Caroline's Promise News

The members of our 2009 Guatemala mission teams are experiencing some amazing things! Even in the midst of difficult times in our country, economically - God is providing the finances for people to serve in short term missions. Team members are selling gold, consigning at spring sales, and picking up extra jobs. And then, totally unexpected, God is sending them anonymous donations and checks in the mail that they never expected! We're not surprised:) He always provides when we step out on faith. That said......we have 2 spots remaining on our July 10 - 18, 2009 trip to Guatemala. God has provided the awesome men that we need and now we just need to fill 2 spots. Men or women ages 18 and up are welcome! Visit our website for info and an application. Email Lisa asap to grab the last 2 spots! http://www.carolinespromise4u.org/orphan_care.html

Thursday: We traveled home with our friends Vivi and Guido – watching the sun set over the Pacific Ocean. We’ll take home great memories of our time with these two. It will be exciting to see how God uses them in the years to come. Vivi has always had a special passion for orphans. Their hearts for Him are strong and we believe that God will continue to open doors for them to lead others to Him. When we arrived back at Robert and Ana’s house we were treated with a visit from Nicaraguan missionaries – who have spent the past 12 years in Mali, East Africa. Sometimes I think our idea of a missionary is a Caucasian, North American – serving in a far off land. Obviously God calls His children throughout the world to leave their homeland and serve Him across the world. A beautiful sight! Friday: We were able to visit a nearby church that was built with help from Shady Grove Wesleyan in Colfax, NC. For five years or more teams were sent from this local church to help build this church in Cos...

Monday: We ended Sunday with a 4 hour drive to Manual Antonio – a beautiful area on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. We saved for months and used this trip as our Christmas gifts to each other. It was well worth it. The house we stayed in was in the jungle – facing the ocean. It was a perfect retreat for us and we were amazed at how God’s timing for the trip was exactly what we needed – when we needed it. Nine months ago when we planned the trip we had no idea that we would need a vacation this exact week. We woke up to a two hour rain shower that actually worked to our advantage. We had scheduled a boat trip that normally has 40 people aboard. Because of the rain, many people cancelled and we ended up with only 14 people! We basically had the boat to ourselvesJ We met a family from California that had been traveling throughout the world for 3 months! God provided great conversation to share about the needs of orphans. In the end we learned that the kids had been adopted at birth. We b...

Saturday: We went with our friend Vivi and her nephew Mattias to an amusement park in San Jose. What a treat! The kids needed to get out and stretch their legs and we had a blast! That afternoon and evening we visited with our friends, Rolando and Vilma and their four children. I stayed with this family on my first trip to Costa Rica. It was a special blessing to visit with them, if even for a little while. We are a little concerned about Cameron who quickly developed an eye for Costa Rican girls. Oh my word are we in trouble! Sunday: It’s always a privilege to worship with our brothers and sisters in Costa Rica. The church has grown numerically and spiritually. Instead of hosting mission teams from North America, they are now sending their people throughout Central and South America and Africa. They are meeting physical needs and sharing Christ in amazing ways. While we were there people were meeting early in the morning to travel to an area of the country that had been affected by ...

What do these wild animals have to do with God? We learned a lot from them a few weeks ago when our family was in Costa Rica. In the next few days I hope to journal a bit about our vacation and the things that God taught us. Twelve years ago I visited Costa Rica for the first time. It was an incredible mission trip and for several years God used our time there to show us some of His dreams for our lives. (you can read more at former posts) We’ve wanted to return to Costa Rica and visit our friends but it’s never seemed reasonable to spend the money. We decided to save our frequent fliers, making it more economical to go and God planned the trip of a lifetime! We spent part of the week with our friends, Pastor Roberth and Ana. Our kids felt right at home and fell in love with the people and culture of this beautiful country. They also had plenty of time to practice their Spanish!

Caroline's Promise is proud to be a part of The Christian Alliance for Orphans. One of our favorite events each year is Summit. If you are passionate about orphans and adoption, please consider joining us in Dallas April 30 and May 1st. Let us know if you're planning to attend!

Tuesday: The fun continued as we walked through the Manuel Antonio National Park. How gorgeous! We were beginning to wonder if we would see any wildlife. Suddenly we were surrounded by white faced monkeys. The kids chased them down the beach and one brave monkey even stole our Cheetos out of our bag. By far one of the coolest moments was when Cameron found a huge iguana, sitting on a log. Almost in tears he exclaimed, “God must really love me Mom! He knew that I wanted to see an iguana and He gave me one!” Of course a day at the beach wouldn’t be complete without a visit from some raccoons! They walked right up beside me, reached in our bag, and stole all of our peanut butter sandwiches! We were amazed by God’s creation and touched that He would show us that we’re on His mind. Wednesday: This was a day of rest! The kids swam and David and I sat and talked. Our mornings with the Lord were precious. David secretly wanted to see monkeys at our house and God provided. We were entertained f...