We give thanks to God for the construction of new rooms and spaces for WMF Bolivia.
For S and D, that they would be completely free of their alcohol addiction and that God would restore their families.
For the children that are separated from their [...]
• Gracias a Dios por todos los voluntarios y equipos de diferentes iglesias que nos apoyaron en la realización de la Escuela Vacacional en la Casa de Esperanza.
• Por S. que su consuelo para ella y su familia provengan de Dios.
• Por M. y sus hijos, que la paz de Dios gobierne su familia.
• Por [...]
From Cara Strauss.
We had a staff reflection on the new logo this morning, and we’ll probably have another one next month. But I wanted to share a few of the reflections with you.
Victoria Quispe–Birds don’t have much need, and they proclaim that by singing in the morning. There’s always a space for them, no matter [...]
From Heather Goertzen.
Last Wednesday our dear cook, Feliza Mamani, shared in devotional on John the Baptist:
In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:
“A voice of one calling in [...]
From Cara Strauss.
A recent meeting held at Casa de Esperanza among the local syndicate of sex workers that we work with revealed deep divisions and distrust of the leadership. However, the meeting confirmed the safety that the women feel in Casa de Esperanza, and renewed many old friendships.
From Heather Goertzen.
Every first Friday of the month, our friends who prostitute gather early for work to participate in ch’alla. Ch’alla is a collective offering, burning of incense in which they offer prayers to Pachamama (Mother Earth) for protection, prosperity, etc. Our friends are often obligated to participate by brothel owners and management. Every first [...]
What do you do with broken tile and wet cement on the sidewalk outside the House of Hope?
Make a mosaic, of course!
Heather Goertzen is reading Ted Loder’s Guerrillas of Grace:
Catch me in my anxious scurrying, Lord,
and hold me in this Lenten season:
hold my feet to the fire of your grace
and make me attentive to my mortality
that I may begin to die now
to those things that keep me
from living with you
and with my neighbors on this earth;
to [...]
From Cara Strauss, Oct. 1, 2008.
Today is the 5th year anniversary of the Casa de Esperanza, our drop-in center for women in prostitution. It was a gala affair, complete with a baked potato buffet, music, a short message, and a five foot tall paper tree on which the women hung their Hope Leaves.
I hid in [...]
From Heather Goertzen, Sept. 14, 2008.
I heard him say, “Come to me.
My burden is light
and gives way to clarity.”
-Caitlyn Turner (& Jesus)
(http://www.hopefoundation.org.au)
She’s a beautiful Aussie chic, who’s about the work of freedom, of love, of the kingdom. She’s one of many I spent last week with at an international conference for Christians involved in works [...]