About us

Fortunately, their teenage daughter, Isabella, had been homeschooled, a personal choice, a couple of years prior to God's calling on the Lee family. Her decision made the move easier for their family. In 2024, after several months of prayer, fasting, and other confirmations, they sold everything they had which included their house, cars, and their collection of unnecessary junk (bye-bye, kitchen junk drawer).

The hardest part of the move was not leaving their stuff; instead, it was leaving their young adult son, Samuel, behind. But they understood that God is the great Abba Father, and He could watch over their son better than they could as earthly parents.

David and Shaavon have a loving church family at Calvary Chapel of Henderson in Nevada, but they also found that they have a church family in several areas of Costa Rica, people they could reach out to for help and encouragement. Interestingly, the Calvary Chapel churches in Costa Rica had been praying for a church to be built on the southern side of Limón Province, somewhere between Cahuita and Puerto Viejo, for a year prior to the churches even knowing anything about the Lee family or their calling.

Unknowingly, the “vacation home” that God had given the Lee family in Costa Rica was built precisely where the churches had been praying for God to send someone. (Actually, this was one of the confirmations they received that aided in their decision to leave the U.S.)

From the Lee Family:

Costa Rica has a popular saying, “Pura Vida,” which means “pure life.” While in Costa Rica, the locals make this statement regularly in greetings, closures, and responses in general. We know that no one can receive “pure life” apart from Christ, so when someone says “Pura Vida,” we try to always respond with “en Cristo,” meaning “in Christ.”

Galatians 2:20:
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Striving to obtain Pura Vida, apart from Christ, in Costa Rica has become a feeling of hopelessness for some of the locals. Relying on culture, nationalism, and sometimes religion is just not enough to feel complete. It only comes in Christ.

For these reasons (sharing the culture of Christ above all, sharing the importance of growing in Christ verse-by-verse, and sharing the truth of the gospel to gain hope), we thank God for the calling He has given us in Limón, Costa Rica.

Besides the Lee family’s respect for verse-by-verse study of Scripture, they also understood that their cultural backgrounds could be a major part of the reason why they ended up on Central America’s mission field. David comes from a Roma “Gypsy” culture (literally). His family’s background is in witchcraft prior to being saved. Within his culture, Gypsies are very much separatist (regardless of their internal differences). Gypsies view all other cultures as outsiders.

As for Shaavon, she is of African descent; her parents and several of her family members are from Costa Rica, they consider themselves Caribbean Latinos. She grew up visiting Costa Rica often. This detail is why they originally thought they had built a "vacation home", in Limón. Shaavon was born in the United States as a first-generation American from her family line.

Since David and Shaavon’s arrival in Costa Rica, they have been meeting more brothers and sisters in Christ, some from different religious backgrounds with a heart for Christ. Mingling with the Costa Rican people has given them a better understanding of why God has called them to the mission field.

David and Shaavon understand their true culture is the Christian culture. Nothing else (race, ethnicity, nationality, etc.) should supersede their identity in Christ. They also realized how important it is for others to understand this concept, as God’s Word says in Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Since their arrival in Costa Rica, David has taken on the role of Missions Pastor at First Baptist Old Harbor in Puerto Viejo. He focuses on verse-by-verse teaching to help people understand the importance of considering the entirety of God’s Word.

David Lee, “Lord, give us what we need to serve your people”

If you are reading this quote, we ask that you pray for our mission, and we thank you in advance for the time you spend talking to God on our behalf. We believe wholeheartedly in prayer and the relationship God desires to have with His creation. God tells us in Hebrews 4:16, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

David Lee was ordained at Calvary Chapel of Henderson, Nevada, in 2017, becoming the Assistant Pastor for seven years before he was called to be a Missions Pastor with his wife, Shaavon (since 2007).