| ADOPT A QUILTER so the EAST MOUNTAIN QUILTERS OF COSTA RICA are able to GO TO HOUSTON |
The East Mountain Quilters of Costa Rica have decided to take me up on my offer of getting each and every one of them to the Houston International Market and Quilt Festival in October. This is the last year I am going to do this, so they are working very hard to make this dream come true. We will be flying out of San José on Thursday, October 23rd and returning Sunday, November 2nd. While there, each one of us will be working for the quilt organization to help set up, maintain and run the exhibition, attend classes, go to market and in our “spare time”, enjoy the festival of quilts. This is NOT a party/vacation experience. It is HARD, EXHAUSTING work, but glorious all the same. WE ARE GOING TO HOUSTON!!!! So, how do we move seventeen rural mountain quilters to Houston? With your help, that's how, and this is where you come in when you We still need help. Would you consider adopting a quilter? By adopting a quilter, I mean something as profound as praying her through the process from now `til we return (and beyond!); writing notes of encouragement and faith (you write, we’ll translate!); or, something as simple as sending some money for whatever project/event/cause with which you want to help (see below); and, passing on this request to others you know who might be interested in helping them. Every little bit helps as you well know, so don’t think your $5 won’t count. It will!!! The women and four of their young daughters who are now part and parcel of our organization professionally speaking are busy designing, piecing and quilting quilts for sale in Houston (another prayer for that, if you please!); cooking to sell food stuff up here on the mountain on the weekends; looking for other markets to sell quilts we have on hand. I have to tell you that I have really put GOD’s neck and my neck on the line this time because all these years I’ve said to these women, “Have faith! Trust GOD! If HE wants you to go to Houston, HE will make a way. Drop your ‘I don’t have any money’ attitudes and let GOD work. Let HIM show you WHO HE IS and what glorious things HE can do with your lives if you will let HIM.” Well, “Mrs. Big Mouth” (that’s me), this time the whole group is trusting because they’ve seen HIM work before with five of the others. And, they are seeing four of their friends attend classes here with a master quilter and they are wanting to learn and do themselves. SOOOOOOOOOO…… GOD and I are counting on you to help us do some “loaves and fishes” work. If HE moves you to pray, to write, to donate, to pass this plea on, please do so. Should you decide to help us, please do these things for us: 1. Please send a photo of yourself so the women can get to know you as a real person. That way, they (we) can be praying for you, too! 2. Be sure to send your address so they /we can write you a thank you note/letter. 3. If you would like to have a small quilt 6”x6” as a memory of this venture,let us know and we will see that you have your very own original EMQCR art work as a reminder of your help and of our gratitude. SOME WAYS YOU CAN HELP Hear all that loose change rattling around in your pocket, billfold, car, the kids' piggy bank? Here’s your opportunity to put it to good use! ADOPT A QUILTER for the Houston Quilt Market & Festival Classes The classes ARE in English, and that’s ok. It's good practice for them. WE ARE IN CLASSES!!! Thanks to some wonderful folks at the Houston Quilt Festival, we've managed to get at least four of us together in four different classes. One of the four in each group is a woman who has made the trip to Houston before so she can help the other three adapt/understand, etc. She'll also be serving as an interpreter for them, so more prayer is needed for these women: Martha, Ana Cecilia, Kattia. One meal out. That would be about $25 each (for the adults, less for the girls) without dessert. My plan/hope is that we will be able to eat out at a “nice” place once while in Houston. We will be staying in an Extended Stay Deluxe complete with full kitchen so that we can save lots of money by fixing our own meals and carrying sandwiches for lunch to market and festival. (Kattia learned about peanut butter and banana sandwiches and “sandwiches” on pita bread last year). Bottled water and fruit drinks will be our drinks of choice while away from our hotel. Contributing to cost of flight (for individuals/girls/adults). TACA came through for us, and we are flying to Houston and back for just over $500 each. If sending $5, $10, or more appeals to you, please make checks out to ~~~ EAST MOUNTAIN QUILTERS OF COSTA RICA and send them to us EAST MOUNTAIN QUILTERS OF COSTA RICA, SBO: 261, P.O. BOX 02-5292, Miami, Florida 33102. We will have a special account in dollars set up in our bank in Costa Rica earmarked “Houston”. And, we will send you a receipt letting you know your money is here and in the bank! Contributing to room cost. Rooms will run slightly under $100 per night. We will have 4 adult women and 1 or 2 teens (sleeping on sofa bed) per room for ten nights. Contributing to food budget. We plan to make a run to Target or something like it on our way from IAH to the hotel to buy supplies like rice, beans, salads, fruit, bottle water, milk, juices, bread, eggs, tortillas, etc. After seeing the video on how glasses in hotels are washed (NOT!), we will be spending money on paper goods!!! Contributing to cost of entrance into market and festival (registration fees and entrance). Our cost to attend the festival and classes is $1,277. We still have market costs ahead of us. TAKE HEART! The women of EMQCR are working so hard to make money to allow them to make this trip. They are NOT sitting around hoping money will fall from the sky into their laps. They don’t even know I’m sending out this letter! Each weekend, they meet to sell goods they have baked or concocted to people who visit our pueblo during summer weekends. Their first weekend they made $40. While that’s not a staggering amount of money, it IS a start, and they are buoyed by that success to continue. I was wrong about cost for visa applications. They are $131 each. Eleven of the women (including two daughters) were approved on our first try. Four will be re-applying, and YES, that means $131 EACH AGAIN! If you just happen to have that exact amount lying around your house or office somewhere, would you consider sending it to us for one of these four? (Total cost for visa applications: $2,489.00 which is $614 more than we were expecting). Help!!! We are scrambling to find other markets and outlets for the EMQCR’s ever-improving work and have been blessed that the Iguana Tranquila on your way to the west coast has discovered us. You will find some of our small quilts (6"x6") and handmade purses there. Another offer of interest is a shop at Volcan Poas. we'll keep you posted should they pick us up, too. WE ARE GOING TO HOUSTON thanks to your effort, help and prayers !!!! We need your prayers most of all. Thank you for your support in all ways. We would not be "here" if it weren’t for you, your prayers and support. God bless! EMQCR Rancho Redondo de Goicoechea Costa Rica |
| EAST MOUNTAIN QUILTERS OF COSTA RICA |
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