Dear Friends,
Greetings from Nashville! In January it’s been four years since I moved here and I think that is the longest I have been in one place at a time. I am finishing up my Masters of Science in Social Work (MSSW) at University of Tennessee. I will be graduating in May. It has been a challenging two year program, but it has equipped me with the necessary skills to do clinical social work. Being in the mental health arena has been a goal of mine since I was in college, so I’m glad to be able to fulfill that goal.
Once again, I will be pulling up my roots. This time I’m heading to Bolivia to serve with Word Made Flesh. Word Made Flesh has staff serving among the poorest of the poor in Bolivia, Peru, Argentina, Brazil, Nepal, India, Thailand, Romania, Moldova, United States and Sierra Leone. Word Made Flesh seeks to reconcile the church with the poor through service. I first learned about Word Made Flesh while I was a freshman at John Brown University.
I had the opportunity to spend four months with Word Made Flesh in Bolivia prior to starting my masters program in the fall of 2006. The four months changed my perception of the poor, service, love and commitment. I will be sharing more about the way those four months shaped my desire to go back in future letters, so stay tuned. The mission statement of Word Made Flesh Bolivia states:
We desire to see holistic transformation through Christ Jesus for those who prostitute in Bolivia. In community we seek to practice and proclaim the Kingdom of God among persons affected by prostitution, through relationship and opportunities for transformation.
I have made a three year commitment with Word Made Flesh. Word Made Flesh Bolivia is in the process of developing a program called Suti Sana. Suti Sana seeks to offer holistic therapeutic transformation. This will take the form of offering mental, physical, spiritual and emotional support in hopes of offering healing and transformation to the women who have been negatively affected by prostitution. The vision of Suti Sana is to see women leave the dark streets of the red light district in El Alto. I look forward to the way God will use my gifts and talents among the women in El Alto, Bolivia.
I am cannot serve in El Alto without your support. I need both prayer and financial support. I will need to raise a total of $2,000 a month. Part of that amount will go towards my salary and part of it to other administrative costs that make it possible for me to serve in Bolivia.
The reason I am asking friends of mine to join me in this endeavor is because I believe the women are in need of a peace in their hearts and in their minds. There was a scripture that we studied while I was in Bolivia that still reminds me of why I want to go back to Bolivia. Jesus encountered the woman who washed his feet in Luke 7. After she washed his feet he forgave her and sent her away in peace. The women who live in the brothels need mental and spiritual peace. I have the skills necessary to help walk alongside the healing process as they find peace in their lives. I believe I have a calling to Bolivia to serve my friends who are in prostitution.
Not everyone that I send this letter to will be able to support me financially. There are others ways that you can get involved such as praying or offering wisdom or your friendship as I go to Bolivia. Please consider a way you might be able to join me in supporting me as I go to Bolivia.
I am hoping to leave in early August. Before I leave in August I need to have two months of salary and enough for my plane ticket to Bolivia. That total is $5,000.00.
If you would like to support me please fill out the enclosed donation form or automatic deduction form made out to Word Made Flesh and send back to the Word Made Flesh office. Donations are tax-exempt. Please make sure you do no put my name in the subject line of the check.
Thank you for taking time to read this. Please contact me if you would like to chat more about what I will be doing or ways you can be involved in what is happening in El Alto, Bolivia. Below is my contact information.
Peace,
Alicia Bunch