April Newsletter

Our April Newsletter, 2008


Dear Harvest Hands Friends,
So glad to hear that the winter thaw has finally come. At times when we heard how this winter has been for everyone, it made us think of C.S. Lewis’ book ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’, when the white witch had control and it was always winter.
Rodney, Marsha and Holli were on a prayer walk with Eladio and another man this morning. They went to “25 de Julio”, one of the communities where FundaVida has worked. FundaVida is an organization that is connected with PuraVida Coffee in the United States. We sell this coffee at our church. The money is used to help kids at risk. Fundavida’s hopes are to have a new teen center in this community, as well as a new location for the computer center, which is already established there.
While we were prayer walking, one could sense the intensity of spiritual warfare. We observed two things that are somewhat common in this community. One was Marsha watching a mother kick her child to the ground. The girl was about 8 or 9 years old and began to cry. Her mother only said in a vulgar way to be quiet.... Angry parents, wounded parents, passing it on to the next generation... It broke our hearts to witness this. Only moments before that, we witnessed one of the street prostitutes, who live day to day on whatever they can do, was trying to steal something through someone’s gated door. The owner of the home came out with a gun and threatened to kill her if she didn’t leave. All of this was at nine o’clock in the morning.
It is so difficult to witness things like this. Sadly, it is common in many of the communities, where there is extreme poverty and hopelessness. Our desire is to help both abused and the abuser and the robber and the robbed.
We are preparing in our hearts to say good-bye to Marsha Ames, who will be returning to Maine on the 23rd of this month. She has been here for about a year. This will be hard for us, as well as hard for her. Please keep her in your prayers as the transition for her will be difficult. She has made a godly impact on the children of the community, as well as on many of the adults. We will all miss her.
We are also looking forward to the next team coming from the Mechanic Falls Vineyard, which is always an encouragement to us and those they serve here.
The photo is of a drunk man in “25 de Julio”.
Thank you for your continued support. Please keep us in prayer.

Easter Week in Costa Rica

March 20, 2008

Dear Harvest Hands Friends,

It is Semana Santa here in Costa Rica, which is Holy Week. And throughout the country people celebrate in several ways. Most businesses are closed, so people take vacations. And the churches take advantage of the story that leads from Palm Sunday to the resurrection of Jesus. Mainly, it is the Catholic church that does this. The streets are quiet all around us.

Interesting enough, there are even a few days when the country is “dry” and liquor is not sold. There are many other things that happen during this time, as well. It is interesting to watch how other cultures pay recognition to this week of the story of Jesus.

We have a new wonderful young lady with us now. Her name is Holli Litwiller. She’ll be with us for 5 months. Her being here has already been a benefit. And it’s awesome to watch God work in those that serve. If anyone is interested in reading her blog, the address is: http://somegirlnamedholli.blogspot.com/

Last night, Wednesday, March 19th, we had a great time with the FundaVida employees. We were able to introduce them to the Passover Seder meal. We had 21 people, which was a full house here at Harvest Hands. It was a night of revelation for all of us, especially those who experience it for the first time. That revelation is discovering Jesus in the Passover.

We have had three teams in a row since January, which has kept us quite busy. And we are looking forward to the Mechanic Falls team coming in April. All of the teams have truly made an impact in the community in different ways, the local school, being one of them. We have seen God’s expression and His compassion work through all of those who have taken part in serving here. We have seen how the hands of Christ are touching the lives of the children, the mothers and the addicts here in Los Anonos.

The groups who come to work have been a great support to the local Vineyard Church of Escazu. One of the main reasons is their desire to plant a church here in this community. The teams have been an expression of God’s love in a way that has not been seen in Los Anonos. One of the older addicts approached Rodney one day, while one of the events was taking place in the open air gym and said, “Don’t ever stop doing this kind of work. I see that God is involved and it’s touching the children’s lives, as well as the community. Don’t stop.”

Church planting has always been one of the focuses of the Vineyard. We are well on our way to seeing this happen in Los Anonos. The group of committed people from the Vineyard here in Escazu, who we work with, are doing an awesome job. And also, once again, they greatly appreciate all of the help that has been given from all of those who support this endeavor. The Kingdom is truly being expanded, little by little.

While one of the groups was here, we met a woman, whose name is Ana, who has three daughters. She is new to us. She lives in a little tin house, about 10 feet by 18 feet, with a dirt floor. There is only one twin sized bed and a crib for this family of five. The shower curtain is made of black plastic trash bags. Her husband works far from home and probably is only home for the weekends. Two of her daughters are twins that are two years old. One of the twins was born with severe problems and must be fed with a feeding tube, which is the only way that she can receive nourishment. She is two, but is about the size of a baby of one. Ana is a great mom and gives her and the other two children lots of love. When we first met Ana, it was as if the Lord’s light was shining on her. Or I should say, shining through her. Her smile has attracted us. Her openness to allow us into her home and life is truly genuine. She has asked for nothing. We have come to find out that both she and her husband are believers. One of the things that Ana said to Rodney is, “My daughter is a special gift to me.”

As we look around, our thoughts are “How can we help her? What can we give her?” This is when we feel so inadequate. Yet at the same time, we know that we can become her friend. And to us, friendship has such great value. As time goes on, I’m sure that you’ll here more stories of Ana and her three children. We have included here a photo of her and her husband and children. Also included is a photo of the twin, whose name is Jackeline. Pray that we would have wisdom on how to be the right kind of support to those like Ana. Ana believes that God is going to do a miracle in their lives. Pray for this!!!

There are many here, who have similar stories and at times, again, it is overwhelming. But we are reminded again and again that it is the Lord’s plan to use us as He pleases. It is our part to be submissive and obedient.

An article that we found by David Ruis goes deeply into this. You can read it at this site:
http://www.pastors.com/rwmt/article.asp?ArtID=10087

Blessings to you all!
In Jesus,
Rodney and Cindy representing Harvest Hands

Update from a Long Termer

Dear Harvest Hands Friends,

It’s already time for our February newsletter! Since I last wrote, we’ve made a trip to Nicaragua to renew our passports and we have had a wonderful team from Virginia, who signed up to come again in August. We are now planning for our Mechanic Falls team to come down next week.
This month, we thought that it would be good for you to hear from Marsha, our friend and great helper, who has been here for about 8 months. Here's a photo of her at the youth camp where she went as a leader. Also a "clean" photo of her at the end! We have thoroughly enjoyed having her and are not looking forward to saying good-bye in April. So, here is her letter!





“Let us be Your hands, let us be Your feet”, these simple lyrics from a popular Vineyard song ring so true of what we, here at Harvest Hands, are working at to bring a community closer to the heart of God and to be a help to those who are in need.
I have been here at the Harvest Hands house in Los Anonos for the past eight months, celebrating salvations, birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, the New Year and how each day is a new day with our Savior. These past months have truly been and continue to be an experience that goes way beyond the walls of a classroom.. It it’s not without its hard times, but we wouldn’t be living if we didn’t walk though those hard times and come out on the other end stronger.
Over the past months we have had a great opportunity to work at the local kindergarten, which is such a huge blessing. When the school is in session, I go twice a week to teach English to 40 children, ages four to six. I’ve had great success in teaching vocabulary with gestures. They love learning new words through song. Their absolute favorite is, “Head, shoulders, knees and toes… knees and toes”. They thoroughly enjoy these classes, as do I. If they continue with their learning of English it will be a great asset for their future. Also at the school we have been doing work projects to help with the disrepair, which is endless. All this has helped to build relationship with the school staff, the children, and the community.
In Los Anonos there are so many precious children that catch your attention and get rooted into your heart. It’s so easy to give your love and attention to the children with the beautiful faces and sweet disposition. Those are the ones that become our favorites and dominate our camera film or digital files. God has been teaching me to really open my eyes wider and know with my whole being that ALL children are precious and worthy of our attention, because they all need it and they all crave it.




One of these children that has captured my attention is Maria Fernanda. Her photo is included in this letter. Maria is ten years old. She was born with a mental disability that affects her learning, her speech, and her social interactions. She has problems with personal and physical boundaries and she becomes a fighter when provoked by the taunts of her peers. Her home life leaves a lot to be desired. She lives with her mother, grandmother, aunts, uncles, cousins and her younger brother Daniel in a house that is severely run down and dirty. Her family doesn’t know how to manage her when she gets in fits of anger, misbehavior and frustration. Instead of loving discipline to correct her misbehavior they yell and hit her. But I have seen her family love her and protect her from the taunts and teasing and that brings me joy.
When I see Maria I see a bright young girl with a fire in her heart and a girl with a loving spirit. I see the way she treats her dolls; she gives them tender care. She is also very quick to run up to me when I’m walking and plant a huge kiss on my cheek and hug me tightly. She can be very difficult to work with, but with patience I’m learning it all comes out right. The other day on Wednesday evening when we have our weekly program with La Vina, Maria was in my group. The topic was Esther and how a young girl can make a difference because she has the strength of the Lord on her side. Maria was very attentive and it’s my prayer for her that she will become that difference and that little acts of loving-kindness would reach into her soul and transform this special little girl.

Thank you for your support and prayers, we feel them all the time, and thank you for helping to make a difference here in Los Anonons, Costa Rica.

Marsha Ames

January, 2008 Newsletter

We are finally back, after a very long break and hopefully, we'll be able to blog more in the future! This month our newsletter was written by one of our December team members and I thought that I'd put it in our blog with a few photos. I hope that you enjoy reading Laura's letter!


Dear Harvest Hands Friends,

On December 5th our team of nine began our trip to Costa Rica and the Harvest Hands House leaving behind several inches of a beautiful, fresh snow. The team was made up of five of us who have made several mission trips to Costa Rica and four others who would be experiencing their first trip. Out of the nine, six of us had never stayed at the house. All of us left filled with great expectation and excitement to be going at such a special time of year to, among other things, join in and help with Christmas festivals for the children.

Our flight down was good and as we walked into the airport in San Jose we thought, “Great, judging by the number of people in front of us we should get through customs pretty quickly.” All of a sudden as we came around a curve in the hallway there in front of us was a mass of humanity about the size of a football field, or so it seemed. That would prove to be the first of our many “waiting times” in long, long lines of people. We proceeded to get through customs, pick up our baggage and then go out to meet Cindy and the bus to take us to the house.

Before going down we had all heard the stories of the nighttime fireworks and early morning roosters crowing and dog’s barking. About 3 a.m. those voices came to life and they continued until we pulled ourselves out of bed about 6 a.m. By the second morning I really enjoyed what I experienced upon waking. The roosters, the dogs, the many voices of children and adults already out and about, the smell of the community that would drift in through the windows, the same car that was being started, and the activity that was happening on the street just below us.

Our first introduction into the community of Los Anonos was a visit to the kindergarten. As we walked into the classroom, the first thing that caught your eye was the nativity set and the beautiful way it was displayed in this little public classroom. We saw that in many different places, so much care, attention and detail given to displaying those. That is so different than what we do here in the U.S. Marsha had taught the children to sing “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” and “Jingle Bells,” in English, along with some sign language. They were so proud of themselves and their little faces were filled with smiles as they sang for us. It was precious!

Our team joined Funda Vida in Canaan for their festival on Saturday. We arrived to lots of children and moms and to find out that the bouncy house that was to be there was not coming. Some of us jumped in to do face painting and construction paper ornaments, others put on a skit about Jesus’ birth with puppets, and our guys got involved with the games and became “climbing trees” and “horses” to ride on. Mark entertained by playing his flute. We had a great time interacting with the children and some of the moms and just being a part of a very special day for them.

Wreath making and decorating (30 of them) was planned for Monday with a group of ladies from Los Anonos that come regularly on Wednesday evenings. The greens, wire, forms and decorations were all going to be purchased. While the team was at the open air Agricultural Market they came across a man who had beautiful, very full, undecorated wreaths for sale for an amazing $1.00. Wouldn’t you know, he had just the number that we needed. What a wonderful provision from the Lord! We were in awe of how the ladies took those wreaths and the decorations we had purchased and made them into something so beautiful. It was really fun to walk in the community and to see them displayed in and outside of their homes.

On Wednesday the team was invited to do a Christmas festival in another public school. They had contacted Rodney to ask him to come. We purchased a Christmas tree that would be used to place handmade decorations the children made on it. Then it would be given to a family that would not have a tree. The time, care and creativity that the children used in making those, and then to watch them as they came to hang them was so special. In addition to face painting, and the skit with the puppets and games, four of our team members became clowns, Chuckles, (Chuck Vincent), Ruffles (Mark Pendleton), Giggles (Faith Potter) and Buttons (Christina Potter). They did an amazing job with the children and we all had such fun watching them! What I will remember most from our time there is one little girl in particular. Marsha opened the morning with prayer (what a blessing in a public school) Sitting in the front was this little girl who had soft gold glitter on her face that glowed. When Marsha said that we were going to pray, she opened her hands and held them out to the Lord and closed her eyes. She was so precious sitting there.

That evening we joined the team from LaVina to help with the party in Los Anonos for the children and moms. There were about 280 of us gathered in the open-air gym. Our clowns had another opportunity to bring a lot of laughter, fun and hugs to children. The rest of us just helped wherever we were needed. Twenty-four pizzas arrived on the back of two motorcycles and I remember thinking that really wasn’t a lot of pizza for all these people. We just started handing it out, piece after piece, then we handed out a second piece, and some of the children even had a third piece. I looked over and there were still 4 boxes sitting there. Then I saw pizza being served to the team of workers. I truly believe we were watching Jesus just multiply the pizza, the story of the feeding of the 5000 came to mind, and I was just in awe. Pizza for these children is a rare and really appreciated treat. Isn’t the Lord good!

It really is hard to condense everything and give highlights of a mission trip, there is so much that you want to share. I truly saw what it is to be a “team,” an “amazing team” as John Sylvester said, “which was truly tested to the limits of patience and endurance as we traveled home, missed a flight and spent a night in the airport.” (A story for another time.) God-stories abound . . . walking to the high place to pray and seeing the river that flows through this community and having the Lord speak to you of the “river of life, that sets our feet a dancing,” going into a home to visit and gathering with the family, hand in hand around the table praying together, the incredible, contagious laughter of children as you play with them, praying for a pastor in Linda Vista, receiving a heart that a woman cuts out and writes in English, “I love you,” cleaning horribly filthy gutters that children reach into, fixing a stove for the cooks at a kindergarten, replacing leaky pipes and making a light work again, face painting and having a little girl hold your finger as you paint her face, God’s healing and protection from infection for a team member after having a stalk of bamboo grass go into her ankle, walking into a building that has little left except the standing walls and seeing the vision for a computer center and soup kitchen through the eyes of those praying and asking for it, and spending time with those that God has placed in Cindy and Rodney’s lives as they have gone to live and serve Jesus in Costa Rica and the incredible gift of hospitality that they have. We will never forget Jesus carrying us through a total white-out the last half an hour or so of our flight home and landing us so safely and securely on a snow-covered runway.

One morning as I was getting ready for the day and looking out at the community, I was praying and asking the Lord about their lives and wondering what do they have, what will the children do who are growing up now? Very clearly the scripture came to me,
”For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11. That verse resounds in my heart when I think of that community.

I truly believe that God does have hope and a future for the precious people in the Los Anonos and I truly believe that we are a part of it through this ministry of Harvest Hands. I would encourage you to go. Go and serve Jesus, see what He is doing there and ask Him what your part is. Thank you for your prayers and your giving. God Bless you abundantly.

In Jesus Love,
Laura Vincent (For the team: Chuck Vincent, Mark Pendleton, Kevin O’Leary, John Sylvester, Deb Thoma, and Tammy, Faith and Christina Potter)

Greetings from Los Anonos, Costa Rica!!




As we look out at Los Anonos and it’s makeshift dwellings of tin sitting on the side of a very steep hill, we wonder how they have not been swept away during this heavy rain season. Each morning, as daylight comes, we look to see if everything is still in place. At this point in time, there are one to three homes that have been affected, one completely destroyed. Several others are on the verge of collapsing.

One of the walkways that leads up the hill has also been damaged, making it very difficult for both mothers and their children to go to their homes.

Coming back to wondering how many of these homes have been spared from disaster, the answer is prayer. Gods grace has kept these homes from sliding. As I was sitting this morning looking out at Los Anonos, I could hear in my heart the prayers of the single mom’s living in these tiny tin shacks. I could hear them say, “Por favor, el Dios, nos protege y nos mantiene seguros.” (“Please, God, protect us and keep us safe.”) Simple prayers ---- and once again this morning, God has answered their prayers.

As it is in any place in our world, there are needs. Here in Los Anonos, true conversion, that manifests transformed lives is what we want to see. Our prayer is to see this transformation in our time.

A prayer: Lord, just as you’ve heard the cry of the people for protection from the heavy rains, hear the sigh in their hearts for a better tomorrow, for a hope for a future, so that they too can be involved in you Kingdom here on earth and be a part of your Kingdom for eternity. Set the captives free, bring freedom! Amen!

Here in Los Anonos, it has been good working with La Viña, Escazu, helping with their Wednesday afternoon program. With the help of some donations from generous people, we were able to install lighting for the gym, which is where we meet with about 100 children, 20 young adults and 20 mothers.. Having lights there has been great for the whole community. It will help with the work that we would like to do in the future. The lights have made the gym a safer place to gather, as well. God is on the move and we are looking forward to what He is going to do!

It’s wonderful to have a church here like our own church at home to work with. Some of the ladies from the church have been getting together with the mothers in the gym once a week for a doll-making project. The mothers then stay on to hear the Word. It has been a great opportunity to build friendships.

Marsha just started teaching English 2 days a week at the kindergarten in Los Anonos. We hope to develop more English teaching classes in the future. There are two more long term girls who are coming to stay with us. One of them has training and a lot of experience teaching English as a second language.

Now that the rainy season is coming to an end, we have been doing a lot of cleaning around the house, and getting ready for the next teams. We have the Mechanic Falls team coming at the beginning of December and from that time on, it looks like we will have teams until the end of March. Then we have two more teams in the summer.

Right now, we are looking to fill in a few more weeks with teams. We now have an extra week in February to fill.

Lately, we have been having some problems with our twelve passenger van. Finding a good, honest mechanic has been difficult. Being North Americans, a lot of times they assume that we have lots of money, which isn’t the truth.

We appreciate all of your support, both prayerfully and financially, especially because we are seeing the Kingdom being advanced, here in Los Anonos and other communities.

We love you all!
Rodney and Cindy

Back in Los Anonos

It is the end of October and we have all returned and settled back into the Harvest Hands house here in Los Anonos, Costa Rica. It is a comfortable and welcoming haven. And it's definately time to update our blog!

Our stay in Maine was a busy, but awesome time. We spent our time with family and friends. Our ten year church celebration was a wonderful church family party, which brought back many memories of our church plant and how our church family grew to the blessed body that it is today.

Here in Los Anonos, it has been good working with La Viña, Escazu, helping with their Wednesday afternoon program. With the help of some donations from generous people, we were able to install lighting for the gym, which is where we meet with about 100 children, 20 young adults and 20 mothers.. Having lights there has been great for the whole community. It will help with the work that we would like to do in the future. The lights have made the gym a safer place to gather, as well. God is on the move and we are looking forward to what He is going to do!

October has been an extremely rainy month here. It seems that just about everything is moldy (not quite) and the trees and flowers are flourishing. Because of the amount of rain that has fallen this month, many homes are in danger of mudslides, which is true here in Los Anonos. There is a place across the river that we can see from our house, where there was once a home, which is no longer there because of the rain. Los Anonos has faired well compared to other parts of the country. There are many people who are homeless (over 3,000), or they have homes that they can’t get to, because of water.

One of the things that has been difficult and frustrating is seeing the young people who are addicted to crack, alcohol or other drugs. Sometimes when they go into rehab, they last only two or three days. They then return to Los Anonos, to their old habitat and habits. We know that God doesn’t give up and we thank Him for that!

One of the young men, about 20 years old, that Rodney brought into rehab recently is an orphan. He uses paint thinner to get high. It is so hard to see the young who have no hope and to know that there really is hope for them in Jesus, but they haven’t seen yet. Please pray that God would pour out his love and mercy on Los Anonos.

We're in Maine!

Dear friends,
I can’t believe that it’s time for another newsletter! The time goes by so quickly. Rodney and I are in Maine for a time of reflection and rest, though we haven't had much time to rest. We are enjoying our family and church family and friends. We will return to Los Anonos, Costa Rica by the middle of October.
I am using a letter sent to us from John Brigham, a pastor friend of ours from Vermont, for our newsletter this time. John and his wife Edie brought a team of 20 to Los Anonos. We had a very blessed time with this wonderful group. Here’s John’s letter, along with his report to the two churches that he pastors.


To Rodney, Cindy, Marsha and the Vineyard Christian Fellowship of Mechanic Falls, ME;

            Sunday, September 30th, the Costa Rica mission team gave a presentation to the local Vermont towns and churches that supported us with prayers, encouragements, money and many way of supporting our first mission trip. ......... God was all over every part of this trip, every person on the team was hand picked by Him, Harvest Hands was God directed to be the place we would go and even after we have been back in Vermont for a month He was still working with the team.
            In August 2006 we thought it was time for our first mission trip from our churches. We planned to go the Lima , Peru to work in an orphanage but within a month the director of the mission needed a break before he broke down. God reminded me that my childhood friend, Rodney was in Costa Rica working in short term missions and the rest is His-tory. Had we gone to Lima , Peru we would have been there during the earthquake or would have had to cancel at the last minute. God is sovereign.
            Harvest Hands is a chosen place run by chosen people called to the Lord’s work. It was perfect for us as rookies in short term missions..............
I felt like I and the team were living in the book of Acts. In many ways we were and still are.  I’m seeing fruit in the lives of many on the team from our time at Harvest Hands.  Many adults and teens expressed desire to return to Harvest Hands in the future as God leads.

            This is part of my report to the leadership of the two churches that sent us out from Vermont :
 
-Participated in Mission Trip to Costa Rica with 19 folks from Whitingham And Readsboro Churches from August 17th -27th. The Team served the Lord well in two locations . Activities of the team included:
       - Conducting Vacation Bible Schools- 5 times in two locations
        -Working with children
         -Games and Soccer
        -Working in Soup Kitchen with local Christians
         -Did a post card presentation of maple sugaring in Vermont and served maple syrup on ice cream
         -Work Projects that included:
         -Refinishing tables and counter top at Soup Kitchen
         -Replacing a large tile kitchen sink
         -Painting Kindergarden Rooms and Hall in local School
         -Cleaned streets
         -Cleaned a drug hangout, fixed fences, painted a beautiful
mural on a open air wall
         -Worked in a Local Church,  refinishing a Sunday School Room and Pastor’s Study with partitions, sheetrock and
ceiling
        -Working with single mom digging ditches for water drainage and expanding dirt floor.
         -Worked with City of San Jose’, Los Anonos  Municipality in a  Health Care Day. -Set up in morning, worked with
children, clowns, donated new soccer balls, our teens played in a soccer tournament , helped pick up and cleaned streets.
         -Helped a Local Church with a Weds. Night outreach program.
         -Team member share his testimony of past drug addiction
         -Local visitation by team members sharing the love of God with people, prayer with people.
-Lots of little things happened that only God planned and someday we will know how people were blessed and
effected by the things our people did.
 
It was an amazing God ordained mission trip, without a single problem. God was all over this trip. His grace was amazing.  We lived in this verse:
 
    “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Eph 3:20-21 (NIV)
 
God bless the works of Your hands in Maine , Vermont , Costa Rica , all the earth, Amen!
Thanks to my close friends and brother and sisters, Rodney, Cindy, Marcia and the Vineyard Christian Fellowship of Mechanic Falls, ME. and to God be the glory, forever!!!!
 
Pastor John Brigham of the Community Church of Whitingham , VT and the First Baptist Church of Readsboro , VT


Thank you, John, for this wonderful letter! We hope to see you again in Costa Rica!