Well... it has been a long time... it sounds like a lame excuse (but it is true!!!), we have been plagued with computer/internet/phone problems on and off for basically 6 weeks... I think it is my Achilles tendon... and the enemy knows how to get me uptight... me being quite illiterate computer/technology wise... sigh... but I think everything is back in order... so I wanted to send a quick note to let you know that we are alive and well...
There have been so many things I’ve wanted to share with you... and ask for your prayers... but I haven’t been able to... This weekend I will try and write an update about how El Jordán is doing...
On Monday, something happened that filled me with joy... Early that morning we had gotten home from 10 days of being in Peru visiting Marco’s family... This is the first time in 19 years that Marco has been able to travel... go back home... and be reunited with his father... His mom and siblings came for our wedding and different occasions but his dad’s health didn’t allow him to travel... We are SO thankful for the blessing of being “completely free” to travel, with no ghosts of the past to stop us... Thank you God...
Anyhow... one of the reasons why I wanted to get back for Monday was for my Bible Study with the “new girls” that want to learn more about God... I love teaching the girls... and its always extra special to teach people who have very little, if any, background in their knowledge of God... The “new girls”, especially at the beginning, tend to be quite erratic in their attendance so its always a bit of a challenge to know how/what to teach... Well... Mery isn’t a “new girl”... I’ve known her for about 14 years... and she has been coming to El Jordan for about 3 years... but she has never been in a Bible study (although in every class we have a small devotional...)
When I first met Mery on the streets she had sores on her legs... her abusive boyfriend would repeatedly kick and hit her legs... The trauma upon trauma resulted in terrible ulcers... which with the unhygienic life of the streets, never got better (and often got worse)... She still has one ulcer that has never healed... still causing pain and some limping... You might wonder why these girls would stay in abusive relationships... for Mery it was just a part of life... that started with terrible physical and emotional abuse from her own father... including getting her head slammed against the wall repeatedly... she remembers this happening from the time she was about six... When she was about 13 or 15 she escaped to the streets of Santa Cruz, never getting involved in addictions... but always trapped in abusive relationships with different drug addicts/street guys...
Edgar seemed to have it a bit more together... although he still had some problems with addictions, it was him who encouraged Mery to leave the streets... that his mother would accept them into her little room... Things seemed fine for a while... but the whole abuse started again – physically at the hands of Edgar...and psychologically with the degrading comments from the mother in law... They had four children together... and the vicious cycle continued...
Mery started coming to El Jordan to learn a practical skill that could help provide for the needs of her children and herself... Unfortunately she has very, very little dexterity in her hands... and she can’t retain facts, things that she learns in her mind... Poor Mery kept on trying different classes... while us volunteers kept hoping and praying that there would be something that she could learn and do well... Last year we started a course just for her... (and one other girl in the same situation)... where there was individual attention/teaching without the pressure of other girls learning in half a class what Mery might never master in the whole course... She has a very hard time reading and even a harder time writing... comprehension of what she reads is low... When we would talk about the salvation, forgiveness and new life God offers to anyone who believes in Christ and accepts him... I would also cringe a bit and wonder really how much Mery understood... She would repeat certain things that she had heard... but I never saw a true, simple comprehension of the Truth... She was also haunted with a dark oppression... that would follow her and scare her...
Last year the abuse finally got unbearable... Edgar was hitting rock bottom with his addictions... and Mery was the one who suffered the most I think... Her mother in laws comments influenced the children so that even they would treat her like dirt... Mery made the choice to leave... Edgar passed away on December 13th... looking 50 years older than his 30ish years... John 10:10 talks about the thief, the devil, who comes to destroy, rob and kill... You can see in Edgar’s life and death exactly that... the enemy slyly offers a “refuge”, fun or diversion in drugs, drinking etc... but then comes later with the bill... which can only be paid with your life... unless you accept Christ’s payment of your debt...
In Mery we have seen a new freedom, relief since then... and she has been working at getting back into her room – that Edgar had wrecked (and sold anything sellable)... Mery has become the queen of hair scrunchies... In the one on one class, the teachers basically spent the whole year very patiently teaching, reteaching, showing Mery how to use scissors and cut straight... She now makes amazing scrunchies (each one has about 80 hand cut squares of material that she threads onto a piece of elastic... She regained custody of two of her children...
To start off our Bible study on Monday I asked each girl to share something good and something bad that had happened to them in the last couple weeks... Mery was the first one to answer... The difficult situation was her daughter being rebellious, running away after school and not obeying... the good thing was that “God told me everything was going to be okay... that I was his daughter and He was my father... that I should be encouraged, not give up and keep on following Him.” I told her to keep explaining... She nodded and said, “Yea... I talk with God... and He answers me... and you remember what used to haunt me?? I’m not bothered by that anymore...”
I believe that God in His great love, grace and mercy... chose to make himself known and understood by Mery... knowing that wouldn’t happen by her reading the written word of God...or by someone teaching her... He had a little chat with her... like a dad with his little daughter on his lap... explaining something very clearly and patiently...
It was beautiful to hear... such simplicity... such faith and certainty... Thank you God... the last part of that verse in John 10 says that Christ comes to give life... and life in abundance... We are seeing a glimpse of that life in Mery...
...and that is the prayer and desire we have for everyone who comes through the door at El Jordan...
Thanks for being a part of this ministry...
Lots of love,
Corina (for Marco and Keiden...)