Thankful for Lice

Last week I discovered that I had head lice. It had already been a pretty overwhelming week, so the lice sort of put me over the edge. I felt icky and frustrated and ended up having a good cry.

Immediately after realizing I had lice, a particular scene from one of my favorite books came to mind. The book is called The Hiding Place, by Corrie Ten Boom, and it relates her and her family's story of faith during World War II and the Holocaust. They felt it was their duty as Christians to hide jews from the Nazis in their home. They were eventually found out, causing the Nazis to send the whole family off to concentration camps along with their Jewish friends. Corrie and her sister Betsie eventually ended up in the same barracks at a harsh extermination camp in Germany called Ravensbruck. Despite the many hardships and dreadful conditions, they shared the bible with many other prisoners, bringing the hope and light of Christ into the darkness.

Despite being stripped down to nothing and being heavily searched, God miraculously helped Corrie to sneak her small bible past the guards. Shortly after arriving at Ravensbruck, the sisters were assigned to the same barracks. The place was nasty - dark, filled with a rotting stench, and swarming with fleas. In their frustration, the sisters were reminded of the bible passage that they had read earlier that morning. "Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). They decided that God was calling them to give thanks for every aspect of their new barracks, even the fleas. At first Corrie thought it was ridiculous to be thankful for the fleas, but little did she know how thankful they would be. Due to the serious flea infestation, the guards never visited their barracks. Because there was little to no surveillance, Corrie and Betsie were able to hold multiple bible studies each day. The fleas had truly turned out to be a huge blessing!

Now, when I discovered my lice friends, I definitely was not feeling very thankful. I felt annoyed and frustrated and dirty and upset. But as I reflected on this scene and the verse from Thessalonians, God slowly started to change my heart. As my roommate picked through my hair, a subtle smile came to my face. I felt so thankful to have such an amazing friend that was willing to pick lice and nits out of my hair. We were already close, but this unique event brought us even closer. The next day I was supposed to go to a sleepover with some of the women from the ministry. I felt gross and didn't want to infect anyone else with my friends, so I decided not to go. But when I told the girls why I didn't want to go, they insisted that I change my mind. The evening of the sleepover, it poured rain, deterring many of the women from coming. I was the first to arrive and the gracious host and her daughter offered to inspect my scalp. For at least half an hour, I laid on her bed, with my head in her lap, as they patiently combed through my hair. Once again, a wave of thankfulness washed over me. Not only were they not grossed out by my unfortunate situation, but they were eager to serve me in such an intimate way. We too were brought to a deeper level of friendship.

So while I have much work to do in my heart before I can honestly give thanks in every circumstance, today I feel thankful (at least a tad) for head lice. This is God's will for me in Christ Jesus. And while head lice didn't seem like such a great thing at first, the Lord has shown me the hidden blessing.

Hiking the Takesi

Last weekend I went backpacking! We hiked the Takesi trail, a pre-Columbus Incan trail, that starts in the mountains near La Paz and weaves its way down into the Yungas, a high-elevation jungle.

While I have become quite the city girl, it's always such an amazing blessing to get out of the city and connect with nature. And Bolivia has some AMAZING natural beauty. I hail from Colorado, which is an absolutely beautiful state. But there is nothing like this in Colorado. The landscape goes from barren, rocky mountains (over 15,000 ft at the pass summit) to lush, green jungle with huge blue rivers. From random llamas and donkeys to parrots and toucans. And the transition happens so fast! The hike takes about 3 days, at a very leisurely pace, but it feels like you're walking from one world to another.

Here's a couple photos for you to enjoy, but there are many more on Facebook that you can find here: https://www.facebook.com/ali.fraze/media_set?set=a.10101901688338223.1073741828.10211349&type=1

A Resurrection People

"There are Christians who have hysterical reactions,
as if the world would have slipped out of God's hands.
They act violently as if they were risking everything.

But we believe in history;
the world is not a roll of the dice going toward chaos.
A new world has begun to happen since Christ has risen…

Jesus Christ, we rejoice in your definitive triumph…
with our bodies still in the breach
and our souls in tension,
we cry out our first 'Hurrah!'
till eternity unfolds itself.

Your sorrow now has passed.
Your enemies have failed.
You are a definitive smile for humankind.

What matter the wait now for us?
We accept the struggle and the death;
because you, our love, will not die!

We march behind you,
on the road to the future.
You are with us
and you are our immortality!

Take away the sadness from our faces.
We are not in a game of chance…
You have the last word!

Beyond the crushing of our bones,
now has begun the eternal 'alleluia!'
From the thousand openings of our wounded bodies and souls there arises now a triumphal song!

So, teach us to give voice to your new life throughout all the world.
Because you dry the tears from the eyes of the oppressed forever…
and death will disappear…"

-Written by Jesuit Father Luis Espinal who was assassinated on March 22, 1980, in La Paz, Bolivia, by paramilitary forces. He wrote this meditation shortly before his death.

A Perfect Bolivian Weekend

I've been in La Paz now for exactly 2 weeks. It has been another difficult transition time, but also an exciting and life-giving time. While I struggle to find my place here with friends, ministry, church, housing, etc, I am also just so thankful to be here, to make a longterm commitment to this place that I love so much. I have a pretty random schedule these days as I have to stay flexible in order to work on my residency process. But this flexibility has allowed me the time to wander around this amazing city and spend time connecting with old and new friends.

This past weekend was super full, but with so much goodness. On Saturday I met up with a Bolivian friend that works with the ministry here.  The current hope is to look for an apartment in her neighborhood. For one, it's on the border between El Alto and La Paz so it provides access to work in El Alto as well as to fun and friends in La Paz. Also, there are several young single women that live in the neighborhood. The biggest question around housing has been whether it would be possible to have a tight and encouraging community that is also close to El Alto, in order to get to know the lifestyle of the people and be close to the women we work with. Anyways… on Saturday, my friend gave me a tour of her neighborhood. We also got to visit a few available apartments. Most were really small and dark, but we saw one that was brand new and sunny and nice! We'll see what happens with it… Then we went to a family's house that my friend knows from church. We ate lunch and enjoyed fun conversation with the whole family.

Saturday also happened to be Day of the Dead here in Bolivia. You can read more about the tradition here. A friend of mine invited me to accompany him and his cousin to the cemetery. They brought flowers for their grandma's grave and prayed for their friends and family and all the people at the cemetery. The place was packed! Flowers and bread everywhere, fervent prayers recited aloud, and bands playing and singing to honor the dead. It was a pretty crazy experience, but I really appreciated it. I think it's so cool that time is set aside to remember loved ones that have passed away and honor their memory. I was thinking about my grandma that passed away a year and a half ago… and my granddad that misses her so much!

After wandering through the crowded streets, we eventually found streets that were open to traffic. I found a minibus and made the journey to another friend's house on the other side of town. Her husband is out of town, so she hosted a girls night. We played some board games, had some wine and chocolate and watched a movie. It was really nice!

Sunday I went to church and got to connect with old friends. After church, I went to lunch with some great friends and made some new ones. We laughed and ate and had a great time. After lunch, the guys went to go play soccer. And while I really wanted to join them, I didn't have any shoes with me. So instead, I got to join the girls for an impromptu visit to the zoo! The zoo here is actually really big and has mostly animals native to Bolivia. The jaguars were my favorite. We walked and walked and eventually had to rush home. Unfortunately, it took us quite a while to find transportation. Finally, a random minibus driver had pity on us and agreed to take us back to civilization.

I made it home around 6pm, and was totally exhausted, but also so thankful for a fun and beautiful Bolivian weekend. (Really wish I had pictures to share with you… sorry!) I'm looking forward to next weekend when I get to get out of the city and do some backpacking!

Check it out!

Several people have expressed interest in sending care packages to Bolivia! I know it can be pretty expensive to send a package all the way to South America, but I cannot tell you how HUGELY encouraging they can be! And if you don't have the dough to send a package, a letter or postcard is also an incredible blessing!

In order to help you in your care package assembly, I have included a short list of highly desirable items. (Check out the new side bar to the right!) I will change/add/subtract items as needs/cravings change. To keep in mind... there is no guarantee that your letter/package will actually arrive within the estimated time or even at all, so please don't send anything extremely valuable or perishable.

Any other questions, please feel free to comment or send me an email! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

Language School

So I just finished my six weeks of language school in Cochabamba. Sadly, I'm no expert in Spanish yet. BUT, I did see some improvement and it was a great review of all of the grammar rules that I learned back in high school. I'm pretty confident that I have all of the information I need to really succeed in the language. All I need now is LOTS of everyday conversation to build up the confidence and fluidity that I lack.

I really enjoyed the language school. There was an amazing team of teachers. Each of us students had 4 one-on-one classes per day with different teachers and then we got a whole new team of teachers every two weeks. Each teacher had a unique style and strength. In addition to language classes, there were lots of other fun activities organized through the school. We had Bolivian folkloric dance classes on Wednesday afternoons and volleyball on Thursday afternoons. I also got to hike one of the nearby peaks (Mt. Tunari) with a group of students, guided by one of the maintenance staff. The language school was a really beautiful and unique community experience.

My favorite part of my experience in language school was the amazing people that I got to meet. There were students from all over the world, many of whom were Catholic Church workers. Though our time together was short, we really got to know each other and enjoy each other. Going out for pizza and beer was our favorite bonding activity. :) Since we got so close so fast, it was really sad to leave. But it was also exciting to be able to send each other off to our new adventures, all across Bolivia and Latin America. I was also so thankful to live with a wonderful host family. They made me feel loved and welcomed and part of the family. They had a daughter pretty close to my age, which was fun. And my favorite memory with them was when we talked about animal noises in our respective languages. We were rolling on the floor laughing! ...who knew animals spoke such different languages around the world?

It's sad to close another chapter, but I am so thankful for my experience at language school. And while I'm really looking forward to getting settled into life in La Paz, it's also a little daunting to think about moving into yet another season of transition. My mind races as I think about all the details to figure out and all of the unknowns in this coming chapter. Everyday is a new lesson in releasing control and trusting that the Lord has good things in this new season. It will probably be a month or two until I am settled into a house and working normal hours with the ministry. But one step at a time, La Paz is becoming my new home, and I am so grateful.

Enjoy some pictures from my time in Cochabamba!

https://plus.google.com/photos/104961006720563856604/albums/5937722150461040993?authkey=CLuO2_XEqOGoMQ

Evangelism, Discipleship, and Culture

I arrived in Bolivia one week before starting language school in order to attend a 3-day conference hosted by Word Made Flesh here in Bolivia. Two members of the Mission Society, one of which was the seminary professor of our ministry director here, travelled to Bolivia to teach during these three days. So many people signed up for the conference that we were way beyond the capacity of the small retreat center where the conference was hosted. People came from all over Bolivia, including over 50 pastors, as well as missionaries from around the world that work in Bolivia. 

The major themes of the conference were (1) sharing the gospel across cultural barriers and (2) the importance of discipleship in the church and how to do it well. The teaching was awesome! And it was so fun to watch the reactions and reception of all the different people at the conference. In Bolivia alone, there are so many different people groups! And historically, the church has been quite divided across denominations, people groups, and generations. So it was really cool to see so many different regions and denominations represented at the conference. And it was clear that the teaching really shook many pastors out of their comfort zones, in a good way. It was really cool and challenging to reflect on the core truths of the gospel and discern what we might be tempted to add to the gospel from our own cultural framework. 

Making Bolivia My Home

I arrived here in Bolivia over a week ago now. It's still very surreal to be here. I've had the desire to make a long-term commitment to Bolivia for several years now. But knowing the somewhat indefinite length of my commitment makes everything feel very different. While I was so excited to land in La Paz (especially since there was snow on the ground!), I instantly felt a little panicked. "Holy crap, I just moved to Bolivia." 

And along with this long-term commitment comes many new logistics to figure out. I can no longer enter as a "tourist" and come and go as I please. I entered the country with a "specific purpose visa," demonstrating my intention to make a legitimate commitment to this place. With my visa, I have 30 days to complete my application for residency. (But at this point it's more like 20 days!) It's difficult not to feel overwhelmed and slightly clueless about the process. I'm trying not to let my anxiety overtake me. 

This first week or so here has been full of emotions - great excitement and anticipation, joy in reuniting with good friends, anxiety about all of the unknowns, and extreme sadness to be so far from my family. Since I've spent quite a bit of time here in Bolivia and already feel quite sure of my love for this country and its people, I seem to have skipped over the typical honeymoon period of living in a new place. I seem to have jumped right into culture shock. The difficult thing about culture shock is that there's really no telling how long it will last. I can feel myself grieving the distance from my family and friends, a process which cannot be rushed or pushed aside. 

While I am truly excited to be here and make this place my home, I have come to realize that this process will not come without some major stretching and growing pains. One moment I am marveling at the reality of being here, but the next moment I find myself struggling to find joy in the pain of this grieving period. I seem to always be on the verge of tears. 

I often find hope and consolation in the Psalms, and today the Lord brought me to these verses in Psalm 94: "When I said, ' My foot is slipping,' your love, O Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul." (Ps 94:18-19)

So it's in this valley that I find consolation from the Lord. While I am currently overwhelmed with anxiety and grief, I have great hope that the Lord will lead me to a place of great joy. My heart is full of anticipation for the future, for the day when Bolivia truly will be my home. 

Spreading Love thru Coffee

A couple of friends of mine here in Denver opened a coffee shop in April. Not only do they serve delicious specialty coffee, but they are also using this platform as a job skills training program for young people that have experienced homelessness. Even though I could only devote a couple of months to the coffee shop, I was so blessed to be able to work with some amazing people and gain some valuable insights that will directly translate to ministry among the women in Bolivia.

If you're ever in Denver, check 'em out! 

www.purpledoorcoffee.com

ONE WEEK!

Written: August 22

After months of preparation and years of anticipation, my departure date is just one week away! It's a miracle that this update is getting written because it seems like I've been in a season of chaos for the last month! And with just one week to spare, I continue to be overwhelmed by my to-do list. But I'm confident that everything will come together and I'm doing my best to savor these final days with my family and friends. I have so much to be thankful for in this season. I have been showered with love and encouragement and the Lord has been so faithful to provide all I need. Sharing the work and vision of the ministry of Word Made Flesh Bolivia with my broader community has been a real joy! And thanks to the generosity of churches, family, and friends, about 90% of the monthly financial commitments I need have come in! I cannot begin to express my gratitude. Thank you for encouraging me and sending me off well to Bolivia.

I fly out of Denver around noon on August 29th, arriving in La Paz early on the 30th. I will try to send news upon my arrival! Initially, I will spend one week in La Paz, connecting with friends and ministry partners, and then I will spend the next 6 weeks at language school in Cochabamba. In mid-October I will return to La Paz/El Alto to get settled and ease into ministry. More news to come! Thanks for joining me on this exciting journey!

And thank you again for your friendship and partnership! I would love to hear what's going on in your life!

Overwhelmed with gratitude and excitement,

Ali Fraze

Summer Salutations

Happy summer! Here in Denver, we had a very late winter; our last blizzard was on May 1st! But spring has sprung and there are signs of summer all around! As a few of my major commitments wind down, I'm getting ready to thoroughly enjoy this last CO summer. I hope you and yours have an amazing summer as well!

Only 3 Months Left Until My Departure!
Everything is getting very real. In three months I will be boarding a plane to Bolivia, with the mindset of making it my new and long term home. While my heart aches to be leaving my family and friends and my beloved Colorado, I am confident that the future will hold even greater things!

Three months may seem far off to some of you, but in reality it's just around the corner and there is so much to do! I would like to give you a quick update on one of the biggest things - my ministry fundraising. Currently, donations have come in to cover about 66% of my $4500 start-up costs.  But I have less than 10% of the monthly commitments I need to cover my $1500 monthly budget. As you can see, I have a long way to go! Would you consider joining my ministry team as a monthly financial partner?

I have already reserved my spot in language school, which is scheduled to start at the beginning of September! But in order to make it to language school, I will need to buy plane tickets and apply for my visa. I am hoping to submit my paperwork for my visa during my upcoming trip to LA (June 7-17), but I will need plane tickets first, and I can't do any of this until all of my $4500 start-up costs are raised! But the more urgent need is to build up my long term monthly supporter base.A few of you have told me that you want to become financial partners, but have yet to submit your donation. If you have been waiting until my departure gets closer or have simply forgotten to donate, please don't wait any longer! And if you have submitted a donation, but haven't received a "thank you" from me, please let me know, because this means it has not shown up in my account.

If you would like to give, follow these easy steps:
1 - Visit www.wordmadeflesh.org/support/give
2 - Select your preferred donation method (credit card, check, or auto withdrawal)
3 - Designate your gift for "Staff Ali Fraze"

I am planning to focus much more on fundraising in the next couple of months. I would love to sit down with you and tell you more about the ministry of Word Made Flesh Bolivia and how you can get involved! If you have a minute, please watch this short video about the ministry. I am trying to individually contact many of you about becoming monthly ministry partners, but if you haven't heard from me yet and would like to initiate this conversation, please be my guest!

While at times I feel overwhelmed in the face of this fundraising challenge, I am also feeling very hopeful. I am confident that the Lord has given me this calling to Bolivia and that he will provide the means to get me there. Please join me in praying for God's favor and provision.   

Thank you for your faithful partnership over the years! Your friendship is such a blessing to me! 

Learning to trust,
Ali Fraze

Books, Bollywood, and Babies

It has been a very busy couple of months. I just finished my last Perspectives class (15-week world missions course), and I'm working on finishing my final project. I also reconnected with some dance friends to perform a couple of Bollywood dance performances in the Denver area. We spent many hours in rehearsal learning and perfecting the steps, but the final result was worth all the sweat and blisters! Check out one of our performances here! And finally, I've been working as a full time nanny for a one-year-old baby. It has been really awesome to see him grow up in so many ways, but our time is coming to a close as his teacher parents prepare to move the family to Jordan for a new teaching opportunity. As all of these areas of my life wind down for the summer, I am excited to dedicate more time to fundraising, spending time with family, and enjoying the Colorado outdoors!

Creating a Community of Mutual Partnership

As I continue down this path towards ministry in Bolivia, I find myself challenged in new ways and yet full of gratitude. Much of this process is very new to me and God has been faithful to lead me one small step at a time. Following a strong call to work among the poor in Bolivia, God has led me to the ministry of Word Made Flesh, provided a community for me in Bolivia, and laid out the necessary steps to make my way to Bolivia in September. I now find myself at the place of fundraising - the step I was most nervous about. I have raised money several times in the past, but all for short term commitments. In a way, raising money for my salary and long-term calling to Bolivia is scary but also very exciting. Instead of asking for one quick donation, I am asking for a long-term partnership. The mission God has given me requires that He also raise up a community of ministry partners to journey with me on this new path. 

Without reservation and with much excitement, I humbly ask for your partnership. Would you consider giving towards my ministry in Bolivia? While I have a few upfront costs (airline ticket, visa, language school), I would be honored if you would consider becoming a monthly supporter. I am totally dependent on the generosity of the Father to provide for all of my needs, but I am confident that he will use the love and generosity of those in my life to create a mutual community of gratitude. I believe God is calling us to a new thing through our collaboration in bringing forth the Kingdom of God! It would be such a blessing to be able to share the stories of ministry with you - the successes, failures, challenges, and joys. God is doing a mighty work in Bolivia, bringing about freedom and new life to those leaving the sex trade as well as to those of us acting on his behalf.

If the Lord is moving you to give, or if you simply want to learn more, please let me know! I would love to meet with each supporter personally to share more of the mission and vision that God has given me and begin to create a new and deeper friendship with you. I would like to invite you to invest yourself through the resources God has given you - your energy, your prayers, and your money - in this work to which God has called me.  

Here's how you can donate:
1 - Visit the WMF giving page on their website: 
http://www.wordmadeflesh.org/support/give/
2 - Select your preferred giving method and be sure to designate your gift for "Staff Ali Fraze"

**If you're interested in the specifics, I have settled on a monthly budget of $1,500, about half of which will cover my in-country expenses. My six weeks of language school will cost around $1,500, as will my plane ticket out there. I'd love to provide a further breakdown of my expenses if you are curious. Just ask!**

Thank you for your friendship and partnership! I am already overwhelmed with gratitude for the ways God has and will continue to provide for all of my needs. I hope to hear from you soon and begin a more profound partnership in ministry for many years to come. REMEMBER: If you decide to give, please let me know so that I can be in touch! Thank you for your generosity and love!

"...whoever sows generously will also reap generously... God loves a cheerful giver... You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God... Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!" 2 Corinthians 9:6-15

With much gratitude,
Ali Fraze

It's Official: I'm a Fleshy!

At the end of January, I interviewed with a couple of the US staff with Word Made Flesh. (Visit their website to get to know this great ministry among the urban poor.) The interview went well and just last week I was accepted to the organization! It's so exciting to finally be starting the journey to making a long-term commitment to ministry in Bolivia. It's been a long journey up to this point, but it's so cool to look back over the last 10 years and marvel at the ways God has changed my heart, opened doors, and been so faithful. Before my first trip to Bolivia in 2003, I never would have imagined moving across the globe to be a missionary, but now it seems like the clearest calling on my life. Praise God!

Over the next few weeks I will be working on finalizing a budget and getting administrative logistics set up with Word Made Flesh here in the US. Once I have these things in order, I will be in touch again with a few ways that you can specifically partner with me in ministry. If all goes smoothly, I hope to be heading to Bolivia in September of this year!

As I personally prepare for this new commitment in Bolivia, I am praying for a deeper awareness of my identity as a child of God. It's amazing to understand God's heart for all nations and humbling to know that he invites us to join with him in his ministry of reconciliation. With hope and anticipation, I look forward to the day when God will be glorified by all nations in the New Heaven and the New Earth and when "the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more" (Isaiah 65:19b).

Thank you again for your friendship and partnership! I would love to hear what's going on in your life!