Finally........Costa Rica Pictures!
 

The place that we went to work in Costa Rica is called the Abraham Project. It has five facets: Day care, Church, Orphanage, Adult classes, and Community services (volunteer doctors, dentists, etc.). It started in 1997 with a Pastor and 7 praying women with a total of $20. They literally prayed in all the materials to build the project in the middle of a slum, or squatters' village. All the floor tile, glass, wood and everything has been donated; it's totally a project of faith.

There is a glass company in Costa Rica that ships big panes of glass all over the world. When the wood crates came back broken up, they were discarding them. The Abraham Project asked if they could have them instead. So they get the scrap crates and that's what all the buildings, furniture, fencing, and everything is build from. It's amazing when you see it! The women on our team spent a week pulling nails and staples from the scrap wood pieces, and then they are planed, sanded and cut to size. The men were actually doing construction on the newest building.

It was such a joy to see the third orphanage building completed and full of kids - that we were working on last year! It's turned out beautiful!!

They have a story about the wood, comparing it to the children they take in. The wood pieces are scraps that are about to be tossed on the garbage heap, full of nails and in a mess. We take them and pull out the things that need to be removed and then they are able to be formed into something beautiful. That's what they do with the children that were about to be thrown on the garbage heaps of society. The story always makes me weep!

Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Re: Finally........Costa Rica Pictures!
 

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Re: Finally........Costa Rica Pictures!
 

Not quite sure why some of these pictures are HUGE and some are small; it's the first time I've ever done PhotoBucket!!! Sorry.

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Re: Finally........Costa Rica Pictures!
 

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(Darci's husband preaching in Spanish)

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(Feeding the poor)

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(This house is literally sitting on a foundation of oil barrels!!)

Re: Finally........Costa Rica Pictures!
 

Wow, amazing story Sherri. Love the pics, hard to believe those buildings were built from scraps.

Re: Finally........Costa Rica Pictures!
 

Whoohoo! You did it.

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I'm confused though; I thought I made all the pictures the same size, which is actually too small I see now. But three of them are humongous. I guess you learn as you go!

Re: Finally........Costa Rica Pictures!
 

I know....it makes me cry every time I think of it. This is where my daughter Ashley worked for a year after she graduated from ORU. When I go there, I see the fence that she built, and the baby beds that she built by hand, and it makes me so proud of her, because she is definitely the "Barbie" type, not a tool person. But the faith there just inspires you to go beyond yourself! I HATE getting dirty and sweaty, so it's my one time of the year to be really stretched. LOL!

Re: Finally........Costa Rica Pictures!
 

It makes me think about Jesus preparing our homes in heaven though. He is doing it himself, just for us.
I know what you mean, I hate sweating too. Praise the Lord for people like you, your daughter, and all the others that go and do the work. Appreciate you a lot and pray for y'all.

Re: Finally........Costa Rica Pictures!
 

WOW...what an industrious people…and my how you all must have worked pulling out nails, building and all the other things. I am sure the people were blessed above measure to have you all there.
Those pictures are awesome...so amazing to see what people can do from "scrapes"
No one will ever know what a visit means to the ones on the field…a visit, a phone call a letter, an e mail…
Thank you and your group for caring enough to give…not only money but giving of your time and talents to help those that have so little to give in return.
I love missions and all those that do anything in any way to help someone else…

Re: Finally........Costa Rica Pictures!
 

Wow, I didn't know you were a Carpenter?
It looks like you did a fantastic job!
You guys can come to Vancouver a build us a Church building!:D

Congrats!

Re: Finally........Costa Rica Pictures!
 

Our guys were amazing! I had no idea that we had that kind of talents in our group. Nail pulling and sanding is hard work, but it doesn't require much talent. LOL!

Re: Finally........Costa Rica Pictures!
 

Awesome!!! I love to travel overseas and be a blessing like you folks are doing. There is nothing like it when you give to folks like this who have so little and yet so much!!! :D

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That sure looks like fun:)

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Hey, thanks to whoever resized my pictures and turned that one right side up!!:friend