Tico Tuesday, November 16th

Happy happy Tuesday!

We are currentling hosting a team of volunteers from Canada here at Roblealto's Bible Home. Can you imagine traveling some 36 hours to go somewhere? And when you arrive they give you a lawn mower and tell you to get to work? Ok, we're a little nicer about it (and we let them sleep some too), but, really... What disposition! What a beautiful willingness to serve! But, of course we don't just make volunteers slave away all day. That would be cruel. THERE ARE CHILDREN HERE TO PLAY WITH!!!! And these kids need a lot of love!! And language barrier shmanguage larrier. Smiles, hugs and gestures go a loooooooong way. Really, they are all you need. But anyway, I am really loving having volunteers here! And I am continuing to learn so much-about Roblealto, about working with people, about lawnmowers and weedwhackers... and of course about God and His transforming love. Friday we took the volunteers to Los Guido and to El Manantial, one of our childcare center. More about that on the blog!

May God bless the work of your hands this week and may it be an act of love for Him!

Carrie

Los Guido is the site of Roblealto's future and 4th childcare center. It is essentially a slum on the southern side of San José- illegal immigrants, not good access to water and electricity, extreme poverty, drugs, alcohol, domestic violence, child labor and abuse, serious exploitation. This is the reality of life there. Not pretty. At Roblealto's new childcare center, 250 children will be cared for each day. The kids' parents will be able to get better jobs and Lord willing, break out of poverty and start a new life. We have the land. We have the architectural plans. All we need is $673.500 to get going on Stage 1. We are writing grants, praying hard, and trying to make friends with rich people. Anybody know anyone that might be interested in helping transform a community in Costa Rica? We are sure excited to see how God is going to provide! We KNOW HE WILL!!!

Next, El Manantial. Our 3rd and "newest" childcare center. It was built a year after I was born (and I'll be 24 a week from tomorrow!!!! :-) ) It serves 235 children from areas like Los Guido (some of them are even from Los Guido. And unfortunately, areas like Los Guido are all too easily found here in Costa Rica). When we went to visit on Friday, we arrived while the children were having lunch. It was SO great!!! The kids were beyond adorable. We walked in and all the kids turned around and stuck their hands out for handshakes and high fives and started shouting "¡Visita! ¡Visita!" (Visitor! Visitor!) Too cute for words! And then you'd approach one and they'd start talking to you with their mouth full of food-like 3 kids at once trying to tell you their names and ask you 3 different questions and tell you 3 different things. Yes, overwhelming, but too fun and wonderful to think anything else. They just starve for love! Oh it was a blast! Can you see now why I'm so enamored with this organization??

Ok, sorry to cut it short, but it's bedtime. Sorry for the lack of pics, but I need to make sure the pics I post are of kids who have permission to have their fotos plastered in public. More to come! The rest of this month is going to be an exciting whirlwind!