Ministry News!

In June, we shared about a local Foundation that donated $150,000 matching funds to our roof project.  Shortly thereafter, we learned of a family that was willing to contribute $36,000 in matching funds. To sum up, we are tasked with raising a grand total of $186,000 to receive the full matching funds of the foundation and the family.  When completed, we will have $372,000 in the coffers to put the new roof on the multipurpose building.

A construction company has been chosen to build and install the support beams.  The concrete for the columns and supports has been poured.  After the support beams are in place, we will be responsible for putting the metal roof on, along with the drywall on the interior.

Purpose of the multiuse building & roof:

  • Without a roof, we are limited on when we can use the facilities, especially during rainy season.
  • The multipurpose building will become our principal church sanctuary on Sundays.
  • Throughout the week, it will be used for many different recreational activities for the 225 children that attend the daycare.
  • We have recently started sports evangelism via a soccer club for the kids from the surrounding marginal neighborhoods.
  • Facilities will also be used to reach out to kids involved in skateboarding/extreme bike stunts.
  • The building will be host to drama presentations and other special activities for both the church and the surrounding communities.
  • There will also be times for organized sports activities. 

It was evident to us that God was ready to move with regards to the roof, after receiving a 200 colon (approx. 38 cents) donation from a small boy that came on a mission trip last summer.  Momentum is growing and we are excited to be witnesses of this unfolding miracle.  We invite you to participate in this challenge that lies ahead.  If you are interested, please contact us.

U.S.A. Bound!

We have another praise to report!  At the beginning of September, Angela and Jefreson learned that the Office of Adoptions had found them a family from the good ole’ U.S.A.!  Sam, Janie, and their biological children, Jack and Lilly, arrived in Costa Rica on Sept. 28th.  Angela & Jefreson had been on “Cloud 9” since finding out about their new family.  The siblings have been with us for three years.  We are so excited to see how God has moved on their behalf to give them their hearts desire…their very own family.  

 

The Gift of Adoption!

We were happy to meet Baldomero and Maria Dolores who arrived from Spain in order to meet their adopted daughter for the very first time!  Reishel arrived at the Abraham Project a year ago, after the children's home where she was initially was closed due to an “emergency.”  Her adoption was finalized on September 24th and on October 6th they returned to Spain.  Our prayer is that God would bless this sweet family as they begin their new journey together.

Good News! Jenifer gets a Family!

Baby Jenifer gets a new mommy & daddy!  Jorge & Marita are a local couple who had recently been approved to be adoptive parents.  Jenifer came to the A.P. when she was only 19 days old.  She left in adoption just before Mother’s Day here in Costa Rica (Aug. 15th).  What an awesome Mother's Day gift!  Even though Jenifer had a close bond with our hoseparents, she has adapted well to her new home and family.

Ministry News!

We take the work we do here very seriously.  As we mentioned before, with the privilege of serving Costa Rica’s children comes an immense responsibility to be good stewards of all that He has given us, including the children in our care. Over the past ten years, the PANI has begun to recognize the difference we are making in the kids lives in comparison to other organizations.  On a number of occasions references have been made to the role “religion” plays in our institution (we know its God).  Non-Christians in places of authority are taking note that when we pray, the children change.  Dominic, the boy featured on the front page, was facing an emergency situation.  His adoptive parents were going to drop him off at the Office of Adoptions the next morning.  The office manager convened his team together, and due to the delicate nature of the boys situation they began to brainstorm as to where they should try to place him.  That same morning, our psychologist was attending a meeting at the PANI office, when she was snagged for a briefing on Dominic’s case.  The manager told her that the Abraham Project was their first choice because we are specialist in restoring children’s lives.  God is the ultimate specialist.

We are so humbled that they would notice these things about our place.  Each person who works here feels a undeniable call from God to minister to the children.  We are here to make sure that their voices are heard because God commands us to help the orphan and the fatherless.  We give the Lord all the glory for giving each one of our staff members the grace and fortitude to work hard, love well, and fight for them purposefully.

Last month we relayed the news that we have a number of cases sitting in the Office of Adoptions.  They are in the process of “promoting’ the kids with a number of adoption agencies around the globe.  We have heard that there is a potential family interested in adopting Angela & Jefreson, however, the family is waiting for their paperwork to clear immigrations here in Costa Rica.  Yamil is still waiting.  His file has been in adoptions since February.  We are trusting God will provide just the right family for a sweet boy.  Anthony & Aislinn are also on the docket waiting for a family.  Sometimes, we think that the processes are taking way to long, but God’s timetable is different than ours.  He knows how long each child needs to be here before they leave.

We want to share a story about one such boy and God’s perfect timing.  Anthony has been struggling in school.  He is super smart, but just dislikes school.  Our house parents, Esteban & Gabby, don’t have any problems with him at home.  They say that he’s obedient and helpful, however, at school and in the daycare it’s like pulling teeth!  He is disobedient and disrupts class by talking and acting out.  We have all been at our wit’s end trying to figure out how to reach him.  On July 10th, the prayer group (all women) carried out an activity with the kids in the homes.  At one point, they broke off and prayed with the children individually.  We noticed that the lady that was praying for Anthony was leading him in the sinner’s prayer.  Afterwards, she told us that unprompted Anthony told her that he wanted to accept Jesus as his Savior.  Since that day, he has been a different young man!  You can see the difference on his face.  He’s still working on his behavior at school, but he hasn’t brought home any notes from the teacher (in one week he had brought home 10 notes from the instructor about his conduct!).  Anthony has a servant’s heart.  We have often put him to clean or do something around the homes as a consequence and find him happy as a lark!  Instead of being a consequence, he finds joy in doing and working!  He has very admirable characteristics and we know God is doing good things in his heart!  Even though we would love for Adoptions to find him a family right now, we can see God at work even in the timing of things.

We have always viewed the children’s homes like a clinic for brokenhearted kids.  Our goal is for every child to leave this place as emotionally and spiritually healthy as they can before integrating into a new family.  We are so grateful for your steadfast prayers and support!

 

Classical Music comes to Costa Rica

This is the second year in a row that we receive a group of musicians from D.C. to the A.P.  They performed in several different venues in our marginal community.  Accompanying the team was a professional guitarist who participated in a duet with Isaac (one of the boys in our homes who has been taking guitar lessons for a year).  We also enjoyed the sounds of the cello, banjo, and an incredibly talented singer who also shared her incredible testimony.

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Last year we were a little nervous about taking this group, as we didn’t know if these musicians would be well receive in our neck of the woods (usually hip-hop, reggae, or rap are the preferred genre around here).  To our delight, the community responded incredibly well and we were able to organize a number of new locations to visit this year.  Exposure to the group, has allowed the children in the homes, the daycare, and public school to dream big and realize that they too may one day play an instrument and make a difference through music.

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Lending a Helping Hand in Limón.

Team Kansas came ready to roll up their sleeves and lend a helping hand at Pastor Esteban’s church in Limón.  All week they worked diligently preparing to pour a concrete slab for this rural church.  They also had VBS for children in the community in order to teach them about Jesus.  We’re so grateful for a team that is willing to get out of their comfort zone and help a small church make a big difference! IMG_4610

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New Kid at the Homes

Today we received an emergency case from the Office of Adoptions.  Dominic had already been placed with a family when 2 weeks into the bonding process, they decided to give him back.  Adoptions was in desperate need to find a good facility for him.  We accepted the case and are happy to have the 7 year old with us.  The plan is to continue looking for a loving family for this sweet boy!

Summer Teams are Here!

Our work teams are here!  Between June and July, we have had a huge project 0f shoring up a wall on the north side of the A.P.  We needed to get a retaining wall in place soon!  We have had a number of teams working on prepping rebar, mixing concrete, moving block, and more.  With rainy season in tow, it’s a big project that needed to get done A.S.A.P.!

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Little by little it's getting there!  Thanks to all our the team members for their hard work and dilligence!

Ministry News!

As we mentioned in our last newsletter, we have been serving the children in this country for a decade.  With that privilege comes an immense responsibility to do things God’s way and to be good stewards of all that He has given us, including the children in our care.  With that in mind, we decided to undertake the arduous task of evaluating every area of the children’s homes to see if we are serving the children well.  Our psychologist, Marcelle, has had extensive meetings with each member of our personnel, the children, and ourselves.  We have also been conducting “surprise” observations of the homes and meeting for group therapy sessions.  This exercise has been intense, at times difficult, but instrumental in highlighting the areas that we, as an organization and individuals, need to improve upon.  Through it all, we have prayed that the Lord would give each of us open hearts to see our deficiencies and make the necessary changes, even though it may be painful.  In that way, we can better minister to the children God has placed in our trust and make a greater impact on their lives. Ten year old Reishel recently found out that she will have a new family in Spain.  In May, she began contact via SKYPE with them.  Her parents are fun-loving and gregarious.  However, a couple of weeks ago, she had a “mini” crisis and began telling everyone that she did not want to go to Spain.  Since arriving at the project last August, she has made a very close friendship with another little girl in the daycare center.  She began telling the social worker that her friend’s family was going to adopt her.  She has seemed a bit ambivalent in her desire to go abroad.  The social worker from the Office of Adoptions and our own psychologist have worked diligently with her in recent weeks.  They have had to make it very clear to Reishel that she will not be adopted by her friend’s family here in Costa Rica.  She seems to have overcome her fears and is moving forward in the process to be part of a family in Spain.  The Office of Adoptions thinks that within the next two weeks or so, her parents can be arriving in the country.  Please pray that all her fears will be quieted, and that she will trust that God has the perfect family just for her.

Good news!  For those of you who have prayed for the Pilarte siblings (Isaac, Roberto, Sharon, & Sol), family court has finally given us a date for their hearing.  Wednesday, June 18th at 8:30 a.m. their case will finally be heard after six years of waiting, praying, and striving with government officials.  We are hopeful that the judge will make a ruling in favor of the children and declare them abandoned.  This hearing is only for her to hear their case.  Later, there will be a sentencing date, where the judge’s decision will be made public.  Pray that this judge will exercise sound wisdom and judgment and rule on behalf of the siblings.

Sometimes it seems like we are stagnant around here.  The kids’ cases seem to take an eternity to resolve; meanwhile they just keep getting bigger and bigger.  All that just means that it makes it more difficult for the Office of Adoptions to place them with a family when they are finally declared abandoned.  We have a number of cases that have finally moved to the last stage of finding adoptive families.  Please pray for Angela (10 yrs.) & Jefreson (7 yrs.).  They are siblings who have been with us for 3 years.  Also, Anthony (11 yrs.) & his little sister Aislinn (7 yrs.) have been declared abandoned.  Their case is currently at Adoptions and we are praying for a family soon.  Lastly, Yamil’s (10 yrs.) case has been at the Office of Adoptions since February.  They have been promoting him with adoption agencies in Spain and Italy.  Because all these kids are “older,” their cases have to promoted with agencies in other countries.  Most people want to adopt little guys and aren’t to interested in pre-adolescent kids.  Up to now, every child that has come through our doors and been declared abandoned has left in adoption.  Even though they are “older” it might be harder to place them, but not impossible.  Please believe with us that God will provide families for all of these children.  Thanks for your faithful prayers to this end!

Kid's Camp in Panamá!

We were invited to work alongside our sister church in order to help receive a team and host a kid’s sports camp!  The pastors, Toby & Jocabed, are doing an amazing job reaching out to the people in their marginal community with the gospel of Jesus Christ.  On Sunday, pastor Eddie, shared with the small congregation.

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 Toby & Jocabed invited four other churches to participate in the festivities.  There were over 60 children who attended camp.  The theme scripture during the week was:

II Timothy 2:5

And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.

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The kids could choose to participate in soccer, volleyball, basketball, baseball, or swimming.  Of course, tensions ran high from time to time, especially in the girl’s baseball event!

Boy's swimming event

In the evenings, a special speaker shared with the children and during the daytime devotionals we had the opportunity to impart into the kid’s lives.

Morning devotionals.

It was great to meet so many wonderful people and see how God is moving among the children in Panamá!

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Sebastian

Today we received Sebastian, a three year old boy, into our homes.  He is the product of domestic abuse and parents who are drug addicts.  PANI is in the process of declaring him abandoned so that he can be adopted soon.  They have asked our psychologist to help prepare him for a potential new family.  Please pray that his transition at the Abraham Project will be smooth and that he will feel the love of Jesus in this place.

Festival/Fun Run!

The A.P. was recently awarded a $150,000.00 matching fund grant from a prominent foundation here in Costa Rica.  That contribution is a great incentive for raising the other $150,000.00 we need to put the roof on our multi-use facility!  Needless to say, all of the pastoral groups from our church are working hard to raise money to put towards this great project.

Today our church hosted a community wide Festival in order to raise funds.  Included was our first annual Fun Run, where over 200 people from our surrounding neighborhood signed up to run either a 5 Km. or 10 Km. race.  The festival goers could also enjoy mechanical bull riding, trampoline jumping, a variety of food booths, and a motorcycle show with the Soldiers for Jesus gang.  Even though we are in rainy season, the weather cooperated and we had an outstanding turnout!

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Ministry News

A Decade of Ministry

On April 1, 2004 (April Fool’s Day), we opened the doors of our children’s home for the very first time!  That was ten years ago!  The Thomas family served as the first “substitute” family for children whose lives were shattered due to abuse, neglect, and abandonment.  We filled that role for 14 months before employing our first Costa Rican house parents in 2005.  The dream God established in our hearts to aid the children of Costa Rica (and some Nicaraguans) has had it’s challenges, like anything worth fighting for.  We have forged relationships with the Ministry of Health, the Patronato Nacional de la Infancia (PANI), and the Office of Adoptions in order to serve the children well.  Thankfully, the majority of our relationships with these governing bodies is favorable, and we have established ourselves as a nationally recognized NGO (non-governmental organization) that works with quality and excellence.  However, we are known for fighting for our kids, something that most institutions do not do.  That has gained us a reputation of being “difficult” in some circles.  We sincerely believe that we are here to be the voice for the children God brings across our doorstep.  Proverbs 31:8-9 is a call to justice: “Open your mouth for the speechless, in the cause of all who are appointed to die.  Open your mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.”

Over the past ten years, we have had the privilege of receiving and restoring a number of kids.  We have always known that we would not reach the masses, simply because we never wanted a warehouse with 500 kids, where they were just a number.  Last July we received a nine year old boy from another institution.  Gaby, our house parent, told us that as she went through his personal items, she noted that his things were marked with a great big “#14.”  As tears welled up in her eyes, she felt angry as she realized that in the other children’s home he was just known as number 14.  Today that boy is in a place where he feels like he belongs.  He is more than a number.  He is valuable!

Our family style children’s homes have housed 76 needy children to date.  Of those children, 29 have been declared abandoned and adopted.  We currently have children in Costa Rica, Italy, Germany, Spain, and the United States.  We are so thankful that these kids have had the opportunity to receive the gift of family!  The others have been returned to their biological parents or extended families, and a very small number have been moved to different institutions.

Currently we have 13 children living at the Abraham Project, and the work our team does is invaluable.  We have the opportunity to shape little lives and impact them for an eternity.  We are humbled when we hear that a child adopted to parents in Italy is evangelizing her new family.  We have come to realize that God has a greater purpose than just one child getting a mommy & daddy, but for an entire family to be adopted into God’s own family!

The homes have been a place where the children can feel accepted and loved.  We work hard to meet their physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.  We are very aware of the fact that we can give them everything: a home, clothing, food, and an education, but if we don’t offer them Jesus we haven’t given them anything at all.  Only in Christ can they overcome the difficulties of the past, forgive those who have hurt them, and become all that God has planned for them.

How can we express our gratitude for your faithfulness in ministry over a decade?  The lives of many children have been changed over these ten years.  We extend our heartfelt thanks for your unwavering love and support.  Everything that has been accomplished could not have been done without the faithfulness and determination of the body of Christ.

Hebrews 6:10

For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.

 

God is Moving!

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We only lack one thing to finish Phase I here at the A.P., the roof for our multi-use facility.  Remarkably, in the first quarter of this year, we have received donations totaling $26,000 designated for that roof!  We are excited that the Lord is moving mightily!

Last July, a couple of classical musicians offered a concert for our local community.  Our guest cellist and violinist practiced, open air, in the multi-use building.  We are confident that the day will come when the roof is completed and many people will be ministered to in word and in truth!

“Lift up your eyes all around, and see…”  Is. 60:4