new post.

I'm still alive.

I was away from Bolivia for just about 4 weeks visiting the US.

News to come!

la bebita.

One of the girls from the bridge gave birth to a precious little girl on Sunday afternoon, and we're all so excited. I feel super invested in this baby's life because we found out together that she was pregnant, and I've been with her every step of the way. Except for just about 3 weeks, she lived on the streets the entire time she was pregnant. So it's pretty miraculous that she carried her daughter for 38 weeks and that she was born completely healthy. Praise God!

She and the baby moved into her mom's house out in the campo. They own their house, but it's the size of a closet - maybe 10' by 10' if not smaller. And it's mostly made out of bricks and mortar but not finished. The corners are open, and in some places the bricks are just stacked together without any mortar. They have a dirt floor, but since it's been pouring rain every day, their floor is pure mud. On one half of the room, they have a stack of bricks and random pieces of wood that they've covered with foam and blankets. The mom has 3 other kids besides her teenage daughter and new granddaughter, so the 5 of them plus the baby sleep there together.

The conditions are terrible, but that's all they can afford. And the mother/grandmother is a kind, caring woman. She used to live on the streets years ago, but her life has really turned around since then. She's incredibly excited and proud to be a grandmother and has so much she can teach her daughter about being a mother, which is a HUGE blessing.

Here are a few photos:

creativity.

I love how the rainy season always brings out a crazy amount of creativity in the kids. On rainy days, water flows down the canal where they live, so they're forced to find another house.

See last year's rainy season photo here: Hole in the Wall.

This year, they made a tent on the side of the canal and filled it with discarded mattresses and foam bits that they scavenged from garbage piles.

a song for pilgrims ascending to jerusalem.

I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?

My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;

indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;

the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

We're pilgrims passing through this world on our way to Zion... We emanate light, life, and hope in this dark place... But we're in hostile territory, and the more we shine in this world, the more the Enemy tries to destroy us...

I'm currently very much aware of the constant danger my loved ones live in - whether they're here or in Kansas...

But the Maker of heaven and earth, the One who created everything that is, will and does protect us from all harm...

void.

I had a chat with a friend yesterday about street kid ministry. She's starting something with a group of kids that live at another bridge, and God's given her some wide open doors to build relationships. It's really exciting to me!

We got together to talk about that, about some of my experiences, and about methods for doing this ministry. It made me realize that I still have more questions and concerns than answers or inspired ideas.

Because of the hundreds and hundreds of hours I've spent with the kids, I feel like I really understand them. I understand how they think and view the world. I know what motivates them and what controls them. I know where they go and what they do and why they do it. But I still don't feel like I have any kind of simple solution for how to best help them leave behind the streets because when I look at the problem, all I see is a huge void where the Church should be. I'm just always reminded how lost and hurting this world is, and it absolutely breaks my heart that so many of us who say we are Believers choose to ignore and avoid the spiritual battleground that's right in front of us.

And I am mostly convinced that nothing will ever change in Bolivia until the Church starts doing her job. It's not about another center or home... What the kids need - what the world needs - is a devoted community of believers that will bear each other's burdens, care for the hurting and forgotten ones, love unreservedly, and confront evil social systems. It's not a utopian dream but something to fight for.

Anyway, here are some photos with a couple of the boys:

1 week back.

I'm still running into kids that I haven't seen since I got back to Coch last Monday... Today, I was crossing an intersection on the concrete median of a divided road (I actually have a picture of the intersection, thanks to my mom) when three boys, who I hadn't seen yet, came running, jumped on me, and about tackled me in the middle of rush hour traffic. Some of the drivers thought I was being attacked until I gave the kids big bear hugs and smooches on their cheeks.

And here are just a few photos of us hanging out in the plaza near where they wash windows...

sprouting.

I was thinking that it'd be good to sum up last year, but I don't even know where to begin. In my mind, I see it as a tangled mess of new life, tragedy, hope/hopelessness, confusion, and growth.

Looking back, I think that more than any other year, 2009 is the year that changed my life...and continues changing my life. I still have a lot left to untangle in my mind, but I'm grateful for the times of joy as well as the times of pain... for new friends as well as for old friends who've faded off into the distance... for the times of unknowing and searching as well as the times of clear direction and certainty that God was and always is leading the way... for new life and for the lessons I've learned through death... for my times of weakness that have opened me up to receiving unimaginable strength from the Father... and for the peace that I feel now looking ahead at 2010.

I found a beautiful, supportive community here last year and saw first hand just how much believers cannot live with out each other. If our triune God is community, why do we try to live independent, self-sufficient lives? Not that there was ever any question in my mind before, but I see even more clearly now just how priceless relationships based on complete trust, openness, and commitment are.

I feel like my ministry and relationships with the kids just sprouted roots last year. The plants are teeny-tiny, and there's not really any fruit yet, but the roots are solid and firm in the soil. This year will bring growth, fruit...and joy instead of heartache.

A good friend gave me scripture as a prophecy for what's to come this year. I'm posting the version from the Message...

Isaiah 61:1-11

The Spirit of God, the Master, is on me because God anointed me.

He sent me to preach good news to the poor,

heal the heartbroken,

Announce freedom to all captives,

pardon all prisoners.

God sent me to announce the year of his grace—

a celebration of God's destruction of our enemies—

and to comfort all who mourn,

To care for the needs of all who mourn in Zion,

give them bouquets of roses instead of ashes,

Messages of joy instead of news of doom,

a praising heart instead of a languid spirit.

Rename them "Oaks of Righteousness"

planted by God to display his glory.

They'll rebuild the old ruins,

raise a new city out of the wreckage.

They'll start over on the ruined cities,

take the rubble left behind and make it new.

You'll hire outsiders to herd your flocks

and foreigners to work your fields,

But you'll have the title "Priests of God,"

honored as ministers of our God.

You'll feast on the bounty of nations,

you'll bask in their glory.

Because you got a double dose of trouble

and more than your share of contempt,

Your inheritance in the land will be doubled

and your joy go on forever.

"Because I, God, love fair dealing

and hate thievery and crime,

I'll pay your wages on time and in full,

and establish my eternal covenant with you.

Your descendants will become well-known all over.

Your children in foreign countries

Will be recognized at once

as the people I have blessed."

I will sing for joy in God,

explode in praise from deep in my soul!

He dressed me up in a suit of salvation,

he outfitted me in a robe of righteousness,

As a bridegroom who puts on a tuxedo

and a bride a jeweled tiara.

For as the earth bursts with spring wildflowers,

and as a garden cascades with blossoms,

So the Master, God, brings righteousness into full bloom

and puts praise on display before the nations.

I don't know where God will take me this year, but I trust Him completely and am trying to totally surrender my life to His purpose every moment of every day. And no matter how many times I completely blow it, He still wants me and uses me.