We made it!!

Hola amigos.
We still do not have internet in our new place (should be set up in the next 2-30 days;-).
Yvonne's cell phone is good enough that we are using it as a mobile hot spot for now.

Here is a quick summary of trip so far:
We got up at 3:30am on Sunday July 6th and left for the airport.  I had packed my brothers pickup and my parents van night before so all we had to do was jump in and head to the airport.  There was absolutely no one in the United line when we got there.  We found a porter to help move our 12 suitcases/crates, our portable keyboard, Yvonne's guitar, our 4 other smaller suitcases and our 6 backpacks.  God blessed us by having a friend from church (Matt M.) working the check in counter and then at the gate.  There were 4 workers at the check in that all jumped in to help process our luggage.
When we got to security screening, they had just opened a new line that we quickly overwhelmed.  We had no issues at all and to our knowledge did not leave anything behind;-)  The flight to Washington DC was uneventful, as was the transfer to the next flight to San Jose Costa Rica.  We landed and easily passed through Immigration.  We then found a porter standing next to our mountain of luggage at the baggage claim area.  He grabbed another porter, we rounded up a couple stray bags and then I looked around for our friend Dan, who was due to arrive 10 minutes after us.  We quickly found Dan, and the 9 of us (Wutka 6, Dan, 2 porters) went through the customs screening and found a place outside to unload all of our luggage.  Within minutes, the bus that I had lined up to transport us arrived, as did 6 of our friends from the ministry (Spencer, Alix, Chipper, Neil, Dan & Karen).  We piled all our stuff into the bus and headed to our new home.

Of course we were very hungry since we arrived at noon (2pm Eastern) so we stopped off at a local eatery on the way to our condo.  (It was a subway;-).
We got to the condo and it took no time for us to unload everything since we had so many helpers.  The condo was completely empty except for 6 mattresses that our friends had delivered a couple days before our arrival.
We have spent the last 5 days exploring the area and setting up house.  I will try to create another post later today or tomorrow with the excitement and adventures of the first week on the ground.

We love you all and appreciate all your prayers and support.

God is GOOD!!

-rob

Hot tub time

For the last 12 years I have been spoiled rotten with a therapeutic spa that sits on our deck 3 steps outside the sliding glass door.  We initially bought it as a place to relax and have found that it has been a blessing in so many more ways than that.  I quickly learned that it is a great place to thaw out during the cold Connecticut winter months.  When I’m feeling chilled to the bone I just sit in the hot tub until I’ve given myself a nice fever of 101°F.  Sometimes I’ve done that 2-3 times in one day.  

Occasionally, Rob will come in with me and we’ll have a little ‘mini-date’ as we talk about our day but mainly, I have gotten into the habit of putting the kids to bed and heading out to the Hot tub to get some alone time and relaxation.  As I sink into the warmth of the water and begin to feel the jets soothe the aches of the day, I look up at the sky and the plethora of stars.  I am always filled with awe at the vastness of the universe and the Greatness of God who created it all.  I easily pick out my favorite constellations and am amazed at how the stars always stay in their spots and more amazing yet, the North Star sits above the old oak tree in our back yard in the exact same spot every night.  The rest of the constellations rotate around the sky but the North Star never moves.   I very often find myself compelled to sing praise songs to the Creator of our Universe.  Over the years, my “Hot Tub Time” has become a time of prayer and worship.  I can’t help but feel so small in the scheme of things and yet God cares about me. He shows me this night after night.  After I’ve spilled my heart out to Him, I am quiet.  It is in these moments that He whispers to my soul.  He lets me know that while we are each very small in this universe, we are very significant to God.  He has created each one of us with a purpose and in these quiet moments, He reveals his purpose for ME.  Sometimes it is in big ways, like his desire for us to do foreign missions, but mostly it’s in small ways.  He will put a thought in my mind of someone who needs a phone call or to send a note the next day.  Sometimes an apology needs to be said or I get the feeling that I need to say yes to volunteering to help out at the school or church when earlier in the day I felt too overwhelmed to say, “Yes.”  Whatever the case, I have learned that whenever I listen to these promptings, I am always blessed with an opportunity to share Jesus’s love with someone which confirms for me that it was indeed God speaking those thoughts into my soul.

Last night was the last time I get to sit in the Hot Tub with God for a long while.   Today we are shutting it down as we will be moving out of the house tomorrow.  I was so sad at first since this has become a special time in my day for not only physical renewal but spiritual renewal as well.  God gently reminded me that there will be plenty of stars in Costa Rica.  I wondered if I’d be able to see the North Star from near the equator and if I would have to learn new constellations.  (OK.  So I admit that sometimes my conversations with Him are very basic and childlike)  He quickly steered my thoughts back to Him and how he will make sure that I’ll be able to see the magnificence of His creation every day that I seek Him no matter where I am.  We will be able to have our moments of Prayer and Worship and Silence, so that we can continue to have the little conversations that I have grown to crave. 

What started out as a completely selfish and indulgent purchase, God has used to draw closer to me.  Thank you Jesus for loving me and caring enough to use a hot tub for your glory.  My prayer for all of you is that you will each find your “hot tub.”  The thing that is going to draw you in to an intimate relationship with God because there is nothing better than sitting in the presence of Jesus and feeling his love and warmth wrapped around you in a great big hug.

Yvonne

Commissioning and Prayer from our home church!

Hello friends.
I wanted to share an opportunity with everyone.  On Sunday June 29th, 2014 our home church, Valley Brook Community Church in Granby, will be taking some time during the service to pray over my family and to 'Commission' us to go to Costa Rica as missionaries.

We would love to share this moment with anyone that is in the area and would like to attend.  Church starts at 9:30am and we meet in the Granby High School auditorium.  (see www.valleybrook.cc for more info and directions).

I would also like to say that if there is anyone that does not have a church home where they are being taught God's truth from the Bible, please give Valley Brook a try.  We are simply a group of folks that love God and love people and seek to impact our community in a positive way.

Gracias Amigos!
Rob

Being the hands and feet (and body) of Christ

The visit to Costa Rica that I just returned from on Wednesday was full of a lot of things.
I was able to find a safe, affordable place for my family to live when we move down on July 6th.
I was able to take possession of a used car that I bought and drive around to get familiar with the car and the crazy roads and rules.
I was able to meet and reconnect with some old friends and make a bunch of new ones.
But above all else, I was able to literally be the hands and feet and shoulders and head of Jesus to some of His most precious children.  Some of the communities that we serve in can only be described as hellish.  These precious kids are living in tiny shacks that are filthy, crowded, dangerous and spiritually very dark.  There is just a sense of hopelessness and despair hanging in the air.  Most of these communities have one way in and out.  It might be a broken road or a rickety bridge that separates and isolates them from the rest of the society and the world.
Through a boldness and confidence that can only come from God, 6:8 ministries has been bringing teams of people into these places for years.  Many of the locations are completely isolated and the police will not even go into them.  However, if there are children there, we will go.  When the kids see us coming, the bold ones will make their way out of the little structures that they live in.  Once we start to play with them, then we are soon over run by many more kids.  We are not there to give them tangible stuff.  We give them an unconditional love that may very well be the only positive thing that some of them experience.  It is hard to choose which child to pick up and spin around and put on your shoulders when there are 10 hands reaching up for you.  We stay until they have had their fill of hugs and laughter.  We sing songs with hand motions and they try to follow along even though we speak different languages.  We break out paper and some old markers and they immediately sit patiently and wait to get a chance to color.  We sit and color with them and tell that that we love them.  We tell them that Jesus loves them even more.  There are a few moms watching on the perimeter.  Some even sheepishly join our gathering and sit and color with us.  The kids love to smile for our cameras, and so do the moms that have joined us.   There are almost never dads there.
It is likely that the kids that will end up at the Children's Ranch will come from this community.  It is an awesome feeling to think that one of these kids might someday call me dad if I am blessed to raise them at the ranch.  It is an awful feeling to know that most will be left behind to grow up in these hopeless places.

Please pray for these kids.  Please pray for their parents.  Please pray for 6:8 ministries and the weekly mission teams as they show the love of Christ to these people.  Please pray for the staff of 6:8 (my family included) so that they can persevere and somehow shine bright in this darkness.

Through all this we are certain of one thing.  God is good!

-rob

Random stuff from Rob's setup trip

Friday 5/16 - We are currently somewhere over the Western Caribbean as I approach Costa Rica for the 6th time in the last 32 months. It seems like just yesterday that Yvonne and I first set foot in this beautiful country. With every visit it feels more and more like home and I see the people less as strangers and more as the family that God wants me to serve. I am eager to land and get picked up by two guys that I consider brothers. Josh and Spencer will move their families out to the Ranch along with us Wutkas. I look forward to the community that we will form out there. It is an awesome feeling to know that we are in this together. I have recently been thinking about what issues and problems that the orphan and foster kids will bring with them to the Ranch. I imagine that there will be some very hard times and decisions that will have to be made. While this would normally be a cause for concern, I know that we serve an Awesome loving God who wants nothing but the best for His children. I do not question God when I see the hurt and pain that is everywhere in this world. This present world is sinful and fallen and there are consequences to that sin. I also recognize that God is gracious and wants us all to seek Him. My new job is to love these people (especially the kids) and to show and teach them about the love that God has for them. Talk about a promotion!


Saturday 5/17 - I looked at 6 or 7 rental places today. There were several good choices, but I finally found one that met all the 'requirements' that I had outlined to the realtor. It is very secure, with lots of grass outside for the kids to run around and less than a mile from another missionary family that we will work with.

I also got to meet a team of high school seniors from Georgia that were finishing up their week here in Alajuelita. It was great to talk to them and their leaders and hear how some of these 'kids' were changed by what they saw and experienced while they served here this week. It was a privelege to pray over this group just before they left for the airport at 9pm. To know that they are about to embark into adulthood after having just experienced God so powerfully during their week is a cool thing.


Sunday 5/18 - Had a lovely wakeup call around 3am by several dogs outside in the street. Looking forward to breakfast in a couple hours with another team that arrived yesterday and then we will attend church together. I am missing Yvonne and the kids and look forward to when we are down here together.


God Bless!

Rob

2 Months until our July 6th move!

It has been one year since we made the decision to follow God’s leading to move our family to Costa Rica.  I have been reflecting on the last year and the rollercoaster of emotions that I have gone through.  Last summer was a time of great excitement and planning.   Last fall began a period of loneliness for me.  As we were preparing for our last year in Connecticut, I began feeling like I hadn’t made enough of an impact right here in the lives of others in my own town and state so how is God going to use me in a foreign country where I barely speak the language?  Who is going to want to send us?

  

Over the last several months, God has shown me how good He is and how much He cares.  He has done this through all of you.  Rob and I have been humbled by all of the love that you have shown us through your donations and pledges to support us financially and with prayer.  So many of you have sent us notes sharing with us how we have touched your lives personally.  You don’t know how encouraging those notes have been and your prayers mean so much to us.  We are so blessed to have the whole community rallying around us in support of what we are doing.  We are sad to leave you, our friends and family, but look forward to how God is going to use us in Costa Rica.  And thanks to modern technology, we know that we will be able to keep in close contact with all of you.

Rob will be traveling to Costa Rica on May 16^th through 21^st.  He will be finalizing the purchase of a vehicle as well as looking for housing for us while we live and serve near the capital city of San Jose.  He also plans to travel out to the Ranch property with the president of 6:8 Ministries to make some preparations for the initial construction project which will start at the end of May!  We would appreciate your prayers for safe travel and wisdom in decision making.  Please also pray for the teams that will soon be coming down to build the ranch.

We would also like to update you as to our progress of fund raising.  God has used all of you to raise well over 100% of our initial costs for moving in July and we have commitments for about 50% of our monthly expenses.  We plan to use the excess contributions from our launch fund to supplement whatever shortfall we have in our monthly expenses.  We are still seeking more partners to prayerfully consider committing to a monthly donation.  We know that God is able to take even the smallest amount and multiply it tenfold.  Every little bit helps.  (for details on how to donate, please see the ‘Support us’ link on the right side of our blog).

There is also a space on the top right side of our blog that will allow you to enter your email address.  By doing so, you will be notified of every new blog entry.  Simply enter the email address, hit subscribe, and you should get a little popup page that ask you to verify the secret code.  This will then send an email to the address you just entered to confirm that it is really you.  Click on the link in the confirmation email and follow the instructions.  You will then be set up to receive an email notification every time we post.

Love,

Yvonne

Fund Raising Update - April 2014

We are so humbled and thankful for the generous sacrifice of our friends and family and several churches.

As of today we have raised 55% of our total initial expenses that we need to move down to Costa Rica.  These expenses include airfare for the 6 of us, the purchase of a reliable automobile, basic furniture and the supplies necessary to home school our 4 children.

We also have ongoing commitments/pledges for 30% of what we will need on a monthly basis to live near the capital city of San Jose.  These monthly expenses include rent, utilities, gasoline, insurance, food, communications, savings for medical and Visa reset trips.

While this is great progress, we still have a long way to go to be fully funded by July 6^th, when we get on the plane for this next chapter in our service to God.  Again, we are humbling ourselves and asking for your help.  Most people are all familiar with the expression ‘Many hands make light work’.  It does indeed make a lot of sense.  We would like to take the liberty to modify that expression to say ‘Many small donors can support a missionary family in a big way’.  

We are asking you to consider making some small changes, which added together with others, will be enough to sustain us in Costa Rica.     

If you think you can commit to any amount (big or small) on a monthly bases, please click on the ‘Support us’ link on the right side of the page and boldly help us love and serve these children. 

Thank you friends!

Love in Christ,

Rob & Yvonne