April 1999

Dear friends and family in Christ,

Greetings to you brothers and sisters in this season that is at the same time a celebration for our risen God and a time of deep pain in our hearts for the suffering of many people in Central America, in the Balkans, and in Iraq. It is an occasion for us to break from our regular activities and refill our hearts with the refreshing spirit of communion with you, which we believe is an indispensable requirement if we are to fulfill God's mission on behalf of our Lord and Christ.

For our family, the first three months of l999 has been a time to rejoice, to endure, and to hope. We celebrated the arrival of this year in communion and festivities with our brothers and sisters in our local church. We have experienced there the most wonderful gift of God, witnessing the change in the lives of the many who have come to our Lord Jesus Christ. Our congregation is growing in membership as well as in the quality of Christian life, which is the fruit of faithful labor in prayer, preaching, and pastoral care in the midst of this suffering and marginalized neighborhood.

But life is not only suffering there. Through the ministry of the church, the Lord is raising up a little community of faith among the brokenhearted, the economic refugees from Nicaragua, the abused children, the homeless, the ill, and also the sinners. Here people can find a little room filled with love and mercy. As a consequence of this growth, our congregation must work to provide more chairs and benches to accommodate the crowd at worship on Sunday morning. Sunday school is another priority, so we plan expand our chapel, which is only 12 by 20 meters—not big enough to accommodate 65 boys and girls and their adult teachers. Beside these blessings, we celebrated Easter with special worship services that were fully attended by the congregation. We want to praise the Lord for this since it is the confirmation of His presence amongst His people.

Some family news that deserves a particular note is the death of my father, the Rev. Salvador Garcia, in Honduras. He passed away on February 24 at the age of 89. I had the chance to see him four days before his death. This encounter with my father was the last moment for him to pray for me and to pass on his blessing to his descendants. In the moment of that prayer, my soul broke apart in pieces, but then I felt a sort of overflowing peace, seeing in his eyes the tranquility of a person who has no complaints about life. He was a humble man who loved and served God without expecting anything for himself.

We have said it before: Our lives are a pilgrimage on the paths of God, and we depend on the unfathomable certainty that He never will fail His children. Our gratitude and our joy in God is a deep well from which we draw during the difficult moments in life.

As you could imagine, our spirit was touched during the days when Hurricane Mitch roared over Central America. Nevertheless, we were confident in the hands of our Lord that He would take care of our parents, relatives, and the family of God. And so it happened. The most threatening circumstances of mother nature are gone, but there is a lot of work—pastoral work—to be done now. In your prayer and your spiritual conmunion we will have the strength and hope we need to work in the midst of these difficult circumstances.

Gloria, Varinia, and I are all fine and are looking forward to overcoming the challenges of our jobs and accomplishing our personal goals for this year. We can affirm with the same positiveness the achievement of our son, Ofir, in his studies at Eckerd College. He was granted a scholarship by Eckerd to spend spring break in England in order to do research for papers he is preparing for graduation. Ofir is happy and doing well.

Before ending this letter, let us express to every one of you a word of thanks for your faithful support in prayers and your willingness to be committed to the Church in mission here in Costa Rica and worldwide. Without you, our missionary endeavor would not be possible.

Your servants in Christ's name,

Andrés and Gloria Garcia