Newsletter, July 2007

July 2007
Greetings! Enjoy these updates from two of the teams that visited Costa Rica and worked with Rodney and Cindy at Harvest Hands during the month of July.
John Manning from the Seacoast New Hampshire Vineyard writes,“ The Seacoast Vineyard team was able to help completely repaint one of the Funda Vida kitchens. This was a blessing to the team to see the results and expressions of the local people as they expressed their gratitude for the hard work. Our team also had the privilege of working with the LaFrance’s as they establish themselves in Los Anonos. Our team was able to repair the roof that was leaking and begin repainting the front of the school. In addition we were able to participate in Harvest Hands ongoing outreach to the community by attending a local church service, participating in prayer walks and helping host an outreach to the community children.
Several members of our team reported this trip as a life changing experience. Many seem to be moved by the contrast of our materialism as Americans and the contentment of the Costa Rican people in the little that they have. Some reported a deepening of compassion for the poor. One gentleman received a deep healing after suffering from the pains of divorce. 
Chris Traut of the Vineyard Church of Columbus reports, “ I don’t consider myself the most prophetic person in the world, but when we first arrived at the Harvest Hands house Rodney and I went onto the deck which overlooks Los Anonos. In the village I saw a cross and sensed something like an invisible bomb radiating out from that cross into the entire village and echoing again and again. The power and reality of our message hit me in a way I had never experienced before. Here in the midst of all the pain, poverty and hopelessness, the resurrection life of Jesus was doing a new thing.
Another day we went to the soccer court. There we met a young boy, maybe about one and a half years old. This boy was very dirty, his clothes needed washing, he had stains on his face, big brown eyes, olive colored skin, and the gentle frame of a toddler. He had obvious boogers crusted around his nostrils. I looked at this little boy and marveled at how absolutely beautiful he was. 
I looked at what was crusted around his nose and I knew all that it meant about this little boy and so many like him there. Images came to my mind of my wife and kids back home, how tenderly my wife cares for our boys, hugging them and kissing them, wiping their hands when they’re done eating and wiping their noses when they are runny, reading them books, teaching them how to pray, and just playing with them all day long. Everything about this little boy told me before I knew anything about him, that he didn’t have people around him to do that. I asked him to look at me and took a corner of his shirt, Momentito (one moment), I wiped his nose, it was more difficult than I thought, they had been there quite a while. 
For the next hour I marveled at our team and the kids there, did we know what we were doing? Our simple presence there with them, painting their faces, giving them piggy back rides, holding them, it all told them you are valuable, you are worth someone’s time and attention, you are fun, you are beautiful. Before we left we gathered all the children, probably 30 or so, in a circle and held them, prayed over them, spoke words of life over them. Rodney took some time and shared some prophetic words for several of the children and as he did, to me, it was as if love and joy and gratitude for the children’s lives was radiating from his face and eyes (I don’t know if I’ve ever known anyone who could communicate more love from their expression than Rodney).
This is truly the heart of God manifested in the flesh for the people of Costa Rica. Thank you for your prayers and your support. 
Debbie Martel for the Harvest Hands Team