Hi everyone!!! Please forgive the length of this missile but just read a bit every day so it doesn’t seem so long!
The “norm” for families we work is generally difficult… Their “problems”are at another level… often leaving us feeling overwhelmed… There is a daily tension within to understand what God would have us do in each situation… Obviously He wants us to guide people to CHRIST… but I don’t believe he wants us to just preach and teach without living/showing His love in practical ways… At El Jordan we try to “walk beside them”… sharing while we accompany them in their journey… It’s a walking and talking discipleship… In my interviews with the girls at the beginning of their “school year” at El Jordan I had the privilege of sitting down with them one on one… remembering where God had brought them from… getting them thinking about some personal goals for this year… mainly taking time to listen… and then pray for/with them… Carlais a third generation street person…
She is the ONLY one in her immediate and extended family who is making an effort to change… Uncles, cousins, mom… (she has no siblings) all are in one way or another tied to the streets or delinquency… Carla moved to Santa Cruz to escape from an awful situation with the father of her two youngest boys (1 and 3 years old)… Now completely on her own, providing for her 4 kids (2 of them in school) is so hard that there isn’t much time or energy to “raise” them… Katyhas 3 of her 9 kids under her “care”… She is ill… doesn’t have a place to live… Her kids, 7 and 9, are in school for the first time this year… Right now they are bunked in at her sister’s two room wooden “house”. Carlota – the sister - was also a street kid and has countless problems of her own… Luciais drowning in debt… Her “husband” couldn’t deal with the stress of the debts… and abandoned her and the three kids, moving to another city… and had the nerve to take their gas tank – leaving Lucia without a way to cook for their kids… When we asked her how El Jordan could help her… she replied… “Please pray for me…” (After I wrote this, Juan Carlos came home after several weeks of being away… but without the gas tank!) The abuse Taniawas suffering at the hands of her partner got unbearable and was also traumatizing the kids… so she finally went to the police to get a document that doesn’t allow him to come near her… which is good… but also means that she has basically become the sole provider for her youngest 3… An exciting thing is that her 21year old son Bismark who grew up on the streets, is in school for the first time in his life… We have 5 cousins/relatives who are coming to classes… They range between 15 and 19 (Leidy, Sandra, Melissa, Juanita, Ana Karen)and are the “second generation”… They allhave babies… one is pregnant with her second… one is raising her YOUNGER sister’s 3 year old (Alison, the younger sister is on the streets and just lost her 3rd baby)… Two of the babies (2 weeks old and 4 days old) are very sick and Heidi just spent half the night and all this morning taking them to the pediatrician, getting blood work done etc… These girls are trying to raise their babies without having a clue of how to do it… They have 0 parental support and 0 good example to follow… Two of them made the decision to break off contact with their boyfriends because they are on the streets, on drugs or in gangs. We are SO happy that they are coming to El Jordan… but we need much wisdom to know how best “walk along side of” these girls… (There are 3 other “second generation” girls coming as well with their babies…) We’d like to offer them bus fare scholarships, create some special classes just for them, and, and…???? Please pray with us for these little families… They WANT a different future for their babies than what their own parents offered them… but their situations and limitations make that change extremely difficult. Good thing that there is nothing impossible for God!!!
There isn’t a student without issues… Other situations we’ve come across in the last months are: stabbings, bruises, infidelities, an abortion, two sisters turning to lesbianism (both used to come to El Jordan), a baby (Natividad) born with a severe health issue… one of our older girls (Katty Basilia) basically going back to the streets… two sisters (Ana Gabriela and Judith) who can barely care for their own kids have taken on the four small children of a friend who is deathly ill in jail… This and more…
All of this is not to overwhelm you or to appeal to your pity but rather to help you understand the situations our girls live in… and for you to realize how important your prayers are… that you can “accompany” our girls in their struggles and journeys – through your prayers…
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You might have been following “Janeth’s family” – the mom who passed away in August after a short battle with cancer – leaving behind 6 kids – ranging from 1 year to 14… They have been “adopted” from afar – several amazing families making it possible to build a house for them in the city – with an adjacent apartment where 3 siblings live (also orphans - Emiliano/”Mono”, Anita and Patricio) and “oversee” the kids … We are SO thankful for:
- two families in Canada who have taken on “sponsoring” the kids’ education… Books, uniforms, paper and pencils are all taken care of… and for…
- Anita who has taken on the enormous job of being their tutor…
Please consider adopting this family through your prayers…
- Unfortunately Janeth’s family is not used to orderliness, discipline and chores… Please pray that they would adjust to a completely new style of living…
- Keila, Jeili and Cristhian all are having trouble in school
– that they would make an effort to study… and that their teachers would be firm yet patient with them… These three also have some behavioral issues.
- Estiven(15) and Corina (13) shoulder adult responsibilities
– cooking, looking after 2 yr. old Glen, grocery shopping and guiding their siblings… as well as doing their own homework… Pray that they will have the grace, strength to keep on…
- Ricardo (the dad) just moved into the city this past week…
We haven’t seen much responsibility demonstrated on his part so far… Please pray for a suitable job for him… and the desire to build into his kids’ lives…
- The family has grown up with basically no Christian influence around them… pray for softened, open hearts…
- I know Anita would appreciate your prayers… for wisdom and strength in the daily battle to help the kids in their studies and behavior…
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With Janeth’s kids heavy on my heart, my heart sunk a bit further when I heard Daniel on the phone, “My mom wants to talk to you… the doctor has given her a couple days to live…” My mind jumped to her four kids… Daniel (19), Isabel (16), Kevin (10) and “Mitu”
(about 2)… I’ve known Angela from the streets since 1996 or 7… She has been sick for a while… but only found out she has cancer about 10 days ago… I used to always take “Christmas on the Streets” to her small room where I’d usually find little Daniel and Isabel alone… waiting expectantly for the food and small gifts they knew we’d bring… Angela has never wanted to come to El Jordan… Now Angela says she’s repentant… that she wants a chance to live 6 more months to be able to take her kids to church and bring them to El Jordan… Two little stories about her kids… Daniel is in grade 12… If he has gotten this far, it is because of his own effort and motivation… He has had to work since he was very young… and he has already been away for a year to do his mandatory military service… Right now he goes to school from 2 to 6 p.m. and then works as a security guard from 7 p.m. until 7 a.m! He has the morning to rest, do his homework and wash his clothes… He buys his own clothing, pays for his schooling… and helps buy groceries… He’s has to miss work in order to stay the nights tending to his mom when there is no one else to be with her… Angela has been distancing herself from the streets for the last year or so, learning to make candles (that are used in cemeteries, in Catholic practices, etc). One day when Angela was too sick to do anything, Kevin took several packages of candles out to sell… A lady came across Kevin sobbing, sitting on the steps of a corner store. He hadn’t sold any candles to buy medicine for his mom. She first went to his house to see if he was telling the truth, then bought all of the candles he had and before she left, asked him to kneel beside her and together they prayed for his mom… Kevin now goes to church every Sunday and always asks for his mom to go with him… Here in Bolivia, you have to find your own blood donors… and then pay for the supplies necessary for the donation… Angela needs 10 units of blood… The 9 people who tried to donate were rejected for one reason or another… (myself included…) The hospital chaplain found 3 suitable donors… and each time Angela received a packet of blood her organs started to function better again… but as she continues to lose blood, she starts going downhill… Physically, she desperately needs blood. Without it, her days are numbered. Even more urgently, Angela needs to understand and accept the gift of Christ’s blood shed on the cross… Hebrews 9:22… without that, there can be no forgiveness of sin… Angela’s IV fluids, medicines cannot satisfy her need for blood… In the same way, being “good”, kind, fulfilling merits of any kind, CANNOT substitute for Christ’s sacrifice in our place.
Please pray that Angela (and her friends at El Jordan who I’ve shared this example with…) might clearly understand their need of a Saviour… and Christ’s free, saving gift…
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We have chosen Colossians 3:2 for our “theme verse” for the year… Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
It is a challenge, reminder, pointer for - us, our volunteers and our students… defining why we are here… our priorities and goals… Why are we doing this? What do we hope to accomplish with this? Are we getting to where God wants us? Are we becoming the people He wants us to be? Are we helping “our kids” become the people God wants them to be?
It has been exciting to see plans sifted through… a united effort happening… ideas how to people added to our team who fit into where we’re headed… Yet at the same time, the battle we face has gotten fiercer… Nothing seems to be “easy” right now… There has been more instability in our attendance (weather, family problems, health issues…), three of our teachers have been hospitalized and quite a few of our volunteers are going through tough work and family situations… After Heidi’s saga with taking the sick newborns for their tests etc, Rubitza was on her way home from class at El Jordan and 3 year old Lidia disappeared into the crowd when they were changing buses in the market area… Heidi and Laura spent stress filled hours with Rubitza trying to find the lost little girl… She eventually was found… and in good hands… but it was just one more emotionally filled incident to add to the list of all that has been happening…. And it leaves us wondering… “What next?”
Patriciacame to El Jordan for the first time to our graduation last year. She wanted to start coming to our classes… but a couple weeks later, she was hospitalized… That’s when she found out she had HIV… She asked for me to visit…but by the time I arranged a time to go, she had been discharged… Around Christmas time, friends asked if we had a wheelchair for her because she could no longer walk… but still needed to sell things in the market to feed her kids… I dropped off the wheelchair… but with all the craziness of the market at that time of the year, I couldn’t talk to her at all… Her plan was to come to classes this year… I talked to her on the phone in January because she was in terrible pain but the doctors didn’t want to help her… (she was also 32 weeks pregnant)… I put her into contact with a Christian doctor at
another hospital who drained 4 litres of urine from her bladder!!!
After her baby was born, she planned to come to El Jordan… The week of our registration at El Jordan, the baby was born… but Paty passed away… The question comes to my mind… I “helped” Paty… but… did I really?
I feel so much urgency… again, the incredible situations that the girls live through can’t be ignored… but nor can we allow that to overshadow the most important… That’s why your prayers and involvement in this ministry are so very important… Pray for wisdom, strength, courage and persistence. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS…
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A couple other things…
After several years of picking up pieces my truck left behind (his name was Royce… later he became Rolled Royce…), with the generous help from certain people (thank you so VERY much!) I was able to sell him, and buy a newer vehicle with much lower mileage. He is smaller than Royce… but when I need more space I can always trade vehicles with Marco. He doesn’t have a name yet… but I’ll let you know when he does! He is better on gas… he is safer… all the windows go up and down… and all the doors open and close! The radio, air conditioning and ABS brakes work… When I’m on a dusty road, the dust actually stays outside! Little things… but they make life more comfortable! =) It was sad to see Royce go after all we’ve been through together (2 holdups, 1 rolling, 1 horse on my hood, countless funeral services, cow stomach juice flying all over INSIDE, fitting more people in than on a bus, Christmas on the Streets – garbage runs, donation pick up runs, deliveries… etc etc etc…)… So… so long Royce!!! You were GOOD!!! …and new truck, whatever your name is going to be… Welcome! I’m looking forward to all the experiences we’re going to have!!!
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We haven’t found a carpenter or a welder for the shops… so we’re going with plan B (or C, or D… I’ve lost track!)… The workers at the shops are studying at a technical institute to get trained… We have a young man, Melvin, to help with the office/administrative things... He speaks English very well… SO if there is any welder or carpenter who’d like to come down for a month or so to teach specific items, between Devan and Melvin you’ll have a translator!
Pray for the team to meld together at the workshops… for the vision and needs to be clear… and for all the boys who are coming to class…
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We also have a new administrator for El Jordan… his name is Dennis… and this is his second week working with us… We will be keeping on one of our part time office workers to help us specifically with our accounting and getting everything in order to meet all the requisites that the government has…
· Please pray for wisdom and discernment Melvin and Dennis…
(especially for Melvin as he is quite young and doesn’t have “life” experience under his belt…) both have some experience in churches… but neither has had experience working with “our kind”
of people… Although they might look much like any other kid, young person, woman who goes to church, their motivations and ways of thinking and acting are much different. Pray that they would be willing to ask questions… and learn as they help us move ahead… (and for us to be able to express in a clear way where we want to head as well…)
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A couple years ago, I asked if people could send down pretty serviettes that they didn’t use… I hesitate to ask for anything more because I’m so terrible at writing thank you notes… We are still using the serviettes that you sent down (thank you everyone)… Kids themes were popular (Dora, etc) if you wanted to send more… This year we are doing a lot of things with buttons (two or four holed only)… SO… if you have some buttons, could you send them this way??? OR if you have any “sellable” ideas of what we could do with buttons, you can send us a sample or a picture/directions… Thanks!
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A couple additional prayer requests:
· Continue praying for God’s protection over our family and ministry…
· Continue to pray for the sexual abuse case that has touched so many people we know… Pray for peace and truth to reign… and that God will be seen in the midst of such terrible circumstances…
· For Gloria, Maria Elena, Susana – our teachers would love to be serving at El Jordan but their health hasn’t been good…
· Heidi and the kids’ floor have a great afternoon planned for “Children’s Day” (we are celebrating it on April 16th)… It is a walk through the Bible – getting to know Christ… culminating with the story of His death and resurrection… Pray for all the preparations… and also that the kids hearts would be prepared to understand and receive the gospel message…
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Some of you might be interested in helping out in a practical way… Here are some suggestions:
· with some of the school expenses for some of our most needy
families… Buying the school supplies, text books, uniforms, shoes etc through the “scholarship” for Janeth’s kids, I’ve been shocked at how everything adds up… and in my heart I wonder how some of our single moms can do it… when it is such a struggle for them just to provide food for their kids… At El Jordan we give out some supplies to each kid… but the extent of our help is limited because of the sheer number of kids we help… (about 60 school aged kids)… Carla, Tania, and Katy who are mentioned at the beginning of the letter… and other single moms who are the sole providers for their family… Maria Eugenia/Mamuka is one of our “second generation” kids… She is 17, and takes her little baby with her to school at night… Her mom (Lidia/Paola) is unable to help her (physically or materially) because of her health and trying to provide for her other
4 children… Like these girls, there are other girls whose kids are coming up to the end of their first trimester at school and still don’t have their textbooks…
· helping our “second generation” young moms… who are not only in danger of themselves going astray… but they now they have little ones they are raising who will be following them! We don’t want a third generation of street kids or drug addicts! Some ideas of how we could encourage them to come to classes at El Jordan: bus fare scholarships… help with milk and diapers???
· We have hired a couple extra people at El Jordan… and we still need a cleaning person and maybe a social worker/psychologist… We are trying to strengthen our skeleton of workers so that our volunteers can effectively fill in the gaps… If anyone would like to give to any of these projects or to our general fund, you can contact Avant Ministries (www.avantministries.org).
Well… thanks for sharing in this ministry… and I’ll try and keep more up to date so your mailbox doesn’t get bogged down with my letters!
God bless… and have a wonderful day…
He is faithful… Corina (for Marco, Keiden and Marlee)