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Corner of Love April 2020

Dear Everyone,

What has happened during the last couple weeks has brought the crisis to the center of our lives.
On March 18 President Carlos Alvarado (Costa Rica) closed the Nicaragua-Costa Rica border just kilometers from our Relief Center for Refugees. The decision had much to do with Daniel Ortega’s refusal to adhere to WHO recommendations regarding Coronavirus.   

This caused a refugee emergency as approximately 1,000 hungry Nicaraguans had already begun a trek home due to their inability to work. The stay-at-home order and stoppage of all tourism crushed the Costa Rica economy and day-laborers like the Nicaraguan exiles were the first to lose employment while other refugees already had no jobs.  Amongst this massive group of people trying to return to Nicaragua were many who walked out of rental contracts for modest homes in San Jose slums or were already homeless. The Costa Rican government quickly put up more tents at their refugee camp but they filled quickly. Refugees began sleeping in Corner of Love’s parking lot.   

What could we do? There were mothers without diapers or milk for their children, teens who are deathly afraid of the Sandinistas, whole family units only carrying crackers and some water. A sea of countrymen asking for help.    Already faced with great concerns from lost revenue due to the stress COVID19 has placed on our donors, as well as teams cancelling as far out as December 2020, we bowed our heads and asked the Lord to speak to us.    Jesus words about feeding the multitude came to us immediately;    “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may collapse on the way.”  

So we kept our doors open and fed as many as we could. Cooking, serving, providing medicine, and buying bus tickets so families could get back to San Jose or wherever they came from. TV channels in Costa Rica reported about our mission’s generosity. La Prensa, Nicaragua’s biggest newspaper, covered the chaotic scene and Corner of Love was front page news. Things were chaotic at our Relief Center and we had almost no internet due to the country slowdown. It was madness!        

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Then Costa Rican police came and said we had to send employees home because of the COVID19 shelter-in-place orders. Nelson and I stayed with the refugees and made meals and prayed with people until every last person was helped by Corner of Love over the six-day period. Though we both consider this the hardest time ever in our mission history, God was there and many miracles happened – the number one being Corner of Love’s ability to aid so many seemingly hopeless, scared people in their hour of need.  But this refugee emergency caused us to empty our ministry’s reserve of food, funds, and medicine. In all over 1,000 Nicaraguans received money for transportation, hot meals, medicine, food for their journey, hydration, blankets, or other financial assistance. Today almost all have safely returned to San Jose or are now staying in borrowed housing in the Guanacaste area.
Will you donate today and keep us serving these Nicaraguans we have so much compassion for? We took a leap of faith and now need increased prayer and donations to stay open. In six days we used a huge chunk of resources while already faced with economic uncertainty due to travel restrictions that greatly affect our international mission.We humbly ask you to give what you can. No gift is too small!  We know that God can refill our shelves and replenish funds so that His work goes on. We also know that what just happened – this six day refugee emergency – turned into a revival of faith for many and the Lord was glorified.  Thank you for putting God’s poorest before your own needs during this crisis.  They have no home to “stay at home” and outside it is very hot and so very few are finding work.  They have only Corner of Love, God’s mission for the oppressed in this region we love.
 
Nelson Amador                     Tanya Amador
Director of Operations          CEO & Founder
[email protected]     [email protected]
(206) 954-6203                     (206) 419-1133

U.S. OFFICE HOURS DURING COVID19 Corner of Love’s corporate office in Washington State is mostly closed until May 4. To make an appointment to meet with someone please send an email to [email protected].

MISSION TRIPS

Due to extreme circumstances, as listed in Terms and Conditions of Corner of Love’s Mission Application for Trip to Costa Rica, our ministry is RESCHEDULING all weeks of service. If you were registered for a 2020 trip between March-June, you will automatically be able to reschedule for a future trip within 18 months. To make serving easier, all paid trip fees are 100% transferrable to other individuals (not just family members) making it possible for you to “give your mission” to someone else if you no longer can attend a future trip. 

MOST NEEDED

We are currently purchasing as much as four times the amount of food our mission normally buys. Please give towards FOOD for REFUGEES today. www.corneroflove.org/donate  

Corner of Love | EIN 36-4612230

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Maple Valley, WA | 98038 United States

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