Here's a recent letter I sent out to friends and family...

Dear Friends and Family, April 13, 2009
After six very short (or at least they felt short to me!) weeks in Guayaquil, Ecuador- I’m back! In fact, I’ve been back for about a month now, and you may have been wondering what happened to the update I promised! First, I want to thank you again for your support, whether it was through prayer, financial giving, or encouraging words or e mails. I thank you on behalf of our whole team for helping us as we prepared to get things up and going. As a team, we made several difficult and critical decisions as to where we will be heading with Foundation Restoration, and I thank the Lord for providing the right information to make those very important decisions.
Let me give you a brief update! Just three weeks before leaving for Ecuador I was able to meet with Bill Legere, the founder of The Foundation for Hope and Grace. Bill and I attend the same church, and this foundation was born last summer in memory of his 9 year old daughter Grace who was killed in a terrible accident. The Foundation for Hope and Grace is committed to reaching out to orphans and children at risk all over the world. They’ve already worked with projects in Romania and Nigeria, assisting orphanages in those countries. They have also agreed to partner with us as we get things up and running in Guayaquil! This is a HUGE blessing as Bill’s organization is already registered as a non profit. PRAISE GOD!
I arrived in Guayaquil on January 28th. The next day Breana Martin joined me in Guayaquil to assist and be a support as we dove into the project. Then, just a few days later came along Bill, with Anna Cousineau and Jenn Moore. Anna has helped lead the trips to Ecuador several times, and her sister Jenn had her first experience in Ecuador this time. For about a week we worked together chatting with church leaders, visiting families of potential children to be sponsored, talking with lawyers, etc. It was an interesting process as we tried to get many things done in a short time. If you’ve ever been to Ecuador you may understand how the people there seem to have very little concept of time, or a schedule. Everyone is late to everything! In fact, funny side-note: we were invited to dinner at a friend’s house one night. We were told to show up around “you know…7/7:30ish.” So, in punctual North American spirit I made sure our group arrived at 7:05! It happened to be the family I was staying with who invited the group over for dinner, so I entered the house first. My friend Rosa gasped and said “Emily! What are you doing here already?” To which I replied, “You said to arrive between 7 and 7:30, so…here we are!” She laughed, a little out of embarrassment I believe, and said “I expected you to be here around 8! I haven’t showered yet and the food isn’t done! Take your friends to go buy us some cola for dinner, and slowly make your way back.” Ecuadorians are so gracious and understanding. The family was still laughing about what had happened after everyone left. The picture to the left is of our little group having lunch at our friends Rosa and Victor’s house.
Getting back on track, over the 6 weeks we were able to accomplish a good amount of ground work. A board of directors for Foundation Restoration was set up. We have a cook and teacher ready to work with the kids. The legal groundwork (including government registration, setting up a bank account and a mail box) had already been completed for Foundation Restoration when Pastor Dario stepped out in faith a few years ago, anticipating that this project would soon begin. With the money that was donated we were able to fix up the church kitchen by installing electricity, smoothing out the floor so the door could close, putting bars on the windows and installing shelves with locks to keep supplies safely inside. We also purchased a new burner for the oven, a new blender (essential for making Ecuadorian food and drink), and utensils for eating. When I left they had a giant old freezer up for sale, hoping to use the funds to buy a new refrigerator. Thank you SOO very much to those of you who were able to bless us with a financial gift. We were able to stretch our funds a long way to complete several projects.
Since arriving back in Maine, our team has been working together to set up a plan to begin. Our goal is to start in the month of September! Meanwhile, we’re hoping to educate people about who the kids in our program are, the difficulties they face, how we’d like to help them, and how people here in the US can be involved! If you know someone who might like to be involved in this sort of ministry, please don’t hesitate to share with them about the Foundation for Hope and Grace. I’m also hoping to find some churches that would be willing to let us speak to their congregation about Foundation Restoration. We’re not only seeking financial partners, but prayer partners- an absolute essential piece to ministry.
You may be asking, “How is this program different from all of the other sponsorship programs out there?” In our program, the responsibility of the sponsors goes beyond sending a monthly check. We want our sponsors to be directly involved in the lives of the kids, creating and building a relationship with the child. Sponsors will receive regular letters from the child, updates about how they’re doing in school, as well as how you can be praying specifically for their family. We want the sponsors to commit to praying for their child, writing back and sharing how God is working in their lives. Also, how the child can also pray for their sponsor. The needs in Guayaquil are more than just financial, they’re also spiritual. The sponsor’s commitment to the child will be a testimony of God’s love, and will open doors for witnessing and sharing Christ’s love with so many people.
Well, I hope this letter is a testimony of God’s goodness through blessings and provision. When I think of how close we are to starting- to giving kids a second chance to excel, loving on them, sharing with them that there is Hope in this world through Jesus Christ- my insides bubble with excitement. Thank you for the interest you’ve shown simply by reading this letter. In the picture just below are three of the kids that I’m hoping will be some of the first to register in the program. They also say “Thank you!”

God Bless You!

Emily Goss




He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
Micah 6:8

An Update..

Hi again,
First I want to apologize! I think two weeks have passed since I´ve written in blog (or talked to my parents- sorry mom and dad! I´ll call you soon, I promise!) SOOOO many things have been happening. On the 3rd the three other members of the group showed up. Only one family here in Guayaquil knew that Anna Cousineau was coming, and it was a surprise for everyone else. When Pastor Dario saw her he jumped from his seat and huged her so hard he lifted her off the ground. While the group was here we talked about the foundation with Pastor Dario, and with my friends Rosa and Victor. We visited some of the families that we would like to see be part of the foundation. One afternoon we contacted a lawyer to sit and talk about legal issues with the foundation. However, he said he didn´t know too much about legal work with foundations, but would contact some friends and get us the information. When we asked how much it would cost for this he said $100. Unfortunately we had to decline that offer... And in turn, the next day I found out I could get all of the information myself at the Oficina de Bienestar or something like that. I went there with Victor and copied all of the requirements that we need to start. However, it´s a little more complicated...
I have to be honest, this trip has been a little discouraging... Not so much for the foundation work, but for the church. There seems to be a lot of disunity within the church, including tons gossip and talking negatively about one another. It only proves our imperfections and humanness. I would really appreciate prayer for this church. I really want to work with the church on this project, but some things need to be worked through and cleared up before that can being. I hope you´ll pray me to have wisdom and discernment as we work through these issues. The next decision that really needs to be made is whether we are going to have the program within the church, or if we need to rent a place and have it outside of the church...


An update on the other things that have been going on. I forgot the mention the first week that one of the girls here graduated from school (to start going to high school). I had the privilege of giving her her certificate as her ¨madrina¨. Last saturday she turned 15 years old and had a Quinciñera- sort of like a sweet 16 in the US. They threw a big party for her which started at midnight and went through the night. Because of safety issues we were only able stay until 1:30ish, but I´m glad we were able to be there for her. That´s all I´ll say for now.. I may be able to write more about it another time.

Yesterday I went to the beach with Bre, Isaac, Michelle, Ronny, and Alex. We took the bus, swam in the pacific, ate fish for lunch, sang a bit with the guitar. It was a fun day! Interestingly... I put sunscreen on when I got dressed in the morning. It was a cloudy, cold, rainy day. And Bre and I still burned pretty bad. haha.. We were super red faced the other day, but strangely it doesn´t burn. We had been complaining that we went to the beach and didn´t even tan...ha!

Tomorrow is Rosa´s birthday. I´m going to make pizza for dinner and we´ll probably have cake. Saturday the church has a special youth service. And I think I may be dressing up nice and going out on Sunday with Alex, although those plans aren´t totally confirmed yet... =) This morning Bre and I made apple pancakes for the fam. They liked them a lot! The house we´re staying in is a pretty humble place... but I feel right at home!

I have so many things I could write... if I only had more time! Hopefully the time won´t pass as quickly before I get my next update up. Please remember to pray for unity and healing within the church. Until next time...

Here we go!

Hi again!
Tomorrow will complete a week since I´ve arrived. It is SOOOO good to see everyone again. The family that I´m staying with lives right near the church that our group always worked at and I´m constantly being greeted by people I know when I walk down the street. It makes me feel like I´m right at home.
It´s been fun staying with Rosa and Victor. Rosa has been teaching me how to cook Ecaudorian food and gives Bre and I chores to do..haha. But I like it because I´m learning a lot. She´s very wise and understands North American culture better than my other friends, so I look to her and Victor for advice, or they answer my questions when I´m puzzled by their culture. Their kids are a blast as well. They love to tease and joke. Last night around midnight all of us girls were in our room trying to go to sleep, but we were so tired we had the giggles. Michelle is 15 and last night she was trying to teach us to say a word.. I think is was ¨orthoringoonthologo¨ or something. But we couldn´t say it and we just laughed and laughed and laughed! Sarita is 4 I think, and she is quite the character.. she loves to get into our stuff and climb all over her brother Isaac who is 17.
Late last Friday night I was flossing my teeth and the crown on my tooth fell off! The first thing I thought was "ugh, why did this have to happen here??" I would rather be at home and go to my own dentist. However, I called my cousin who lives here and he got my in touch with a dentist that studied in the US. I called my dentist who said it would cost $1150 to fix. I went to the dentist here and it cost $50. HA! What a blessing! If it had happened in the US I would have spent soooo much more money... Thank you Lord!
SO! You´re probably wondering how things are going in the foundation. Well, we´re off to a really good start. I sat down with Rosa and Victor to help them understand my vision for the foundation and what sort of activities and help I´d like to give to the families. Rosa is just finishing her degree in psychology and also has a lot of experience working in foundations. She even worked for Compassion International. Her and Victor were wonderful when we had our meeting. I would give an idea, Rosa would comment, Victor would say if he agreed or disagreed. They would drill me and each other with questions which helped us find better solutions. Anyway, we´ve organized quite a bit already- decided on what kind of staff we´ll need, how the programs will be run, etc. We´ve made a few changes from what we originally planned on. One being that we´ve decided to run the program outside of the church. Please pray for Rosa and Victor, as well as the leaders in the church that they won´t have hard feelings toward us for that. When we originally talked about the program in 2004 we were going to run it from the church, that´s why I´m asking for prayer in that aspect.
On Saturday a friend of Rosa´s came over and helped us make the budget. She´s an accountant and had some great input. There are still a few things that we need to investigate, but we should know more by the end of the week. The time is already flying by... We all have our own "homework". Rosa and I are going to walk around town to look for places to rent that would be good for the project. Victor is going to visit the other nonprofit organizations to get pamphlets and see what sort of outreaches they are already doing. We´d like to be able to network with these foundations so we can all work together. I´m very please with how things are going so far. Tonight the other 3 members of our little team arrive. The people here don´t know that Anna Cousineau is coming. They often ask about her and it will be a HUGE surprise. I can´t wait!
Well, I´m being summoned.. ha.. Michelle just got here. Until next time!

Emily

2 more days!

Hi Everyone!

Several people have asked me to blog again while I'm in Ecuador. I hope to be able to keep this up while I'm in Guayaquil, but unfortunately I can't make any promises as internet access will be a bit more difficult. I'll at least try.. :o)

First, I'll give you all an update of why I'm going back and what we'll be doing, as well as all of the developments of the foundation. Here we go..

In August when I returned to Guayaquil from Riobamba I felt even more burdened for the street kids in Guayaquil. These dirty little kids seemed to show up out of nowhere (and I mean little! as young as 3 and 4 years old). I knew it was time to get our outreach program going. If you don't know- a small group of us tried to get a program going in 2004, but just hit a brick wall and couldn't do it. When I returned home in August I researched a lot about nonprofit organizations, hoping that we could start one. I looked for organizations that might be willing to partner with us. None of that worked out. I didn't have enough information to be able to fill out the paperwork for the nonprofit org, and almost all of the organizations I looked into partnering with don't send people to other countries. All I could do from there was pray...

For a few months I was pretty discouraged, wanting to DO something, but knowing I just needed to wait. Let me say that God's timing is always perfect.. Just 3 weeks before I'm leaving I met with Bill Legere, one of the founders of The Foundation for Hope and Grace. The foundation was started in memory of Bill and Teresa's daughter, Gracie who was killed in an accident this past summer. Her and her sisters were adopted from Romania, and Grace was only 9 when she went to be with the Lord. With this foundation they've want to help orphans all over the world. They've already supported two different orphanages in Romania and Nigeria with financial gifts.

Having just about been through the whole nonprofit status, they said they'd be willing to partner with us so that we can get our program started! Bill is evening flying to Guayaquil for a few days to see the neighborhood and meet the people who will be helping us on that end! There are also 3 other women who will be in Guayaquil anywhere from a week to possibly three weeks to assist in developing the program. *Phew!* Everything that's happened over the last few weeks has been so humbling! Here I was in August and September trying to hard to DO something, when God had a plan all along. It was when I finally gave it over to him did all of these things start happening. I am so very thankful that I don't have to depend on myself through all of this. Who am I, really? I'm inadequate and inexperienced! But I really believe God has a plan for this project, and I'm going to keep seeking him as we move forward... There are still a lot of "unknowns", well.. unknowns for me. God knows what will happen, and I've learned my lesson.. I'm waiting on His timing...

The project will be an outreach to street kids and kids who are at high risk of becoming street kids. We'll reach out to these kids and their families by helping with school expenses, giving lunches after school, homework help, and medical and dental check ups every so often. We'll need sponsors (perhaps somene like you?? :) who will be willing to pay monthly for this to happen.

Thank you to many of you who have already stepped up to support this program. I have been so blessed by the GENEROUS financial gifts that people have already given. With this money I hope to be able to equip the church with the supplies needed to start the program before I leave. I can't say thank you enough to all of you who have helped with this!!

During this trip I'll be doing a lot of meeting with people. We have to organize the project and get it all on paper. This includes how the program will be run, how we will decide what families can be involved, write a budget, decide on whether we'll need staff including a caseworker or social worker, etc. I hope to make contacts with other people and organizations as well so that we can network together. Please join me in praying for all of this. Pray for smooth organizing, finding the right people to network with, agreement with the Ecuadorian leaders who have expressed interest in helping us, as well as good communication. I love Spanish and have learned a lot, but I hope that the other Ecuadorians and I have a good level of understanding as we work together.

I'm leaving January 28th and returning March 11th! :o) Thanks so much for your prayers and support. Also, thank you for reading this and simply being interested! Maybe you could even start praying about becoming a sponsor for one of our kids? ;)