Renovation Projects at the La Gaviota Blanca Center

Threshold's Costa Rica partners, Rick and Judith Grossman, recently signed a lease on a 1000-square-foot space in a small retail complex in Orosi. This will become the new home of La Gaviota Blanca, the fledgling community outreach program created to build on the Grossmans' foundational efforts with Global Outreach Mission at El Jardin Sagrado. The program's goal's are simple yet ambitious:

Haciendo corazones libres para volar (Making hearts free to fly)...through facilitating cooperative projects, programs and events that minister to the emotional, physical, social and spiritual needs of children and adolescents of the Orosi Valley.

We seek to collaborate with local individuals, ministries and churches of all denominations as we work together to accomplish goals we share in common for the children of our community: the enhancement of self-esteem, the development of strong biblical character and values, and the attainment of each child's God-given potential.

We seek to assist children and adolescents in:

• Celebrating the life of Christ through prayer, music and the creative arts expressing the glory of God;
• Cultivating personal growth in Christ through applying the Word of God to their individual lives;
• Caring about one another in Christ through an atmosphere of love, acceptance, forgiveness and unity in the midst of diversity and through warm, caring, supportive relationships; and
• Communicating Christ to the world through creative outreach to the community based on the love Christ has for every person regardless of race, creed or religious affiliation.

It's our goal to, in four days, tackle a number of projects that will transform a cold, empty retail space into a warm, welcoming, safe, and supportive place where Orosi's residents can connect, learn, worship, and grow—intellectually, emotionally, and in their faith and personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Click the arrow to play the slide show.

Here's a list of what we'll be doing:

• Painting the building inside and out.
• Installing a sign on the roof of the building.
• Purchasing folding tables and chairs for use in worship services and other activities.
• Building kitchen cabinets, installing a counter top, plumbing in a sink, and wiring the area for a small fridge and microwave.
• Thoroughly cleaning/sanitizing the restroom and fixing any plumbing problems.
• Building shelves and a work area in an alcove area.
• Building a modular, easy-to-move, and easily storable stage.
• Building a puppet theater.
• Repairing and upgrading the building's wiring to support a sound system and other audiovisual equipment.

And if we get done with all of that, I'm sure we can find other projects to attack! Personally, I think a center like La Gaviota Blanca could use some large bulletin boards and some posters and artwork.

Most of our projects will be indoors. However, two of them (painting the building's exterior and installing the sign on the roof) will require a little cooperation from the weather. It rains pretty heavily almost every day this time of year, so that could be a tall order. Fortunately, the mornings are often rain-free—at least for a little while. And we have faith that the Lord will work with us to get the outdoor jobs done.

We're also blessed to have full support from the building's landlord. He's excited to see the improvements to his property, so he's helping us get "tico pricing" on our materials and supplies.