When Jacob and Courtenay Folk went to Costa Rica to serve as missionaries, they never dreamed they'd be running a food program for hungry people.
But that's exactly what started happening when the COVID-19 virus hit their Central American country.
While the spread of the disease has been less dramatic in Costa Rica than in some other countries, it has been the poor who have been hit hardest. Already living on the edge of survival, the lock-down has left many without access to food. There have been reports of malnutrition from some of the poor neighborhoods.
Jacob and Courtenay have been working since 2008 with people in poor communities near San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica. As the economy shut down, they started to hear alarming reports about families they knew having no food at all. One family they knew well was especially desperate.
Courtenay says, "We decided to go buy some basic food and make a box of groceries for them that would hopefully last two weeks. I was able to get all of the food for roughly $36. We boxed it up, put in some Bible studies to encourage and strengthen them spiritually, and delivered it."
That box of food soon ballooned into a full-fledged feeding program, with the Folk family delivering food boxes to people in poor areas. The response was overwhelming.
"When you have no food, no hope of finding work, a family depending on you that is hungry -- and someone arrives with a box full of food and gives it to you, all they can say is, 'Thank you, thank you, thank you!'" Courtenay reports. "Some people just cry and are speechless. They are so happy and thankful and have hope.”
Your prayers and words of encouragement to families like the Folks will brighten their day and lift them up at this time where the need in Costa Rica is so great. It's easy, and you can do it online right here: https://globaloutreach.org/christmas.
Courtenay especially thinks of one family they reached. They had completely run out of food. "When we gave them the box and they realized it was a gift, they cried and said, 'You stayed in Costa Rica when you could have left. Thank you for staying and going through this with us.' Many people feel forgotten and hopeless. These boxes are giving them hope in Christ’s provision."
Your note shows the missionaries that they are not forgotten, that people like you care about them -- even during difficult times. It makes all the difference. Thank you!
