Filtered by Category: Reflections
When Andrés invited us to Casa Esperanza, there was so much distrust that few of us accepted. Some went only for the material help but others went because we wanted out, we wanted to see if someone could do something for us, if someone could help us leave the brothels or at least give us hope.
Read More“There is a bittersweetness to everything we do as parents. We love them, raise them and then, with a mix of pride and pain, we must let them go.”
Read MoreIn the city of El Alto, legally there's recognition that pornographic content fuels violence, gender discrimination and reinforces harmful stereotypes against women. However, putting this law into action seems like an insurmountable challenge.
Read MoreI have had the privilege to partner with Project Suma on multiple occasions, and they are very much doing God’s work in Bolivia!
Read MoreDid you know? Bolivia ranks second to last in a global study of 142 countries rating systems of criminal justice. “Someone who sexually assaults a child in Bolivia is more likely to die slipping in the shower or bathtub than to sentenced to jail for their crime.” - Gary Haugen, Founder IJM
Read MoreLa Casa de Esperanza still overlooks Carrasco Street and stands as a profound testimony of God’s power and faithfulness!
Read MoreSi no tengamos cuidado, una narración sensacionalista disfrazada de verdad no solo puede ser engañosa, sino también aumentar el miedo y el daño injustificado.
Read MoreAwareness is important and our active response is desperately needed. But first, it's important to also be informed and discerning.
Read MoreEarlier this year, to symbolically mark the passing of leadership from Founder to National Director, I gifted Doris a prayer tallit from Jerusalem…
Read MoreSeeing this community grow into itself over the past months has taught me so much about what it means to be a Christian. Christian community had never been modeled with such integrity before in my life.
Read MoreThe One who made himself accessible, disarms me. He sets aside pomp and circumstance and gives me no reason to question motives. This One knows me, is willing to sit with me in the dank spaces of my heart and get a little dirty – even when my head makes no sense at all. With a quiet whisper an invitation is extended.
Read MoreChange can be good, but it’s rarely simple.
As we considered an organizational update and independence from our long-standing sponsoring organization, Word Made Flesh, we took a lot of time as a team to identify our priorities. We wanted our new identity to show all that we hope and strive for, while also honoring our local context.
As a part of Project Suma for almost 6 years, I’ve grown to appreciate that despite our mistakes, we are different. Different, in that we accompany women and their children, starting from a place of relationship. We don’t judge from our places of comfort, but make ourselves uncomfortable, in order to meet them and thus show the face of Christ in our weakness.
Read MoreI have lived in El Alto, Bolivia almost all my life. My parents worked in the copper mines, and 30 years ago moved to the city where they raised my four sisters, my brother and me. I have watched the city limits explode, reaching out further and further. I’ve seen up close how difficult it is for migrants to learn a whole new way of life, to navigate intense poverty, limited options and racism…
Read MoreMission work has its ebbs and flows of learning effective ministry and mission tools and tricks. From saying the wrong things to practicing ineffective missional practices, we have definitely fallen short. It’s no surprise that we fall short, Romans 3:23 tells us “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Our humanity is simply incapable of being perfect, which is why we strive to continually point back to Jesus, even in the midst of mistakes and weird moments.
Read MoreAs the pandemic turned all of our lives upside down, we suddenly found ourselves at home every day, using our 220 sq. ft., two-bedroom apartment for two jobs, virtual preschool, and everything else already related to home. Though difficult some days, we were able to adjust as a family and in general enjoy some extra time together. For other families though, the strict lockdown experienced in Bolivia meant that they had to deal with an increased threat of violence, not from anything outside, but from inside their very homes…
Read MoreFrom our home, we have a panoramic view of the capital city of La Paz and her sister-city El Alto, a combined population of over 2 million people. I stood paralyzed at the edge of our overlook and watched the outbreak from afar. I could hear dynamite boom and pops of firecrackers on all sides. I saw huge smoke stacks rising in the distance from ongoing fighting and vandalism. And the nervous words of loved ones bombarded my thoughts:
Read MoreOur program begins with intervention: meeting women in brothels and health centers, building relationships and trust. We believe that if Jesus came upon someone in the road who needed healing, he would heal them. Perhaps he would never see them again, but that one interaction still had an impact, still glorified God, and was still a work of the Spirit. We believe that even if we never have the opportunity to follow up with a woman, the interactions we have in the intervention stage still make an impact…
Read MoreWhat then can we learn from the simplicity of Bolivia? For all that it may lack, Bolivia keeps me grounded. Sharing the mundane and the gritty with my neighbors is good for me. Overlapping pieces of life together highlights our shared humanity. And a slower interdependence with one other means that not only do others matter, but I matter to others as well.
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