A tribute to Nancy Lee, our sewing teacher!

A tribute to Nancy Lee, our sewing teacher!

“Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”2 Corinthians 9:7

Nancy and Bill Lee began visiting Costa Rica with Mission teams from Moline, IL. more than 20 years ago. The interesting thing was that we were into heavy construction teams working on building or remodeling churches and a sewing team did not seem to fit in, at least that was what I thought.

It is a good thing that the Lee’s did not hesitate about coming, as they felt that God was leading them in a very special way. They came with cheerful hearts and the desire to supply NEW sewing machines to the women of Costa Rica. They had seen enough gifts to missionaries that consisted of OLD sewing machines and many that did not work. Over the 20 years, they brought in 200 new Swedish sewing machines, 8 overlock machines and sewing supplies. Nancy was a professional seamstress and she was very generous in sharing her God given skills with many of the women here. Nancy passed away 3 years ago but her legacy continues.

A mission team of 15 people came in January 2025, mostly family, to visit the places that Nancy loved and worked to help these women provide for their families. It was a joy to see the ladies in each of the rural groups respond and share what Nancy had meant to them. “Doña Nancy taught me to sew, I knew nothing when I started. Now I can fix my children`s clothes, make pajamas and so much more. She gave me the tools I needed to help provide for my family. I will alway remember her for her kind and loving spirit.¨ We traveled to Biolley, the coffee plantation, then out to the Atlantic Horquetas, visited the Baptist church of Santo Tomas and CEDCAS. It was truly a walk down memory lane.

While we visited Biolley, we also did some work at the small evangelical church with Pastor Camilo and Rita, his wife. They painted the 2 new class rooms and learned to make cheese empanadas. Such fun!. And then we shared with 30 kids the Gospel through our VBS classes.

The kids in each place had the opportunity to play games, hear the story of Jesus, do crafts and have their picture taken which is such a treat. Most of our kids only have maybe one photograph when they turn 1 year old. This is due to the high cost of having pictures taken here.

As a super treat, we were able to take 50 kids to our camp Roblealto which has a swimming pool. The water was so cold, the kids turn blue but it is impossible to get them to come out of the water. One of the little girl´s was so cold, she would come to us to dry off, warm up and then run back into the water.

Bill and his family, with friends who have traveled to Costa Rica over the years were sad in remembering the loss of Nancy but praising the Lord in seeing her legacy continue. it was a good time to reflect what it meant to be committed to missions, what it meant to give with a cheerful heart and stepping out of their comfort zones to share with the people of Costa Rica the Good News that Nancy and Bill believed in.

Partner with us

Vacation time for Camila and a fun trip to the beach. The girls had a great time and Lucy finally decided that the sand was not really too dirty. She really enjoyed the water this time.