In Matthew 16:18, Jesus told His disciples, “I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”

The “building” of the church was a powerful metaphor, as Jesus and the disciples were standing not far from a pagan temple that was constructed by Herod the Great. It had been built over an ancient cave that was dedicated to Pan, the Greek god of the underworld. Thus, the “gates of Hades.”

The church that Jesus’ disciples would go on to help build was, of course, spiritual, made up of every believer who looked to Jesus for salvation. But for a few millennia now, that spiritual Body of Christ has met in physical buildings all over the world, including here in Costa Rica.

We are blessed when teams—like Matrix Ministries—come here to help build the buildings of the church, because it is in those buildings that the Body of Christ is strengthened. It is in those buildings that lives are often changed.

The project that Matrix was working on this month, at Pastor Juan Carlos’s church, Iglesia Bíblica Fuentes de Amor in San Mateo, is still continuing with local help. This time, they added on to the church parsonage, which increases living quarters for the pastor’s family, and also provides additional Sunday school space. The central courtyard was also roofed to provide relief from the heat and rain, and more usable space.