Support Letter (March 2009)

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.” Matthew 5:14- 15

Dear Family and Friends,
It’s already March and spring is just around the corner! I love spring because it is the season that reminds us that God is doing a new thing. I am so grateful when I think about how God truly has been doing a new thing inside of me this past year. Even since the beginning of this year he has made a very old commandment come alive to me in a whole new way:

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matt. 28:19-20)

Let me fill you in on what’s up with some of the “new things” God is doing in my life…

What’s up with Anna Jacobs?
I am in Costa Rica serving with Youth With A Mission, San Jose’. As you may already know, this is same location that I did my Discipleship Training School (DTS) and my Foundations in Community Development School in 2008. During my community development school, God started stirring up my heart for Costa Rica and for what he is doing here. In praying about my next step, I sensed God leading me to come back here and “plant” myself in Costa Rica by committing to serve here for one entire year. I am now helping in the DTS to disciple young people (ages 18-31) as they go through this 5- month school. God has been teaching me so much about leadership through this, especially about humbling myself and being a learner in this process. I have been also been able to use my passion for prayer by leading our prayer and intercession times as a school. Most of all, God is teaching me that discipleship is all about relationship. I’m finding myself falling more in love with The Lord as I continue to learn new things and am reminded of old things as I walk along side the students.

My friend who I met at a refugee camp on a local outreach to the earthquake epicentre.

What’s Up with DTS?
This Discipleship Training School has 14 students from USA, Canada, and Germany. Each person is so unique and brings their own special things into the group. Even though there are no Latino students, we are still very diverse and I believe God has a very special purpose for putting this particular group of people together in this time. We just completed week #7 out of the 12 weeks of our “lecture phase” of the school and I have already seen that God is doing so much in the students lives! I see them being challenged in a lot of areas both inside and outside of the classroom. By learning to live in community they are especially challenged in the areas of loving one another and being a team. I see God gently moulding the hearts and characters of each person as we focus in on a variety of subjects including relationships, intimacy with God, nature and character of God, evangelism and spiritual warfare, and this past week’s subject that deeply touched my heart which is the father heart of God. The primary purpose of a DTS is to make a place for people to come and cultivate a more intimate relationship with God. That is what I see happening in the student’s lives as many of them are hearing God’s voice speak clearly into their lives and are letting him come touch areas of their lives that they wouldn’t allow him to before. There is so much more God wants do in them during this time, and I think this is just the beginning. Another purpose of the DTS is to reach out to others and show them God’s love. We are going to Nicaragua March 7th-21st to do a mini-outreach and also receive some teaching there. Since before this DTS even started, God put it in our (the DTS staff’s) hearts to do our main outreach here in Costa Rica. So from April 5th –June 1st we leave the YWAM base for the “outreach” phase of our school to share with others all that God has given us in the past 12 weeks and join with him in what he is doing in the nation of Costa Rica!
Me and my other half, Jaymie. We are in our room getting the students’ welcome baskets ready before they arrive.

What’s up in Costa Rica?
Our God is doing a great thing in this Nation! I can’t tell you exactly how the Lord drew me to come to Costa Rica, but now that I have seen all that he is doing here I want so much to be a part of it. I couldn’t be more grateful and excited that God is leading us to do our DTS Outreach right in this country. One of our main focuses of the outreach is Youth. I believe that God has great compassion for the youth of the nation and that he has marvellous plans for this generation to make a huge impact both inside and outside Costa Rica. God wants to use this DTS to befriend the youth of this nation, to make God’s ways and salvation known to them, and to help mobilize them into missions or to be influential in whatever sphere of society God may be leading them to. The other main focus of our outreach is the poor and the needy. This is not only in the physical area, but also in the spiritual area. Since the earthquake here in January (6.2 on the Richter-Scale), the Nation is very spiritually shaken up as well as physically. Without getting into too many details, hundreds of people have lost their farms and homes and most all families are still displaced. There has also been major flooding in the Caribbean coast that has destroyed many homes and farms. Many people are longing for some hope, and people all around the nation are looking for answers and are realizing that the things they have put their security in are not so secure after all. This is a huge wakeup-call for the Costa Rican Church and we need to pray that the Church will rise up in this time. This is a grand opportunity for us, as a DTS, to share the hope of Jesus Christ and to let the Holy Spirit use us reach people’s hearts while they are so open. God has put it in our hearts to go to the Caribbean Coast for part of our outreach and to a mountainous town or village for the other part. I can keep you updated on my blog as I get more details about our outreach. I see the outreach being very prayer and intercession focused and I believe that God will not only use us to touch the lives of individuals but to also change the spiritual environment of entire towns or villages.
We gave the DTS students a cultural introduction to Costa Rica and of course it had to include dancing!

What’s up with you?
You can also be involved with what God is doing in Costa Rica! This nation truly needs your prayers and your prayers really do make a difference. I also invite you to please become a part of my “Prayer Team”. Being a part of my prayer team means committing to pray, on a regular basis, for me and the ministry I am doing here at the YWAM, San Jose’ base. What I encourage you to do is to partner up with someone else who is committed to praying for me and pray together in person, over the phone, through email, Facebook, or however else you can imagine. The idea of doing this it that creates a prayer “net” around me that will hold together much better than individual prayer “ropes”. If you need, I can help you to get partnered with someone. It is very important for me to have prayer support during this time. I covet your prayers and any encouragement that you want to send my way. I know that many of you are already faithfully praying for me and I am extremely grateful. Thank you so much! Let me know if you want to join the Prayer Team!
Urgent Prayer Request: Please cover our trip to Nicaragua in prayer! We leave March 7th and return the 21st. We are traveling by the public bus. For the first week, we are staying in the YWAM Nicaragua base to receive classes on studying the Bible. We haven’t determined exactly where we will be the second week, but will be doing outreach. Pray for the God’s Spirit to lead us and protect us.
You can also be a part of my financial support team. All YWAM staff positions are volunteer, so supporting me in this is your chance to be involved with what God is doing here. Please ask the Lord if his wants you to be involved in this way. I am looking for people to join the “Costa Rican Missions Team” by giving monthly donations for the next year. I will also gratefully accept any one-time (or two-time, or three-time) donations. Even if you just give a little bit each month, the best reminder to pray for me is when you are also supporting me financially.
Financial Needs:
$200/Month for YWAM Staff Fees (This covers my room and board)
$200/Month for other living expenses
$700 for the months of April and May to pay for my Outreach
$700 for travel expenses
Total: $450/Month (on average)

How to Give: There are 2 options for how to give.
Option #1: Write a non-tax deductable check to Anna Jacobs and send it too:
The Jacobs
5277 S. 3200 W.
SLC, UT 84118
If you give money using this option, it can go towards any of my financial
needs including my personal living expenses and travel expenses.

Option #2: Write a tax deductable check to Cornerstone EV Free Church and on the memo line write Short Term Missions- Costa Rica. You can either place the check in the offering plate at Cornerstone Church or you can mail it to:
7762 South 700 West
Midvale, UT
84047
If you give money using this option, it will go towards paying my monthly staff fees and my outreach fees.

Thank you for taking the time to read this!
I will start posting more updates on my blog: annagracejacobs.blogspot.com
Feel free to email me if you have ANY questions!

“May God be gracious to us and bless us and Make his face shine upon us that yourays may be know on earth, your salvation among All Nations.” (Psalm 67:1-2)

Blessings from Costa Rica,

Anna Grace Jacobs

Youth With A Mission
San Jose’, Costa Rica
www.ywamsj.org
mariposagrace@hotmail.com