Too young...

Hazel, Xenia along with Aunt Ruth and Flora (my other tica mom who I love dearly) had a great visit week with the supplies that were sent last week. This is the busiest time of year and they gave around 80 kits. What a blessing to hear! See the message below of what Hazel write me about their visit. Please pray for all the ladies and their babies and in particular the girl Hazel mentions. Also please pray that we can continue this ministry as God provides.

So, had the best time giving little bags away, we were with two of the damas voluntarias and the hospital is more strict now, so we needed a special permission today. The damas voluntarias got it for us, no problem. There was a 13 year old girl and her mom, both Nicaraguans, they were the ones that are lingering in my heart today. She just had a cute baby girl. We prayed for them and gave them extra clothes for the baby (they had no place to go but were staying at the hospital on the mean time). The mother of the girl seemed sad and I could feel the heaviness of her heart. After finishing I had the joy to give Xenia and Flora their presents. Ha of my!!!!! They almost cry and couldn't believe you sent them a present. They want me to ask you what bus they need ti take to get over there heje

Two years too long.

    Alot has changed for my family as well as for Hazels. We had to take a break from chubby cheeks during that time. While my family and I looked to find where God would have us settle in the U.S. Hazel and her family also made a move to the U.S. for a time to take care of family obligation.  During that time she gave birth to a baby girl! My family and I recently purchased a home and are settling in now.  Hazel, and her family had returned to Costa Rica and with her baby being a little older she was able to return to the hospital. She had a great visit a few months back with our beloved Xenia.

I recently made contact with some sweet ladies who belong to a church that was taking a trip to Costa Rica. one of the ladies was going on the trip and was kind enough to carry down a couple suitcases of kits for me that contained the remainder  of items I had received for Chubby Cheeks. It was hard to see the suitcases go where my body could not.  But my heart and prayers were well packed within.


Kalanis birth is how all this got started and what a joy it was to see her helping me make these kits.

Aunt Ruth

This post was written two years ago but I just realized had not been published. It was my last trip to the hospital.


This last visit I asked my neighbor “Aunt Ruth” to accompany us. “Aunt Ruth” has and continues to be an adopted grandmother to Mk’s in Costa Rica. She and her husband came as Missionaries over 60 years ago. She has been and continues to be an inspiration to many. Uncle Steve has since passed away and is very missed. Any one who has met Aunt Ruth would say they have received some form of counsel or wisdom from her.  You are blessed if you have been able to meet, have a conversation with or in my case been able to learn from her. Aunt Ruth is losing her vision but at this point if she was reading this would be shaking her head and trying to take all attention off herself. Which is also another reason I am so inspired by her…she is full of humility when she could be very puffed with pride.  Aunt Ruth has many years of experiences counseling Costa Rican women. I was so happy to have her come along. Everytime I go somewhere with her I am flabbergasted by her stories about all the people she knows. So, it was not a huge surprise to me (yet a pleasant one) when we walked into one of the mothers rooms and someone hollered out  in Spanish “Look, it’s Dona Ruth!” I laughed and made the statement to the ladies that everybody knows “Dona Ruth”.  It wasn’t until later that I got to hear the story of who the lady is.  It was inspiring and beautiful i was touched to have been able to be witness to what was clearly a reunion set up by God. 

Important Changes for Chubby Cheeks.

I have not wanted to write this blog.. It is hard for me to say but the time has come to share the changes that are taking place with Chubby Cheeks. While I have been saddened I am also excited to see how God has already provided and I look forward to the future….

I will be leaving Costa Rica shortly. My family and I find ourselves in a position that had made it so that we must relocate back to the United States.  When this became very evident I struggled with deciding what to do about  Chubby Cheeks.  I have only just began I thought. Am I to quit now? Then I began to pray about what to do.  Xenia has been with me from the beginning.  She has gone with me every time with the exception of when I had teams. But I knew she would not be able to continue with this alone as she does not have a car and has many other commitments. Then I began to think about Hazel. Hazel I have mentioned to you earlier as who helped me translate the literature for the packets. She has also been a sounding board from the beginning.  Hazel had her first child in one of the social hospitals here and we would swap “war stories”. She gets its, she understands, she has been in these women’s shoes. However, Hazel was very involved with young life as a mentor to teenage moms so I wondered if  I should even approach her. She had already gone with me to a visit and seemed to enjoy it so I prayed about it and decided to ask if she would be willing to be the “middle man” in Costa Rica. The day I was going to ask she told me before I had a chance to say anything that she had stepped out of her role with young life. That it was not what she needed to do at this time and was praying about what God had for her next. At first I thought “oh no” there is no way she would want to do this. After all she had just stopped the other.  But I decided to  put it out there anyway.  I said there could be a variety of ways she could be involved depending on her. If it was a matter of just delivering the kits to the hospital for them to pass out, to going herself whatever she felt comfortable with. While the preference would be of course that they are hand delivered just knowing that we have that open door and can get the kits with the literature into these mothers  hands is what matters the most to me.  She said she would pray about it and talk to her husband.  It was a couple weeks later when we went on another hospital visit that Hazel told me she would be willing to continue on in my stead and make the hospital visits. Later when I talked to Xenia she said she would continue too by accompanied Hazel.  This made my heart glad. I bought them both a pink polo shirt which I will have monogrammed with “Chineando Chi Chi” the Spanish name of the ministry. While I was sad to not be buying myself one I am glad to know that while people continue to participate in the donations, Chubby Cheeks will continue on.  I will post later on potential changes of how you can continue helping. For example, Water bottles will not be included in the packets rather they are purchased here and carried separately. We have done this the last few times so that we can fill it up with water at the hospital and give It out to those who did not bring one with them.  Also, I will be constructing the packets in the United States and then mail then already completed here.  I will be able to be more active in spreading the word State side in hopes to receive more involvement from churches and individuals. I will be continueing this blog with reports from Hazel and Xenia and of course be making personal visits whenever my family and I can return to Costa Rica for visits.  During the visits I like to ask Xenia to pray before we begin as she is a prayer warrior and also it is a good testimony with the volunteer ladies that guide us.  Then as we enter each room I give a short hello and introduction. However this visit I asked Hazel to then give a short conclusion and goodbye in each room. I was very pleased to see how beautifully she did. I look forward to us working together even from afar. I hope that as you read this, if you have been a part of making this ministry possible that these changes do not keep you from continuing with us but instead help spread the word so we can reach out to even more.

I have permission to post pictures with mothers consent!

I am able to post pictures with consent now! Check out these babies.

Introducing Hazel

I have mentioned Xenia to you often. She has been with me from the beginning of Chubby Cheeks.You can see her picture on my post entitled "First Visit" Today I would like to talk to you about someone else that has also been a vital part of beginning this ministry. Hazel. I mentioned her earlier when I spoke of translating the literature. Today I would like to expand on who she is. Hazel is Costa Rican, she is married to an American missionary kid. They have two young children. I have known her many years. We had a homeschool “school house” together along with another family for awhile. Hazel is joyful, and has a heart for young mothers. She has studied for a while both nursing, and psychology. Recently she was a counselor and mentor for a group of teenage moms.  She has been accompanying me the last few times to the hospital.  I make mention of her because she is going to be a vital part of Chubby Cheeks Chi Chi. Please continue on to read the following post…..

They may not always be tears of joy......

I don’t get tired of seeing adorable new babies.   How can you not melt when you see them stretch with their little fist of tiny fingers.  To ooh and aww as they pucker their lips. They sleep peacefully next to their mother. Yes for us it is a joy to welcome these new ones with a gift for their mother. Today Xenia told me how she was talking to a lady on the bus who said 40 years ago she was given some socks and a hat when in the hospital. She said he would never forget it. That it was so very special to her. While I compare how possibly this ministry may have the same effect on these mothers I am more hopeful that what they will take to heart is the message of love from our father And that one day  40 years from now someone may give a story  of how they came to know Christ through a simple gift given to them while in the hospital. But as we smile and enter the rooms we came across one who sat alone. There was no smile, no joy, a very curt “don’t give me one” left us to wonder if she was simply rejecting our gift or if there was more.  I left Hazel and Xenia to inquire her situation to be told exactly what I feared. She had lost her little baby. How heartbreaking. This very young mother sat in a room full of mothers with their babies forced to bear her pain no baby in her hands.  I can’t imagine the torture.  Please pray for this mother.  That is all that can be done.  She will have to be there 24 hours before being discharged. I have more to write but I will save it for another post. I wanted to bring light to this situation so you will be in prayer for her and all the other mothers here that deal with not only the loss of their baby, but the difficult task of having to spend recovery time surrounded by the babies of others.