Christmas on the Streets” – Check
An ultrasound of our little one - Check
Inauguration of the Boys’ Shops – Check
Some rest and relaxation - Check
Things starting up again at El Jordán – Check
“Christmas on the Streets” felt like a breeze with only doing ½ the amount we had been... There was very little pressure... we were ahead of schedule more than behind... There were the usual worries like... When is the pork going to arrive? We ran out of candies for the gift bags!!! and The freezer isn’t freezing well!!! but overall, I think we were able to do things better than before... Like in anything where you start something new or make major changes, there’s always something to improve... but that’s how you learn...
There seemed to be a lot of opposition – people with major problems in their home who had to go back on their decision to take out “Christmas on the Streets”... The churches who took the meals into the jail had a harder time than ever getting “in”... Some of our volunteers were in the midst of various difficulties – in church, home and personal relationships...
Other things went better than what we planned – we didn’t think we’d have pork this year (Bolivia’s “turkey”) because of money issues – but in the end we had enough for almost half of the meals... Our chickens were dying because of the heat... but there were still enough for Christmas plus a few extras to give to some of our students and volunteers who “went an extra mile” (or two or three) to help us...
The biggest challenge in planning and organizing was WHERE we took “Christmas”... There aren’t as many churches/people willing to reach out to “street people” as there are those who want to take to poor neighbourhoods... Also, the pockets of street people are “fluid”... their homes might be under one overhanging roof today... then under a tree on the sidewalk tomorrow... At one intersection when I told the kids I’d be by for “Christmas” there were 15. Driving by the next day there were only 2 or 3. But then another day you might just find 30. Hmmm... Then multiply that uncertainty by dozens of “pockets” in the city...
In the end, our numbers were off more than what we imagined... (usually there are more than we expect when there is food involved). A torrential rain pour at the time when some of us were handing out meant that our “guests” had to scatter, look for shelter, scramble out of the canals before they got washed away, try to not get wet because - What other clothes are you going to wear if the ones you have on get soaked?
The other unplanned variable was “police roundups” on Christmas Eve in different “red zones” to “clean up” the city before the holiday... Sometimes the police drop the kids off way out of town – or at some “rehab” center – where the kids usually just turn around and walk “home” again... it just takes a while... This meant that where last year the 80 plates of food I took out wasn’t enough, this year we had a total of 7!!! At another place I was counting on 25, and there were only 3...
Fortunately, food never needs to go to waste – there are always people who are grateful for a plate of food... you just have to change plans at last minute - our destinations varied – but all of the food/gifts/evangelistic tracts were given out...
What stood out most for me personally this year were flashes of emotion sprinkled throughout the activity... (maybe its because I’m pregnant!) Here are a couple of those moments:
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Sometimes cynical, negative thoughts want to control our minds... You help someone out even when maybe you or someone else that needs it has to go without... then you never get thanked... I know we aren’t supposed to give waiting to be thanked, but it helps... I also know that I’m guilty of not expressing my thanks enough... 9 or 10 years ago, (with donations from supporters) El Jordán helped one of our young volunteers, going through problems at home, with the expenses for her last year of high school... Expenses ended up being a lot more than expected, it was a struggle to fulfill our commitment, and in the end, money came out of my pocket to cover everything. The day she picked up the money for what she needed for her grad was the last time I ever saw her...
While making up power points for the “Christmas on the Streets” fundraiser, I came across an old picture of her helping with preparations... This year, worried about money for Christmas and for the boys’ workshops, cynical, negative thoughts flooded my mind... (I’m far from perfect...) How can people be kind and helpful while they receive something – then the moment they don’t need you any more – that’s the end??!!??
It was after I had a $100 bill that they said was false (adding to our money pressure) that a lady came to our gate... She asked Wilma, Do you remember me? No. I’m so and so’s sister... El Jordán helped her finish high school... and with that she handed Wilma a $100 bill...
Later when Wilma handed me the $100 bill and told me who it was from, I remembered my bad thoughts from a few days before... and had to hang my head... Why can’t I learn that it’s not for me to worry how someone responds (or not)... My job is to be obedient to what God asks me to do...I need to do it for Him... the rest is in His hands... (and He does a much better job than me!)
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Seeing who comes and helps at Christmas – especially on the 23rd when we work the whole night through – always amazes me... This year, we had almost 40 people helping us all night and quite a few of them stayed until noon the next day... the “rice boys” from the boys’ home, El Jordán students, 14, 15 and 16 year olds that come to our “prevention classes”... a couple volunteers, a handful of people from some churches... and people like Sonia and Guapi – who are from the streets yet show up to help us... Where else can you see such an unlikely mix of people working together to help others? What a beautiful picture... it fills me with emotion every time I see it...
Guapi is his own story... he showed up at noon on the 23rd to help. He had gotten out of jail 2 days before... few people have more scars than he does... his lips are all misshapen from the many fights he’s been in... He’s a big guy... and if you didn’t know him, you might just be a bit afraid...
He looked up his 15 year old daughter the day before but she wanted nothing to do with him... With nowhere to go, not wanting to sink into the streets/drugs/delinquency again, he came to help us... and boy, did he help... No one worked harder than Guapi. When the “oven guys” couldn’t keep their eyes open anymore and drifted off to sleep – Guapi worked straight through and made sure the meat/ovens were okay... When our main drain plugged terribly (where it meets up with the sewer system) it was Guapi who literally got into the drain to unplug it - where iron rods, hoses could do nothing... (If anyone thought he looked scary BEFORE... imagine him after working night and day and then fighting with a sewer for a couple hours!)
The Bible says that God chooses the low down, defiled – in order to lift them up – and shame the proud... I think about Guapi... and ask that God may do His work in him... Guapi helped (again, with all of his might) out at the boys’ workshops until New Years... when he took some steps backward... He’s now at a rehab center... but in the end, it isn’t a center that is going to change him... it’s God’s grace, mercy, forgiveness and power – in a repentant, submissive heart... Please pray with us for Guapi...
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In the three places I took “Christmas on the Streets”, it wasn’t a great success if success equals numbers... You might think that meeting up with just two or three is “a failure” when you see all the effort put into this event... I don’t... Maybe those two or three needed to be there; God allowed them to be there for some reason... maybe to plant another seed in their hearts... maybe to remind them of His love and that there IS a way out... Only God knows... I always tell my volunteers at El Jordán – I prefer small classes... and opportunities when only ONE shows up for class... because then you can listen, talk and understand better than when there is a crowd and you’re more worried about “doing”...
I can’t remember his name... We had only found 2 street kids in one of the places we went to and were about to drive away when I saw him clomping along with his crutches about a ½ a block away... He lost one leg when he was living, drugged, in the canals of the city... He is no longer in the canals – he sells pens and pencils wandering the city streets... he lives in a “boarding” room – where he pays by the night... alone... no one to keep him company except a beer... or two... or three...
He was ashamed of the alcohol on his breath when he greeted me... Inside the gift bag we gave was an invitation to El Jordán. I told him that our workshops are starting up soon... I think he’d do well there... you don’t need to have two legs to learn a trade... To be surrounded and supported by the shop “family” that we want to develop would be great for him... He’d have a chance to get to know God... and learn how to LIVE for Him... We’ll see!!!
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While I was in the States in November, Marlene/China Jichi died… She had been to El Jordán several times... I had known her for about 15 years... She was never the most lovable person... with a bad temper, no patience and always complaining... but even still, I think deep down, she liked/respected me... With all her harshness and bitterness, she had a soft side to her and her eyes could easily fill with tears... Several incidences stand out in my memory... her in solitary confinement at the drug prison because she didn’t have money to pay off the police... her kids growing up beside her on the streets (and no food unless paid for with certain favors...)... Another time, pleading with me, “Please pray for me... I want to change.” and yet again...and again... and again... falling back into the same pit... only a bit deeper... Her coming to El Jordán, wide-eyed with fear about a year ago, promising she was going to change – because she thought her test results said that she had HIV (they didn’t)... and the last time I saw her in emergency at a hospital – her face beaten to an unrecognizable swollen mass... beaten by her boyfriend... I never saw her again... only heard that her mind had been affected by the beating... she was confused... she was going downhill...
Now she’s gone... Too late to change... too late for regrets... too late to think of her kids... it is just so sad. I’ve lost count of how many kids she left scattered here and there...
When we were delivering “Christmas on the Streets” to the place where we only found 7 kids in the pouring rain, there between two street kids sat a little girl – 2 years old... she turned and looked up at me... The memory of her face is etched on my mind... She had Marlene’s eyes, face, chin... Her eyes were very sad/serious... Marlene’s littlest girl (a few months younger than Keiden) is being raised by street kids...
My heart broke.
Tears flooded my eyes... Will this little one end up following the same path of pain and destruction as her mom?
That is why I am so emphatic about the value of even one person showing up to class at El Jordán... maybe that ONE person will choose that day to keep searching, trying, stepping towards God, a new life... Every girl that comes to El Jordán isn’t alone. Without exception, they all have at least one child... and the choices that mother makes will profoundly affect his/her life and future... Those kids, like Marlene’s little girl, didn’t choose to be exposed to so many different things but if that mother doesn’t change, consequences will no doubt be reaped in the child’s life...
Please pray for Marlene’s little girl... that her new “mom” would come to El Jordán this year...
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Another 14 year old that came to help on the 24th was María Eugenia/Mamuka... who I’ve known from the streets since she was only months old... Her mom is Lidia/Paola (HIV+), who wanted to give her baby up for adoption this past year but then changed her mind...
Paola sent her – because Mamuka was causing problems at home... wanting to run away, quit school and live with a 16 year old boy down the street... Both mom and aunt had whipped her...
I thanked God for a slower Christmas where I had the time to listen to Mamuka’s aching heart for over an hour... so much pain... such DEEP sadness and hurt... wanting to die... not really wanting to give up her chance to study to live with the boy like her mom said... but tired of her mom being so irresponsible, continuing to go back to the streets – days at a time... leaving Mamuka to care for her 4 younger siblings without leaving her money for food or basic necessities... If the grandma gives them food it is never without a lot of swearing, hateful, despising words and threats... Paola will come home with different cell phones, money... but none of that goes towards her family... Mamuka is tired, sad, wanting to give up...
This is the little girl who I saw in the market place when she was only 2 years old... curling up on an empty market table for the night... when she suddenly sat up, took off her sandals and hid them... knowing, at her young little age, that if she slept with her sandals on, someone might steal them... A little survivor... a survivor, who now is drowning, exhausted from struggling to stay above water...
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Those are some of my emotions, felt this Christmas... still etched in my heart and mind... They are just a few reasons why WE NEED YOU... your prayers, encouragement and help... Pray for wisdom, opportunities, strength for us who reach out to these people... Stand in the gap through prayer for those who, like Mamuka, feel like they are on the verge of sinking... YOU can be an active part of this ministry right where you are... (Many of you already are and we appreciate it!!!!)
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After Christmas cleaning, we usually have the chance to move into our slowest 2 or 3 weeks of the year when El Jordán is closed, our workers are on holidays, volunteers are taking a break and we have the chance to get somewhat caught up on paperwork and little projects – but without any real schedule or rush...
This year was the exception... the inauguration of the men’s workshops was set for the 7th of January... there was NO time for anything outside of trying to get the workshops ready... (I almost forgot what Marco looked like!) It was a crazy deadline... most would have probably said “IMPOSSIBLE!!!”... Maybe the rest of us thought it inside... but we HAD to give it our best shot... we had to give it our ALL...
We had pared down our workers since November because we ran out of funds... But the unreasonable date for the inauguration was set for a few reasons... the main one being that Ron Larsen was going to be in town (for the last time until possibly mid-year or later)... He was so instrumental in fulfilling Marco’s dream/desire to base the ministry on three pillars – GOD, work and sports... that Marco wanted him present... Coupled with that, we saw God’s continued faithfulness in providing (through YOU!)... and it allowed us to keep going...
After the fact, I always regret not taking pictures... It would have been great to have pictures of “a week before the big date”... “72 hours before”... 48... 24... 12... 2... 10 minutes before... TA DA!!!!!! You might have thought “Impossible!” too...
There are still things that aren’t done... some painting, finishing up the workshop that has been used for storing materials, installing most of the bathroom fixtures... The majority of the shops are bare – they have no equipment... except for machines Marco already had for the leather shop and a couple smaller carpentry machines...
To save money we gave jobs to more inexperienced people... There is a saying, “The cheap turns out expensive...” Hmm... yup... The holidays slowed us down too... About 4 days before the inauguration we were all sweating... We started calling “our kids”... We went through a months’ worth of credit on my cell phone in days... We need help! Could you come?
...and they came! (It sounds like a movie!)
It makes me want to cry remembering... Almost without exception, everyone that we called that night (at about 10 p.m.!!) dropped everything...and were there the next morning... working INCREDIBLY hard, LONG hours, doing a good job... trying to defy the odds and make it work... Not one asked if they were going to be paid... I never heard them complain... No one had excuses to say they couldn’t come back after seeing all the work to be done... they all worked until the end - 2 of Marco’s teenage boys... 4 husbands/boyfriends of our El Jordan girls... and three of our girls... (one of them has an open ulcer on her leg and walks dragging her foot a bit... but it didn’t stop her from being on her hands and knees for HOURS scrubbing floors...)
Imagine having everything in place, time to calmly put on the finishing touches, nothing lacking, nothing out of place... Beautiful!!! BUT... lacking something that we gained through all of this! We became a closer family because of this... We’ve walked beside them in their needs... and they did the same for us in our need ... we couldn’t have done without one another... What can be better than that?
On top of that, I think it was a great testimony to the other workers – including the neighborhood boys (some who we hope come back as students) who varnished almost around the clock... One man who has worked at the construction since the beginning, worked the whole night before the inauguration to finish off certain jobs... “It’s worth the sacrifice...” he told me. Again, someone with no “obligation” – willing to go that extra mile...
Besides these ones who we called in at last minute, El Jordán volunteer ladies made snacks... other volunteers and students came to serve... Tania, one of our newer girls, showed up in her “best” clothes... proudly carrying two cakes that she had made from scratch...
The actual “inauguration” was very short and sweet... A wide variety of people came... students, their families, adolescents, neighbors, volunteers, church people, missionaries, Ron Larsen and his family, and even a few people from the streets...
We had a special guest – a Christian professional soccer player – come to inaugurate the soccer field... (Thank you Joe Terrell for our great soccer jerseys!!! They added to our day!) You should have seen the boys (and girls!!!)... imagine their excitement of playing on a synthetic field (something that normally only the “rich” could consider enjoying)... and beside a “famous” person!!! Seeing Ron smiling as he watched everyone THOROUGHLY enjoy the field made my day too...
It was a very special day for everyone...
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We are so blessed... in many, many ways...
We’ve been able to enjoy the last two weekends at “The Pilgrim’s Refuge”... Its been WONDERFUL to enjoy God’s creation around us, quiet, peace, the birds singing and the toads croaking... and is truly an amazing gift God has given to us...
YOU are also an incredible blessing to us... Its been almost 5 years since we “lost” our original boys’ workshop... It was a very painful experience... yet now, seeing what God has provided in its place, is so much better than we ever could have imagined... Our new shops wouldn’t have been possible without your support – in prayer and giving – over the last 5 years where we’ve been able to save up your donations to buy the land and build... We were blown away by seeing our last “donation” statement – you have been incredibly generous – giving a good start to the year... and the possibility of completing the finishing touches on the shops... (Marco will write soon about the next steps towards opening up “shop” at the beginning of March... ) THANK YOU FOR GIVING!
Another very special blessing is our little girl! We have enough surprises in just normal life that we didn’t feel like waiting until April wondering if we were going to have a little boy or girl... I thought we probably would have a boy – the only granddaughter on either side was Katrina – who came after her 4 brothers... both my brother and Marco’s brother only have boys... I’ve been feeling fine... except some pain in my hip... scrubbing floors might not have helped much!
Anyhow... I better go... we had a sick little boy today... so hopefully he has a good sleep and feels better in the morning... THANKS again for being a part of this ministry... You’ll just have to come for a visit... and actually see it!
Lots of love and thanks...
Corina – for Marco, Keiden and our little one!!!