Dear Friends, Family and Ministry Partners,

Thanks for your on-going support and prayers for our Costa Rican mission.

Tim and Dena Stromstad

I want to give a quick overview of our difficult situation here.  As Tom Cribbs (Volunteer Support Team Co-Leader) alluded to in a previous newsletter, the Costa Rica mission has suffered a direct hit from an unexpected financial perfect storm in 2010!  This perfect storm is the result of the convergence of:

• Mandatory Costa Rican pay raises
• New mandated Costa Rica services to children
• A 20% devaluation of the dollar

-Inflated cost of goods in Costa Rica

-Reduced value of donations from the U.S.

• Decrease in dollar giving because of the U.S. economy
• Only one small team came last year. 

We are disciplined and devoted to being good stewards of what the Lord supplies, and we thank Him for the financial reserves that have sustained us to today.  However, the perfect storm of seventeen months duration has reduced our reserves to near zero.  We are encouraged as the Lord send us help in many small ways. (see Stories of God's Provision below.) The Lord has called us to live by faith and we are doing that here and now!  

We had a short-term mission team in March that began phase one construction of a secure maintenance building for the ongoing operation here.  We have a long way to go on that project, but we hope that the teams slated to come this year will make good progress on that project so we can announce at the end of the year that it is finished!  Again "PRAY".

Last week we rejoiced as one of our children was placed with an adoptive family.  (Don't miss Adoption Story on the sidebar.) This was yet another victory as this Costa Rican family has prayed for 5 years as they actively pursued adoption in their country.  To see them find their child, and to see this despondent little 1 yr old girl blossom like a flower in the span of 4 days, was to say in a word, "miraculous"!  For confidentiality we cannot say more, but Cherished Partners, please know that the Lord is using your offerings to change lives and to bless families. 

We will make it through this storm.  We have a few mission teams lined up starting in late June through the end of August.  Those teams will provide much needed help on campus as well as much needed cash flow.  

My request to you is to help shore up the mission financially so we can make it through JUNE!  Please consider what you could do as a generous one-time only or extra gift designated to the Costa Rica mission!  We need an extra $12,000 over the next three months. Thanks from all of us here. May the Lord richly meet all of your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus.

Tim Stromstad

Founder and Executive Director

P.S. Please allow me to make a plea for a one-time gift this month payable to "Children of Promise International" with a note directing it to the Costa Rican mission. 100% of your donation will go directly to care of the children.  None will be retained to cover administrative expenses.

If you'd prefer to make a long term commitment, check out our new Expanded Sponsorship Program or options for Automatic Monthly Donations by Credit Card or Automatic Withdrawal (EFT).

 Early this year, the community of foreigners here in Atenas hosted a Chili Cook Off with some powerful examples of the best Tex-Mex south of the border. It was extremely well organized and was promoted locally and throughout Costa Rica. Their aim was to raise money for Hogar de Vida. The turn-out was beyond expectations. Their committee was ecstatic to bring us a check for $3000 and we were ecstatic to receive it. Next year they want to double their efforts.

One of our tias (Auntie) is a mover and shaker. She roped in the local taxi drivers to donate for the kids. Some of them gave her money to go buy groceries (all they wanted in return was the receipt) and others went with her to shop and paid the bill at the check out. We are open to however God wants to feed His kids!

Last weekend the small town of Atenas rumbled under the hoofs of the "tope" (horse parade) where the contestants had to pay to enter their high-stepping steeds. Hogar de Vida was chosen by the Chamber of Commerce to be one of the recipients of the proceeds. Not only does this represent the promise of food on our tables but opens the possibility of a relationship with our local business community to become involved at a more personal level. We are excited and grateful.

Every Friday we send our little red wagon to the agricultural fair to gather up God's provisions of veggies, fruits, some meat and sometimes a loaf of home-baked bread. Some will give pineapples, others a cucumber or two until there is an impressive load of produce to last three houses for a week. Do we take this for granted? Never! God is our Jehovah Jireh, our provider. He doesn't say to pray for money (although that helps pay salaries) but to ask for daily bread. He is good!