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This month, we feature many new faces in Costa Rica. We welcome Matt and Kris Gnuse and their three kids to our staff and announce that Steve and Angela Hoover expect to soon finish the application process to become missionaries to serve at Hogar de Vida. We've had so many great volunteer interns this year and as usual, several short-term missions teams.
Don't miss! Really! Be sure not to miss the YouTube video in the Intern article. It will warm your heart!
Finally, our swimming pool needs your help.
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The Gnuse Family
 | The Gnuse Family
Kris and Matt
Ezekiel, Elijah & Eliana
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We are delighted to welcome Matt and Kris Gnuse and their three children to our team at Hogar de Vida Costa Rica. Their kids are Eliana, Elijah and Ezekiel. They come to us as approved missionaries from Lifegate Church in Omaha after a very successful stint at language school. They will be with us, if the Lord tarries, until 2018. Their new home in the town of Atenas will serve as their sanctuary and their school house as Kris is home-schooling these delightful students. In a very short time they have become a great fit and we wonder how we ever managed without them. In the summer months we receive short-term teams. This means lots of ground work: cleaning cabins, preparing menus, doing the shopping, preparing meals, planning work projects, orientation, and team oversight. Kris bakes fresh bread and turns out home-made meals just like Dena always did. Matt brings his gifts of leadership and administrative skills and is incredibly organized. He loves to teach and encourage. Already we have benefited from their help as they successfully managed several great teams. Lots of projects were taken care of on campus. (See below). Matt will be meeting other important medical needs because of his years of experience in physical therapy back in the U.S.A. Welcome Dr. Matt, Kris and the three "E's". We feel very lucky to have you join us!
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Steve and Nonny Hoover
 | Hoover and Nonny
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Steve Hoover and Angela (known as "Hoover and Nonny") are in the missionary application process and should be through all the hurdles by October. They come to us from Arkansas and are with Son Ministries, a non-denominational organization. They have five boys, all married and 6 grandkids. Hoover is a Baptist preacher. He's going to be helping us with our PR department, keeping our website more current, and feeding our HogardeVidaCR Facebook page. In 2009, Helen sewed curtains for a future conference room. A few years later in July 2014 Hoover finally hung these curtains. His gift of helps is helpful indeed. Nonny worked in an Emergency Room for 27 years as an Registered Nurse and is already a great support to Dena in meeting the children's medical needs. She is a professional, willing to go the extra mile, and helps care for our special needs child by staying the night a few times a week. They are both "on call" and have rented a house just a stone's throw from us. What a wonderful addition to our staff they are.
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YouTube Video:
HOGAR DE VIDA
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This year we have had a bunch of wonderful young women come to work as volunteer interns. In January, Andrea came from Canada for her second visit to work as a volunteer "tia". She had fallen in love with the kids in House #2 and came back again to Casa #2. Meredith from Georgia returned for a fourth time after first coming as a student and now as a teacher of Hispanic children in the U.S.A. Casa #1 with the bigger kids became her home away from home. Victoria from Oklahoma, also a teacher, came back for her second time and worked her heart out with the kids in Casa #1. Maria Elena from Illinois took a risk and came for three months, was quickly convinced, and is giving her utmost in our "baby house," Casa #3. Maddison, a medical assistant from Virginia came for a month, blended in quickly and soon became family. Another Maddie from Tennessee came for a month in Casa #1 and left with a desire to come back. Mallory from Omaha found out quickly that one month was too short as she gave her heart away to our kids. Rachel from Omaha came back for her second visit. Sarah from Texas became such an immediate part of this place that she was never officially given an orientation. Our first guy volunteer, Jeremy, came for two months and stayed off campus with Oscar and Nancy. Their son, Fausto soon found he had a new gringo "uncle." When these young people leave there's a great trail of tears in their wake -- the kids miss them, the tias miss them, we appreciate their service and hope they'll all return someday.
Hogar de Vida is a multi-cultural ministry. Of course the Costa Ricans predominate but there's a few gringo's in the mix and this summer there was a sub-culture of volunteers who spent time after hours speaking English and spending days off together. Thanks to you all!
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Team Report
Great teams have done a lot of important work at Hogar this year. An IT team did miracles with our server. Another team helped us to add a new underground conduit to connect house #1 with the main offices. This will facilitate a much needed telephone in the office and cabin area. They did a ton of painting. House #3 is now a happy orange and light green on the outside and House #2 is a couple of shades of purple - kid-friendly colors. Our covered sandbox steel structure has been sanded and given a multi-colored fun paint job. Rotting mangos were picked up and hauled to the compost pile (nasty job). The playground equipment got painted. Repeat news: we replaced the 12 cameras that were fried by a recent lightning strike. Teams always bring stuff and we appreciate their efforts and the supporting church families and friends that loaded them with much needed items to fill up our storage rooms as well. We now have a good supply of ceiling fans, extra printers for the office, a video projector, lots of kids clothes, big people clothes, shampoos for the home and a supply of fun gifts for kids and the tias, medicines, and a pair of shoes for every worker on campus. And literally for rainy days, we got a few Wii's donated so the older kids have an option to play when they can't burn off energy playing outside.
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Tell Your Friends
One of the most valuable things you can do as a partner in our ministry is to tell your friends about the Homes of Life. It's easy to just to to a friend and share your own thoughts.
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Disclaimer
Children of Promise International (COPI) does not provide goods or services in consideration, in whole or in part except where noted, for contributions received. COPI is organized exclusively for religious purposes and the only benefit provided to you is an intangible religious benefit. Upon receipt of a donation, a receipt letter is sent and should be retained for income tax purposes. COPI may direct contributions where deemed necessary for ministry purposes. All contributions are income tax deductible in the United States and are made with the understanding that COPI has complete discretion and control over the use of all donated funds.
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SOS:
Swimming Pool Alert
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Our pool is badly in need of urgent repair. Cost $3000. Maurice (our pool guy) is going to donate $1000 so we are looking for a gift of $2000. And we'll extend an invitation to come and take a dip.
Thanks to all of you faithful followers and supporters of Hogar de Vida. We truly could not do this without the support of a loving and giving body!
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