The Methodist Children's Home
August 2011 Update:
We're thrilled to announce that, as of late June, the Methodist Children's Home of Costa Rica has opened its doors! It was a moment of deep rejoicing as we watched the Child Welfare Office van pull up with four children inside, siblings ranging in age from 12 to 3 years old. Since then we have been blessed with another little girl who is 18 months old, and we look forward to receiving more children in the coming months. We thank God for passing this important milestone, and we also thank all the churches and individuals who have partnered with this project over the years.
Please continue to pray for the Home and the many aspects of its ministry. Pray for the house parents, our newly-hired support staff, the daily workings of the entire project, and especially for the children placed in our care. It is such a privilege to finally be able to serve them!
Below are pictures from a wonderful VBS activity put on by Ella's home church, Christ Community Church, in late July. The activity was designed partly as an "open house" for the neighborhood to come and see the Home firsthand, but there were also games and activities for kids, distribution of eyeglasses, and a time of sharing with many of the adults who were present. It all took place during an unseasonably sunny afternoon, and we praise God for such a great time for the Home and the community!
March 2011 Update:
The first two months of this year have seen incredible progress towards finishing the first house, and we thank God for all that has been done by teams, by our work crew, and by local contractors. The first slideshow gives a sense of the many areas that were worked on right up until the official inauguration on March 16.
The second slideshow is from the ribbon-cutting ceremony itself, which was attended by close to one hundred people from the US and Costa Rica. It was a beautiful time of celebration and thanksgiving, and a wonderful testimony to God's faithfulness over the years.
Now, if everything goes to plan, the government will be placing the first children in the house by this summer. Enjoy these photos, and join us in thanking God for His marvelous works!
Overview and Project History:
We are excited to be involved
with the development of the Methodist Children's Home, a
project of the Costa Rican Methodist Church. The goal of the Home is
to provide a safe, nurturing environment for children who have
been declared legally abandoned. We plan by early 2011 to
start receiving the children who will live in the first of five houses with
house parents.
The
project has received working approval from PANI (the
Costa Rican child welfare office), and we are well on our way to
completing the steps to receive final authorization.
The initial
contract for the land purchase (about seven acres) was signed in
December 2006, and in May 2007 the various plots of land were completely
paid off. This was due to the generosity of many churches and
individuals. We thank God for His provision, and we
continue to covet your prayers for financial support
for the work that remains to be done. Please see the information below on how you or your church can help fund this project.
2007 was spent with architects and
engineers to draw up a master plan for the complex, as
well as some initial budget figures. Thanks to grant money from a few
churches, we were able to hire heavy machinery and prepare the entryway
to the property. Throughout 2008 we and our missionary partners, the Zirkels, hosted
church teams who came as volunteers to help begin building the first
parts of the complex. We also
worked to obtain all the necessary building permits from various
government offices. This process was long and complicated, but God was
good to open doors for the project.
In 2009 we and our partners hosted nearly twenty work teams from churches in the
States. We also continued to seek project partners, be they churches
or individuals, for the work of raising funds for construction
and an endowment for the Home.
In 2010 we continued to
host work teams (see "2010 Pictures" link at left) and made remarkable progress towards finishing the first house.
We would
love to keep you updated on this project, especially if you, your
church, or your district feels led to come down and help build.
Please call or email us with any questions. Above all, we ask you to pray
for several things:
- For mercy in dealing with local
bureaucracy and permits
- For support from churches and individuals
- For the future staff members that
God calls
- For
the children who will eventually be placed with us,
that God would continue to hold
them in his hands
Support:
All donations to
the Methodist Children's Home project are made through the Hands
of God Foundation, a non-profit, non-denominational 501(c)(3)
organization set up for this purpose. All checks can be made out to
"Hands of God Foundation" and sent to:
Hands of God Foundation
P.O. Box 888
Fairhope, AL 36533
The Foundation can be reached at
(251) 232-0108
Older Images and Updates:
Update, Dec. 2010:
This year is ending on a very positive note for the Home, and we thank God for all that has been accomplished in the past months. The roof is now completely on, the contractors for the electrical, ceiling, and window work will soon get started, and we hope to be laying tile by mid-January. Our goal is still to cut the ribbon on the first house by mid-March. We send our deepest gratitude to all of you who have supported this project with your labor, your prayers, and your donations. Below you'll find a short video summarizing all the progress of the last three years. It's a real testimony to God's faithful provision and to the work He energizes us to do. Enjoy, and keep praying!
May 2010 Pictures:
July 2009 Update: Good news! As of early July, the first home is now
officially
under construction, and the first blocks are being laid. We thank God
for such visible progress and for his faithfulness in sending teams and
funds to move the project forward. Below is a picture of the very first
block that was laid.
Below is the master layout of the Home and its grounds. You can see the various houses, the multipurpose building, the administration building, the open-air chapel, and the recreational areas.
Below are pictures of the land taken before the first work began. Located about 25 minutes from downtown San Jose, the property has great views from the mountainside:
This is a photo of the one pre-existing building on the land. The house is currently used for storage and worker housing, as well as housing for the family who serve as caretakers of the property. In late 2008-early 2009, we were able to build an extension onto this house to make their living space more comfortable. Once the project begins operation, part of this building will be administrative offices.
The second picture is of the family who serve as caretakers of the project. Pictured are Jose, Carmen, and their children.
