Happy Costa Rican Independence!

Today is Costa Rica's Independence Day! It is a national holiday, so we didn't have any specific work at Roblealto, but we did go up to San Jose de la Montana to see the parade. The students at the Bible Home have a marching band - drums, xylophones, flags and cymbals. They have been practicing for weeks (we've heard them) preparing for this big day! At 7:30 this morning they marched down the hill to the town and joined 5 other schools in the desfile (parade). Roblealto had a beautiful float and the kindergarteners wore historical clothing representing all of the country's provinces. It was so impressive to see the kids all dressed up and playing their instruments so beautifully - we were really proud of them! Many of the children's parents come to watch them. We were told that sometimes the parents cry with pride. They can't believe their kids who have had such difficult lives have such talent!

We continue our tour and introduction of the various parts of Roblealto. Yesterday we met with the director at the Bible Home to talk about its history and why kids are entered into the program. We learned that while these children live in extreme poverty and suffer the risks that come with that, they also have high-risk homes. It is not safe for them to live with their families, so they come to live at the Bible Home. There are 83 kids there now, mostly ages 9-12. While they get love and help from the Bible Home, their families are also receiving services. Sadly, there is never enough room for the amount of children that need the Bible Home. One of our prayers is that the Bible Home will continue to grow and add more houses so that more kids can be helped. A ninth house is currently being built to house 10 more kids.

Our first big project since coming here has been working on a new website. Mark has spent HOURS working on it and it has just been launched today on Independence Day! Please check it out. We are so excited to act as reporters and write articles about what is going on at Roblealto. The link is: www.roblealto.org
Enjoy!