Life and Faith in Costa Rica – EXPATS in Paradise

Life and Faith in Costa Rica – EXPATS in Paradise

When our good friend Steve Myrick and his wife Annie decided to come down to Costa Rica they were actually visiting their daughter who had come down to Costa Rica to live 15 years ago.  They obviously fell in love with the place after coming down for many years visiting their daughter and finally decided to make it their permanent home in 2018.  Like many EXPATS who finally make the move they had many questions that needed answers before making such a big commitment.

Tank Tops Flip Flops Newsletter edition no. 239

Among the hundreds of questions that our clients have about Costa Rica, one of the most important is if there are churches and places of worship in the area and if so, are there services in English.  Steve tells us the story of how the discovered the Beach Community Church and how divine providence led them to starting a new congregation and a new branch of Beach Community Church right here in Sardinal.  

As you approach the church from the outside is not very inviting but once inside you find a beautiful open space with high ceilings, lots of natural light, and great air conditioning – Perfect for a Sunday morning gathering.  They hold a weekly service at this beautiful shared space with room for about 100 in Sardinal at 10-11AM in English.  Feel free to drop in.  If you are interested in going to services or hear about the other activities that go on during the week you can call or WhatsApp Steve Myrick directly at +506-8327-9198 or email him at:

steve@beachcommunitychurchcr.com

Here is the link to the Google Map location for the Beach Community Church in Sardinal.

While their personal journey coming to Costa Rica didn’t start on a bed of roses, they found out quickly that Costa Rica was their new forever home. In this video Steve tells us their detailed journey – with some trials and tribulations – about how they came to Costa Rica, but more importantly how they chose to come to the Papagayo area and bought a home here.

Another equally important question that ALL of our clients have, whether they ask it or not, is if they will find friends in Costa Rica; Is there a strong EXPAT community here?  As Steve attests to in this video, they have actually made more friends here than at home and have really found a sense of belonging among locals and EXPAT’s alike.

We met Steve and his wife when they had already purchased their home and become involved in local charity efforts and the Home Owner’s Association where they live so we can’t take the credit for helping them purchase their home.  Mike Mills is their agent and Steve has nothing but praise for how the whole home search and purchase process went.

  

We wanted to share with everyone the story of how Steve came upon the site of the new Church in Sardinal.  Here is his personal account:

Blessings everyone! Let me introduce my wife Annie and myself to those of you who may not have met us. We have been members here at Beach Community Church for almost 4 years. I have been an elder for about 3 years.

God is continually working his wonders and miracles and always showing us His Path.  Through months of prayer, patience and listening to The Holy Spirit, with support of the elder board we are expanding our church ministry here in Brasilito with the opening of our first satellite church. We are calling it Beach Community Church North. It is located in the town of Sardinal near Playas del Coco and Playa Hermosa.

God loves to answer our prayers, especially when we want what He wants. This is a story of God’s commitment to His children and God fulfilling His Promises.

During the several months of prayer, I called out to God to show me what he wanted us to do. Early last week I looked at a building that would satisfy our needs with a minimum amount of modifications and the rental fee for a couple hours Sunday morning was very reasonable. I also met with the owners of the cinema in Playa Hermosa. They were very receptive to our use and it offered everything we would require. They would let me know later in the week regarding the price.

On my way home as I crossed the bridge going into Sardinal I had an overwhelming urge to turn left on a street I very seldom use. I drove a short distance and notice a 2 story building on my left. It had a look as though it was unused. I called a friend and he explained that a pastor named Edgar owned it. With my friend I met Pastor Edgar last Friday.

Looking back in reminds me of Philippians 4:19, And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Pastor Edgar speaks no English and my Spanish isn’t much better so my friend Henry was translating. I presented my request to rent his church for 2 to 3 hours every Sunday morning. Pastor Edgar asked me to share with him our Statement of Faith and our mission. As I explained to him our beliefs his poker face transformed to the kind of smile that exposes all the teeth! His eyes even lit up.

It was his next two statements that left me stunned and then humbled more than I can explain. First he said he was sorry he could not rent God’s house to us. Most of my confusion came because as he said no that enormous smile never faltered. He continued to talk and explained to us about a vision he had a decade earlier and prayers he has continually made. He shared that not too long ago he “called out to God” and asked him to show him what he was to do. In 2012 Pastor Edgar had a vision of a Christian church that would minister to the local Spanish speaking community and also the English community. Then he said “MY REQUEST WAS GOD’S ANSWER TO HIM”. Therefore he couldn’t charge for the use of the church, however we were most welcome to share it with his congregation at no expense.

This has been an answered prayer not only for Annie and I but for Beach Community Church for Pastor Edgar and for many in the local area.

JEREMIAH 33:3 Call to me and I will answer you, and I will show you mighty things which you do not know.

We will have our first gathering on July 28th at 10 am and our first live cast from our church in Brasilito to our church in Sardinal on August 4th.

In Christ
Steve