PAST NEWSLETTERS
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May 21, 2025
Since we sent out our newsletter last month, we are excited to share that we have been able to hold several "going away" parties for four of our sweet kids! Jomyra, one of our older girls who lived in Casa Timoteo, was adopted by a volunteer family and the sibling set of 3 that are shown in the photo above went to live with our board member Malena and her husband Randall just one day after Juana, our oldest girl, turned 18.
Juana, along with her younger sister and baby brother, came to Residence of Life in May of 2023 and won the hearts of everyone involved in our ministry. Juana, who fiercely cared for Itzayana and Jose, always desired to be a part of a family, but thought that because of her age, adoption would never be a reality for her. While we've known since last year that a family who all of the kids know and love was interested in being a placement for them, we weren't able to share the news with the kids because there was no guarantee if or when the government would approve it.
God's timing is indeed perfect and after months of no news, we received the approval just weeks before Juana was due to leave the home. Her world turned upside down in the best way possible: her dreams came true! Not only is she happily living with her little brother and sister and their new parents, she is now studying software engineering at a private university thanks to generous donors.
Please continue to pray with us that God will bring along families for the rest of our kids: we believe this is only the beginning and hold onto the hope that many of our other children will too experience the miracle of adoption!
Praise Concerning Children's Home Debt
We are grateful to announce that due to your generosity, much of the debt that was shared in the last newsletter has been paid off. Not only was the children's home able to pay the required legal fees to the lawyer and the pending liquidation of several thousand dollars, they were also able to pay off a sizable amount of accumulated food bills at the local grocery store! In addition to that, we even gained a few new monthly supporters. The staff and board down in Costa Rica would like to express their thankfulness to all of our donors in the US. We realize this is a joint effort and we pray God's blessings on each of you and your families!
Ambassador Program
While we are relieved that a significant portion of the debt has been lifted, we still have a ways to go and are concerned about the future sustainability of the program down in Costa Rica. For that reason, we are praying for at least 20 individuals who know and love Residence of Life and would be interested in being part of a team committed to helping ensure that the doors stay open. For a video containing more information on the children's home finances and the ambassador program, click here.
As always, we have much to be thankful for and look forward to all God will do in the months to come. We appreciate your partnership, prayers and your love for our kids! Please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions you may have.
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April 28, 2025
Greetings from Costa Rica!
The first quarter of 2025 has been busy, with many changes in the air. The theme from the past year seems to be "growth" as God has not only been changing many roles, but bringing about unexpected connections and expanding our team. The new Costa Rican board, led by the pastor of our church plant, has thrown itself into the ministry of the children's home and has quickly become the most unified and involved board we've ever had. I (Erika) am in daily communication with them and in constant amazement at the level of investment each board member has made into the lives of our kids, considering that most of them have families, full time jobs and some even run their own businesses! For those of you who may not know, Naty, one of our graduates who is completing her psychology degree, now serves on the board, lending her invaluable perspective on how we can better minister to our kids.To know that one of our own kids has chosen to give her talents and time back to Residence of Life fills our hearts with joy.
Since January, we've hosted two teams, one a high school group from Florida and the other a Canadian family who have been long time friends and supporters of Residence of Life. I was blessed to share about our work at a missions conference in Tennessee and also held many hours of strategic meetings with potential ministry partners. We are excited to announce that, as a result of these meetings, Residence of Life is now partnering with Represent Missions who will handle all of our donations, taxes and administration stateside, and also help us run future teams. This comes as an answer to several years of prayer and meets a huge need within our ministry.
We are also grateful to share that we have five children ready to be placed in families! One sweet teen who recently came to us has already found a forever home with one of our volunteers, a sibling set of three has been approved for foster to adopt with one of our board members and her husband and a fifth boy who will soon age out of Casa Casey has a family ready to accept him into their home. Praise the Lord! Although statistics say our kids will never be adopted, we've always believed that God could do the impossible and there have been many tears of rejoicing over these miracles that we are witnessing!
While there is much to celebrate, there is also serious need. Due to rising costs of living in Costa Rica and fewer monthly supporters, there are almost $7,000 of unpaid food bills at the local grocery store, spanning several months. There is an urgent need of $1,000 to pay legal processing fees for a required government program and also several thousand dollars needed as a pay-off to let go of a leading staff member who has consistently showed they are not going in the direction that God wants to take our ministry. While this isn't an issue in the US, in Costa Rica it is illegal to let anyone go, merited or not, without the employee receiving an automatically calculated liquidation. For that reason, decisions like this are prayed over long, hard and are typically avoided, but in this instance, we were in complete agreement with the Costa Rican board that this step of faith is necessary to protect the future of our children.
Please join us in praying for provision of these needs and for more people to stand beside our ministry on a monthly basis so that we can meet the daily needs of the home. Our monthly donation needs run anywhere from $10,000-$12,000 and our monthly commitments total at just under $4,000. The deficit can be overwhelming, but we know that God hasn't brought us this far to leave us now. Somehow, some way, He will continue to be faithful to us as He has so many times before. If anyone feels led to stand with us monthly or to make a one-time donation, here is our new donate link through Represent Missions. You can rest assured that 100% of your donation goes directly to the home in Costa Rica to support ministry needs.
If you desire to know more about our ministry or are part or a small group, church or community that would like to learn how you could get involved, please reach out via email at info@residenceoflife.org and we would love to talk with you.
As always, we are thankful for your partnership, support and care for the kids at Residence of Life and we covet your prayers! We continue to stand in awe of all that God has done and know He will continue to use this ministry to change the lives of the forgotten children of Costa Rica.
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December 22, 2024
As we wind down 2024, we'd like to take a minute to say thank you for your support, prayers and generosity during this past year! It has been a year full of many challenges, but also of great blessings with the election of a new Costa Rican board, exciting advances in the lives of our graduates, the launching of our own thrift store and several adoptions in the works!
If you'd like to hear more, please click on the following link for a brief video:
We look forward to 2025 and all the Lord has in store for Residence of Life. Thank you for being a part of our family!
Merry Christmas!
Residence of Life Costa Rica
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DMarch 29, 2024
Greetings from Costa Rica!
We are excited to share all that God has been doing here during the past few months. From supply buying visits, the start of our new school year, mission conference and hosting a high school team from Florida, we have stayed busy. Currently, we are in Semana Santa or Holy Week and the kids are off school, giving us time to slow down and rest as we contemplate our Savior's resurrection and the hope that signifies.
One of our biggest highlights during the past quarter was the launching of a church plant here on our property! From mid-week services, Sunday morning services, youth group, worship nights, discipleship classes and counseling, we've been amazed how the Lord not only brought us a pastor with a servant's heart, but an entire church family as well. If you have a little time, click on the link below to hear more in-depth about all that's been taking place here, including a step of faith in hiring a social worker to lay the groundwork for our foster program!
We covet your continued prayers:
for the Holy Spirit to continue His work in the kids and staff's lives
for clear direction for the future of our ministry as we continue to grow
for provision for rent and salaries due next week as our monthly donations have gone way down. We are believing for a miracle!
for special grace and strength for one of our girls "Diana" who is going through unimaginable loss and for the son of one of staff members who has been battling suicidal attempts.
We give praise to God for His faithfulness both now and always and know that He will carry us through these coming months.
If you have a little time and would like to hear more, click on the link below:
First Quarter 2024 Video Newsletter
As always, we are grateful for your prayers and support. Happy Easter to you and your family! He is risen!
The Residence of Life Team
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December 24, 2023
As we end the year and celebrate the birth of our Savior, we want to take a moment to say thank you for your support, prayers and visits during this past year. We are so blessed by our extended family in the United States (and beyond) and wish you all a Merry Christmas and wonderful New Year!
We've uploaded a quick video update for those of you'd who'd like to hear about what the Lord is doing here in Costa Rica.
Blessings,
The Residence of Life Family
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February 27, 2023
As our kids head back to school and we kick off the new year, we want to share a quick update with some praises, but also some needs. Click on the link below to read more:
Blessings to you and your family,
The Residence of Life Team
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December 23, 2022
With Christmas just days away, we wanted to take a moment to wish you and your families a wonderful Christmas as we celebrate our Savior's birth!
While 2022 didn't start as the easiest year, we're amazed at the way we saw God move on our behalf. We are more excited than ever for 2023 and looking forward expectantly to all He will do in the lives of our kids! To read more about this past year, click on the link below.
December 2022 End of Year Update
May God bless you and your families richly this Christmas and into the New Year! We are grateful for each of you.
Merry Christmas,
The Residence of Life Team
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November 30, 2022
As we head into the Christmas season and New Year, we want to share some exciting changes in the direction we are going as a ministry. We look forward to the opportunity to serve our kids in a more beneficial way and help them towards a healthier future! Please read the attached update to hear about what the Lord's been doing here in Costa Rica. We pray that you and your families celebrated a wonderful Thanksgiving as we have so much to be thankful for!
Blessings,
The Residence of Life Team
