We have been blessed with volunteers who have come here from all over the world. They stay for weeks, even months, and help with the activities at The Bridge. Without their help, our work would be much more difficult. The other day, I ran into this quote about volunteers, and it really rang a bell.

“Volunteers don't get paid, not because they're worthless, but because they're priceless.”
- Sherry Ruth Anderson, Ph.D.

Sherry Ruth Anderson, PhD, is a psychologist in private practice in
San Rafael, CA. and co-author of the best-selling The Feminine Face of God:
The Unfolding of the Sacred in Women (Bantam, 1991) and The Cultural
Creatives: How 50 Million People are Changing the World (Harmony, 2000).

Nanci and I would like to say Thank You! to all you priceless volunteers who come to serve soup, help with homework, help us repair Bridge facilities, teach English, and whatever else needs doing around here.

THANK YOU!

"Football at the beach"

Few weeks ago Nanci & I (Sophie) went to playa negra with Alejandro and Ronualdo.They were playing football whilst we had a loong and enjoyable swim.

Here s some pictures . . .

Happy Boys :)

Ronualdo in action . .

Andrew Condon Vidaurre, volunteer from the USA

I heard about El Puente from Nanci, who I met at a nearby beach. She told me about the organization and I thought it sounded interesting.

Now I live in the area and I come by Barry and Nanci's house two or three times a week. I try to help with translating and whatever else I can do.

After a little time here, it's clear to me that this is a very special place, and I look forward to further contributing to it's goals while I'm here.

"From one island to another"

(Swantje, 30, Northern Germany)

I’ve been here in the Caribbean since more than two months to make some experiences in hotel and tourism stuff. I get in touch with Barry and Nancy in a hotel. First of all I was curious about The Bridge so I came to have a look and for getting to know the children. And I came again. And again….I love playing and learning with them. And the intercultural exchange and conversations with people from all over the world I also really like. It’s a project to open your mind and to be open hearted. Thank you so much!
This block is a good opportunity to stay in touch.

Sophie Lindvik - Volunteer from Norway

(Sophie Lindvik, 27 yr Old. Meeting for scouts w Joseph & Barry)

I arrived here a month ago! Of origin i am Norwegian Swiss and French, raised in Oslo, Norway.

Since finishing my degree in 2003 from Bournemouth University i have worked in Oslo, Belgium and Denmark. Next to full time job i have been working at a hospital as assistant (nursing) in Lounge & Infection department the past 7 years.

I enjoy travelling, new cultures and meeting people. For many years i have wanted to take some time off and do volunteer work with focus on kids.


I heard about TheBridge through a article written from Maja and Mina in the Norwegian newspaper and researched it from there and decided that this was just the project i was looking for - thanks girls :)





It s been a month i since i got here and it s the best desicion ever. I am having a great experience together with Barry, Nanci, the kids and other volunteers.

We hope to develop this page with lots of interesting pictures and stories from our work here.

Ben Bates

Ben Bates arrived at El Puente 2 weeks ago. Ben is of origin Canadian / American - 30 yr Old

He s moved down to Costa Rica for permant stay with a yearly long visit to Canada.
Ben is a enthusiast for diving / snorkling and helping out in the local communtiy.

He is over the last two weeks had the time to get to know the people at The Bridge as well given donation and brought lots of sweets to the kids :)
Ben will be participating on volunteer activities - we are so happy to have him on our team!

Monthly pledge program

Donations through Monthly Pledge...

http://www.elpuente-thebridge.org/pledge/

By signing up for a Monthly Pledge Subscription, you are:

- Helping children go to school and to stay there, in the School Program;
- Helping children and their families with healthy meals through the Food Program;
- Helping people with Income Generation--with microloans, training, and connections to jobs;

Allowing the families and we serve to Build Hope-a vital step to progress;
Barry & Nanci Stevens, Co-Founders of The Bridge, are the two largest pledgers in this program.

Their entire Social Security payments are pledged to pay the operating expenses of The Bridge. We can therefore say that 100% of your pledges are put toward Bridge

Donations

Donate online using PayPal

http://www.elpuente-thebridge.org/page30.html

Charges will be for the benefit of El Puente operated by Barry & Nanci Stevens, principals of El Puente.
All proceeds go to support the operations of El Puente.

You can donate online using either a credit card or an E-Check,
direct from your regular checking account.
An E-check is sent to your bank electronically, and is then processed as a paper check from that time.

Your credit card information will not be kept, sold or given to anyone else. It will be used only for the purpose of making a donation to El Puente. You'll get a confirmation by email, and you'll be added to the subscription list for our newsletter.

A visit to the neighbours

Nanci and I walked into the jungle today to visit Mayra at her home. It was my first time in there. Until now, I hadn't been willing to dedicate the kind of time it takes to make the trip - 30-45 minutes each way in and out. Recent medical news said I need much more exercise than I'm getting, So this partly-rainy Sunday morning, in we went.

Each home is really a cluster of small buildings, made of available wood and galvanized sheet metal roofing material. Some of the buildings are traditional Bribri-style thatch construction. One building in the cluster is the kitchen, another is the sleeping quarters, yet another the meeting area, and another the outhouse.

At Mayra's place, each level is about one story above the next. The water source, a r

iver, is where fresh water is obtained, and clothes are washed. It’s about two stories up to the kitchen.

(Photo by Dan Swank - Mayra cooks a pot of pejibaje while holding baby Khrys. Sandara looking on.)

From the kitchen, it’s another story up to the living area.

(Photo by Dan Swank
Family in the living area, still under construction in this shot..)

(Photo by Dan Swank: It’s another story up to the sleeping quarters. That trail up is quite a bit of work.)


The trail to the sleeping quarters is very nearly at a 45-degree angle.

The trail between the areas is at about a 45-degree angle, and it's all dirt. Unless it's raining, as it was today. Getting up and down the trails today had me grabbing for trees and branches, reaching out and grabbing a root sticking out of the trail ahead, slipping and falling in the mud, remembering not to grab a banana tree for support, (banana trees are notorious for just falling over), watching out for terciopelos, and in general getting very tired and covered with mud.

With both of my hands busy keeping me from falling on my face in the mud, I marveled at the thought of Mayra walking that trail carrying two babies, a bag of baby stuff, and a bag of groceries. I'm amazed that any water these folks have is carried in 1 and 5-gallon containers 2 or 3 stories from the river up a steep muddy trail. I admire the kids who are so determined that they go up and down that trail every school day with a heavy knapsack filled with books. These folks are tough.

The floor in Mayra's house is packed dirt, very uneven, with variations as much as a foot in places. Baby Khrys is still learning to walk, balancing her little body as she goes along the uneven ground. The sleeping area has a raised platform and a number of beds. The slats in the floor in places are so far apart you could lose a child through them. A late-night trip to the outhouse could be downright dangerous.


Photos by Dan Swank
Left, a view through Mayra’s hammock. Right, Daniel sits on one end of the sleeping platform.

Photo by Daniel
Mayra, baby Khrys, and Sandara sit in Mayra’s Hammock in the sleeping quarters.

Stairs come down from the platform to the ground, where there is a hammock, a chair, and a wood-fire stove on a platform. Children’s boots and shoes are scattered around the ground, as are a number of plastic toys. Chickens go in and out, keeping the place bug-free. A gorgeous colibri - hummingbird - drinks in a flower nearby. A nearly starving dog that looks like it's all ribs tries to sleep near the fire, being teased by Irene and Sandara. The smoke from the wood fire gives the place a homey touch, and when the wind is right the ylang-ylang tree next to their quarters produces a heady, exotic perfume that drifts in and out.

As we sat talking with Mayra and the girls, 75-yr-old Ynez came up from the next level down to visit with us. She appeared to have come up that trail very easily - the same trail that had me grabbing for trees, branches, and roots, and checking out the local mud. Grandma's pretty tough, too.

As Nanci and I walked home, I had a lot to think about.

These photos were taken by Dan Swank on August 15, except for one taken by Daniel Rugama.

First school day

(Nanci lines the students up for a trip to school. Carmelita, Alejandro, William, Maria, Mauricio, Sandara, Irene, Roy, and Francisco.)


School’s in session, and The Bridge is smack in the middle of getting another crop of schoolkids through the opening days and into a more-or-less regular class schedule. Espy makes a dandy school bus! The Christmas Miracle continues – a Dad steps up to the plate. Bob & Nani visit The Bridge, and provide some demographics before they go. You can volunteer in the jungle without ever leaving home! Progress on “Buying The Farm” – almost there! Finally, an updated website is yours for the reading – tune in and see what’s up now!

ESPY IS A SCHOOL BUS

We have a little four-door car. Espy’s a real workhorse. She has a strong heart, even if her “skin” is having a few problems. On one of the First-Days-Of-School, she had her chance to prove herself once again.

Oh – there is one more passenger not shown in the picture. Mother Maria also wanted to go. Those of you who’ve met Maria know she’s a pretty, uh, er, “substantial” woman. So she sat in the front seat with a niño on each knee, while the rest of the crowd piled into the back seat.

As the car pulled out of the driveway, I imagined I could hear a banjo picking out the strains of a popular hillbilly tune...

“Oh, I’m going down to Puerto
With a niño on my knee...”


MORE ON MIRACLES

Looks like the Christmas Miracle has taken on a life of its own, continuing of its own accord into the school year.

(Mayra, Irene, Sandara, and Dad Abel... stop by The Bridge on the first day of school, all walking into school together.)

First days of school – there is no such thing as THE first day here, are quite a busy time. Irene, 9 years old, is in first grade, and 6-year-old Sandara’s in Kinder. A kinder student has to be presented at the school by an adult, and Abel is set to deliver her. And, as it turned out later, to pick her up as well. On a later day in the week, Abel was seen walking to school to get Sandara with 15-year-old Francisco and 12-year-old Roy in tow. “Here’s how it’s done, boys”. Good going, Abel.

If you haven’t figured it out already, Abel is the man we’ve been praying for, the Dad who said “I don’t want to lose my children.”

And there’s one more thing – it may or may not be easy to figure out. The fact that Roy and Francisco were out of school, walking down to pick up their sisters who were IN school, is one sign that the school scheduling is fast-and-loose. Classes change, the school is open, unless it isn’t. The teacher is at the school, unless she isn’t. The day starts at 7 AM, unless it doesn’t. The appearance is that the school Director and teachers just don’t place any real priority on, or importance on, education.

We’re trying to show that getting an education is important. How can we do that when the school appears to not give a darn?

We’ll be working on that one. Time for another miracle!

And yes, it appears that there’s a contradiction, Nanci giving the girls a ride to school, and Abel & Mayra walking the kids to school. Both of these things appear to be true at the same time. Bienvenido a Costa Rica.

Tashia Visit a grand old lady

Tashia has also been helping with transportation. One of the tasks is to bring a bag of food over to Faustina, a 100-year-old Bribri woman who’s family has moved her down from the mountain to a home nearby, so family members can get to her easily

Tashia and Faustina talking with each other...

although neither speaks the other’s language,
they seemed to be communicating just fine.

Faustina, her body literally deteriorating from a diabetic condition, was asked if she wanted to go to either Don Cándido or the Clinic. She said “No doctor who is eventually going to die himself will cure me. My cure is from God.” She’s decided she’s ready to leave this world, and plans to stay right there in her chair until she does.

The day before this shot was taken, a huge tree fell over, falling into her yard and coming to rest with the tip of the uppermost branch just touching her left foot. She sat right there in her chair and watched it happen.

Not this day.

Doctor's here, Doctors there....

Recently, we reported that Don Candido’s land, which he was renting for his garden of medicinal plants, was in trouble. The owner, an older woman, wanted to sell it, and had been approached by two “rich gringos” who offered her $48,000 for the land. As luck would have it, the land was saved by bureaucracy. When the title search was done, it was discovered that the land was within the borders of the indigenous reserve. Not only could she not sell it, but because she is not indigenous, she can’t live there either. The government will pay her the official value of the land - $7,000, and then she has to move out.

Candido needed to go to San José with the documents granting him title to the property, to make sure they were valid – his land, as well, was on the Bribri reserve. He needed to come up with the $60 or so it would take for bus fare and an overnight stay in a hotel to make the trip. He took up a collection. We helped.

On his return, he was all smiles – the documents were OK! His house – and the garden – are now secure!

It Doesn’t Seem Fare

Thinking about this, I felt a twinge of sadness. This man has been regularly curing people we’ve brought to him – people with terminal or serious diseases – using medicinal plants. He’s producing what some would describe as “spectacular results”. Yet he has to take up a collection for bus fare.

His colleagues in the US are “enjoying” a different form of reputation. Consider this snippet from the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)

“The U.S. health care system may contribute to poor health or death. According to Dr. Barbara Starfield of the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, 250,000 deaths per year are caused by medical errors, making this the third-largest cause of death in the U.S., following heart disease and cancer. “

Yet I have a hard time envisioning a doctor in the US having to take up a collection for bus fare.

It doesn’t seem fare...

Reece's Pieces

So what good are chickens? For one thing, they eat scorpions, tarantulas, and fer-de-lance snakes. For another, they grow up, lay eggs, and make more chickens. And as they grow, they get taken home by people up on the hill who want to have their own chickens, lay eggs, and make still more chickens.

We have three laying mommies, with broods of different ages. McNugget’s chicken coop had gotten crowded; much squawking over space.

In stepped Reece Robbins, a volunteer visiting here for an indefinite time. He was well into a round-the-world bicycle trip, when he was told by a doctor he had to give it up. Now, he continues his journey on foot, bus, whatever works, and we’re so grateful to have him with us for a while.

We asked him if he’d like to build a chicken coop. “Piece of cake”, he replied. After inventorying the materials on hand, he laid out what’s needed. After a trip to the hardware store, he began a work of art.

Several days later, we were introduced to one of “Reece’s Pieces”.....

Casa Reece. . .

After some curtains to shade the bright afternoon sun, Mrs. Red and her brood-to-be enjoy living the life of luxury in their spacious new home. Stylin’ !

Thank you, Reece!

Ashley & Ali - Volunteers

Ashley Cawthra and Ali – Alikahn Lalji – have been serving here as volunteers for several weeks. Visiting from British Columbia, they are really getting into the swing of things, serving at the Community Kitchen, and working with Don Candido in his medicinal plant garden and assisting with the cultural center he and his son Enrique are building.

Ashley is taking a college course in Global Stewardship, at Capilano College, Vancouver. The program can be seen by CLICKING HERE. She found El Puente on the internet, and chose to volunteer here as part of that course. Thank you, Ashley!
This pair has made themselves a part of The Bridge.

The road to a miracle can be a bumpy ride

Jacqueline and Joseph are working their way through a set of problems.
Those few of you who are local to The Bridge may recognize these two
in spite of the image blurring, but Shh!
Let’s keep their names out of the discussion for a while.

The Bridge is open to all of the population, here, not just the Bribri. J & J have some major hurdles to overcome, and they continue to walk, and sometimes stumble, along the rather rocky path toward their solution. Jacqueline is a mother, with several children. The children are being kept in a holding home by PANI – the group that watches over children here. She has to come up with an acceptable home for her kids, and an acceptable living, or her children will be taken away and placed in other homes permanently.

She is also the heir to the knowledge from a family business that’s many generations old. Before her father died, Jackie and her family made coconut oil, used for cooking and medicinal purposes. The father died, and the family business along with him. According to local legend, Mom started earning money by making and selling crack.

Jacqueline and Joseph are interested in a microloan to restart the coconut oil business. It will require about 140,000 colones – about $280 – to get them set up. To test her knowledge, I had her teach me how to make coconut oil. She went through all the steps needed, all the equipment used, and did a very credible job of describing the process. She even knew little “tricks” that I’d assume only someone who had really done the process would know.

She’s got the support of Joseph, who is doing his best to help her along the road toward success.

Only one problem remains – they’ve both been addicted to crack. They both went for a time to a local AA/NA 12-Step chapter, and for a while, the outlook was pretty optimistic.

I had the difficult job of explaining that we couldn’t make a microloan to someone who’s an active addict. And, like Social Services here, would probably require a drug test that shows they had been drug-free for 90 days before doing anything. I suggested that if they were to go through withdrawal, that they do it under a doctor’s supervision. Within a couple of days, Jacqueline checked herself into the clinic, and went through withdrawal, indeed, under a doctor’s supervision.

We did help by buying a tent for them to live in. They had been living at her mother’s house – and her mother was also an addict. The tent helped them get away from that location, and the people there.

Joseph found his own path to withdrawal. He apparently spent four days and nights under a bush near the beach. When Jacqueline finally found him, she called us, and we took him to the Clinic as well.

Their tent seems to be gone. Some say it’s in the hands of a local crack dealer. Jacqueline has been helping chop veggies on Thursday in trade for a bag of food. Joseph washes the car or does some yard work once in a while, usually for food, occasionally for money.

They’ve dropped out of sight – again. They have heard from several people at The Bridge and other places that “solamente la verdad esta palabra aqui” – a grammatically incorrect translation of “only the truth is spoken here.”

We don’t yet know what, if anything, has been done about her children.
The road to a miracle, though bumpy, does have a destination.....

Going to rehabilitation . . .

They recently stopped by as they came through town to pick up clothing and personal effects they wanted to take as Jackie begins the program for women in Heredia. Jacqueline got a chance to let her children know she’d be gone for a while, and they both got a chance to visit the Minister at the local Baptist church, where her children are being kept until Jacqueline can provide a suitable home for them. Joseph is interested in entering the ministry in San José. For now, he is working in Limón, saving money to have it available when Jacqueline gets out of Hogar Crea. He’s also wrestling with the issue of having to shave off his beautiful rasta locks as he enters the program for men in Limón.

Joseph and Jacqueline talk over their plans with Nanci

The discussion ranged from Jacqueline’s children, Joseph’s long-held desire to enter the Christian ministry, their stay at Hogar Crea, their plans for marriage, and the child they will be having together.

We met an American couple on the beach near La Isla, and started talking with them for “no apparent reason”. They visited The Bridge, and met J&J. The couple, Terrie and Dennis Atkinson, are in the process of “planting” a Christian church in an area of Los Angeles heavily populated by homeless people. They participate in a soup kitchen back home, and visiting The Bridge was a kind of “busmen’s holiday”. They talked and prayed with J&J for quite a while. Terrie took a beautiful diamond and ruby ring gold ring from her finger and gave this valuable symbol to Jacqueline, who tried it on. Terrie then gave the ring to Nanci, explaining to Jacqueline that “if and when they get married, this wedding ring is waiting here for her.”

We also explained that there is a microloan available when they get out of the program – donated by Bob Wojcik, who donated a computer to The Bridge for the kids, and is a frequent donor to support our programs. Jacqueline is the keeper of the knowledge of running her family’s business – making coconut oil – which ended abruptly when her father died. Jacqueline plans on restarting that business and eventually getting her children back.

J&J stayed overnight here, and left for Limón in the morning – after soup kitchen. Under the rules of Hogar Crea, we don’t expect to be hearing from them for a while. They can’t have visitors for two months. We don’t yet know what the rules for telephone calls are, but I expect we’ll be learning.

JACKIE & JOSEPH GET MARRIED

Those of you who have been with us for a while know that we’ve been working with Jackie & Joseph, a black couple from Puerto Viejo. They’ve each entered rehabilitation facilities for addiction and are working through the program. You also know that Dennis & Terrie Atkinson, a Christian missionary couple, visited here and and prayed with J & J. Then Terrie took a ring from her finger, and gave it to Nanci to hold for when the two got married. They tied the knot at the women’s rehab center on Wednesday. We went to the wedding, and since 13-year-old Carmelita and 10-year-old Irene had formed a real friendship with Jackie while she was here, we took them with with us.


A Costa Rican wedding is a legal affair, with a lawyer, white shirt on the left, and a minister, on the right, in attendance.

Jackie and Joseph are ready, sitting at the table, as the ceremony gets under way.

After the wedding, they were given a two-day conjugal visit, then it’s back to their respective shelters again for another nine months. It’s official, and Jackie and Joseph sign the marriage documents. Of course, it’s not REALLY official until...





There were a couple of things we didn’t know before coming to this wedding.
As we looked at maps and asked around about the location of this place – on the north east outskirts of San José – we noticed that people were reluctant to tell us where it was. As we got closer we started to hear warnings about the area – very dangerous, very violent. “Not even the police will go in there”, an armed bank guard said.

So we did the only thing we could do – we went in anyway.

The wedding went off fine, and the minister, Victor Fullas Saboria, took it on himself to ride with us and guide us out of the area.

Thank you, Pastor Victor.


And Thanks to all of you who have been praying for this lovely couple!

(taken from various newsletters)

Two volunteers from Norway

The two wonderful volunteers have been here for nearly four months. They have been, and continue to be, a great help around here, helping out in every part of the activities. They were happy to write up a brief description of themselves, and those paragraphs are included here, just as they wrote them.

Ladies and gentlemen, meet... Maja and Mina:

“Maja Marum Anderson, born in 1987 in Kristiansand, Norway. I studied for three years at a music school in Norway, and I love to sing. I also took a year of religion and language studies at the University of Oslo. That’s where I first started taking interest in Spanish, then fell in love with the language, and decided I needed to travel and live for a while in a Spanish-speaking country. I am (at least I thought I was) a city girl, and my mind was set on Buenas Aires, Argentina. Mina had been to Puerto Viejo before, and had to go back, so we compromised: 4½ months in PV, 4½ months in Argentina. We started browsing the internet for volunteer work, and it was actually Mina’s mom that discovered The Bridge. Barry and Nanci’s dedicated work sounded like something we really wanted to be a part of. A few emails exchanged, and we were suddenly on our way to Costa Rica! Now, three months have passed, and I find it so hard just even thinking about leaving The Bridge, and this town. Now I’m not sure if I am a city girl after all.”

“Mina Malum Norstroem, born in 1984 in Kongsvinger, Norway. I’ve always liked to travel and international questions have always interested me. Therefore I started to study international development after I finished high school. This study programme gave me the chance live 4 months in East Africa, and it inspired me to move to Nicaragua for 5 months last year. During my stay in Nicaragua, I visited Puerto Viejo and knew that I had to come back and live here for a longer period. Now that we’ve been here for three months I lknow that I need to stay even longer. I hope to be able to come back to Puerto Viejo and The Bridge next year. “

These ladies are EVERYwhere! Along with serving soup at the Community Kitchen, they've been: chopping vegetables, making up a thermonuclear concoction called “chilero”, a spicy tidbit “relished” by the locals (Panamanian chiles, used in the brew, are hot enough to be VERY uncomfortable), and helping in the kitchen for our various holiday celebrations.

We’ll really be missing them when they leave! And, we’ll be overjoyed when they return!

Thank you both for your service to The Bridge!

(Taken from the December 22, 2007 newsletter)

Nicki Gohs Skydiving!

She did it! On August 30 she did indeed jump out of a "perfectly good airplane", first free-falling thousands of feet, then popping open a gliding 'chute. On the video, she and that "person she hadn't had the opportunity to meet" appeared to get to know each other well.




At first, we could see the video from here. Next day, we got the message "This video is not available in your country." I believe this may have something to do with international agreements Costa Rica has not signed. Nicki can see it OK from England. If any of you can't see it, please let me know. We'll figure something out.

She raised $1,100 in pledges for The Bridge.

Thank you, Nicki!

It's a Mitzvah

What a California teenager did with his spare time.

Trevor Darling, a 13-year old California youngster, recently completed a Mitvah as part of his Bar Mitzvah celebration. Here’s what he did, in his own words:

My Mitzvah Project
By Trevor Darling

"A Mitzvah is a good deed someone does for the environment, an association, or a group of people. A mitzvah is not a requirement for someone to do; it is something that a person feels is right to do. When people do Mitzvahs they are doing it from what they feel, not what someone told them to do, or a school assignment. It is something people do to help the environment or people, in a way that makes the world better.

I chose to do my Mitzvah project for El Puente because I felt like the Bri Bri people who come to The Bridge are not as fortunate as us and I think they could live more comfortably. I am also traveling to Costa Rica this winter, and I thought about tying my trip in with my project. Through donations from people in my community, I have gathered materials from clothing, to school supplies, to blankets, to clean water filters. I hope the Bri Bri people will enjoy what I have given them. I know I feel much better knowing that I have helped a group of special people to hopefully makes their lives a little better. "




Trevor was not alone in his generosity. He contacted many people, and eighteen families bought and donated supplies as listed on the “What Can I Bring?” page on the website, while thirteen families made cash donations.

Thank you, Trevor, Trevor’s Mom Diane, and all of those who made donations to The Bridge to support Trevor’s Mitzvah.