Monday, July 25, 2011

Final Steps

We leave on August 12 and are continuing to prepare ourselves for the journey. Last week, we got some necessary paperwork processed in order to live in Costa Rica. We also continue to go through boxes and boxes of stuff because we are not taking much with us. Even though it is sometimes hard to let go of material wealth, it feels liberating to purge and remember that all of the things that we accumulate do not matter and we cannot take it with us anyway when we die. My father's pastor brought home that point in last week's sermon about the rich young ruler described in Luke 18:18-30. As we are about to leave our families, friends, and “stuff” behind, the last two verses of that passage are comforting to me, “'Truly I tell you,' Jesus said to them, 'no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.'”

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Going Away Party

We enjoyed fellowshipping with family and friends on July 23 at our Govea Sendoff at our church. There were about 65 people there from all over – Alpharetta, Cumming, Canton, Flowery Branch, Lawrenceville, Dahlonega, Douglasville, Lithia Springs, Villa Rica, Roswell, Norcross, even Tennessee! We enjoyed cake, danced merengüe, explained how to become a virtual member, and had several people pray over us as we embark on our journey. Julian, of GlobalX (our church's missions department), and his family have served as missionaries in Mexico and reiterated that we must be on guard because our marriage will be attacked by the enemy while we are serving the Lord. He also prayed for unity amongst our team in Costa Rica and for the people that we are going to reach.

At the party, two families committed to being virtual members which means that they pledge to donate $250/month for two years. The more people stateside who can make that sacrifice, the more attractive events our church can offer to the community. We know that it is a big commitment, especially in this economy, but God will honor these families' trust in and obedience to Him in amazing ways!  We have also been blessed by several friends kindly giving us one-time donations for which we are very grateful.  God takes these offerings and multiplies them in ways that only He can.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Welcome to our Blog

Thank you for reading our blog.  Most of us have Facebook, e-mail, and other ways to keep in touch so why do we need a blog?  Its purpose is to not necessarily to track the Goveas' everyday life, but what is happening with them as a missionary family.  We also want to use this blog as a place to post praises and prayer requests.  We appreciate you lifting us up to the Father in prayer while we work to make more people aware of God's saving grace and abundant life that He has for us. 

Enrique and I met when I was on the mission field in Mexico in 1999.  Being missions-minded is part of our DNA and for the past couple of years, we have had a desire to go on the mission field together.  That dream has now become a reality as we seize the opportunity to share Christ’s love in Central America.

We have responded to God’s call in…Costa Rica!  Enrique will supervise small groups (Bible studies in homes) by training and encouraging leaders and will also translate and develop original lesson plans for the children’s programming at a new church.  He has actually already gone to Costa Rica three times this year to meet and encourage the existing leaders.

We are excited to serve God in this capacity and look forward to our adventure in this beautiful paradise.  Enrique spends his days corresponding with church leaders and volunteers and translating while I play with David and try to donate, recycle, sell, and pack our stuff.  We are moving at the beginning of August and plan to spend our last days in Georgia visiting with family and friends that we don’t see as often as we like.

Preceding us on this journey are our friends, Julio and Ashley Gonzalez, who moved down there with their two little boys in April.  Julio serves as the church’s pastor.  Due to the fact that Costa Ricans are highly educated and many are bilingual, Bible studies are offered in both Spanish and English!

We are partnering with our church here, North Point Community Church, to start a church for people who don’t necessarily have a problem with God, but with religion.  We want to take people back to the root of why Jesus came and how much God wants to connect with us.