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A Place to Grow
We continue to be so blessed here in Costa Rica. In an article last December, titled “Breaking the Cycle of Poverty,” we described the birth and growth of the Study Group here. We’ve been able to bring one-on-one, hands-on Science of Mind techniques to indigenous people, many of whom are illiterate and living in poverty. You might remember our five-point program that we’re guided to build here to help people help themselves to self-sufficiency including legal compliance, education, microloans, food support, and instilling hope. Science of Mind concepts are a crucial part of instilling that hope and are integral to all the other programs. The government trade school (INA) even got involved, teaching courses to help people advance their lives. We’ve had the joyful experience of seeing the wonderful folks we serve begin to pull their lives together. There are new Many-Festations! We wanted to share some of the news with you. One of the challenges we face is having the facilities to get more people together on more days, allowing us to serve more people and spend more time with them. Once again, it’s time to ask for guidance. What can we do to grow this community? How can we better serve the community that has evolved here? Another of those Many-Festations just showed up. We had been dreaming about a covered structure outside the house for some time. Such a structure would allow us to have a platform, sheltered from the rain, and raised over the obstructions in the yard. It would provide a bigger seating area and it had many possible uses. We even contacted an architect, who volunteered his time to create a picture of what we’d been visioning. Then, out of the blue, we were blessed with a group of voluntourists, who came here through the Surf for Life Foundation. These are a group of serious surfers who have dedicated themselves to doing good projects throughout the Americas. Eighteen of them recently surfed into El Puente, and the next thing we knew, they had built a raised, beautiful, strong wooden floor adjacent to our house.
The varnish had yet to dry before the Director of INA paid us a visit. She was excited about the new floor and eager to start assigning classes. She proposed that the first class of 2012 be a session on construction techniques, where the class itself would build the sides and roof of the structure. What an outstanding opportunity! We’re now visioning the arrival of the $3,500 to pay for the materials needed to get this portion of the building done. The class starts in January. What wonders we behold! When complete, the structure will provide space for INA classes five days a week. This, together with the Community Kitchen, will nearly double the size of the community coming here and expand the time available for contact from three to six days a week. It will extend our support to the students we serve beyond high school, providing courses in the trades that can continue to help people work their way to self-sufficiency. We expect to be able to use the structure at night for Study Group potluck dinner and other community functions. We can hang a white sheet at one end, and begin showing movies from Spiritual Cinema Circle. What a great Many-Festation! It will be fun to see how that one plays out! And on top of all this—school starts in February. And a note to those of you who have been donating to our Education Program all along: here we go again. Our count got up to eighty children last year, and we expect to serve at least that many this time around. This also adds to our community, as the children come here to study and get homework help. I am so grateful that so many children are getting a glimpse of a better life through our School Program. We are very aware of the huge need the entire world has. There is hunger, illness and injustice everywhere you look. The Bridge will make every endeavor to get your offerings to the most deserving. We are wealthy with your encouragement, and your willingness to share what is of yours, whether it be your time, your talents, your treasure, and your prayers. We look forward to working together in a continuing effort to bring Science of Mind to more and more enquiring minds! Barry and Nancy Stevens To learn more, visit elpuente-thebridge.org |
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