• because even though my washed clothes are hanging on the line and don´t want to dry, Marlee and Keiden´s still have more “woolies” in their drawers… So many of the kids at El Jordan are wearing wet shoes, damp, cold clothes… and don´t have the option to change into something dry…
• The seat of my car is cold to sit on… but my car takes me straight from my house to El Jordán in 5 minutes… I don´t have to stand in the cold drizzle for half an hour or more, waiting for a bus that might or might not pick me and my kids up… that will drop me off, wet, cold and blocks away from El Jordan...
• I grimace about opening the door and facing the cold… but so many in our city live out there in that cold…
• I shiver inside my house… BUT… I have a house… blankets… and hot water bottles (I bought the last 2 at the store the other day)… We have girls at El Jordán who live in rooms that are drafty… leaky, damp and cold…  Do you remember Elias who had tetanus last year?  Mariela showed up this morning wondering if she had money in her account from her beaded key chains…  Elias is discouraged, working hard to pay the debts from when he was in the hospital.  They moved from where they were renting to a place as “caretakers” although there isn´t much to “take care of”… with a door that doesn´t close, a wall falling in and a rotten tarp as a roof… It rains as much inside as outside… but more difficult than the physical discomfort is the fact that Mariela´s two oldest boys (16 and 17)  are involved in drugs and delinquency... and don´t respect her nor her “home”… Mariela knows firsthand the pain of those choices, but feels helpless to stop them…  Her little Josué (14) has dropped out of school… and Joselin (11 on the 10th of June) and Maria Elena (almost 7) have been told not to come back to school if they don´t have their textbooks and supplies...

And yet… in spite of soggy shoes, damp clothes and the chill that gets right to your bones, 10 girls came to Bible Study this afternoon… Wow… The opportunity for them and their kids to learn about God was more important than keeping themselves somewhat dry… We warmed our hands around our coffee cups, shared prayers requests and prayed… Several shed a few tears, burdens weighing down their hearts… Together we read the Bible, memorized verses and hashed through what obedience should look like in our lives… and 10 girls went on their way, their spirits a bit lifted, their hearts not quite so heavy… warmed by a hug, encouraged by hope…

 

Thanks God… where would we be without You?

 

* * *

 

One of the things we talked about today was the importance of choosing your friendships…

 

“Walk with the wise and become wise,
for a companion of fools suffers harm.” 
Proverbs 13:20

 

I asked them if they had a GOOD friend who helped them follow Christ, be a different person, and to not give up…  It was encouraging to see them point across the table and say, “Yeny is the one who always encourages me.” ...or make mention of another student, “Mery is the one who lifts me up when I´m ready to fall down… and I do the same for her…”  This is a desire we have for our Bible Studies at El Jordán… to create opportunities to develop these friendships, a support network where they look out for each other, help each other and be “family” to one another.

 

Sometimes as Christians we fall into the trap of crossing our arms, watching and waiting to see if the “repented-people-with-a-past” actually “make it” before risking giving them a chance or offering them the friendship they so desperately need…  We need to be willing to come alongside of people, walk with them… and help them carry their burdens…

 

In a life “without any brakes” - drinking, drugs, dancing or delinquency - there are lots of “buddies” willing to share with you, laughing, telling jokes and stories late into the night, inviting you to join them in having the “time of your life”… (This is of course is empty…)  However, as people turn their back on that lifestyle, they can find the “narrow way” very lonely… Old friends aren´t interested in hanging out with someone who doesn´t do the “fun stuff” anymore… and sometimes “church fellowship” can seem cold and uninviting to anyone who doesn´t quite fit…

 

About six weeks ago, an old friend of Marco – Ricardo - completed his sentence and got “free”.  He is a foreigner… someone with a record… Who is going to give him a chance? Marco has spent a lot of time these weeks, encouraging… exhorting… coming along side of… giving a chance… looking out for physical and heartfelt needs… being a FRIEND.  A couple other “friends” also kept calling Ricardo up… inviting him to be a part of their “plans”… Maybe if Ricardo hadn´t had someone who gave him the opportunity to feel useful and appreciated, he might have been tempted or felt that was his “destiny”.  Last week, those “friends” were picked up after a robbery and are back in jail.

 

Ricardo is helping out at the workshops, making bread and snacks… cleaning, sorting, maintaining… doing the things others haven´t had the time to do… In his free moments, Ricardo can be found, sitting quietly, reading his Bible.

 

 

We are thankful for God at work in people´s lives… Those are the miracles we see day by day… Ricardo making bread and reading his Bible… our girls showing up on a cold, rainy day for Bible study… new girls from the streets wanting to come and learn… Thanks God for allowing us to be a part of it!

 

* * *

 

A couple weeks ago when I wrote about Marlee´s compassionate heart, someone started a “Marlee Blanket Fund”… “something for the little hands and feet of God to use. She gets to choose the blankets and whatever else she thinks necessary.”

 

If you would like to practically be a part of reaching out, you can send your gift to Avant Ministries (you can find the addresses at Avant Ministries)...

 

Your help could help with these needs:

…and of course, we always treasure your prayers for us and the people we work with…  THANK YOU!

 

Thanks for letting me share… I feel warmer now…

 

Lots of love, Corina