Filtered by Category: Staff Updates
Recently, our family camped on the shores of Lake Titicaca. I sat on the pebbled beach to enjoy the view, and as the waves gently rolled back and forth, I was struck by the sound of tumbling rocks beneath the water—a quiet rumbling beneath the placid surface. It seems a fitting metaphor for Bolivia right now.
Read MoreWhen I was nine years old, he said, "I believe in you. I know that one day you will lead something significant…
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 MoreWe were thrilled to be able to spend time with the team and learn about the fantastic and life changing work Project Suma does for victims of trafficking.
Read More“The only value I knew was my body.” - Bonnie, FCF
Read MoreThe 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…
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 MoreI have recently rejoined our Word Made Flesh community in El Alto, Bolivia after a time of maternity leave and sabbatical.
Read MoreThe first two coronavirus patients were diagnosed in Bolivia on Wednesday, and already life has been turned upside-down.
Read MoreOften times, the day-to-day of life in ministry can become meetings, budgets, endless reports… I often struggle, especially during the first couple of months of the year when our programs are slower, to remember the real issue at hand.
Read MoreWe don't love the word "rescue" in the context of prostitution and trafficking work, because the implication is that WE missionaries and social workers are doing the heroic and dangerous work of swooping in and carrying women away from this life, Indiana Jones-style. That's not what we do.
Read MoreI was running errands with my daughters when a teenager with a duffel bag swung over his back stopped me and asked if I could spare some change for food. His name was Jesús. Sometimes God isn’t too subtle when He chooses to wrap Himself up in the guise of his suffering children.
Read MoreUpdate is from one of our interns in Bolivia. Michaela is a senior at Anderson University and is completing her degree in International Relations and Spanish. She will be working in the community center while in Bolivia. We are excited for her as she joins our Bolivia community for a couple months!
Read MoreWhile most five-year-old boys are playing fearlessly among a multitude of friends, Franz,* with a limited vocabulary was timidly saving his own life and that of his family.
Read MoreMy host family is kind, welcoming and incredibly patient with my Spanglish :). There are six kids all living at home between the ages of 15 and about 27 which makes for a lot of energy and good community.
Read MorePerhaps all too often I can get caught up in the weight of this work, the difficulty of true healing processes, and thus trying to take seriously what we do, which is certainly merited. But what if the most healing, therapeutic thing we can do is to hug our child or draw together or laugh?
Read MoreRecently, a staff member was ready to hand in his resignation after an exhausting (and rather loud) conflict with one of the women. I listened to his frustration, and realized that he was stuck seeing the small, bloody fights, but couldn't step back to see his vital place in the bigger war.
Read MoreAs soon as I arrived, I became an emotional wreck for days, feeling the tears well up inside me at any given moment and for no explainable reason. After a sob therapy session, I took some time in the prayer room to quietly reflect - tried to breathe deeply, to quiet my body and mind that had been racing in preparation for this trip.
I began to walk the labyrinth in the center of the room, slowly following the lines set before me.
And as I walked…. I realized how very alone I feel.
“Human trafficking,” she said, “that’s my thing,” as if it were a dessert affinity or a favorite dog breed, the selected piggy bank for her charitable thoughts or pennies – this was her proclaimed issue of choice, her thing.
Read MoreOver the last few months, we’ve been praying – quietly, fervently, patiently awaiting the Lord’s provision.
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