Tico Tuesday, January 22nd

...And they're back! Sunday afternoon the children came back to the Bible Home! I haven't been able to see them yet though, since today was a stay-home-and-study day and yesterday I was in San José with the parents of the children who will be coming in to the Bible Home between tomorrow and Friday.
Last Thursday we had a welcome day for these parents and their children to come to the Bible Home and get to meet the staff, see the grounds and a few of the houses, and have some fun. We have 10 boys and 2 girls coming in. I feel like I was able to connect with the girls pretty well, especially the older one. I'm so excited to get to know these kids more and share God's love with them!
Yesterday we had a more in-depth orientation with the parents of these new children. Though we had to go over a lot of details, it was also important to give them an opportunity to express themselves as they prepare to be separated from their children. It's hard for me to put myself in their shoes since I don't have children of my own, but I can sort of put myself in the children's shoes. How heartbreaking! Please pray for these children and families as they go through this temporary separation and for all of us at the Bible Home as we seek to support them to the best of our abilities.
To give you a support update, I need to confirm with a couple of you, but it appears I only need $65/month in monthly giving commitments! Praise the Lord! Can you help me reach full support by January 31st? It's just 9 days away!
Thanking God for his love and faithfulness, and you for your prayers and support,
Carrie

Tico Tuesday, January 15th

Tuesday greetings from San José de la Montaña! (the town I live in)
Today was our Annual Spiritual Retreat for all the Roblealto personnel. Along with the beautiful time of worship and the opportunities to converse, discuss and pray with my co-workers, I especially loved sharing testimonies. One girl, Fernanda (the one you see on the left in the picture), grew up in our 15 de Setiembre Child Care Center, from 9 months to 12 years old. It became her second home, and she grew to love it, her instructors, and Jesus. After rebelling for a couple years in Jr. high, Fernanda turned back to Jesus and started getting heavily involved in her church. Then, she started volunteering in an NGO similar to Roblealto. After that, she started volunteering at the 15 de Setiembre Child Care Center again. Not much later, she was offered the opportunity to work as an instructor there. What a joy it is to see her talk about her love for God and the place where she works! I've seen her in action with the kids in her class, and I assure you her love for the children she works with is obvious too. How beautiful for her to come and give back to a place that gave so much to her! I thank and praise God for the life of my sister in Christ, Fernanda! And that was just one testimony I got to hear today!
To add a testimony of my own, on Thursday alone I received news of $125 in new monthly giving commitments! Praise the Lord! I now need a total of only $125/month! This can be 2 people at $50/month and 1 at $25/month, or 5 people at $25/month (or 1 at $50/month and 1 at $75/month). I'm so close to being at full support now! Will you help me make it all the way by January 31st? (If you click on the link, you will get to see my updated bio!)
May God be glorified in all we do this week--our lives greatly impact others!
Love,
Carrie

Tico Tuesday, January 8th

Happy Tuesday!
What a way to start the New Year.

I was at the amusement park waiting to watch the New Year's Day fireworks with some friends, including a couple house moms from the Bible Home and the few children who weren't able to go home for vacation (since they don't really have one to go to). We were all lying on the grass and it was just one of those happy love piles, kind of like that game where everybody lays their head on the tummy of someone else. I couldn't believe it when K, one of the girls from the Bible Home nestled her head right on me! In spite of my attempts over the past couple years, she and I have never really connected before; I always feel like she's distant and just does whatever she wants. Needless to say, I was very surprised to be her pillow of choice! It was a sweet joyous moment for me. Maybe I just happened to be the closest body available, but it is still really good to know that she feels comfortable enough to rest her head on me. It was a special moment for me.
May God bless us all with special moments this year, and may we have open eyes to recognize them and the wisdom to cherish them!
Carrie

P.S. Praise God! I only need 6 more people to commit to supporting me at $50/month and 3 people at $25/month in order to be at full support! Praise God for his provision, goodness and faithfulness! Is he calling you to partner with me?

Tico Tuesday, January 2nd

Happy New Year from Costa Rica!

I was able to be with my parents for a few days over Christmas, and as I savored every rich moment with them, my mind couldn't help but wander towards the Bible Home and the different homes that are represented there. The homes where the children at the Bible Home come from aren't nice homes. The houses are generally in poor condition and located in dangerous neighborhoods. Many families don't have enough money for Christmas decorations or presents. Many didn't even have the funds to have enough food to get their family through this vacation until the children go back to the Bible Home. Thanks to the gifts of Roblealto's employees and their friends, family members and acquaintances, we are able to make about 100 food baskets a year to give to our poorest families so they can have enough food to make it through the holidays. As I continue to serve in Roblealto, I am reminded over and over again of how blessed I am. I am so grateful for all that I have, and am constantly being motivated to do everything I can to help these children and families experience not only some material blessings, but the richness and greatness of God's love.
Thank you for helping keep me here serving others and showing them God's love!
May God bless you and your family and make you rich with his love all throughout this year,
Carrie

Tico Tuesday, December 19th

Happy Wednesday! Sorry for the delay, but the internet was down last night. (And as a heads up, with holidays falling on the next couple Tuesdays, Tico Tuesday will be coming out on Wednesday for the next 2 weeks.)

Friday was a roller coaster of a day. In the morning when I got to work, I ran into one of our house helpers. She was crying because her daughter had just miscarried at 7 months. My heart broke for her and her family and I was practically in tears as I prayed with her and hugged her.

The highlight of the day was attending the K and 6th grade graduation. I swelled with pride to see so many young people walk across the stage to receive their diplomas and delighted in watching my friend Fausía (the kindergarten teacher) congratulate her students with such love and enthusiasm.

Then, I came home to find my facebook full of comments about the atrocities committed that morning in Connecticut. Over 20 parents lost their babies on Friday. It could have been those kindergarteners who crossed the stage at the Bible Home. It could have been my friend Fau. This world is a dark, frightening place, but I thank Jesus, the Light of the World, for coming and giving us his light and life, that we may share his love and light with others. He brought us hope. This is the message I share with ever-growing conviction as I serve children and their families that come from very dark “hopeless” situations. Jesus is the Light, he is our only hope. He is the way, the truth and the life. He works in ways we don't understand, and he has the amazing capability of bringing good out of even the most dark, horrendous situations. Please join me in praying for all those who are suffering the loss of a loved one as a result of the Sandy Hook shooting, not just today or this week, but for months and years to come.

Thank you!

Love,

Carrie

This just in! I now only need 8 more supporters at $50/month and 3 more at $25/month in order to be at full support. Will you help make it possible for me to continue sharing Jesus' light and love with children and families in need?

Tico Tuesday, December 11th

Happy Tuesday to you! My goodness, enough has happened in the past week I could easily write a whole Chronicle, but I won't.

Yesterday we had our big annual Christmas and Thanksgiving service with ALL the children and staff from the Bible Home and school we have on-site. It was beautiful! All the different groups of children and personnel performed music or a skit and each house contributed a couple children to put together a Christmas pageant. I was with the children and house moms at their rehearsal on Friday, and to help set the mood and inspire them, we watched a brief cartoon movie of the Christmas story. Once Mary gave birth to Jesus, the donkey pushed the manger toward Mary as if to tell her to put Jesus there-- and it just hit me. A manger: where animals ate and possibly drooled. That was Jesus' bassinet. I've been hearing and talking about it my whole life so it's like I wouldn't expect Jesus to be born anywhere else. Duh! Of course Jesus was born in a manger! No! Not duh. People aren't usually born and placed in a pile of dirty, perhaps slobbery hay. It was like I'd heard it for the first time all over again. Talk about humility, talk about love. What an incredible miracle Jesus' birth is! I had a different attitude as I helped the children and house moms rehearse and work out the blocking and scene transitions (hooray for being able to apply things I learned in the drama club in high school!). They did a fantastic job in their performance yesterday. You never would know they'd only rehearsed twice... And some people think the kids we work with are hopeless and good for nothing!
Thank you so much for making it possible for me to be here and serve these children and everyone else at the Bible Home. God is doing amazing things in them and in me! I'm still looking for 10 more people to join my LAM support team at $50/month. Special gifts are a huge blessing and more than welcome, but it is still very important for more regular givers to join. If you can't commit to $50/month, you are welcome to commit to whatever amount the Lord places on your heart. He is more than faithful and will surely provide for you and me! And if you could please do me the favor of telling your friends and family about me, that would be great!
Thank you for your prayers for financial provision and for my health! (I haven't gotten sick!) Please also pray for the 20+ children who are getting ready to leave the Bible Home for good next Wednesday. A lot of them are anxious! Thank you!
With love and joy,
Carrie

Tico Tuesday, December 4th

Was last Tuesday really only last week?
It's getting to be that time of the year when all of a sudden we are overwhelmed by special activities, concerts, parties, dinners, etc. Those of us who are students fight to finish the semester well and still keep our heart in our work though a thousand more things than usual are clamoring for our attention. I'll confess, I'm having a bit of a hard time with that and would really appreciate your prayers, not only for a good end to the semester, but also just for careful time management in general with everything that is going on and needs to be accomplished between now and December 22 when I fly to the States. I've been burning the candle at both ends and fear I am at high risk for getting the relentless flu/cold thing that a number of our children and house moms have caught.
But in the midst of the madness, we have to stop. The activities are fine and good, but let us not forget what this Advent season is all about - celebrating Jesus' coming. It's about him. And so, Sunday afternoon my friend Sarah came over and helped me decorate my apartment - putting up the tree, setting out the nativity Daddy made, and making a beautiful Advent wreath! We had a lot of fun, but I think the most special moment was lighting the first Advent candle, reading Scripture and the Advent devotional for Gordon-Conwell, and praying together. No matter how long I make these December days, I'll be lighting my Advent wreath and stopping to focus on the One whom I worship and celebrate, not only in Advent, but every day of the year. Care to join me? (If you aren't familiar with Advent, I highly recommend looking into it. It is celebrated in both Catholic and Protestant circles.)
Time to go light my wreath for a few minutes before heading to bed!
With love,
Carrie

PS I'm still praying for 10 more people at $50/month. Please join me in praying for these 10 people to commit by the end of the year! Thank you for your prayers and support!