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.