We're completing month #2 in Costa Rica. Apart from a week of training and strategizing at the UWM home office, we've been visiting missionaries and working with partner ministries even as Nico and Jeremy focus on learning Spanish. This Saturday we'll gather with 20+ "partner ministries" from all over Costa Rica for a very unique summit to discuss how these Latin ministries can not only work with United World Mission, but partner with one another in and from Costa Rica to bring Christ's love where it is needed most.Instead of a historical US missions perspective considering Latin America recipients of missions and missionaries, we will be discussing how to work together both within and from Costa Rica to bring the love and compassion of Christ where it is most needed. These are small but extremely important steps of partnership with mature Latin ministries in order to reach the world together. Some partners like Clinica Biblica, the largest & most complete private hospital in Costa Rica, were started nearly 100 years ago by Latin America Mission. Others like Fundacion Rahab have been combating human trafficking for decades, and FEDEMEC currently sends missionaries to the rest of Latin America and around the globe. With it's Latin America Mission (LAM) roots, United World Mission connects them all and so many more around the world! The 60+ delegates at the summit will represent entire denominations, individual churches, children's homes, Christian camps, seminaries, elementary & high schools, technology organizations, women's and anti-human trafficking organizations and Latin missions sending agencies. Together there are unlimited possibilities of reaching the unreached (including where US passports cannot go) as well as strengthening similar ministries and accomplishing projects beyond the amazing work they are doing now.
...small but extremely important steps of partnership with mature Latin ministries in order to reach the world together.
On top of this networking, we'll be conducting some important "roundtable discussions" in smaller groups which will include strengths and weaknesses of the Costa Rican Church and para-church ministries and the challenges of gender laws that could impose significant future complications for these ministries. Please Pray for all we will be covering during the summit, and for the immense amount of follow up to come after. I ask that you pray for our family as we balance work and rest during the next month and for our co-worker and Partnership Facilitator for the region, Luis Diego Herrera who is such a blessing! | 
