Gustavo William (Willie) Costa was born April 25, 1960 in Uruguay, South America. In 1979 he became the first member of his family to obey the Gospel in Montevideo. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science in 1982. Six years later, Willie made the United States his new home, and in the same year, at Abilene Christian University, he met an Education major name Rebecca Ortiz, they later married. Into this union two daughters were born, Victoria in 1990, and Gabriela in 1999. Willie went on to enroll in ACU majoring in Bible and Mission.

By 1994 a group of congregations in Forsyth County, North Carolina joined forces to serve the rapidly growing Hispanic community. The Church of Christ at Brewer Roadd recruited the Costa's to help nourish what is now known as ‘la Iglesia de Cristo en Brewer Road’. In the spring of 2003, Friendly Avenue accepted plans for beginning the Spanish Ministry in Guilford County, thus beginning a new chapter in the lives of the Costas.