finally be able to walk with them through life again.” Our hearts are filled with joy to see Christ-centered community reappear in a sorely missed way.

Unfortunately, on June 19th, COVID-19 cases in the Desamparados area spiked, and the city was placed on orange alert. Now we are returning to a strict curfew and limiting the hours that businesses are allowed to operate. For this reason, our ministry sites have once again paused.

Would you consider coming together with us to lift up the Microfinance site in prayer? Please pray that the Lord’s face would shine upon Desamparados. Pray that small businesses and human health affected by COVID-19 would be shown mercy and that our Microfinance site will continue to be used as a building block in Christ’s Kingdom.