Steve and Christine Cerna: December 2005
Dear Praying Friends,
We are very excited as we write this letter, considering the many blessings the Lord has given us over the past two months. As a family, being in Costa Rica has given us the opportunity to draw closer to each other and to appreciate many of the things that are easy to take for granted back in the U.S. Individually, the Lord has uniquely worked in our lives to prepare us for ministry in El Salvador in 2006.
It is amazing to consider that our daughter Rosa is about to be one-year-old (December 21). We guess that one of her greatest challenges in Costa Rica is trying to keep her shoes on in the taxi cabs. So far we have lost three. However, she is growing so fast that those shoes she loses would have only fit her for a short time longer. Her appetite has been something to admire, and we thank the Lord that she has been very healthy lately. Rosa also helps her mommy in church by being a good topic of conversation. This gives Christine a great opportunity to practice her Spanish with the ladies in the nursery.
Christine is still riding the roller coaster of trying to learn Spanish. Some days she is thrilled about the progress she is making, and other days she is a little frustrated. Lately, she has had the opportunity of becoming more active in the church. She has been working in the nursery, helping with cooking, and she participates in the ladies weekly prayer meeting. Currently, we are excited that she is able to understand most of what Pastor Chaves says when he preaches. However, she still faces the challenge of speaking the language without feeling shy. Please pray that the Lord will give us patience with this and that Christine would become fluent when He sees fit.
We thank the Lord for the doors that He has opened for ministry here in Costa Rica. He has given me the privilege of individually discipling four men who were saved before I met them but have not had the opportunity to grow much in the Lord, neither were they attending any church. One of these men (named Danilo) has been doing discipleship lessons with me for six weeks. He has been faithfully reading his Bible and memorizing verses. However, his job does not currently permit him to go to church. Please pray that his job situation may change so that he may grow more firmly in the Lord. Another man (named Julio) has been doing discipleship lessons for seven weeks. It is exciting to see the progress he is making in the Lord. He also has been reading his Bible and memorizing verses. Today, he attended church for the first time. Please pray that he would get baptized and eventually assimilated into the church.
About two weeks ago, as we were knocking on doors in the area, I had the privilege of leading a man named Kenneth to the Lord. It was almost shocking to see how receptive he was to the Gospel. Though he claimed to be Catholic, he listened attentively and was gloriously saved. Last week I showed him one of the discipleship lessons and asked him to pray about doing them with me. Please pray that he would go through the lessons and that he would let God mature him spiritually.
We thank you for your faithful prayers for us. Despite many of the hurdles and obstacles that we face as missionariess it has generally been an exciting time for us in Costa Rica. The Lord is opening more doors of service for us. We are confident in the Lord that once we get to El Salvador, He will have us all well equipped for service there. May the Lord bless you through the holidays!
Yours in Christ,
The Cerna family
