Dear Friends, Family and Hogar de Vida Supporters,

We are reminded (thanks, Tom) that it is time for our newsletter readers to hear from the Stromstads!

First, we give thanks to Jesus daily for His leading and blessing over us and the missions He has directed us to initiate and oversee. Evidence of His faithfulness is everywhere!

We also want to express our thanks to all of you who support us financially and in prayer. We need both! With your help we are putting our three children through college. The boys will be graduating in May and we are excited for them as they launch out into the 'real world.' Please pray for them to get the jobs the Lord has been preparing them for. Ben won the heart of Emily Steiner, got engaged, and is looking to tie the knot in 2015. Maria is already in her second year studying industrial engineering, and doing very well. Now that she is eighteen, she will be working toward getting her driver's license as well.

Dena is looking great. She works out most mornings with jump ropes and fast walking. Tim is proud of her! She and our Psychologist just got back from a conference in Ohio where they received excellent training about how to minister more effectively to the thirty-five children in our care, as well as material to better train and equip our workers to do an even better job!

Tim is gearing up for a couple of teams arriving in March, oversees the administration of the mission, and serves as resident MacGyver on a myriad of computer tech and other projects. Case in point: This newsletter project was interrupted when we lost electrical power due to a tree branch falling across the line that connects to the school house where our internet router is located. Never a dull moment around here!

Now, we want to highlight two specific needs to keep our eight-acre campus beautiful as well as functional.

1.        $5000 to buy a decent used ATV.  Our 1988 Suzuki 250 is dying and in the shop right now. The ATV pulls a trailer used by our maintenance crew to pick up leaves and branches on a weekly basis and for other hauling chores. (Just received: a $200 donation to start the ATV fund.) 

2.       Falling somewhere between WANT & NEED (Tim writing,) we need $18,000 for a 45 hp utility tractor with backhoe attachment and loader. It will be used to do many projects on campus from digging trenches for underground wiring to septic system care or upgrades. Other projects include enlarging and preparing areas for building expansion, maintaining our gravel roads, and the list goes on. I'm looking for a few farmers to help with this need as the Lord leads you. There is a Kioti currently on Costa Rican Craigslist that would fill the bill right now! Let me know ASAP if you can help and I will contact the guy.  He is asking $21,000.

FROM DENA 

"What happened to January?" "Seems like it was just Christmas." "Where did the time go?" These frequently asked questions lend credence to the fact that the days are, indeed, passing quickly. In addition to the usual reflection and projection at year's end, I (Dena) had the opportunity last week to attend a stateside conference designed to help caregivers develop competency in dealing with children who have experienced trauma. It was excellent. During my time there I had supper with long time friends Wilson and Val. Wilson was part of a five-member team that we went with to Haiti to "spy out the land" when Tim and I were just beginning our missionary journey. After supper we looked at photos and video of the children and home in Haiti as it is today. There was a picture of Ramon, one of the one-year-olds that we cared for during our year there. What a nice looking young man Ramon is today!  Wilson says he is a "good kid" who has a desire to further his education. This sparked a personal reflection on our years in ministry, and I experienced an overwhelming sense of the faithfulness of God.

Our one year boot camp in Haiti generated the conviction that mission work was for us, long term. It made us realize through living in close community, that "it's not about me." It's about preferring others and giving ourselves away. The Lord also began to enlarge our hearts for children at this time.

Guatemala was the next stop on our journey where the Lord quickened our hearts to consider adoption as we desired beginning of a family of our own. God gifted us with two special babies - Benjamin and Joshua - now young men. The Home of Life was established, initially as a nutrition program, but later evolved into a permanent home for children and youth. While feeling content and thinking we would forever be in Guatemala, the stirrings of change began as the Lord redirected us to Costa Rica.

With three year old twins and all we owned packed in an International Scout, we drove south. On January 9, 1995, we arrived in Atenas and began to establish Homes of Life, a temporary home for children at risk. In that first year the Lord gifted us with a daughter, Maria, now an adult.

Over the years many, many people have crossed our paths.  From the new born coming into the home for care to the elder who shared wisdom from life experiences, and everyone in between, our lives have been enriched.  We are so thankful for the people who have been part of our lives in some form or other; especially those who have prayed faithfully for us and who are a part of our support team.  Clearly, we would not be here without you.

I want to thank Wilson and his entire support team for the continued ministry and care for the children in Haiti, and a huge thank you to the national staff that serves the children and community there.

In Guatemala, God has provided a great staff, including Guatemalans and North Americans. A special honor goes to Sebastian and Oralia, National Directors, who have an anointing and commitment to care for children and adolescents. Here in Hogar de Vida, Costa Rica, the Tias (direct care givers) deserve a great round of applause. They are young women, for the most part, who have given a season of their lives to care for, nurture and love children. It's an honor to work alongside each of them.

In a very special way I'd like to honor Tim, my husband. He has an anointing for vision. None of these homes would be here without his gifting. He loves God and shares that very openly, without hesitation. He loves his family (it's a joy when the boys and Maria seek him out for advice and laughter) and other people. Often his days are entirely full of visitors and phone calls and he gives freely, holding nothing back. Yet, he has an uncanny ability to disconnect on his days off, inside of Hogar de Vida - something I have not yet mastered.

Our philosophy has always been to give ourselves away and work ourselves out of a job. We sense the beginnings of letting go of the daily responsibilities and moving more into an oversight role. That will surely be a process over time as the Lord directs. In light of the reality that Jesus is soon coming back for His Bride, the urgency we feel is about being faithful today to what God has called each of us to do. His desire is that not one should perish, and that all would come to the knowledge of Him and be saved. That is our heartbeat . . . to be ambassadors for Jesus.

ATENAS CHILI COOK-OFF 2014 NETS

RECROD DONATION TO HOGAR DE VIDA

"Really? No way! No exaggeration?"

"Nope, it really happened! The proceeds of this year's cook-off exceeded last year by 70%, enabling the Atena Chili Cook-Off Steering Committee to present Hogar de Vida a check for $33,500.00, the largest gift ever received by the home. "

What a phenomenal boost! This will enable Hogar de Vida to continue with its security wall project by installing an electric gate to seal off the last gap in the perimeter wall and to make other security upgrades as well. In addition, the proceeds will help with operational costs such as food, clothing, shelter, medical, and 24-hour adult caregivers. For example, food costs $3.37 per child per day. For the 35 children, that's $120 per day and $41,000 per year.

Tom and Kay Costello moved to Atenas many years ago from South Dakota bringing their experience in food service with them. Six years ago, they held the first chili cook-off competition as a fundraiser for Hogar de Vida. They called it Kay's Chili Cook-Off. The first year was relatively modest, drawing cooks and chili fans from the local community , and was held in the Costello's restaurant.

The growth of the event has been incredible. The annual Atenas Chili Cook-Off, now held at beautiful Quinta Romavista Park, has become the largest and most enjoyable charity event in Atenas. This year, the cook-off attracted cooks from all over Costa Rica and around the world as well as more than 2000 chili fans.

Last year, the event raised $20,000 for the home. The proceeds enabled Hogar de Vida to make a significant extension to its much needed concrete perimeter security wall. The proceeds from this year will fill another big gap in the wall, a barrier that is essential to safe-guarding the kids and staff.

The first big THANK YOU goes to Tom and Kay Costello, the Founders and Sustainers of the event. Over the years, they together with the Steering Committee kept it going and growing, recruiting sponsors, motivating chili chefs, and drawing in the chili fans. Heartfelt thanks also goes out to the chili chefs and judges, as well as those who hauled tents, installed electricity, found parking for all the extra people, the entertainers, the DJ, and many other volunteers including last, but not least, the clean-up crew.

Thanks to all, because when it's all said and done, you've made a big difference in the lives of the kids of Hogar de Vida. That's why you do it.