It’s taken years of dedication, sacrifice, and no small amount of prayer, but finally Jason and Sarah Sheets and their three children have made their epic move to Costa Rica for language school and then soon to Peru for full-time service in Christian missions. I have known the Sheets for just over 14 years, having met both of them at Western Baptist College (now Corban University). However, you only really need to know them for about five minutes before you will discover their hearts for Jesus Christ and for Christian Missions. In fact, very early in their relationship, Sarah informed Jason, “I’m going to be a missionary.” To which he replied, “I’m good with that.”

In 2012, that vision became a reality when the Sheets were accepted as missionary candidates with The Evangelical Alliance Mission (TEAM). Originally founded over 120 years ago, TEAM currently has over 550 missionary units on 5 continents, in over 35 countries. The Sheets will be serving in Arequipa, Peru, and in the nearby village of Ciudad de Dios, working specifically in the church planting process. When asked why they had chosen Peru, Sarah replied with a laugh, “Because TEAM needed us there!”

There was, of course, more to it than that. The Sheets have always had a heart for Latin American cultures; they have even served in a Latin American church in their home city of Salem, Oregon. It wasn’t that much of a stretch to see themselves serving in an actual Latin American country, and so when God called them to Peru, they were faithful to that call.

Patience and faith were required in great measure over the next few years as the family worked to raise support and prepare for their ministry. Though the Sheets had originally planned to head directly to Peru from Oregon, a change in Visa regulations did not permit this. However, God was not about to leave these two faithful servants on the sidelines, and so the decision was made that the Sheets family would spend their first year of international ministry in San Jose, Costa Rica studying Spanish at Instituto de Lengua Española.

Now, at the time of this publication, the Sheets are about three months into their studies. No doubt acclimating to a new language and culture has been intense, but Jason and Sarah are both up to the challenge. As Sarah shared in a recent blog post, “…we had meetings with our professors to evaluate our mid-trimester progress.  How in the world did time fly so quickly? With all the normal everyday happenings PLUS classes and after school activities, time surely has gone quickly!  People ask if we are absolutely LOVING everything about being here in Costa Rica, and while we can mostly say yes, there are a few things which we miss about Salem: mainly our family, friends, and church!  The kids miss their school and friends there too!  However, all in all we are doing very well.”

The Sheets children Nathan, Evelyn, and Andrew are also adapting to life in the field. Writes Sarah, “Andrew, our precious little man, is almost 15 months old.  He LOVES going to class with Lizbet every morning while Jason and I attend classes.  Andrew claps, walks, blows kisses, throws balls (and food), eats anything he gets his hands on and is pretty much always happy.  Some fellow students don’t believe us when we say he gets fussy occasionally!”

“Evelyn continues to be a bit timid around others but is beginning to open up to our neighbors.  Just last night she actually spoke in Spanish to a neighbor lady when spoken to first.  Evie is attempting to learn how to do cartwheels and, of course, enjoys swinging during recess and whenever we go to the park!  She is an excellent student and enjoys learning to read, write, and speak in English AND in Spanish!”

“Nathan, as always, loves to spend every free moment playing and building with his Legos. It’s hard to believe he will be 8 in just a little more than a month.  He is beginning to use the Spanish that he’s been learning mainly to get what he wants from people (but hey it’s a start)! Nathan is also beginning to grow in his soccer abilities, though when calling for a friend to pass him the ball he still puts his hands up for the catch!”

I am personally very excited to see what Christ is going to do for His glory in the ministry of the Sheets family in the years to come. When they arrive in Arequipa their work will include primarily outreach and church planting. As Jason explained, “El Camino (a TEAM church plant) has begun ministry in the poor community of Ciudad de Dios – “City of God” – located just outside of the city. It is a spiritually dark and needy part of the Peruvian Andes, where tradition and mountain isolation have made evangelism a difficult and lengthy task. When first planted 13 years ago, El Camino laid out the goal of multiplying itself and planting a daughter church. Peruvian members of the church have been serving in Ciudad de Dios twice a month for the past few years. They are establishing relationships with the people, openly sharing the gospel and studying Scripture, and teaching much needed job skills. They are laying the ground work for a church plant in a community that has no evangelical church. We get the privilege of assisting the El Camino church in doing this community development and church planting work.”

As always, the Sheets family remains in my prayers, and I will be following the progress of Christ’s ministry through them closely. [I even get to visit them in the field next Thanksgiving!] The Sheets ask for your support in the following ways:

• Pray: Pray for us, our support team, our extended family, the work that God has called us to, the Peruvian people, and that Christ would be exalted and God would be glorified.
• Talk: Share our vision. Tell people about the church in Peru. Link to our website. Mention us on Facebook. Invite us to speak at your church or small group. Put us in contact with people who want to talk.
• Give: There are a variety of ways to give financially. Go to TEAM’s website to learn more –  www.team.org

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The Believer’s Byline is a publication of Thrive Christian Press.

Copyright © 2015 David Scott Fields II. All Rights Reserved.