Dearest Friends,
As you enjoy brisk autumn air, fall festivals and pumpkins, we in Bolivia are soaking in the warmth of beautiful spring days!! Although we miss the changing leaves, there is hardly any sight as beautiful as the snow capped peaks of the Andes with a deep blue sky that reaches for miles. Life in Bolivia is good!! We have so much to share so read on….
A job well done
La Casa de Esperanza
“I come, because I feel love here.” – Sara
“I feel different here – like a different class of person.” – Marisol
“We are so thankful that you opened the doors of ‘Casa Esperanza’ and for motivating us to begin working with our hands and move ahead…. ” – Maria & Susana
“Hermana, excuse me for joking so much. Life gets so overwhelming. So we come here to forget about our lives and have fun for awhile. I’m sorry if I get too silly.” – Willy
On October 1st, the House of Hope celebrated its first year anniversary! It has truly become a place of refuge, joy and rest for the women who prostitute and their families. Recently, in addition to our weekly lunches, we have begun macramé classes and Bible studies. A small committed group comes faithfully comes every week. At our anniversary celebration, the girls exhibited their work and received Certificates of Participation.
Highlights from the field….
- Praying with Janet as she dedicates her son to the Lord, and then decides to also dedicate her life to the Lord! She has been prostituting since she was trafficked into Bolivia at 15 years old. Pray that her desires to seek the Lord and live according to His will, will be fulfilled in her life.
- Reading through Marisol’s written outline of her study on John Chapter One, that she brought on our first day Bible study.
- Watching our girls’ proudly overcome fears and patiently learn about teamwork as they participate in a recent Ropes Course outing.
- Hearing roaring laughter from a lively game of Memory, being played by some of the ladies and Center volunteers.
- Receiving our newest staff member, Heather Coaster! Heather feels a strong call to work with sexually exploited women, and plans to serve in El Alto for at least 2 years. With a Masters degree in Counseling from Mars Hill Graduate School, she will most likely begin group and individual therapy with the women and their children. Please pray for Heather as she focuses on language learning and adjusts to life here.
- Andy celebrating his 30th birthday, racing “Jacha Avalancha,” his first downhill mountain bike race in Bolivia – proving you’re only as old as you think you are.
WMF Bolivia
For more than two years we have been working among women in prostitution, building relationships and learning about a world we knew little about. Now with a much deeper understanding of the problems at hand and a foundation of love and trust with the women, we are planning to move to the next phase. Recently we spent a few weeks in strategic planning for the ministry. Below are our hopes for the next couple of years:
Mission Statement: La Palabra Hecha Vida is dedicated to holistic intervention and rehabilitation of the sexually exploited women and their children of El Alto and La Paz, Bolivia. We seek to provide opportunities for full transformation, by offering alternatives for spiritual and economic transition in partnership with the Body of Christ. In doing so, we hope to help restore the women to their God-given worth and dignity, in order that they become fully functioning, contributing members of society.
Our objectives for the next 5 years:
- To create a space for women who prostitute and their children to encounter Christ, recover their true identity in Him and experience spiritual freedom – through prayer, relationships and discipleship.
- To facilitate healing and freedom from pain of abuse and addiction for women who prostitute and their children – through individual and group therapy.
- To increase the capacity of women who prostitute to generate income through viable economic alternatives – by providing skills training, micro-enterprise opportunities and improved access to micro-credit.
- To equip women and their children with essential life skills – by providing educational opportunities.
Please consider supporting the ministry of Word Made Flesh Bolivia. We are very low in funds for the upcoming year and cannot move ahead until more money comes in. Your contributions will make a huge difference in the lives of women trapped in prostitution, and we would be very grateful.
A snapshot ….
Raquel* is my friend and a prostitute. I have known her since the beginning of our ministry here. I would visit her on the streets, and she would visit me in my home. Over the years, she has become a dear friend.
Raquel first began prostituting as a University student to support her studies and her family. But soon, as so often happens, she found she could not balance one life by day and another by night. Soon “work” took priority and school became just a dream.
One day when Raquel was visiting the house, I was trying once again to share with her about the Lord’s love for her. Finally in frustration I said, “Raquel, you’re so hard – nobody can get to your heart, and especially not the Lord!” She sat still for awhile and then assured me, “No te preocupes, Andrea, hay un huequito todavia…..Don’t worry, Andrea, there’s still a little hole there.”
Raquel recently moved back to her home town, because her mother, who has been caring for Raquel’s three kids, became very sick. I was devastated and a little angry. For one, I was not ready to lose my friend. Nor was I ready to just leave her without any support, when she still had not yet learned to trust the Lord, nor had overcome her struggle to leave the streets. But circumstances changed My plans, and I had to entrust her once again to the Lord.
In our final good-bye, I hugged her tight, tears rolling down my cheeks. As she closed the door behind her, with tears in her eyes, she tells me, “That little hole is a little bigger now…..” Please pray that one day Raquel would allow the Lord to enter that “little hole” in her heart.
* Raquel’s name has been changed to protect her identity.
Crazy Weather!
- Today we woke up to snow and hail, and by afternoon we were wearing shorts and sandals.
- The last time we took the temperature, it was 46 degrees in our bathroom and 104 degrees on our porch! We have cold air, but warm sun.
- Did you know that where we live, 13,000 ft. above sea level, the sun’s UV rays are 30% stronger than at sea level? (which is why you can get a tan in about 10 minutes!)
Yes, life in the Andes is extreme!