For the first time ever, Costa Rican missionaries are here in Shreveport. The missionaries work with an organization called the Costa Rican Mission Projects (CRMP). The CRMP has a covenant with the Evangelical Methodist Church of Costa Rica to do all of their construction, and they are constantly taking on new projects to fix and expand churches.
For years, church members of the First United Methodist Church in Shreveport have been traveling down to Costa Rica, and in total, more than 100 SBC locals have made the trip. This is the first time the CRMP has sent members to the United States.
The group of seven are in Bossier this week working with the Fuller Center for Housing. The Fuller Center for Housing NWLA is an organization that helps build decent, affordable homes for people in need. All of the labor for Fuller houses is volunteered, and the center relies heavily on individual citizens, churches, schools, and local businesses to build their homes. The owners of the Fuller homes also help to construct them, giving them the opportunity to have a sense ownership of the property.
While the volunteers are in Shreveport they will be staying with First United Methodist families, giving them the opportunity to meet the locals and experience the southern culture.
After helping with the Fuller Center, the ground will then head to Baton Rouge, where they will assist another local church with flood recovery activities.
The group decided to make the trip up to Louisiana on their own. Each volunteer paid his or her own airfare and travel expenses.
“This is the first instance of one of our global mission partners coming to Shreveport to serve locally,” said Ashley Goad, First United’s Associate Pastor of Global Missions. “We are very excited to have them here.”