A friend invited Grettel to go to the exercise program that had started in the community center. Needing to do something active she agreed to go. Little did she know that going to work out would lead to becoming a part of a community of women. A community...
In the small community of Vista Alegre is a man named Bismark Obregón who has farmed the community for over 60 years. Bismark is a very kind and hard worker man and has a deep desire to learn more about agriculture. Bismark joined to agriculture site ministry about two years...
This week for #MinistrySiteMonday get to know the Social Services site in SI-Costa Rica. This site is located in Las Fuentes, a small community made up of mostly Nicaraguan immigrant families. This is a multi-faceted ministry that has partnered with a local church and community center to offer a variety of activities...
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite days of the year. I mean, a day dedicated to feasting! It feeds the soul since it is also a time of gathering and sharing our blessings. Plus, Fall has just hit its peak out here in California, so we are excited...
At the beginning of the summer, Maggie and I made a pastoral trip to Students International in the Dominican Republic. The goal for our pastoral trips is always to meet individually with staff: to listen, to give advice, to encourage, to bless, and to pray. It was an...
During the Outreach Since the moment we drove away from the airport I knew I was going to love Costa Rica. The familiar smells of Latin America filled my senses as I took in all the foreign billboards and stacked architecture. Muddled Spanish was being spoken all around...
Part 3: What benefit does short term missions have for nationals and our long-term staff? One of the biggest questions people often wrestle with in doing short-term missions is “What benefit to these trips have for nationals (people who are native to the country you’re visiting), as well as...
Part 1: Short-term and Long-term missions working together If you’re anything like me, you’ve asked the questions, “Are short-term missions even worth it?” “Wouldn’t it be more effective to just raise the money and give it to the ministry?” “What benefit does it really have on the people...
Once every couple years the SI leadership team (including field directors) meet to plan, pray, and share their lives together. Last week they gathered in Magdalena, Guatemala. Our theme verse this year was from Isaiah 55:12, “For you will go out with joy And be led forth with...
In the North American church, short-term missions have exploded in numbers in the past few decades. In fact, today more church dollars are spent on short term missions than on supporting full-time missions. It is a reaction to the globalization we are all going through. The world is...
