water pump & babies

I think my house hates me.  Since I moved in back in January, my landlords have painted the indoor walls, fixed the closet floor that had a hole to the ground below, replaced all of the plumbing, cleaned out my water tank, built up my exterior wall, and painted the wall and gates. And now my water pump is busted.  So I've been scooping water out of the tank outside with buckets since Sunday, and I'm still waiting for news about when the landlords are going to replace the pump.  

My first thought was to find a place to shower everyday and just eat out so I wouldn't have to do dishes, but I've since then realized that living this way is really not that difficult... It's just like camping, and probably half of this country lives without indoor running water. Everything just takes a little bit longer, and I have to allow time to fill up buckets from the tank out back. Half a bucket of water flushes the toilet, and I can bathe/wash my hair with just one full bucket. This is the ultimate way to conserve water.  And as far as washing dishes goes: one bowl of soapy water + one bowl of clean water for rinse #1 + another bowl for rinse #2 (because no one wants to eat off of soapy dishes) = clean dishes. Easy.

On to ministry updates...

I'm currently working with 3 pregnant teenagers.  Two of them are from the bridge and spend their time sniffing glue all day and sleeping at the night shelter.  I have very little hope for the poor little babies, but I'm going to do everything I can. Tomorrow, I'm taking them to the OB-GYN in the afternoon, and hopefully the doctor can help convince them to lay off the glue a little bit...

The other girl isn't a street kid, but she just turned 17 and is 7 months pregnant.  She and her boyfriend are really great kids, but they come from very poor families and are struggling to make ends meet. They have a room where the boyfriend works, and Skip and I have been helping them out since December. They bought a twin bed and an old stove, and we loaned them money to buy a propane tank. We've given them clothes and kitchen stuff, but other than that, they literally have nothing. This is currently weighing on my mind because I just heard about a big missionary garage sale that's happening on Saturday. In a country full of so many poor and needy people, I hope there is some good reason for missionaries to be selling their things instead of giving them away to people like this couple who really need them.

updates

The girl that was staying at my house for a few weeks is doing well and staying with another woman from the church right now.  She slipped up and spent a few days on the streets with her boyfriend but was open and honest with us about her choices at the time.  And really the whole thing just helped us to understand her thought processes and needs better so that we can help her in a more productive way. 

The boys that Nate and Javier are apprenticing in carpentry have been up and down.  The boy who was making the most progress a week ago has fallen pretty far down.  He left the home he was staying in and decided he wanted to work part-time instead of full-time.  And then yesterday, he didn't show up to go to work at all.  This boy is a little different than the others because he doesn't really ever do drugs. He's a good guy who could go far in life with just a little bit of help, but he's been on the streets for a decade. Transitioning away from that life is difficult and takes time.  

The other boy, who has doing really poorly a week ago, seems to be doing well so far this week. He's battling a serious addiction to drugs and street life, so much so that the idea of sleeping in the night shelter (a requirement for working at the shop) is almost too much for him. We spent a while talking yesterday, and he kept telling me that he just couldn't do it...  Sleeping in the shelter without drugs was too hard, and he knows that he can't work if he doesn't sleep there. So Nate and I were both praying for him throughout the afternoon, and when I went to visit the shelter last night, he was there!

it's may already

I recently had a guest from Chicago staying with me for a couple of weeks, which is always fun.  I love to see the city through the eyes of someone new because all the quirky things about Cochabamba are normal to me now. 

This visitor was especially fun because he gave me his palm pilot!  So generous!!!  I think he saw how terribly unorganized I am and felt pity.  I tend to write my daily schedule on my hand so I don't forget to do things, and I can barely keep track of what day of the week it is... So this palm pilot may be the gateway to a whole new organized life. Exciting!

So this was another busy week, and somehow May completely snuck up on me.  We got one of the boys who is working in carpentry into a home (the second one we've tried) and set him up to work full-time.  It was a big leap forward, and he was doing great, but he only lasted 5 days.  He's back to sleeping at the night shelter and working part-time.  But he's very rarely sniffing glue, and he still wants to move forward...just little by little. He's a hard worker, and we are all really encouraged by his attitude.

A couple photos of him working at Nate's shop:

I woke up yesterday to a phone call from some of the folks who helped put on the soccer game in January at the stadium for the kids from the bridge.  Someone had donated a bunch of sandwiches and juice, and they called to see if we could connect and bring the food up to the kids.  We passed out food and just hung out with the kids for a couple of hours.  They took down the kids' names and sizes and are planning to bring some sweatshirts out to them in the next couple of weeks.  I'm really pleased that they want to keep up a connection with the kids. And I spoke to the women about coordinating and planning some activities at my house for the girls from the bridge, and they're really into the idea.

A few photos of the kids from Saturday:

this week (with pictures)

The view from San Miguel on the south side of town...  I was out with one of the girls to visit her mom.  

These two kids are in a home for couples from the streets.  I took them out there earlier this month and stopped in twice to visit them this week.  

Up at the bridge with some of the girls...

Hanging out in the tunnel with the kids...

This little guy just turned 12, so I took him out for lunch.  I told him that we could go anywhere he wanted, and he picked the food stalls at the back of the market.  

Waaaay out in the campo...  Javier invited all of us involved in the carpentry work (Nate, the electrician, the boys, myself, etc.) over for dinner on Saturday, and he lives way out in the country.

What picture post would be complete without my furry babies? Woody Guthrie and Lily, cuddling on the sofa.  

Not pictured: Daily trips to the carpentry shop with the 2 boys, visits to the night shelter, a doctor's appointment with one of the girls, a visit to a home for street boys, a couple of manhunts through town for a missing girl, Spanish classes, meetings at the C&MA church with a very messed up couple, and my sick day on Monday (thanks to the parasites that are trying to kill me).

i'll call her mary

Mary is one of the many people I've met in this country that have blessed my life by their presence. 

I first got to know her a couple of months ago on the road while walking back to my house from visiting the kids.  She "works" in the area of town where I live, digging through dumpsters for plastic bottles or other recyclable goods.  She also collects all the bits of food that she can find and gives them to the stray dogs. She's like me - her heart breaks for all the starving pups.  

I see her often, and I always take time to sit and chat for a bit.  I ran into her today in a park by my house, where she was sitting under a tree with a pile of plastic recyclables.  We talked about her family, the kids that I work with, my dogs, etc...  She has a small room outside of town where she lives with one of her daughters. They're very poor and haven't had an easy life.  She shared with me some hardships that she's had to deal with, and we prayed together.  

She's coming by my house on Monday for a cup of tea.   :)

hymn 508, charles wesley

1 GOD of love, that hear'st the prayer, Kindly for thy people care, Who on thee alone depend: Love us, save us to the end.

2 Save us, in the prosperous hour, From the flattering tempter's power, From his unsuspected wiles, From the world's pernicious smiles.

3 Cut off our dependence vain On the help of feeble man, Every arm of flesh remove; Stay us on thy only love!

4 Men of worldly, low design, Let not these thy people join, Poison our simplicity, Drag us from our trust in thee.

5 Save us from the great and wise, Till they sink in their own eyes, Tamely to thy yoke submit, Lay their honours at thy feet.

6 Never let the world break in; Fix a mighty gulf between: Keep us little and unknown, Prized and loved by God alone.

7 Let us still to thee look up, Thee, thy Israel's Strength and Hope; Nothing know, or seek, beside Jesus, and him crucified.

8 Far above all earthly things, Look we down on earthly kings; Taste our glorious liberty, Find our happy all in thee!

who needs furniture?

I strive to live a simple life without many possessions or clutter, and my big desire is to someday move into something mobile - van, RV, or boat - and ditch houses altogether.  I've avoided buying any furniture so far, with the exception of a stove and a good mattress (gotta eat and sleep).  I was given a TV and microwave, and someday I'll pass them on to someone else.  As much as I don't want to own stuff, I know that empty rooms don't work well for ministry activities, and so I've been lucky to have dining room tables and other random bits of furniture come with both of the houses that I've lived in since October.  (And I've discovered that empty cardboard boxes with covers on top make for great end tables.)

At the moment, I have one of the street girls staying at my house because the night shelter has been closed for a few days.  I'm working really closely with her, and she's doing really well, so neither one of us want her to sleep up at the bridge.  I've been to her mom's "house," which is really just one room with a bed frame and straw mattress, teeny-tiny TV, a wooden shelf, and some boxes.  She tried to move in with her mom, but her mom wouldn't take her back, so we're working out Plan B.  

When she first got here, I showed her around the house (see photos here) - my bedroom with a mattress on the floor, the living room with a piece of 6" foam on the floor for a sofa, and the guestroom with another piece of 6" foam for a bed.  She looked a little puzzled and asked me, " Is this how people live in your country?"  I guess my standards are even weird for Bolivia.  

Anyway, I'm taking her to interview for a couple different jobs today. So say a prayer!!!