Erika Rodriguez ‍ ‍ Director of Development

A Florida native, outdoor lover and graphic designer, Erika was living in the Costa Rican town of Jaco surfing, serving in the local church and resting after two years of ministry in Papua New Guinea when a friend told her about Cherie. She visited Residence of Life in October of 2016 with the intention of volunteering occasionally, but God had other plans. Two weeks later, she moved to Grecia and in the years to follow, learned Spanish, filled the roles of house mom, director and in 2018 assumed the presidency of both the US and Costa Rican boards due to Cherie’s illness. During her many years in Costa Rica, Erika also fostered six of our children. Her passion is to see Jesus’ true healing for each of the kids and to create real community and family, not only for the children, but for the staff as well.

Believing that the goal of missions is to work yourself out of a job and to support and equip the local church, Erika asked Pastor Ariel to step into the main leadership role of the home in 2024. She returned to the US in early 2025, where she continues to serve on the Costa Rican board in an advising role. She also serves as the Director of Development, traveling back and forth and working to share the story of Residence of Life and the vision of our future self-sustaining farm with US based churches and teams.

If you are interested in hearing more about the ministry, in sending a team or have her visit your church or small group, please contact us via email at info@residenceoflife.org.