Blessed Easter!

                                              A few of the Women from the Prison Ministry
Tomorrow our plan was to go the prison to have an Easter Service with the women we serve there. We had everything planned and Monday afternoon we got word that they would not let us in for lack of enough security! Needless to say it was very disappointing to us and even more so to the women! They so look forward to the special times we have together.
Even as I write this I realize that tomorrow "my" plan was to go to the prison, but not God's! I do not always understand His ways but am learning to trust Him more and more every day!

The Celebrate Recovery Program is going very well. Our team of three leaders is kept very busy with supporting the womwn's process of healing and we have seen God at work in their midst. Often the women enter the prison saying they are inocent but as we have worked with them over the last few months we have seen them become more honest with themselves and with us. There is a real desire to get healed and set free. They want to live a different life than before and know that is only possible with God.

Last month we had the blessing of being part of of an ongoing children's  program in Rio Frio, where a family that we served after the earthquake is now living. It is a program that brings the neighborhood children from this rural area together to have fun and learn about who God is and that He loves them.These children come from very poor homes, many of whom only have earthen floors. This can be quite a problem during the rainy season as there is no way to keep the rain out of the houses. Even in the midst of their poverty they often can be seen wearing beautiful smiles. It is a joy to see their faces as they hear the Gospel stories read and acted out.

We have been blessed by a friend of our son's with a visit to his condo later this week. He has a heart to serve God by serving us and we are looking forward to a  needed rest. Bob has been putting in long hours at the school and has been sick with a flu for the last two weeks. This will give us a chance to catch up on some reading and sleeping!

Thank you all for partnering with us to serve God as we serve the people here in Costa Rica and those students whom God will send out in all of Latin America. We treasure your prayers and look forward to seeing you all soon, either here in Costa Rica or when we come home for a visit this summer.

May you know the  blessing of His love this Easter! God bless you!

Looking Ahead in 2010

Hi all!  Firstly, I want to apologize to you for letting the time get by and not getting in touch with everyone.  The Christmas Holiday came and went quickly and we did get to see our son Ryan and spend Christmas with him.  Back at school my position as interim head of school changed to head of school.  That has been a big boost as now my planning for the future year(s) is not with one eye wondering that I might not be here, someone else may be instead.  So with that vote of confidence and with a great team of teachers I’m busy working on a summer program and hiring a few teachers for the fall.  By the way do any of  you know a couple of good elementary teachers that would like a cross-cultural experience for a couple of years?   

Just ship me an email at nesbittrobert@gmail.com.

  The days are long but I really like the challenge of all that happens day to day.  You never can figure how a day will unfold and so it is very exciting and dynamic.

      We are thrilled to announce that Pastor Dan Coffin of a supporting church, Small Point Baptist in Maine, will be able to visit us for a week in June.  We are grateful that he is taking the time to join us and take in all that is happening here.  If any of you know of a church that would like to get involved in missions and missionary support we would love to talk with them.  We will be in Maine for a couple of weeks this August and could explain and present what we are doing here in Costa Rica to them or interested families as well. 

      Sojourn Academy is a school of about 180 students made up of the children of adults who are at the Spanish Language Institute as well as students from other missionaries here in the central valley and some students from the local community.  The Institute has been operating for about 70 years and has prepared and sent out some 10,000 missionaries during that time!  It is directed by a board of missionaries and administrated by missionaries like myself from many different mission agencies and societies.  It is a real privilege to be helping at an institution such as this. 

If any of you would like to bring a group here to minister in any manner please let me know as there are plenty of opportunities to do so.   I am working on producing a list of things that are beyond our normal budget ability to fund and on areas of the campus where extra help would be a blessing.  There are also opportunities to interact in the local communities nearby.  If any of these offerings strike a cord with you, give us a call (207-512-2229, a Maine number) or write us an email at nesbittrobert@gmail.com, we would love to talk with you and help set something up. 

      On a relational note I’d like to share a bit about a couple of ladies that work in my area of the campus.  These two ladies, Sonia and Gloria, have a combined work experience at the preschool of over 63 years.  Sonia is a gift to every mom as she cares for the newborns to age 1 ½ years.  She loves the littlest ones like a doting grandmother.  Gloria handles the 1 ½ to 2 ½ year olds and likewise has the wisdom and experience that allows young mother’s to study and have peace of mind, knowing that their children are in good hands.  This is such a blessing when you are in classes  studying Spanishfor 4 hours every day for a whole year.  This also makes my 1 ½ years on the scene look like a drop in the bucket by comparison.  My hat goes off to these ladies.  

      Many thank you’s for your support both in prayer and financially.  We are grateful to you every day and our being able to bless others is a direct result of your support and blessings to us. 

A couple of prayer needs come to mind.  For me, pray that I will have patience and seek the big picture for Sojourn Academy.  I have a tendency to move faster than the prevailing culture is used to and at times miss a cultural cue as well. 

A couple of the ladies that B works with in the prison will be getting out soon to serve the rest of their sentence working in the Prison Bakery with some added freedom. They have been in the prison for over 3 years now and are scared of what it will be like for them outside.  Please pray for them to continue to be strong in the Lord!

We are healthy and looking forward to talking with many of you this August when we are in Maine.