Update Letter - December 2011

Merry Christmas!

"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.'" Luke 2:8-11 

Peace to you in this joyous season. I feel especially blessed this year to spend Christmas with my family in Colorado because the day I arrived, my beautiful new niece was born. What a sweet and awesome blessing to be near her in her first 2 weeks of life. I have really enjoyed cuddling with her and marveling at the miracle of her birth and tiny little features. And I can't help but think about the birth of the King of Kings over 2000 years ago... the Great Almighty in the form of a tiny, helpless child - the ultimate demonstration of incarnational love. 

My most favorite part of the Christmas story is the manner in which God the Father decided to send his Son to this world. The Jewish people expected the Savior to come as a powerful king, possessing an authority that no one would dare question, crushing his enemies and treading on the heads of the unrighteous. But the Lord had different plans. He chose a young, poor, unmarried girl to carry and give birth to the Messiah. He staged the epic event in an unimpressive, dirty stable. And he chose to reveal the news of Jesus' birth to a ragtag bunch of 'scum of the earth' shepherds. God chose the most meek and unlikely cast of characters to begin the story of redemption for ALL people, especially the weak, lowly, and forgotten of the world - and what great news it is!

"The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion - to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair." Isaiah 61:1-3

I am incredibly grateful for your love and support! May the gracious Lord draw near to you in this season and bring to you great joy and many blessings. Merry Christmas!

Joyful, Joyful!

We just concluded our fall quarter of the SP internship and celebrated with a special rendition of "Joyful, Joyful" from Sister Act 2. It's been a great quarter of settling deeper into ministry and community here in LA and beginning to look towards the future. Moving into this discernment season is exciting, but bittersweet since it will mean leaving the community that I've grown to love so much! 

Bolivia!

In November, a teammate and I completed a site visit to Bolivia. We had the opportunity to visit several ministries and witness the many ways in which God is at work in the city. The trip was very helpful in reaffirming my call to La Paz and I'm currently considering three different options to serve longterm in Bolivia after the internship. Check out my blog to see pictures, videos, and stories from our trip!

Prayer Requests:

- That I would stay present and finish well in L.A.
- That I would continue to be challenged and grow
- That I would hear from the Lord as I start to discern my future in Bolivia

Baby Blessing

I traveled to Colorado on Tuesday to spend time with my family... and 2 hours after I arrived, my new niece Lilah Jane Fraze was born! Wow... she has great timing! What a sweet blessing to be here to meet her on her first day in the world! It really is an incredible miracle to witness the wonders of such a new little life. We've already had some great cuddle times... and it's so fun to just hold her and marvel at her beauty. :) I feel so lucky to be a TIA, again! Enjoy these pictures of her first 2 days!

What's Next?

It’s been a couple of weeks since my site visit to Bolivia. Since returning home, I’ve been overwhelmed with the busyness of everyday life, but also drawn into contemplation about my potential future in Bolivia. I am learning to live in the tension of discerning my call for the future, but also staying fully present to my internship and community in Los Angeles. While the Lord increases my excitement for what’s next, I realize that there is still work to be done here and now. I don’t want to take that opportunity for granted.

All that said… I am also being sure to take some time for discernment and prayer about God’s call on my life to Bolivia. It was such a pleasure to be back in the place that I love so much. The Lord really reaffirmed my deep longing and compassion for that place. I feel like he is giving me the go ahead and calling me to take a step forward in faith. At this point, there seem to be three options that stand out to me as far as ministry opportunities in La Paz. I’d like to outline these options briefly (in no particular order) for you so that you can see where I’m at and begin to pray with me about when and how to return to Bolivia.

Option #1 – Word Made Flesh (WMF). I was really impressed with this ministry. The organization has similar values as Servant Partners to minister to the urban poor. They seek to come alongside the least and be a real and practical demonstration of the love of Christ. There are a handful of reasons that this particular ministry appeals to me.  First, I feel a compassion and potential call to the demographic that they work with. The ministry is focused on women in prostitution and providing an avenue of escape and restoration. They have a house near the red light district in El Alto and really focus on holistic healing and discipleship. They are also getting ready to launch a kids program for all of the young children of the women in the program. I am also drawn to the structure and clear objectives of the ministry. And as an organization, WMF really stresses discipleship in community. The staff lives in a very intimate, communal, and learning posture.

Option #2 – Serving In Mission (SIM). We didn’t get to spend a ton of time with this ministry, but we were able to connect with a couple of the SIM missionaries and were very encouraged by their ministry and commitment. The organization is very well established and has been working in Bolivia for over 100 years! As an organization, their strength lies in their experience and their diversity. The team working in La Paz is multi-generational and focused mostly on church planting and leadership development. But the best thing about SIM is that my good friends, Randy and Dani, will most likely be returning to La Paz under this organization early next year to continue their ministry with shoe shiners. While the organization in general does not have a specific focus on the urban poor, Randy and Dani have made this demographic their focus and it would be great to join them in this work, especially to a group of people that have really captured my heart.

Option #3 – Servant Partners (SP). Over the last year and a half of working under Servant Partners, I have really grown to love their mission, values, and connection to the leading of the Spirit. While a relatively new ministry, the staff is focused and passionate about bringing hope to the urban poor. I especially value and appreciate their model of incarnation, being committed to actually live alongside the poorest of the poor.  The only problem is that SP does not currently have a site in La Paz. They are open to talking about what it could look like to start a site, but first they would need a site leader and a team. I do not personally feel called or gifted to act as a team leader at this point, so would need someone else to step up and join me. The prospect of starting a new SP site is also appealing because while I am not a visionary and don’t really have the gift of apostleship, I love partnering with people that are gifted in this way. I love being involved in starting new things and addressing new issues in ministry.

Lots of cool options, right? I’m on a plane right now heading to CO to visit my family for Christmas and to welcome my new niece into the world! (My sis-in-law is in labor right now!) I’m going to meet up with my friends Randy and Dani in Denver and take through some of these options. I’m really excited to dream with them and get some wise counsel from these gifted and experienced friends. And I would appreciate your prayers as I move into a more intentional season of discernment. I’m hoping to nail down a tentative timeline soon and take a big step of faith towards getting to the field! 

Copacabana

Towards the end of our time in Bolivia, Keo and I had planned to take a short trip to the town of Copacabana on the shore of Lake Titicaca. It was originally meant to be a time of rest and reflection... but it ended up turning into more of an outreach excursion. We had invited our host Ramiro, and a couple of other guys that had helped to host us and take us around to the various ministries. Ramiro ended up not being able to go because of work commitments, so instead we took 4 of the shoeshiner guys and one of their sons. While I wouldn't necessarily call it restful, the trip was super fun and a great time with friends!

We took a minibus out of La Paz on Sunday afternoon. It was raining pretty good and sprinkled on and off throughout the journey. About 2 hours down the road we had to get off of the minibus and cross the "strait" by boat. Then we met up with our minibus on the other side and finished the last hour of the journey to Copa. We got into town around 7pm. We found a couple of rooms to rent for SUPER cheap ($1.50 per person), got settled, and then headed out for some grub. We each downed a plate of "silpancho" and then we took a stroll through the town and down to the shore of the lake. it was a chilly night, but fun to hang out, talk, and take in the scenery (which we knew was there, but couldn't necessary see).

The next morning, we rallied the troops and headed out to the market for breakfast. We enjoyed some "api", "cafe con leche", and some delicious fried dough. Thankfully the rain had passed and it was a beautiful sunny day. After breakfast, we headed over to a nearby hill that has a really cool hike of the stations of the cross. There were incredible views of the whole town and the lake from the top! ...but sadly I forgot to bring my camera on the hike. Sorry! After exploring the top for a while, we gathered and shared in a time of prayer and devotional. Rafa shared some thoughts with us and then we prayed for the Lord to be with us and teach us to walk in his ways. It was really cool to see the guys take ownership over their own discipleship.

Then we headed back to the hostel to check out and grab our things. Then we headed back down to the shore of the lake and found a dude with a boat that offered to take us out to "the floating islands". The boat ride took about 30 minutes. The islands weren't all that impressive, but that's ok, because we had really come for the fresh trout lunch! They had a series of nets attached to the man-made island which contained hundreds of trout. The dude on the island fished out a huge bunch of fish and then selected the biggest ones for us to eat. After we had our photo shoot with the trout, he cut and cleaned the fish and gave them to the cook to fry up for us! Talk about FRESH! While we waited for our lunch, we stuck our toes in the water and Keo even got up the guts to jump in. Looked like fun, but way too cold for the rest of us! In a matter of minutes our fish was fried and on our plates. I was so excited! ...so much so that I totally forgot to get a picture of the delicious fish on our plates. But let me tell you... it was SO GOOD. Before we left the island, we scurried up a little nearby hill and took some scenic pics.

After arriving back to Copacabana, we still had some time to enjoy the town before we had to head back to La Paz. We decided to rent a kayak and a paddle boat and play in the lake for a while. It was really fun to play and enjoy the sunshine! We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around the town, walking through the cathedral, and enjoying some ice cream. Around 5pm, we decided to look for transportation back to La Paz. The journey back to the city was quite eventful... but we eventually made it home after a super fun excursion!

Lustrabotas

Since our host in Bolivia is the head of the lustrabota (shoeshiner) ministry called Kayuparu, we spent lots of time with shoeshiners. I loved hanging out with these guys because these are people that I spent so much time with during my internship with Youth for Christ in 2006. Since this last stint of ministry in Bolivia, God has done an incredible work of redemption among this population of men. The shoeshiner population in Bolivia is an often overlooked and/or condemned people. Their work is often seen as lowly or shameful and many shoeshiners wear ski masks to conceal their identity and protect themselves and their families from shame. Often, shoeshiners are viewed as drunks, thieves, and a general nuisance to society. These are the guys that I really grew to know and love during my time in Bolivia. I felt loved and protected by these new friends of mine and longed for the redemption of their reputations and their souls.

When we first started studying the bible with shoeshiners in La Paz in 2006, there was one self-professed Christian in the bunch - David. My missionary friend, Randy, dedicated his ministry to this population of shoeshiners and was an incredible example of Christ's love for these guys. Randy started discipling a small group of shoeshiners, but saw very little fruit from his long, hard labor of love before he returned to the States for a season. But the seeds were most definitely planted. Our host, Ramiro, was one of Randy's disciples and has been completely transformed by the love of Christ. It's absolutely incredible to witness this changed soul. And now, Ramiro is acting as the leader of the ministry to the shoeshiners. His heart is to see the redemption and salvation of his friends and brothers. Though the strongholds of darkness are many in this population, transformation is occurring and light is pouring in.

On Tuesday evenings Ramiro leads a group of the guys and friends in ministry on a prayer walk around the city. They cry out and intercede for their friends - on the soccer court, at the shoeshiner project, on the streets where the guys shine, etc. Ramiro is leading them to boldly proclaim the promises of Christ and plead for the salvation of their friends. What an incredible experience to prayer with these guys! I was overwhelmed with joy while witnessing my old friends interact with the Almighty and cry out to him without shame or doubt. Praise God for the incredible work he has and is doing among these men. The fields are ripe for harvest and I eagerly await to see the Lord continue to move in a powerful way.

It was also a great joy to introduce Keo to this wonderful group of people. In addition to hanging out with the guys, playing soccer with them, sharing meals with them, travelling with them, we were able to truly experience the world of a shoeshiner by putting on a mask and going to the streets to work. A friend, Rafa, acted as our guide and teacher. He taught us how to properly shine, how to interact with the clients, and gave us many opportunities to practice our new skills. I had shined once or twice before, but it was great to get more experience. And it was so cool to hear more of Rafa's testimony. He left shoeshining for a while, but felt like God was calling him back to it. God has given him a renewed passion and has redeemed this work for him, calling all good work holy in the eyes of the Lord. What a blessing to work with such a pro! He really enjoys his work and delights in his customers. God has given this man great joy in his work and has made him a great example for others.

The shoeshiner population is still very near and dear to my heart. If the opportunity arises, I would love to continue working alongside this ministry. There is a great need also for people to labor in ministry among the female shoeshiners. This need will remain in my heart and prayers as I discern the Lord's will for my future work in Bolivia.

Ministry with Niños!

During our time in Bolivia, we visited several ministries that work with kids. Being that Keo and I both currently work with kids here in LA, it was very exciting to see some of the ways that God is at work among the children of La Paz and El Alto.

First, we visited a small church in El Alto called Bethesda. During the week, the church hosts an after/before school program. The kids in the city only go to school for a half day, so for the other half of the day, they hang out at the church - working on homework and doing other assignments. The church also has several small business ventures (sewing, baking, and chocolate-making) that they are using to train women in the community in new skills and bring in some income for the after-school program. They also have a micro-finance business for women in the community. The ministry hopes to become self-sufficient with the help of all of these small businesses and a blessing and financial help to the members of the church and surrounding neighborhood. It was very exciting to hear about everything that they are doing. The ministry has been around for about a decade and they emphasized that it was been a very slow road to growth, but the Lord continues to provide for their work as they take small steps of faith.

Our day with the ministry was really great. We shared a warm drink and snack with the pastor and program director when we arrived and learned more about the kids and their vision for the ministry. Then we got a tour of their facilities and learned more about each of their business ventures. Then we got to spend about 30 mins in one of the younger classes, hanging out with the kids and helping them color and construct little paper houses "built on the rock". Then we were able to buy a mid-morning snack of salteñas and soda for the kids. What a joy to provide this special treat for them. Then we went up to the high school class, introduced ourselves, told them about our desire to learn more about God's work in Bolivia, and answered many questions that they had about American culture and education. We felt a little like movie stars. We ended our time with the ministry by meeting once again with the pastor and program director. We discussed their needs and desires for the future and asked questions about the spiritual climate of the city and the ways in which the city is still in bondage to darkness and in need of the liberation of Christ.

We were very inspired and encouraged by the work of this ministry. God is most definitely at work in that place. It was difficult, however, to envision ourselves working in a full time capacity for the ministry. The ministry is fully Bolivian run and operated. It seems that the ways in which a foreigner might be most useful is in partnership and getting the word out about their ministry, providing connections and support. Bethesda was a great example of a holistic approach to ministry and could potentially be a great partner in ministry if a Servant Partners site were to launch in the city. So, we'll keep that in mind for now.

The second kids ministry that we visited was called Qhanawara, which is a K-6 after-school program on the outskirts of El Alto. The community that it served was very humble and was so far out of the city, that it was starting to look more rural and agricultural. I think the program was started by a Swiss woman in partnership with the Bolivian community. They have a handful of Bolivian teachers and counselors for the kids. The space was small and humble, but it was obvious that the kids were cared for and enjoyed the safe and encouraging environment.

The day we visited happened to be the last day of the semester in which they had invited the parents to come and see all of the work that they had done over the last few months and presented certificates to all of the kids. It was really fun to see all of the impressive crafts that the kids had completed throughout the year. Also, the youngest kids performed a rendition of "the boy who cried wolf" - which had Keo and I rolling with laughter. They were so cute in their sheep masks and especially cute when they hugged each other in fear of the wolf. Man, I wish we had a video of it... so funny! After the ceremony, we hung out and shared a meal with everyone. Then we went out to the courtyard and played soccer with a bunch of the boys. I love how easy it is to connect with people over soccer! ...too bad more girls don't play. :(

Again, we were very encouraged and inspired by the ministry of Qhanawara. They are providing a great service to the children and the community. It is a place of love and proclamation of the love of Christ. But again, it was hard to see where we could fit into the ministry. It is a small, Bolivian run ministry that seems to be doing very well on its own. It doesn't seem very natural for a foreigner to come into a full time position with the program. But again, it is a great ministry that could be a good potential partner is ministry among the community at large. It is a ministry that I would love to visit and get to know more in the future.

Finally, on our last day in Bolivia, we visited a ministry called Kaya Children International, which works with street children in La Paz. They have three homes for boys and an after-school program. They have done a good amount of street outreach in the past in which they meet the kids and invite them off of the streets. At this point though, they seem to be more focused on the children that they currently have in their program, supporting them as they learn to live in a house with a "family". Each of the houses has 8-12 boys and an adult couple that act in a parental role for the boys. They intentionally keep the numbers very low in the houses in order to limit the chaos and focus their energies - quality over quantity. Because of these small, focused houses, they have had really good success rates of boys making it through the entire program and successfully entering healthy adulthood.

During our visit, we ate lunch at the after-school program and met some of the kids. We got to talk with one of the full time staff (an American missionary kid) about the program and learned more about their current work of reaching out to the families of the kids. Despite having housing options of the kids, their ultimate goal is always to be in communication with the family in hopes of reintegrating the kids with their biological parents. While the family situations are often quite broken, they hope and work towards redemption and healing of this relationship. It's a difficult and often messy ministry. But we were encouraged by their hearts and passion to work with this very vulnerable population. They are a large and growing ministry with many opportunities to join in the work. For some reason, I didn't really feel called to join this ministry, but I'm still going to keep them in mind for now.