it's goodbye...

A tough part of Puerto Viejo. It's incredible how many people sleep in each of these shacks.

Janin, one of the girls I've been teaching to skate, gets her first surf lesson.

the tropical plumeria is one of my favorite plants.

This photo from Puerto Viejo's graveyard shows that Rastafarianism is everything to some.

It was so neat to have been a small part of Pablo's life and see him come to realize his need for Jesus. Barrett baptized him in the ocean right in front of the skate park.

Sometimes, following Jesus means having to choose between two very good things. Important things.

On May 23, I will become a husband and a step-father. It's both a huge blessing from the Lord and a huge commitment. Meanwhile, I've been serving in Costa Rica for nearly 8 months. For the past few months I have been asking God for wisdom regarding decisions that needed to be made affecting my future family. I felt that since God had called me to serve in a ministry in Costa Rica that is long-term and relational, surely His plan would be for us to live here as a family after Kristin and I get married. Yet as the wedding date draws near, God has closed the door on those plans. In the process, God helped me to understand that my primary responsibility, after my own relationship with Him, was my family.

The biggest obstacle we faced in trying to move to Costa Rica was getting the approval of Hudson's father (Kristin's ex-husband). Understandably, he was not keen on the idea of it being much more difficult for him to see his son, and filed an objection to our request to move. Though we tried hard, ultimately, we were not able to come up with a workable solution that would allow us to both live in Puerto Viejo and still allow Hudson to receive frequent visits from his father.

So my commitment to being a husband and step-father means I now have to step away from the ministry in Puerto Viejo. I have loved this experience and hope to remain in touch with what is happening there, even though I will be living back in Vero Beach, Florida. In fact, Kristin and I plan on returning in mid June for about two weeks to help host a short term mission team.

My dear friends the Cruces will really benefit from your prayers, as they will be shouldering the full load of the ministry until the Lord provides help. If you sense God may be calling you to get involved, perhaps as an intern this summer, or if you want to help keep the skate park outreach running, please get in touch with me. Either way, if you have followed along with me in this journey of faith, I would love to hear from you.

To everyone who supported God's work here through your prayers and giving, I want to say a big "THANK YOU!" I believe that one day we will see the lasting fruit of your investment in God's kingdom.

Working on the ramps

my friend Jordan recently returned from Ecuador, where he surfed for Costa Rica in the World Junior surfing championships. He is a lot of fun to watch.

Downer is one of the more powerful surfers in Puerto Viejo. He loves to "get air".

Carlos asked if he could borrow my "biscuit," a fun little board I shaped last year.

Carlos trying out the biscuit.

How many people does it take to fix a broken ramp?

Last night we had a showing of The Outsiders at the skate park, with Spanish subtitles (I wish more Christian films had Spanish subtitles!!). The film features some of the top Christian surfers describing what being a Christian has meant to them, with of course a lot of great surfing action to go along with it.

As the credits rolled, I was amazed to see that the teenagers were staying quiet in their seats, which is almost unheard of in this group. It was so obvious to see in their faces that many of them were wrestling with the thought of asking Jesus into their hearts and beginning to live for Him. I asked if anyone had sensed God speaking to them through this video and wanted to invite Jesus into their lives. There was some silence, then one boy whom I've befriended honestly and bravely said "I'm not ready to do that yet." Like teenagers in the U.S. and elsewhere, there is a sense that there will always be a day in the future to "get right with God," but for now "I just want to live on my own terms." It can be hard for them to understand the blessings they are missing out on NOW, or that their life can be taken from them at any time.

I try to remember that "The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Cor. 2:14) and pray for a work of the Spirit in their lives.

Calvary Chapel Jupiter

Painting Amy and Barrett's bedroom

A team of 9 from Calvary Chapel Jupiter just returned from spending a week with us. Together, we helped the Cruces move into their new house. It was a week of much construction and painting, and very satisfying to see Barrett, Amy, Maili, and Makena, be able to enjoy a night of sleep under ceiling fans after spending 9 months in “substandard” housing.

Hosting a short term team on top of the normal ministry activities can be tiring, but this group was very gracious and actually took care of itself very well. We truly appreciated their efforts and attitude to serve.

One of the highlights for me was inviting Chris Goeppner, a co-leader of the trip, to share a short message with the local youth and some tourists who had gathered at our Friday night cook out. I translated his simple message about Jesus being the Truth into Spanish. I loved the way he related to his audience by saying that after a soccer match, everyone agrees on who won. There is no disputing the scoreboard. Some things are true and not relative, and Jesus is truth.

Chris took some nice photos, which I'll share with you here. Thanks, Chris!

Approaching the Cruce's new home

walking the jungle trail

team member Dwight spending time with the Lord in the morning

at the youth night cook-out

Inside the Cruces house

Sleepy-eyed and headed to the work site

some of the group posing in front of the old "tree house", where the Cruces lived for 9 months

The group enjoying some free time

Do you feel small?

Where moth and rust destroy, and thieves break in and steal

It's never a good feeling to see police officers in your yard when you come home. Thankfully, I live by myself, so I didn't have to worry that something tragic had happened to one of my family members.

While I was in Florida for one week of wedding preparation, premarital counseling, and tax filing, thieves broke into my house. When Barrett came by to see if I was home yet, he noticed that the door was open, and notified the police. This is the second time in four months, but the first time in my new house, which has a tall fence around the yard and bars on the windows. The thieves came in by busting in the wooden front door, splintering the door jamb. The front door is the only opening that does not have metal bars over it, but now I will look into getting a second outer metal door installed. Thankfully, the only thing I know the thieves took is my propane tank. These are frequently stolen in our area because it's easy to get cash for them.

Of course, my closets and things were all ruffled through, but mercifully the thieves didn't turn everything upside down or break things intentionally. I wonder if perhaps their main goal was to "case" the house for a future break-in.

In any case, I am thankful that the damage was so minor and I know that God has all these circumstances in his hands. It's a wonderful thing to be in a position where you have to trust God this fully. Half an hour after repairing the door with Barrett, I was at the skate park for the Friday youth night activities. I know the devil will use many tactics to try to get me to give up and go home, and I will not let this second break-in affect me in that way.

Jesus said: "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." - John 10:10 (NIV)

Surf contest photos... and some artwork!

In my spare time I've been painting a little with acrylics. I even stretched my own canvas to paint on, but have also been painting on pieces of driftwood.

I painted this for my friend Alexander (Peace) as an engagement present (he also recently got engaged). He loves to spearfish and eat fish. The Bar Jack (what he calls Green Jack) is his favorite to hunt underwater and to eat...


I sponsored young Carlos for two divisions in the Puerto Viejo Open Pro surf contest. He did very well in the "grommet" division, earning 4th place. Notice the "Hazelton Surfboards" sticker proudly displayed on his board!

With obvious excitement, Carlos runs to the beach for his heat in the surf contest.

The lifeguard stand was converted to a judges stand for the surf contest.

"Downer" is a really powerful surfer and has an aggressive style. It's been great getting to know him through our house church and youth activities.

At 16, Jordan is one of the top junior surfers in Costa Rica and loves to skate at Concrete Jungle. He is also learning what it means to be a father. His baby girl is just a few months old.