LONG TERM MISSIONARIES
MOZAMBIQUE, AFRICA
Kent and Andrea Powell have been faithfully serving the Lord in Mozambique since 2003. Kent is from NC and Andrea from Brazil, but they met and fell in love in Pemba, Mozambique under Heidi and Rolland Baker’s leadership of Iris Ministries. In 2008 they began Release Ministries in the Ihla of Mozambique, which is an island off the northern coast. It was the original birthplace of the country. They believe God has strategically placed them there to “Release His Kingdom” to help bring spiritual freedom to the nation.
There are many orphans in Mozambique. Kent and A
ndrea’s friend Fredrico died leaving his wife and 8 children behind. They have began a Massanga Art Project with those children and many others. Massanga a
re beads of glass once used as a form of currency. These beads made their way to Mozambique from Arabic regions, Europe and India. Today the children sift through the sand on the beaches to find them and then string them together on fishing line to sell them on the streets. Kent and Andrea are helping the children market the jewelry and in the process sharing God’s love.
Kent and Andrea are persistently preaching the good news and sometimes ride bicycles to places cars cant go to reach the “forgotten”. They are dedicated to lunching the Kingdom of God forward whatever the cost! There needs financially are for developing Release Ministrie’s home base and for reliable transportation.
COSTA RICA
Payton and Julie McKeithan along with their two children, Brooks (13) and Megan (3), have been serving the Lord in Costa Rica since 2005. They began their work by pioneering a ministry to orphans and neglected children in the nearby city of San Isidro de General. In the past seven years, they have developed a close relationship with the Costa Rican social services department in their region, and they currently work with approximately 70 kids in 5 homes. The ministry involves regular visits to the homes with volunteer teams to share the love of Jesus Christ and his message through Bible teaching, crafts and games. Through this ministry, they have been able to touch the lives of hundreds of children and government workers.
During their time in Costa Rica, the McKeithans have ministered to the poor, drug addicts and prostitutes in the trash dump of San Isidro. Through 
evangelistic outreaches, women’s seminars, food distributions and Christmas Gift drives, they have ministered Christ’s love to many of “the least of these” in their area.
In 2007, they joined with other believers to plant a church in the Southern Pacific region of Costa Rica. They currently pastor this bilingual church, Iglesia de la Costa, located in the town of Uvita, Puntarenas.
Through the church, they founded a mercy ministry, Manos de Misericordia (Hands of Mercy), that collects and distributes food and used clothing to families in extreme poverty. The ministry works with these families to meet their immediate physical needs, to share the good news of the love of God in Jesus Christ, and to provide prayer, counsel and encouragement in their efforts to escape the cycle of poverty.
As part of their vision for transforming the community, the church recently opened a Youth Center called Centro de Vida (Life Center). The center provides a refuge for youth in the area with plans to include teaching English
and computer skills and an after-school program for kids.
The McKeithans have a passion that burns within them – a passion to preach the good news of Jesus Christ to the lost, to demonstrate his love to the poor and hurting and to see the Kingdom of God manifest through the local church.
The McKeithan’s present financial needs include raising monthly support for living expenses, relocation or expansion of the current church facilities and the monthly operating expenses of the youth center.
