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KERRVILLE FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH CONTINUES TO SUPPORT ZIRKEL FAMILY MINISTERING WITH THE METHODIST CHILDREN’S HOME OF COSTA RICA History of the Methodist Children's Home In 2006, through means which we can only attribute to God’s grace, we were able to purchase a small farm located in Patio de Agua, Coronado. The property has lovely rolling hills, several large flat areas, a small river, and access to public roads, water and utilities. Our vision for this farm is to build five homes, a multi-purpose building, an open-air chapel, a soccer field, basketball court, and playground. The Home is a refuge for children who have been abandoned by their parents and need safe, loving, Christian environment to call Home. When completed we will be able to minister to 60 children. The Children's Home Today The Children´s Home is being built by mission teams from Methodist Churches in the United States. These volunteers come to Costa Rica throughout the year and help local construction workers to build the homes. In March 2011, we completed the first home on the property (Casa Esperanza), and in April 2014, we opened the second home (Casa Fe). On March 31, 2022, we dedicated our new Ministry Center at the Children's Home. This beautiful new building serves as a school for the children who live at the Home as well as an outreach center to our community. Today, we have 28 children from 6 months to 17 year’s old living at the Home. 
Thanks to your second mile giving, support was sent to Ray Zirkel Ministries to fund the materials needed and to hire locals to provide the labor for work at the orphanage. Unfortunately, due to circumstances, our mission trip to Costa Rica in May has been cancelled, but the work will continue. Our faith community has also been able to provide new sleeping bags for the Costa Rica Methodist School Senior Class Trip! Thank you for your support! We are already looking forward to our next mission trip to Costa Rica in the summer of 2026!
       We were blessed to spend last weekend with one of our grandsons! Braxton is 3 and he is so much fun! One of his favorite things is putting puzzles together. I enjoyed watching him look at each piece and then figure out where it fits in the puzzle. And if it didn’t fit, he would pick up a different piece, and study it, and try again. And he celebrated each time a puzzle piece fit. As I watched him, I thought about how life is like putting a puzzle together. We pray, we study, we try, we try again, and again, and we are grateful and we celebrate. Yesterday, my friend, Jane Davis, used puzzle pieces in her prayer and I wanted to share her good words with you. Blessings! FROM JANE DAVIS…  I am praying for you this morning… Puzzles speak to me in so many different ways… Hundreds of pieces, some upside down, others right side up…some edges, some corners. Some, when fitted properly together, complete a beautiful picture. Is your life like this puzzle sometimes? Mine often is.x Lots of unanswered questions. Calendars filled with softball games, Dr appointments, school functions, volunteering, traveling… The puzzle pieces keep piling up, but don’t seem to be fitting together. Then God whispers in my ear… “Give it to me. I’ve already figured it out. Everything will work out, according to My Plan for you.” “You just have to give it to Me.” Once we do that, piece-by-piece, things start falling into place. Not our way…but, better yet, His way. “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” 2 Corinthians 9:8 Easter 2025 Want to volunteer to help? Contact Tina at (830) 315-6104 - or - Beth at (830) 459-5847  Come to the KFUMC Gym this Saturday and cheer on our Women’s Pickleball Tournament Participants! I LOVE THIS OLD MAP OF CAMP WESLEY!  As you can see we have lots of grounds at Light on the Hill at Mount Wesley. If you enjoy working in flowerbeds or pruning shrubs and trees, I have some volunteer opportunities for you!! Let me know if you are interested in helping us. Contact Beth at 830-459-5847 - or - [email protected]  REFLECTION, REPENTANCE, RECONCILIATION This past week, I have been spending time organizing closets at both my home and at Light on the Hill. I procrastinated for a while and finally just jumped in and started doing it. While I have been doing the work, I must confess, I have regretted doing this several times. But after I have completed the tasks, I am so glad that I did it! This reminds me of our Lenten journey. Lent is a 40-day period of preparation for Easter when Christians reflect on their faith and prepare for renewal. The season of Lent offers followers of Christ time to give attention to reflection, repentance, and reconciliation.
Other practices of Lent include prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Lent helps us practice the virtues of faith, hope, and love. All of these practices help Christians develop a closer relationship with God. Lent is a time of self-examination, forgiveness, and preparation for Easter. It's a time to learn or relearn the story of salvation, which is a story of rescue, restoration, and reassurance. Lent is a time to reflect on the suffering and death of Christ, and to sorrow and repent for sins. It's also a time to be aware of God's presence and to be freed from the bondage of sin. I encourage each of us to spend time reflecting, repenting, and reconciling. It is like spring cleaning…no one is fired up to do it, but once you do, you are so glad you did!     Where did I See Christ Today? I often ask myself, “Where did I see Christ today?” Many days, I see Jesus in the people we are serving. Most days, I see Christ in the folks that I am blessed to serve alongside. Some days, I see Jesus in myself. How about you? Today, I saw Jesus in the Mustard Seed Unpaid Servants.  From American Theologian, Leonard Sweet“There is a story of a monastery where the monks were not at peace with each other or with God. They were often impatient, angry or jealous. Then one day the Guest Master answered a knock on the door. A visitor stood in the shadows and whispered, "One of you is the Christ." Turning away, he was gone in a moment. The Guest Master related this incident to a meeting of the brothers later that morning, and afterwards, everyone left in silence. They had much to think about. Slowly the whole monastery was transformed, as the monks learned to deal with each other in a new way. Peace descended as they sought to be aware of the Christ among them.” Today is Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent. What if these 40 days of Lent we look for the Christ in everyone we meet? What if we remember that the sacred may be hidden in the most ordinary encounters? What if we treat each person as if they might be Jesus in disguise? Perhaps in seeking Christ in others, we might discover more of Him within ourselves as well?    March 2, 2025 Dear Friends, We pray you all are well and enjoying a little warmer weather in the States. Ray and I recently returned from Alabama and Texas, where we attended two church conferences. We had a wonderful time connecting with fellow missionaries and church members who have served on mission teams in Costa Rica. Despite the cold weather, we were grateful for the opportunity to present the various areas where we minister to some of our current supporters and to meet new people who we hope will join us in the ministry. January was a month of celebration as Ray had the honor of graduating several of his seminary students, who are now ministering within local congregations. Ray continues to teach through both online and in-person classes, and he looks forward to the day when the Seminary fully resumes in-person instruction. Furthermore, our annual church conference was a success, as we welcomed three new congregations into full connectional status, and Bishop Dr. Rev. Luis Palomo was re-elected for another 4-year term.  January kicked off the year with the arrival of our dedicated Michigan mission team. These experienced volunteers, true "veterans", poured their hearts into two weeks of impactful service. They fortified our perimeter wall and spent time playing with the children at the Home. We are deeply grateful for their tireless efforts and the remarkable progress they made.  Just two weeks later, the energetic North Carolina team arrived, ready to tackle the sanctuary project in Guapiles. In a mere four days, they transformed the site by pouring concrete for nearly one third of the church floor—a feat that exceeded even our work foreman's expectations! Our sincere thanks to our friends from North Carolina.  Also, in February a medical team from Texas ventured into uncharted territory, transforming our Wesley clinic into a mobile unit which journeyed to the Costa Rican/Nicaraguan border. Our goal was to serve a community lacking government healthcare, where, remarkably, many children had never received any form of medical/dental attention. The team set up shop at a local school and were deeply moved to even find some patients arriving by boat from Nicaragua.This inaugural mobile clinic was a success and has solidified our commitment to expanding our outreach to rural areas with limited healthcare access.  February also marked the start of a new school year, and the children at the orphanage, along with their caregivers, were excited to return to class. We're thrilled to have four teenagers in high school, eleven children in elementary school, and five in preschool, in addition to caring for the babies at home. We've also welcomed several new teachers to our school family. A significant answer to prayer has been the hiring of four male teachers, who will each be teaching various subjects one day a week, providing much-needed male mentorship for the children. We ask for your prayers for a fruitful and successful school year.  The Methodist School celebrated the start of the new school year with an encouraging increase in student enrollment. While we haven't returned to pre-COVID numbers, we're moving in the right direction. We also warmly welcomed MSc. Eduardo Goni as our new General Director. Don Eduardo, a long-time physics teacher and former high school principal, is a strong Christian who champions rigorous academics. We're excited to see what God has in store for the school this year. Prayer concerns: · A new administration at the government welfare agency has brought about overwhelming pressure concerning the children's home. This burden is weighing heavily on our staff. We earnestly seek your prayers for the restoration of a collaborative and shared purpose with the government. · To fulfill our commitment to provide funding for the children's home, medical clinic, and local church plants, in addition to scholarships for the Methodist School camp, we are diligently working to expand our support base and secure the necessary funding for each ministry. We would love the opportunity to speak with you, your church, church conference, or at your mission conference. Our family is doing well. The girls are thriving in their respective master's programs and are grateful to live only an hour and a half apart. We are deeply grateful for our good health and cherish every opportunity we have to spend time together as a family. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to each of you for your profound investment in our ministry through your faithful prayers and generous financial gifts. As we celebrate our 31st year of ministry in Costa Rica, we acknowledge that your steadfast support has been instrumental in allowing us to impact the lives of Costa Ricans and strengthen the Methodist Church. In Christ’s love and for His glory, Ray and Lidia I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. Phil. 1:3-5  FMWM-AsiaFMWM-Asia makes disciples by crossing cultures to share Jesus, pursuing servant partnerships to reinforce national leadership, and implementing systems to cultivate flourishing Free Methodist Churches.  Mr. & Mrs. Okuda celebrated their 88th and 87th birthdays. Minori's sister and husband came from Nagoya and we all had a worship service together followed by lunch and of course, cake :)
The Japan FMC General Conference. Left: Eric Spangler, Free Methodist World Missions, Asia Area Director with Chris & Yuko Wilks, Minori, and I. Right: Bishop Baba, Eric Spangler, and Elders ordain pastor Ikumi of Machida Free Methodist Church.  Recent training in a predominately Muslim country. Our faithful leaders completed the Servanthood module. They are eager to apply what they learned to their personal life, their family, their ministry, and to their culture.  Gene's discipleship work is expanding to help countries throughout S.E. Asia create a template for making disciples that all churches will use to root new believers in their walk with Christ.
Hi Friends, Greetings in Christ. Here is the February update. A lot is going on. We are especially excited to share an amazing work of God in a creative access country. Watch Our Video Update!Thank you for your friendship and partnership in the Gospel in Japan and S.E. Asia. With all our love in Christ, Gene & Minori Praises: 1. For Minori's mother's good health. For her father being placed in a long-term care facility. He will come home for one night each month. This has been a long journey. Thank you for your many prayers. God is good! 2. For more doors opening to help countries in Asia create a plan of discipleship for the new Christians coming to faith. Prayer： 1. Pray for Sister On, our educational director in Thailand. She has been hospitalized for three weeks. 2. Please continue to pray for Mr. Okuda (Minori's father). It is a difficult transition for him to be in a facility away from his wife and home. Pray that he might lean on the presence, strength, and comfort of the Holy Spirit. |
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Light on the Hill at Mount Wesley is a Texas nonprofit corporation recognized by the IRS as a tax-exempt public charity under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (Federal Tax ID: 83-3263624).
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