We've had another eventful week getting to know Roblealto! We spent Monday discussing the upcoming year and the department goals with Pamela, our boss, and Steve who is an LAM missionary and was our initial contact in getting us here. We were excited and overwhelmed by the high goals for the year including having 15 volunteer groups in 2010, raising money for several big projects such as the new daycare center, and increasing the number of international child sponsors. Mark and I have spent the week informally bouncing ideas off of each other about how we can be of help. But we have also spent a lot of time praying because we know only God can help us reach these goals!
We spent Tuesday and Wednesday with Lizzy and Nelly who are in charge of all the correspondence that goes out to the sponsors. We especially loved going to 2 of the centers with Nelly so she could take pictures. She sends a photo of the child along with a yearly progress report for their birthdays to each of the sponsors. We learned that a major organization dropped their partnership with Roblealto and pulled all of their sponsors to go to work in Nicaragua about 4 years ago. This was obviously difficult for Roblealto. They want all of their children to be sponsored, but that is no longer the case. We've realized that North Americans don't know what great needs Costa Rica has. It has also been interesting to learn that many of the children Roblealto serves are in fact Nicaraguan immigrants. These families experience terrible poverty and Roblealto has a wonderful ministry to them.
Mark and I have started to research contacts who may be interested in coming to Roblealto on a missions trip. If you know of a group that may be interested, please let us know! This will be one of our first major jobs. We continue tweaking the website, as well. We haven't had as many elaborate excursions recently, but we enjoyed going into San Jose to their little zoo this morning. It's kind of like Como Zoo and we laughed that they have deer on exhibit - the same kind my parents regularly have in their backyard! We saw a strange phenomenon while we were there - a rainbow entirely around the sun. There's a picture here, but it doesn't quite do it justice. It was pretty amazing!
We are thinking of you all often and miss you. Emily especially gets bad bouts of homesickness, but it helps so much to have skype and facebook! Much love from Costa Rica!
FIFTEEN volunteer groups?!?? Crazy!! I wish I could come visit you!! Keep up the great work, guys.
ReplyDeleteLove the new "addition"! Costa Rica looks to have a very beautiful country side. The picture of the rainbow around the sun, I've never seen something like that before and you captured it so well, would have been awesome to view in person.
ReplyDeleteMiss you guys! You have so much work to do in the year but I know you can do it with God's help! Life is busy here with work, school and church! Melissa comes home tomorrow from a wild adventure in New York that she has been on for the last couple of weeks. She will be moving to L.A. in early October for another adventure!
Mark, you and the little boy and you're monkey faces - love it! Watch out it doesn't stay like that! The pictures of the children are so amazing - you two are perfect for this mission!
When you were writing about Costa Rica's Independence Day, I noticed some similarities with people in Kentucky that we served this summer. Life is hard and poverty is widespread but there is so much musical talent through singing and playing instruments, seems more than in most areas. Maybe that is the balance or equity in life? Something to ponder.
You both are missed and loved! Blessings of abundance to you both! Look forward to your next update, almost feel like we are there with you - in spirit we are! God's great provisions to you and your ministry! Love, Shari & Kent