One more friend?

I received an email about a resource that I wanted to pass on to people who are heading off to college and university. Check it out at www.onemorefriend.org. It is a website that encourages Christians on campus to reach out to international students. These foreigners are quite possibly more lonely, scared, and disoriented than those of you who are freshmen, at college for the first time.

I camped on this topic quite a bit in my Missions class. Each of us has a mission field where we are. For those of you who are going to college, your mission field can reach into other countries without you having to step off your native soil. Remember that these students could be great evangelists when they return home!

Make a friend with someone from another culture. Many of you have heard it said, “You may be the only Jesus they will ever meet”.

Prayer Request

We have had a lot going on lately. Tom has been extremely busy in August, hosting a mission team, teaching ESL and the book of Mark, settling incoming students, and most recently, shuttling visitors back and forth to the hospital for a student who had his appendix removed! I have been busy (just) being a Mom and helping in the Children’s ministry at church. September should settle down a bit. Phew!

Along with this, we feel that we are facing some big decisions, especially concerning the girls’ schooling. We are happy enough (and so are they) at their current school. They are fluent in Spanish for their age, their teachers say, which is a great accomplishment. Rekha has good friends. Neena has started to write in Spanish, with no teaching from me. But, we wonder if they would be better educated at home. We are excited to try it out, both Tom and I.

We have a lot of homeschooled students come through Portantorchas, and almost unanimously, they have been great! We would love our girls to turn out like them! They are socially mature and caring, diligent, and well-educated. (Kudos to their parents!).

I have been resting in this verse lately, “I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.” (Psalm 34:4) This is my prayer. I don’t want to fear the results of homeschooling, the responsibility, or having my girls with me all day!

Would you please pray for us in this area? We want to do what is best for our girls. Who better to guide us than the ONE who sees the end from the beginning, and everything in between!

Thank you.

P.S. If any of you have any advice or stories, please write to us!

The kindness of strangers

I was at the grocery store yesterday with Jayna. The man in line behind us offered a roll of Lifesavers to Jayna, and she readily accepted it, saying “Gracias”. He told the cashier to put the candies on his bill and told Jayna, “Just don’t eat the whole roll at once!”

I left the store feeling quite overwhelmed. This has never happened before! What was this gentleman’s motive? Just trying to make a little girl happy? We left the store and I saw the man get into his old car and drive off. What am I supposed to learn from this? All I can think of is that these little acts of kindness remind me of the goodness in the world and the generosity of strangers.

The way that we react to situations and people in life speaks of what we value, whether we realize it or not! Why not share something simple, a little kindness? The more you practice, the easier it will get. The chance to be a blessing to someone will no doubt put a smile on their face – and on yours!

Being part of God’s family

One of the hardest things for us about living here is that we have no blood-related family. Everyone else on staff has family in the country. When I see and hear our staff members get together with their families for different events, I think, ‘What are we missing out on with our own families?’ But God faithfully reminds me of two wonderful things that grow out of the absence of family:

1. Our family times are so rich! We love being with our family in the U.S. and Canada. We try to see each side of our families once a year. Every time we do, I go with the expectation and longing to squeeze every precious moment out of each trip, spending time together, enjoying one another, and building the bonds of friendship.
2. We have a greater understanding of the family of God. Because we are “alone”, we are free to build bonds of friendship in our own nuclear family, with staff, church families, and with our students, of course! (And do you remember who I met at the little store in San Jose?) We even make friends with strangers: some of our closest friends are missionaries that Tom met while standing in line at the Immigration Office!

These past two weeks we added new members to our Christian family: the Mission Team from our home church NewSong. Each of the 6 members of the team has blessed and encouraged every member in our family. We spent time with them in the midst of their ministries to a local orphanage and our own students. It was nourishing to have meaningful conversations and to learn from them in so many areas of life. We already miss them, even though they just left on Sunday morning. The team also found family here: please visit their website to see what they did on their mission trip: www.costaricatrex.blogspot.com

I hope this is an encouragement to those of you who are away from family, maybe away at university, maybe away from your home for the first time. God has a family for you wherever you are. You will find joy and love in that family, just as we have.

Tired and hungry

These past few days have been crazy. New students. Mission team. Neena’s 6th birthday. Homework for Rekha. Bills due the first of the month. Suffice to say that we have not done most of these very well. If you didn’t already know, we make mistakes! And, we are not perfect parents either: Neena had a great birthday, but Rekha cried at the end of the day saying she didn’t get any attention (we sound like 7-year-olds sometimes too!).

Some days I have felt tired by 9 in the morning. I was wondering why and I felt the Holy Spirit chasten me, “You aren’t getting enough food.” It’s true. I am malnourished spiritually. I have been doing personal Bible study, but not always filling up with meals of prayer and Bible reading. It’s been a low-calorie plan.

How can I get fed? How can I have a close walk with God? The answers are pretty obvious, but I want to encourage you with some nourishment that the Holy Spirit gave me while thinking this through…

I was envying Moses today. I read in Exodus 24 how God called to him 3 times to “come up” to meet with Him. Not fair! I wish He would call me.

Then I was reminded of something. God does call me, and He calls you too. From beginning to middle to end of Scripture, He seeks us out! In Genesis 3:9, “the Lord God called to [Adam], “Where are you?”’ In Matthew 11:28, Jesus says, “Come to me.”

And read this! In Revelation 3:20 God says, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” This verse doesn’t tell where the food comes from! BUT, it teaches me that when I spend time with God, when I respond to His voice and invite Him in, I will be fed. Wow! That is the answer to my spiritual malnourishment. Yummy. Or as they say here in Costa Rica, ¡Que rico!

Thank YOU

Thank YOU for reading our blog. We have been overwhelmed by the number of people reading and responding to us through it. We feel encouraged to know you are interested in our lives. This virtual family is a big support to us.

We returned last week from Chicago where we spent two weeks visiting Sara’s family, missionary friends, and some Portantorchas students. All in all it was a great time to see people, enjoy parks and libraries, ride the trains, and to refresh ourselves. We were invited to a student’s home for the first time! It was an honor and a joy to meet her family. Another highlight for Rekha and Neena was to meet their baby BOY cousin who just turned 1 in June. He was smothered with love and hugs from their instant fan club. And, Tom and I enjoyed a superb buffet lunch at an Indian restaurant. Yum.

These next two weeks will be busy again. We are hosting a mission team from NewSong, our home church in California. They will be helping to ready the campus for our incoming students (arriving on the weekend) as well as with several of our partner ministries. After only one day with them so far, they have already been a blessing to our family.

Keep us in prayer for the ministry of the NewSong team, and for our upcoming semester. We want to be ready for our students, and we pray that this will be a rich time for them to get to know the Lord in a new and deeper way. Thanks to so many of you who do pray for us. God works through your prayers.

Mentors

Everyone should find a mentor, "a trusted counselor or guide" (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). I myself wish there was somebody to give me advice and encouragement for the life stage that I am in. I would love to hear lessons from someone who has been through my stage. That's basically what a mentor does. He/she offers encouragement and wisdom that can guide you as you make decisions.

In the book of Acts, we read the story of Apollo in chapter 18:24-28. He was a competent preacher, but he needed a little "refining". Pricilla and Aquila took him aside, instructed him, and he went on to have a powerful ministry.

Here is an example from my own past. I clearly remember wondering what to do after I finished university. There were some options open to me, but I wasn't sure how to proceed. My Religious Studies professor, who was a mentor and trusted friend, told me, "Sara, put all your irons in the fire." I did. I applied for everything, and in the end, only one plan succeeded. Because of it, I left home, moved in with my sister, and experienced some wonderful years in my early twenties, full of opportunities, friendships, more education, and eventually to a path that led me to Costa Rica, to Bible School, to teaching at an international school, and to my husband!

To relate this to our current ministry, there are always students who are in the same situation regarding careers, marriage, and their relationship with God. They don't have a close enough relationship with their parents to feel okay asking about these things (I wish I had!). Often, they ask their peers. But, wise, godly counsel may be missing.

In order to walk straight ahead, knowing the way to go, Proverbs 15:22-23 gives good advice:
"Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.
A man finds joy in giving an apt reply - and how good is a timely word!"

Seek a mentor, or seek to be a mentor to someone who is a stage behind you in life, and who you know could use some encouragement and direction.

A divine encounter

“A coincidence is a small miracle in which God chooses to remain anonymous.”

Neena made a special friend last year in her Kinder (preschool) class. This little classmate didn't speak much due to disability, and the medicine she was taking her very sleepy. Neena looked after her, waking her up gently when she had fallen asleep, helping her get her snack ready, and playing with her. To those of you who know Neena, this was a perfect fit for her.

However, this year, her friend was not at school. We worried and wondered about where she was. It wasn't until a few weeks ago that God allowed us to meet up again. I was in downtown San Jose, spending the day with a friend. We entered a little store, and there was Neena's little friend with her grandma. This little girl didn't remember me or clue into my conversation until I began singing the school hymn. Then she broke out in a big smile!

Wow! How could I not believe that God orchestrated this? I have only been downtown about five times in the past five years of living here. I have never been into this store before. In fact, we would have been there an hour earlier if we hadn't got lost along the way. But God had it all planned. He knew we wanted to see her again!

To end the story, we invited the family to come to our house, and we had a refreshing, happy time. This little girl, although she speaks and interacts very little, has a very sweet spirit. Her mom said she rarely gets invitations to friends' homes. Yet, I have NO doubt that God allowed us to cross paths. God hears the cries of our hearts. He answered mine. It was such a blessing!

I hope she will come again.

Cuban missionaries?!

Our Cuban student told me that many of her fellow Cubans have a heart for missions. Wow! I had never thought of missionaries coming out of this country - mostly because it is very hard for them to even leave! She also mentioned that because of the deprivation that they face, they would make great missionaries in hard-to-reach, primitive cultures. They are used to living with little, and to not having the luxuries that the rest of us can't live without.

Wouldn't it be amazing if the next great missionary force comes out of Cuba? Let's pray that God would open doors for these believers to bring the gospel to the ends of the earth.

"Sara por fa no dejen de orar por nosotros."

"Sara, please don't stop praying for us." That is the message from our Cuban student who has gone back home to begin working full time with her church. (I mentioned her in a previous post). She is discouraged and feeling overwhelmed. Life is worse there than she remembered.

Another Cuban friend told us that to return to Cuba is like putting yourself back into prison. But God called our student back home…so she got on the plane and went back. HOW hard. I won't soon forget her face as she left, or her tears, or her petitions. So many times she said to me, "Don't forget me."

There is a lot of persecution there, and life in general is very hard. Please, don't stop praying for Cuba and for the believers there.

The future

Our students are heading home or to other destinations. Their time here is over, the scheduled months when they knew where they were supposed to be and what they were supposed to be doing. What comes next? Many of them don't quite know yet!

It's hard to not know what the future holds. Lots of our students are facing big-decision years, when they will choose a career, a home, and a spouse. I remember those days in my life, wondering, worrying, hoping! However, from my perspective now I can look back at the lives of these students and say to them, "You have no idea how many great and wonderful gifts God has for your future. They are like birthday presents waiting to be opened when the time is right!" Yes, there will be hard times, but we have a God who can use all things, and He is the giver of EVERY good gift in our lives.

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him." I Cor. 2:9

"We don't know what tomorrow holds, but we know WHO holds tomorrow."
Be excited about the future! All of us!

Good-Bye

The semester ended yesterday. Our students have started to going home. I always find this a hard time.

Students often ask, "Don't you get tired of meeting new students and then saying goodbye?" Yes, and no. Yes, I wish that we wouldn't have to keep saying goodbye to people who have been a big part of our lives for the time that they spend here. And no, I am not tired of meeting new students. Every student is special. Every single one enriches my life in some way. They challenge me to grow and change, and to let Christ work through me. It is a blessing to be in ministry with 18 to 20-something year-olds!

I will miss you. Please stay in touch.

Special Night

Last week our students put on a dinner for the staff. It was wonderful. They decorated the classroom with lights and flowers. We were served a delicious meal and dessert and we saw a slide show that captured highlights of the semester.

It was a humbling experience to be served by them and it was a blessing to our hearts. These are really thoughtful kids! This was a very tangible way for them to say thank-you, and we felt it.

So, from our side, to those who haven't heard yet, thank you to all of you who put the evening together for us. You are a treasure to our hearts. We have been blessed to spend these past few months with you.

Culture Shock vs. Cultural Acceptance

It's funny to me how these two feelings of culture shock and cultural acceptance are delicately co-existing in our lives. Isn't culture shock supposed to decrease as cultural acceptance increases? And we've been here over 5 years. Shouldn't culture shock be a thing of my past by now?

Culture Shock: One day recently I was talking to students about our struggles in living in Costa Rica. Coincidentally, later that day I found myself in several situations that made me angry (ie. I had an episode of culture shock). Costa Ricans are nice people, but I just don't like the way that most of them drive, that's all! And the roads are generally terrible to top it off!

Cultural Acceptance: On the weekend, I spent a few hours downtown with a former student. While we wandered around, I felt so blessed for my easy life. We can get a cheap and tasty meal at a local café, or we can buy fresh fruit and vegetables for "pennies" at the local market. It's only about three hours to drive to a tropical beach, even during winter when many friends are battling below-zero temperatures and blizzards up north.

However, one experience of cultural acceptance really caught me off guard. We were attending an assembly at our girls' school to commemorate the Battle of Rivas of 1856. The villain in the battle was an American, William Walker, who invaded the country with plans to enslave the people. The Costa Ricans defeated him and his troops. My eyes unexpectedly filled with tears when the children did a skit that showed the courage of Juan Santamaria, the national hero who gave his life for Costa Rica. And, I teared up with the singing of the Costa Rica national anthem. Maybe it's because our Jayna was born here. I feel a connection to the country and am thankful for what it has given us.

So, everyday I am pulled in two directions concerning the culture that we are living in. I see God's blessings on this country and on our lives and ministry here, yet I sometimes yearn to be where I feel more at home (and where there is a Target). I don't know if that fragile balance will end one day. Right now, I do feel blessed to have a better understanding of the variety that God has created in His world. Different foods, customs, climates, languages - I really like having such a diverse life education - in spite of the potholes along the way.

What are you?

The Bible is the story of God's mission to man. The word mission means 'to send'. God sent His Son, the first missionary, to tell us of His desire to have a relationship with us, and also to redeem us. Jesus says, "As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you." (John 20:21)

This means that we all have a role in missions, in sending believers to share the "Good News of Great Joy that will be for all the people" (Luke 2:10). There are three major roles: Missionary, Sender, Mobilizer.

A missionary is someone who is sent cross-culturally to share the gospel. There is a great need for missionaries because over 2 billion people currently have NO access to the gospel message.

A sender is a person who supports missionaries through prayer, communication, encouragement, and sometimes finances. Without senders to back them up, missionaries could not do their work on the field.

A mobilizer is someone who educates others about missions and encourages believers to make a commitment to missions.

How are you involved in God's mission to humanity? If you are not involved, now is a great time for a new beginning.

Answer to Prayer

Operation World is a prayer tool for believers to pray for every country of the world, organized by calendar dates. This book lists demographic and other facts to educate readers about each country. It also has prayer and praise points.

One day during my missions class we looked up the date in the book, and the country to pray for that day was Cuba. One of the prayers read, "Pray that God would raise up formally and informally trained teachers…". Suddenly I realized that God had brought a young Cuban student to our school for this purpose. The history of her arrival was a miraculous answer to this prayer. She was working in Cuba at a job that Christians are not generally offered. Through it she met one of our staff members who told her about the school and helped her get here. Our student has been here for a year and plans to go back and work with Christian youth. She has a heart for her own people. Cuba is a very hard country to live in, but she is going in obedience to God's calling on her life.

So, if you have ever prayed this same prayer for Cuba, know that God is answering! It made me cry to think of God's faithfulness to His people and to prayer. Be encouraged to keep lifting up others in prayer. It works.

One more thing. It is nearly impossible to find Christian training material in Cuba. (Even Internet is only accessible to a few professionals). If anyone is interested in sending a gift to this student so that she can buy materials here to take home, please send us an email and we will let you know how to do it.

Missions

Last week I (Sara) had the privilege of teaching a class on Missions to our students. It was a 12-hour class that covered: Biblical basis for Missions, History of Missions, Current Issues and Strategies, and an application lesson called, 'Where do I go from here?'. About half of my course material came from the incredible "Perspectives in World Missions" course that I took 6 years ago (look it up online at www.perspectives.org to find it offered in your area).

I felt a great burden and responsibility to get the message of missions right. It led me to pray that God would anoint me with His wisdom. I told a friend before I started teaching, "I am happy to be a weak vessel if that means God does all the work!" It sounded funny at the time. But, during the week I felt inadequate and feared that students were laughing at me. It was a good reminder to trust in God to do His work behind the scenes of their hearts. I AM the weak vessel, but He can still be poured out through me.

Please pray that God's word would bear fruit in the lives of our students through this class - and all the other classes - so that His name would be glorified in their lives and in the world.

Marcus Family - New Year - 2009

Dear Family and Friends,

Blessings to you for a New Year! It has been some time since we wrote a “Christmas letter”, so we felt it necessary to update you on our lives. Thank you for being a part of our lives and for taking an interest in us; for that reason you are reading our letter.

Our work in Costa Rica continues at Portantorchas Bible School. We are enjoying the ministry and the chance to make a difference in the lives of our students. We have many godly and loving students studying God’s Word with us and they bless and teach us. Tom continues as Principal with a lot of different duties. He does them all very well and is a real asset and blessing to the school (in Sara’s opinion!) I, Sara, am at home and involved in ministry and teaching when I can. I look forward to teaching my Missions class this spring.

We enjoyed having a Mission Team come from NewSong church this summer. They worked with several of our partner ministries including an orphanage and men’s shelter. Another team will be coming this year also. We are glad that we can share our ministry with them and work together for God’s purposes.

Our girls are doing very well. They enjoy life, school, and church. Their Spanish has reached near fluency for their age, so it’s been fun for us to hear them play and converse effortlessly with Costa Rican friends and with each other.

Rekha will begin 2nd grade and turn 7 in February. She is bright and challenging! Her loves are reading, ponies, and playing. Last year she learned to skip rope and swim. She is thoughtful and often writes us sweet notes.

Neena is 5 and our love-bug. She started preschool in July and will begin Kindergarten in February. We have been so encouraged to see her loving nature extend to her schoolmates and teachers. She is a great helper at home and a much-sought-after friend by many, including our Portantorchas students.

Jayna is still our baby at 2 years and 3 months. She is a delightful child with a great independent streak and a joyful spirit. Her life proves that God has shown us favor, just as her name means.

Costa Rica has been home to us now for 5 years. Many of you have asked, “When are you coming back?” We are settled here, yet always listening to hear if God has a new step for us. We want to serve the Lord with gladness wherever He wants us. The best place for our family is in His will.

We want to thank you for your continued interest in our lives. Many of you have supported us financially and with prayer and time. It has been such a blessing to us. We need your backing as much as always. Would you prayerfully consider including us in your giving to the Lord's work this year?

Please send us an email so we can update our addresses and hear from you too!

Once again, may you know God’s blessings for this New Year.

Love,
The Marcus family
Tom, Sara, Rekha, Neena, and Jayna

Any financial support can be sent to: Torchbearers, P.O. Box 3340, Estes Park, Colorado, 80517-3340
Make checks payable to Torchbearers. Please do not write our names on the check but include a note in the envelope. Thank you!
Tax receipts are available to US donors only. For more information please click here.