Introducing.... Tamarindo Ministries

Temporary Life in San Jose
Stacey and I were engaged on August 1st in Costa Rica, and since our engagement, life has a whirlwind of an journey. Among other things, the past couple of months have included -engagement parties -a trip to the US to “meet the parents” -planning our wedding in one month -going on our honeymoon - and beginning Seminary Classes in San Jose. By the grace of God, we have managed to keep our heads on straight in the midst it all. And for the both of us, one of the best parts has been the pleasure of getting to know and spend time with each other’s family and friends.
We’ve been in San Jose for about six weeks now, and we have been studying Theological Ethics at Universidad Biblica Latinoamericana. This is part of the Parish Pulpit Fellowship I received upon graduating from Princeton Seminary. During our studies, we have met people from all over Central and South America and have learned a lot from just listening to the variety of perspectives represented. I (Lyle) have also been taking this time to study Natural Theology and the revelation of God through creation. My hope is to find points of contact between Christianity and the thought of other religions concerning the connection between God and Nature. I’ve been interested in this topic for many years now, and I’ve been very thankful to have this opportunity.

Ministry in Tamarindo
In addition to all of these things, something else has come up in our lives that we want to share with you. Stacey and I have both felt called to start a Christian ministry in our hometown of Tamarindo, Costa Rica. Tamarindo has never had a church or an outreach ministry because, until only recently, it has existed a quiet, rustic town with very few permanent inhabitants. But in the past few years, there has been considerable boom in tourism in Costa Rica, and this has caused Tamarindo’s growth to explode. It seems that every week there is a new businesses or family that has moved to the town. In the three months that I’ve been here, I’ve seen two new strip malls open with about 25 storefronts, and another comparable strip mall is due to open soon. Mind you, this is in a very small town with only about 10-12 blocks of a Main Street. With this growth in tourism, the town has subsequently seen a rise in the presence of…. Illegal drugs, prostitution, and crime. Add to this the mindset of self-preservation and rivalry that comes with competing businesses, and this gives you a bit a picture of what exists beneath the surface of Tamarindo’s tourism and charm.
Stacey and I are both burdened when we think that, in the midst of all of these elements, there is no ministry to witness to the gospel in these people’s lives. With this in mind, in mid-November Stacy and I will be pioneering ministry in Tamarindo. We will start by initiating a local bible study. Our goal is to draw people together to form a local community of fellowship and spiritual growth. From here, our vision extends even further. In the next few months we will open a center for arts/coffeehouse that will be used as a place of outreach to the community. And ultimately, God willing, God will open the doors for us to establish Tamarindo’s first local church. This is the sort of fruit that we hope to see grow over the next few years.

Building A Support Team
At this time, we are asking people to join us in our ministry effort by supporting us through prayer and/or finances. The eventual goal is that our ministry will be financially self-supporting, but as we are in the beginning stages, we need help. If you’d like to know more about the ministry, or if you’d like to know more about how you can support us, go to tamarindoministries.blogspot.com. Once on this site, click on the link entitled “Tamarindo Ministries Website”. This will take you to our website where it should be fairly easy to navigate for more information. If you have any questions or comments, contact us at tamarindoministries@hotmail.com.

Thank you all for your friendship and care for us. We hope and pray that all is well with you. And be sure to contact us if you ever make it down this way.


Grace and Peace to you,
Lyle and Stacey

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