Costa Rica 2008, Serve & Mas

Hope you all are enjoying your summer, we sure are! Before we take our official vacation we wanted to update you of the goings of Pura Vida Church both here in Santa Barbara and abroad. We kicked off the summer with Kids Club on the Eastside by helping with their week long “Day Camp”. This year we were able to involve more people from our two Pura Vida congregations. They helped with lunch and snack prep, on site nursing, coordination of events and lots of fun interacting and relationship building with the kids. This years theme was “Dive into God’s Love”, the kids enjoyed games, silly songs, crafts and bible lessons all about how much God loves them. We ended the week with a day at the beach complete with a barbeque.

Two days after Day Camp ended we were off to Costa Rica with 18 others from the Santa Barbara Free Methodist Church youth group. It was a whirlwind trip of VBS, beach festivals, surfing, and beach combing, visiting and loving the people of Esterillos. This was the most amazing group we have ever taken to Esterillos and we feel blessed to have been apart of it. Not only did everyone get along in tight living quarters, 20 people 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, but they were amazing examples of Jesus’ love and epitomized the relational style of ministry that Pura Vida church is known for. We started the 10 day trip with a surprise 30^th birthday party for Dennis. There was a little tension and uneasiness as the locals and the rest of our group got to know each other for the first time, but by the end of the trip it was hard to tell who had been touched and transformed more, the “missionaries” or the locals. There were tears, hugs and exchanges of emails by everyone. The knowledge that we will be back forever is of such consolation to me that it made this years goodbyes much easier.

Please pray for Pura Vida Church and our family as we mentally, physically and spiritually prepare for the coming year and all the transition it will entail as we prayerfully consider who will officially take over Dennis’ position for Pura Vida Church Santa Barbara. Historically our church has made big changes in the month of September as Dennis and I have come back from vacation refreshed, recharged and with renewed vision for the church. While we are away this year these are the things that will be on our minds and hearts and we ask that you will pray along with us for:

· Dennis’ “replacement”

· Cohesion of PVCSB leaders as we head into the transitional period

· Moving details

· The people of Esterillos and Jaco/details of building a ministry there

· Other potential PVC sites in Nosara Costa Rica

· Kyle’s VISA missionary status/$ for PVCCR

· Kyle and Elias’ Costa Rican residency papers

· Safety and renewal during our trip to Mexico

· Smooth operations of PVCSB while we are gone.

Love, Familia Leon.