My Christmas Heroes... Christmas on the Streets in Bolivia

Details

Published: Tuesday, 29 December 2009 16:46

Written by Corina Clements Soria

Belated Merry Christmas to all of you… and an early Happy New Year!!! 

Here we are... getting over that slightly dizzy feeling that you have when you just get off a merry go round... Christmas on the Streets is over for another year... and we’re catching up on our rest and everything else that was put on hold for the last couple weeks...  It sometimes seems like it never happened... but my infected thumb (from a pork bone splinter) reminds me every time I bang it, someone squeezes it, or I need it to hold on to something, that YES,  Christmas on the Streets came and went... 

 Christmas on the Streets  always amazes me... how so many people and churches join together to:

1/ gather all the donations

2/ prepare and cook food for 5,000 people in a place not meant to be a kitchen

3/ take the food and message to street people and extremely needy people ALL over the city

4/ clean up and get El Jordán looking and smelling like it is supposed to...

Wow... its amazing to think about... and even more amazing to see happen...

Read more ...

Purity and Loneliness

Details

Published: Sunday, 29 November 2009 16:46

Written by Corina Clements Soria

Liliana came to El Jordan for several years...  no one has yet topped her incredible smile... but sadly, she has been back on the streets for a couple years...  Pura is Liliana’s younger sister... with huge eyes and a great laugh...  When she was only 12 years old, she already looked 18…  Whenever I’d visit their house (actually, a metal container), she’d come up behind me and give me a HUGE hug - until I begged for mercy and a bit of air...

I went to the streets on Monday night with Nelly (one of our students)...  Keiden was the center of attention...  He’s small enough to not see dirt, scars, tattoos or glue bottles being hidden away... he only sees smiling faces and obligingly gives back huge smiles that make his whole face shine...

Read more ...

God's Ways

Details

Published: Monday, 24 August 2009 15:46

Written by Corina Clements Soria

We have our monthly chapel this next Friday... and are expecting it to be very special... but first, I should tell you about our chapel in July.  We’ve been asking our speakers to commit to three chapels in order to have more continuity in the teaching.  In June, William Soliz started a special series especially for couples.   In July, taking advantage of “Friendship Day” to invite and attract more people, we started off our chapel with few games... and ended up with a special snack (everyone got a homemade personal pizza!!!)...  130 people came!!! ...including kids (45), teenagers (20!) and volunteers... some couples came who have never been out to chapel before...  Before everyone separated into their different classes our place was overflowing...

I didn’t hear all of William’s talk because I was in the kitchen... but at the end, I heard him urging couples who were having problems in their relationship to come forward for prayer...  three couples came forward and four girls whose partners hadn’t come...  The three men don’t come to El Jordan regularly and are known to  never admit that they might have a problem...   It was pretty amazing to witness them bowing their heads, asking God to work in their lives and families. 

Read more ...

An Update On The Girls

Details

Published: Tuesday, 11 August 2009 15:46

Written by Corina Clements Soria

In my last letter I mentioned quite a few people and situations... and just wanted to let you know where some of them are at...

Eisa...  ended up losing her baby...  She didn’t get a D and C right away and several days later, seriously hemorraged...   Please continue to pray for her...  She felt like she was dying... and panicked about leaving her kids behind...  Eisa is one of our students who hasn’t put her faith in Christ yet... so please pray with us that this whole situation might bring her to the point of seriously considering life... faith... God... and eternity...

***

I’ve been “substitute teaching” for my substitute teacher these last couple Fridays... the Bible Study that  Lupe is in...  She came into El Jordán smiling from ear to ear... Our gynecologist had requested a pap smear... which came back with no signs of malignant cells -  I think we should show the results to the “gynecologist – specialist” who so confidently showed his students, “Look...this lady has the beginnings of cancer”!!!

Read more ...