Beauty and Strength

The women of the highlands of Bolivia are the strongest women I have ever met. The women of El Alto, Bolivia walk long distances carrying their babies on their backs and goods to sell in their hands…

The One who is Trustworthy

The 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.

Reflections on our New Identity

Change 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.

Angst in the Red-Light District

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.

Caring for Ourselves so We Can Care for Others

Refinement in our Rebrand

Though our essence remains the same, a humble posture of service and connection with others, with Jesus at the core of it all, we also wanted to emphasize alignment, full authenticity and transparency with who we are and what we do.

My Special Place

I didn’t know that a place as special as the “House of Hope” existed. I’m not exaggerating when I say that this place is magnificent. This place not only managed to change the way I think but also my way of acting. I really don’t know how to express myself well, I can’t get the right words out in order to say that the “House of Hope” is a special place for me.…

Freedom Climber Fiona*

As a young orphan, Fiona* and her siblings were left to fend for themselves. She and her little sister fled to the streets after being sexually abused as teens. Desperate to survive and to provide for her baby as a young, single mother, Fiona unwittingly entered commercial sexual exploitation and found herself trapped there…

THE FREEDOM CLIMB

The Freedom Climb mirrors a woman’s arduous journey towards restoration. We meet her in her place of need and offer hope and opportunities for lasting change. Support her brave journey to freedom!

Free Indeed!

I 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…

Learning As We Go

Mission 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.

Abundant Life: A Life Free of Family Violence

As 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…

Humility when Tensions are High

From 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:

The Long Haul

Our 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…

Life Together

What 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.

A View of an Invisible Realit

We can all do something, from raising our voices, to volunteering or supporting from our own corner of the world, so that the “invisible” are seen. And you ... what will you do to change the world?

Mirada a una Realidad Invisible

Todos podemos hacer algo, desde alzar nuestra voz hasta ser voluntarios o apoyar desde nuestra propia realidad para que los “invisibles” sean vistos.Y tú… ¿todavía no harás nada por cambiar el mundo?

Relentless Hope

If hope was a challenge to find before, you would think that right about now we would be done. And there are days when, undoubtedly, I feel exhausted and defeated. Nevertheless, there are countless reasons for hope that continue to surprise and encourage me, reminding me of the strength and resilience of these individuals and families that inspired me to come join the ministry in the first place.

Creating Policies that Limit Exploitation through Advocacy

WMF Bolivia calls for credit card freeze on porn sites.

Choosing Radical Hope as Obedience

I have recently rejoined our Word Made Flesh community in El Alto, Bolivia after a time of maternity leave and sabbatical.

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