A Day of Life-changing Decisions

February 10th was a very special day in our ministry here in Costa Rica. On that day we had the honor of baptizing 6 young people. The congregation traveled by bus to a small river near the town of Cachi where Sunday morning service was held followed by the baptism. Those baptized were Ricardo (14), Rodrigo (13), Isaac (13), Marcos (13), Arturo (11), and Mirca (8).




Sunday morning service.





Samuel preaching before the baptism.




The six young people that were baptized.



Samuel baptizing Mirca (age 8).





Baptizing Ricardo (age 14).




Baptizing Isaac (age 13).





Baptizing Rodrigo (age 13)




Baptizing Marcos (age 13).




Baptizing Arturo (age 11).


We hope that you will rejoice with us in the decision of these 6 to serve God in their church and in their community. We also hope that you will pray for them, that God will strengthen them as they take a stand for Christ. These 6 precious young people have begun a new life, trusting Christ as they strive to live for Him from day to day.


May God greatly bless you.

Recipes from Around the World #3

It seems I am stuck in the British Isles. Of course, I love recipes from there. Especially from Scotland and Ireland. Here is a great on for you. It takes alittle extra time and planning ahead, but believe me, it is worth it. These are great right out of the oven or even the next day. They freeze well for later use also.

IRISH OATMEAL MUFFINS

These are best if you allow the oats to soak in the buttermilk overnight.

2 c. Buttermilk
1 c. Oats (NOT the quick cook ones)
2 eggs
3/4 c. dark brown sugar
1 2/3 all-purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
2 T. vegetable oil
cinnamon (optional)

Combine the buttermilk and oats, stir well, cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease muffin tin. Put eggs in a bowl and beat until just blended. Add sugar and beat until smooth. Stir in buttermilk/oat mixture. Add flour, soda, salt, cinnamon, and oil. Beat well. Fill muffin tin about 3/4 full and bake for approxiamately 20 minutes. Start testing for doneness after 15 minutes. Makes 24 muffins.

A Christmas of Blessings

The Christmas celebrations are drawing to an end here in Costa Rica as the people look forward to a new year. The sounds of fireworks fill the air from dark until well after midnight every night. Sadly, many have no interest in the true reason for remembering and celebrating. This is why it is so important to reach the children now with the truth.
Our celebrations with the children and the church were hectic, but wonderfully blessed. With help from old friends and new friends we were privileged to make this Christmas a special time for 77 children. Saying thank you to all those who made this possible seems inadequate to express the gratitude and appreciation we feel! Making these young ones feel special and loved was possible because of all of you who cared and prayed and gave. Bless you!!!! Because not all 77 children are in the same location, we actually had 3 different parties. Thanks to you we were able to provide the children not only with a toy, but with some much needed clothing, shoes, and other personal items. We want to share a few photos with you of some happy, smiling faces as well as some shots of the gifts and food and the Christmas drama. Thank you so much for making this possible. We pray that God will greatly bless you in this coming year.

Share the Blessings - Update

Christmas is just around the corner and we want to update you on the Christmas gift situation. As you know from reading our newsletter, we are providing a gift for 75 children. In my last post I shared with you that 50 of the children have been provided for, leaving only 25. God is so good and gracious. There are now only 12 children who are still without a gift. Please keep this need in your hearts and prayers, and share it with others. God, through His people, can make the difference for these precious little ones. If you feel lead to help with this, please contact me through the comment option at the end of this post or at our email address: nolascoincostarica@hotmail.com Blessings from Costa Rica.

Share the Blessing

The time is rapidly approaching when we will remember the birth of God's Son, Jesus Christ. For many people that means the giving of gifts to friends and family, and to those who are less fortunate. It is time to give to others as God so unselfishly gave to us. Each year we, the Nolasco family, here in Costa Rica strive to share the meaning and the joy of this special time with the children we work with in the ministry. This year we have 75 children. To date we have been blessed by finding enough donations to provide a gift for 50 of the children. We still need help to provide for the other 25. As many of you know, we work with children who live in extreme poverty and many of them are in abusive situations as well. For these precious young ones a gift of love and kindness is something they have experienced far too rarely in their lives. We are truly in need of your help and your prayers as we seek to meet the needs of these remaining 25 children. We are hoping to have approzimately $20 per child. This will allow us to purchase them clothing or shoes or personal items such as toothpaste and shampoo or school supplies, and possibly a small toy like a doll or a car. If any of you would like to help meet this need we would be most grateful. you may contact us by leaving a comment on this post or by emailing us at nolascoincostarica@hotmail.com . The slideshow is photos of the 25 still to be provided for. Blessings to you and yours.

Butterflies of Costa Rica

Costa Rican Orchids