Newsletter, March 2007

March 4, 2007

Dear Friends of Harvest Hands,

It has been two months since we’ve sent an update and there is so much to write to you about. Our last letter covered our time here, up through Christmas, 2006. And now, here we are 2 months into 2007!!

The Harvest Hands house is quickly becoming a comfortable home and we are settling in. We now have an almost sufficient amount of furniture. The bunk-beds are finished and we had a Costa Rican friend build us a lovely, simple kitchen table and chairs. We only need some small tables and clocks in the bedrooms, more sheets and a clip on lamp for each bed.

Six of these bunk beds were occupied for two weeks in February by our team from the Mechanic Falls Vineyard, our first official team in the house. It’s amazing how much six people can accomplish! The “comedor” or soup kitchen in Concepcion de Alajuelita got a nice, bright, fresh coat of paint. During that time the kitchen ladies had help and the water tower was repaired, as well. Also, a new shower and a set of outdoor steps were installed here at the Harvest Hands House. The yard was raked and groomed. Visitations were made into Anonos and a children’s craft and teaching were done at the weekly meeting. It’s wonderful to see the interaction between team members and the local people.

As relationships are made, there is a growing trust between those in the community and us. During one of our trips into the city, there was a young lady, named Anna, who we have all gotten to know, on the same bus. And when Terri, one of the team members, twisted here ankle, Anna accompanied us to the hospital and spent six hours with us. Thank you, Lord, for providing help, because the hospital system here is so very different from the states.

Yesterday, Rodney worked with a group of high school students, who are here with Joshua Expeditions. We will work with them on Monday and Tuesday, as well, in two separate communities. We will be offering our time to other teams, when needed.

Our times visiting the community of Anonos, the barrio that lies on the hill below our house are becoming more frequent. Rodney often visits people with a man named Luis, who speaks English and is able to help with translating.

One of our more recent visits brought us to a home of a woman addicted to crack. She is a very pretty young woman, who has very sad eyes and I could say that she even has a sad smile. She is very thin and in need of clothing. Her home sits on the side of the river. It has simple, corrugated metal walls and roof and a dirt floor. On the inside is only wooden framing with no walls. Her floor slants towards the river. It is probably the worst and the dirtiest home that I’ve seen since coming here. Her name is Ruth, but we call her Mary Magdalene, because of her soft heart and her need for deliverance. She is in desperate need of Jesus. Her husband or companion is the brother of her previous husband, who was killed. This man’s face was very swollen from an infected tooth last week. Now that the infection is gone, we will be bringing him to the dentist this week to have it pulled. He, too, is a crack addict.

We also have been working with LaVina in Anonos on Wednesday nights. We use the space in a small Pentecostal church. There is a “program” for the children and another for the mothers. The numbers of children seem to grow every week. I believe the average is about 100 and the room where they meet is very small. Please pray that they would be able to find another building that will meet the needs of the group. Three rooms are needed: one for the smaller children, one for the older children and one for the mothers.

We are sad that our friend, Ellen Martel, will be leaving us next week. She has been going to language school, helping out at the FundaVida center in Concepcion de Alajuelita and with the weekly outreaches in Anonos. It’s been a blessing having her here. Our other long term person, Frank, from Ohio, will be leaving, as well. We look forward to having others who would like to learn Spanish, while helping minister in the poor neighborhoods.

Our language skills are improving, though not as fast as we would like. I (Cindy) have an opportunity to trade off hours of teaching English for hours of learning Spanish. It’s a good way to save money and help a Costa Rican to learn English.

Rodney, Ellen and I had to make a trip to Nicaragua last week. If you are not a resident and are living in Costa Rica, you must leave the country every 90 days for 72 hours. So, we took a three day trip to a lovely beach in the south of Nicaragua. It was a time of rest for us, because we haven’t stopped since coming in November. Nicaragua is lovely and the people are gentle and kind.

I want to leave you with a couple of quotes from “My Utmost for His Highest” by Oswald Chambers. This is from his devotional for March 4th.

“It is easier to serve God without a vision, easier to work for God without a call, because then you are not bothered by what God requires; common sense is your guide, veneered over with Christian sentiment. You will be more prosperous and successful, more leisure-hearted, if you never realize the call of God. But if once you receive a commission from Jesus Christ, the memory of what God wants will always come like a goad; you will no longer be able to work for Him on the common sense-basis. ......Practical work may be a competitor against abandonment to God, because practical work is based on this argument--Remember how useful you are here, or--Think how much value you would be in that particular type of work. That attitude does not put Jesus Christ as the Guide as to where we should go, but our judgment as to where we are of most use. Never consider whether you are of use; but ever consider that you are not your own but His.”

Chamber’s prayer for that day, March 4:
“O Lord, by your grace open my vision to You and Your infinite horizons, and take me into Your counsels regarding Your work in this place.”

Blessings to All,
Rodney and Cindy