Have you ever felt that your shirt is just a little too tight (it must have shrunk in the wash!!!)... Its not comfortable anymore and you need to move up one size... I’ve felt that way since after Keiden was born... things just don’t fit quite as good as they used to before...
But this isn’t an e-mail to talk about the size of my clothes, its about El Jordan... Several times during my 15 (!!!!) years here I’ve felt the same way... When God led me to work with street kids, I started out getting to know, visiting and gaining the trust of the kids on the streets. I thoroughly enjoyed those years of having only one key in pocket, the streets - my “office”, and the people - my schedule.
A year or two later, the “shirt” started getting tight... not that my love and burden for street kids had faded... but I began realizing that although it had been necessary to gain the trust of the people I wanted to work with, it couldn’t stay like that. The church as the body of Christ is made up of many members, each with their functions, who working together can better fulfill Christ’s plan. I tried taking others to the streets with me, but it usually ended up with them standing awkwardly to one side while I had a line of people who wanted to talk “just to me”. I felt like I was putting Band-Aids on superficial problems rather than offering something deeper.
Psalms 103 spoke to me... giving me a vision of the Church, as God’s hands and feet in the world, reaching out integrally to the lost – first and foremost being concerned about their soul, but without overlooking their physical and emotional needs. For this we needed a team... and a place where those who wanted to change could come.
In 1999, we bought the property where El Jordan now is.... then we renovated, planned, prepared and opened our doors in 2000. More than once, looking around at our new place, I felt that the “shirt” was overwhelmingly big... and was tempted to bolt... Gradually we became a team of workers and volunteers... and we had a little group of girls who started coming to study.
After a couple years, I started to feel that sensation again – the shirt was getting a bit tight. We only had one class room... and we had no space for child care. We had our patio and the church next door would lend us their patio as well... and although that brought some relief for a while, we began to realize that these kids needed not to just be “looked after” while their moms were in class, they too were suffering effects from their parents having been on the streets, and we needed to take advantage of the time we had with them to teach and guide them. Unstable moms who have to be concerned about mere survival and providing basic food and shelter for their kids weren’t prepared to give direction and guidance to their kids.
God provided “the place next door” for us... We cleaned up the little shack and that gave us room for our kids... Along with the “place next door” God also provided workers as well... We saved up our money and a relatively short time later we were able to build a big hall for our meetings... a whole area for child care... and another floor for class rooms...
The relief of getting into a more comfortable fitting “shirt” was wonderful... Our place has been SUCH a blessing... I can hardly remember how we lived without it.
In that time, God brought along a husband for me... someone who could understand and work with the guys... and the shirt started feeling snug again... Where would we put the boys? They’ve been shuffled around several times... we first thought we had possession of a house/property only a dozen blocks away from El Jordan – that seemed like a wonderful answer to prayer... Unfortunately, the neighbours didn’t accept us there and rallied together to “encourage us” to go far away...
They were in my old apartment at El Jordan for a while... and then for the last year and half they’ve been on the same floor as the kids – in a small two bedroom apartment that originally for our caretakers. The shirt has been getting tighter... Marco has up to 15 boys in some of his classes... Imagine... 15 boys, a teacher, tables and machines all bunched into a little place... it just is getting harder and harder.
We had a carpenter offer to start a course on wooden toys/puzzles for our men... we have the equipment to start off with... we have men interested in studying... but to set up our carpentry shop in our hall doesn’t work because of the noise, dirt and I always have visions of some little kid going in and fiddling with the saws or something! We need a safe place where they leave their saws and tables set up... and have their own space rather than feeling like they are shoved in a corner, in the way...
At the same time, our kids’ program has been growing as more girls come (and as the girls have more babies...) We have two “class rooms” for them... one for the 0 – 2 year olds... and the other class is for “over threes”... There are days when Heidi and her volunteers have over thirty kids... they try and teach a Bible lesson and craft for over twenty... (ranging from 3 to 13!) in a room where our table sits about 8 or 10...
We look longingly at the rooms where the boys are... and dream of being able to spread out there... to make a science/study room for the school aged kids... and have a library especially for kids... Sigh... It makes you want to go out and get a bigger shirt right now...
If it was only that easy!!!!
Avant Ministries helped raise some money for our men’s project... so we have that... plus any extra donations that come in, we try and save away for that... We had our eye on a beautiful property – only 4 blocks away from El Jordan – in a commercial/education/public zone of the city where we wouldn’t have problems with neighbours... We dreamt of having enough space to have our workshops, a soccer field or basket ball court where the boys could run off their energy in a healthy way... and also have a few stores along the front – two to rent out and with that be self sustaining... and another store that we could use for the products that our students make...
We started raising money with that in mind... but in the two years that have passed, land prices have SOARED to unbelievable heights... Land that we originally saw at $135 US per square meter (which was already incredibly expensive)... jumped to $230 and now is in some places over $300 a square meter... CRAZY!!!!
That has effectively dampened that dream... so we have been praying... looking for something smaller... we’d still like on the main avenue to give frontage for stores (the boy’s shops need to be self sustaining for our budget) and also a main avenue is more public so we’d be less likely to have problems with neighbours... A place off the avenue should be a bit cheaper... but right now, our avenue is a hot spot commercially – and all prices have jumped...
There is a place for sale parallel to El Jordan (half a block off the avenue)... it’s not even an option because it’s small size and amount of construction on it... but we priced it out of curiosity... $220,000!!!! Only 6 or 7 years ago we bought the “place next door” for $32,000 (and people thought we had paid too much!)...
So that is our situation... we have a shirt that is too tight... we have some money saved up... but we need wisdom to know what to do... Relatives of our crochet teacher/volunteer have a house just around the corner from El Jordan... it is a regular sized lot (disadvantage)... but on the main avenue (big advantage)... close to El Jordan (advantage)... and they are thinking of selling... Its not on the market yet... but our volunteer says that they are planning to ask for $135,000 (disadvantage). Putting all our monies together, we’d almost have enough... but we’d be left without any safety buffer... and without any money to renovate... The frugal/cautious side of me cringes at the thought... we just don’t know what we should do... Should we insist on something close to El Jordan or move farther away... we’ve seen larger pieces of property a couple kilometres away... but they are being sold as big chunks of land to be developed... they are out of our price range as well... and then we’d still have to build something to even move our boys there... The disadvantages of being farther away are... more difficulty for our administration/unity... and maybe harder to commercially become self-sufficient...
My head and heart hurt sometimes... wondering... thinking... SO... I decided to write this email... to ask you to pray very specifically about the decisions we need to make about our boy’s project... Please pray for wisdom... and God’s clear guidance... If there is a place for us... that God would be faithful in holding it for us... making it clear... and providing what we need (not just funding... but volunteers).
THANK YOU... I feel better already... knowing you will help shoulder this burden with your prayers...
May God bless you richly... as we are so blessed by you... THANK YOU...
Lots of love, Corina for Marco and Keiden...