Methodist Children's Home
(updated 07/30/09; older images below)
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, as well as a photo of the first home site as of late July.
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 hope by early 2010 to receive about 25 children, who will live in three houses with a set of house parents in each house.
The project has received working approval from PANI (the Costa Rican child welfare office), and we are already completing some of 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 below for instructions 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 hosted church teams who came as volunteers to help build the various parts of the complex, depending on the permits we have in hand. 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 look forward to hosting nearly twenty work teams from churches in the States. We are also seeking project partners, be they churches or individuals, to continue the work of raising funds for construction and an endowment for the Home.
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 churches and individuals willing to support the project
- For the future staff members that God would put in our path
- 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
IMAGES:
This is the most recent version of the final 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.
This is a picture 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.
