Size 24 month dress modeled!

This is the dress shown on my adorable niece that is pictured on the right side.  How cute is she?!

Donations for Chirripó

Our team is collecting donations for the indigenous people of Chirripó.  Cheryl and Julie (the two nurses on the team) will be traveling there to do a medical mission for three days.  We are accepting the following donations:


* baby blankets
* clothes (new or very gently used), all sizes
* travel-size hygiene products (Pert is especially good because it can kill lice)
* OTC meds like Tylenol, Ibuprofen, Benadryl
* antibiotic ointment, hydrocortisone cream, antifungal cream, and vaseline
*  band-aids

If you are interested in donating any of these items, please contact me (leave a comment or email me at mamiowl@hotmail.com), Julie, or Cheryl.

Thank you for your support and encouragement for Samia's Garden!

Items Available

This is the only item (set) that we currently have available.  There will be many more once we return from Costa Rica in August! (tote bags, baby/little girl dresses, & women's shirts)

This is a set:  a table cloth with 4 placemats.  This would be great for a picnic table and/or to give your dining room that "vintage feel."  Suggested donation for the set is $25.

Please email me if you are interested in either of these items (mamiowl@hotmail.com) or leave a comment.  I can arrange shipping or local pick-up (southeastern PA).

Trip dates

Our team of four will travel to Costa Rica from July 25 until August 3.  We will pick up Sami's items, spend time talking with her about her products, help out around the language school, and two members of the team who are nurses will travel to do a medical mission to the indigenous people.

Thank you for your prayers, encouragement, and support!

Janine, on behalf of Cher, Ley, & Julie

Preparing the soil . . .

Our story, from the beginning, has clearly been orchestrated by the Master Gardener.  God had been preparing the soil long before we ever knew what He was doing . . .

At the beginning of 2010, Cher spent three months in Costa Rica attending language school and doing medical missions work.  When she returned, she shared with several of the house churches in our community about her trip.  Cher returned to the U.S. with some items that her host mami, Samia, had sewn.  I (Janine) bought a dress for one of my nieces and as I was noticing the details on the way home, I casually said to my husband, "I would love to get some of Sami's work up here and sell it for her.  It's amazing!"  My husband replied, "You need to get in touch with Cher."  So I did!

We had breakfast later that week.  I confessed that I have no business knowledge whatsoever, but I love the idea of families supporting themselves by using their creative talents and abilities.  During the next couple of hours, the soil turned, the ideas flowed, and the Gardener's work was becoming evident . . .

We decided that Cher, my daughter Ley, and I would make a trip to Costa Rica to meet Sami, experience the culture, and try to discern how we could partner with some of the people there.  Cher spoke with someone at the language school and found out that the trip to Chirripó (where they do medical missions trips to the indigenous people there) would take place at the end of July.  After much prayer and confirmation (including Cher being able to take off from her brand-new job!) that this trip should happen for sure during this time, we decided to begin praying about a fourth person going with us (who would also be able to accompany Cher to Chirripó) . . . two days later, we had our fourth person, also a nurse!  She "just so happened" to have off work already for a wedding and other trip that ending up getting canceled!


So here, we are, dreaming, watering, getting our needed sunshine, waiting for the flowers that will bloom from this garden.