Setting out from Camp!?

It's been quite awhile since we last posted, and the reason is that we've been experiencing some rather difficult times lately. As some of you may know, I was due to have our second child in September. I have been experiencing issues with breathing, and we all assumed that it was the extra stress of the pregnancy combined with the altitude (12,000 feet) that was causing the problems. I had some tests, and we decided with our doctors that it would be best to leave La Paz on April 1st until the pregnancy was over and the baby was big enough to come back, about 8 or 9 months total. We had planned to return to La Paz in early January. Unfortunately, we lost the baby last week. Our doctors now feel that I should not attempt another pregnancy here at altitude. At the same time, I continue to have difficulties breathing. We were surprised to learn that the pregnancy alone was not the cause of my health problems, as we all expected my health would return after losing the baby. After a series of tests, we are now fairly certain that I have developed Chronic Mountain Sickness or something similar, and will still be leaving La Paz on April 1, because I need to get out of the altitude to recover.

Because of the seriousness of my problems here at altitude, we have to consider the possibility that I will not be able to return to live here again. Right now we are planning our transition from living and working here to different roles in the ministry in the States. We are extremely saddened by this series of events. The prospect of leaving our home, our friends, the kids, our church here, and the wonderful people we work with is in many ways devastating to us. On the other hand, we are encouraged by the readiness of our staff to take on new leadership roles and ensure the continued growth and success of our ministry as we serve many more street children in the years to come. We have watched as they have grown in their abilities and their passion for the ministry, and are excited to see them looking forward to the opportunity to take on new challenges and greater responsibilities in the ministry. We hope to support them in any way we can from the States. Also, John will be making regular visits back to offer support and guidance. I hope to come as well, if my health permits it, as I know I will dearly miss my friends, coworkers, and the children we love so much.

In all these challenges, we have had moments of deep sadness, lots of crying, and a sense of loss. At the same time, we are encouraged by a passage we read recently in Numbers. It says:
"At the Lord's command the Israelites set out, and at his command they encamped. As long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. When the cloud remained over the tabernacle a long time, the Israelites obeyed the Lord's order and did not set out. Sometimes the cloud was over the tabernacle only a few days; at the Lord's command the would encamp, and then at his command they would set out. Sometimes the cloud stayed only from evening till morning, and when it lifted in the morning, they set out. Whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud lifted, they set out. Whether the cloud stayed over the tabernacle for two days or a month or a year, the Israelites would remain in camp and not set out; but when it lifted, the would set out. At the Lord's command they encamped, and at the Lord's command they set out." (Numbers 9:18-23)

We seek to obey the Lord's command, camping when we should camp, and setting out when it is time to set out. Although this is an unexpected change of course, we trust that this is God's plan, and as he says, "For I know the plans I have for you... plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jer. 29:11) If it is our time to set out, we are ready to obey and follow God wherever he plans to lead us from here.

We ask for your prayers in this time. Pray for the leaders of the ministry, that they might be encouraged and excited to take on new roles and responsibilities. Pray for the children, that they will know how much we care for them, and continue feeling our love, even from a distance. Pray for us as we make hard choices, and as we continue to deal with feelings of loss and sadness. Pray for safe travel on our way back to the States. And finally, give praise for the wonderful things that have been done here in La Paz, and ask God to continue caring for the children in our homes and those still on the streets tonight. Thank you for all your love and support. We will be back in Nebraska on April 2nd, and look forward to catching up with those of you there.

Yours in Christ,
Michelle and John

What do the Eggens do?

Occasionally we get asked to describe what we do on a daily basis here in Bolivia. That particular question is hard to answer, since our daily tasks vary significantly. One day might be spent working on the ministry website, putting together a group therapy lesson, visiting the homes, or showing visitors around La Paz. One day we might be visiting kids on the street, or dealing with a "crisis" in the home or on the streets when something bad happens to a kid. So instead of trying to answer the impossible question of what we do on a daily basis, I want to share with you what our larger goals are as a ministry and as missionaries.

First, we work with Children of the Streets in La Paz, Bolivia. Bolivia is a land-locked country in South America and is the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. (Haiti is the poorest.) Most Bolivian families make less than $2/day. Our ministry is located in La Paz, which is the functional capital of Bolivia, and is the highest capital in the world. La Paz is bordered by El Alto, which is a rapidly expanding city and one of the poorest in the region.

The children we work live on the streets, and primarily within the city of La Paz. They are abandoned, abused, neglected, and invisible. Most of society either chooses not to notice them, or purposely avoids recognizing them. Over 90% of our children report abuse either in their homes, on the streets, or both and over 90% of them huff paint thinner to dull their senses. Many of the girls living on the streets are involved in prostitution. Boys and girls both are abused physically and sexually by adults living on the streets, or by passing adults and authorities. Life on the streets is not easy, is dangerous, and is addictive. While the evidence is only through observation, it seems that about 10% of the population dies each year.

Our homes focuses on reaching boys ages 6-12 and bringing them into our residential home. Our mission is to return to these children their rights, dignity, a home, family, and education and help them develop to their full potential. We see each child as an individual, and strive to continually improve our program to retain each child that enters our program. Transition is not easy for these boys. They leave a life that is without schedule or rules, and involves playing with their friends most of the day. While street life has its dangers in the short-term focus of a child playing soccer all day often sounds funner than studying all day. Our homes have a great success rate, and we pride ourselves in helping boys that have failed in other homes and have nowhere else to go.

We often get asked about a girls home, and the reality is that girls have much different needs than boys. It is not simply constructing another home. In many ways, it is constructing another program. The day we are blessed with a large donation of seed money we would love to start developing such a program.

Our goal as missionaries is to develop individuals and an organization that will see that vision through, but without being personally responsible for the completion of that vision. We are convinced that within this generation the biggest agents of change in Bolivia will be Bolivians. The key agents of change for the next generation will, hopefully, be former street children advocating for the rights and care of children in Bolivia. We are committed to developing Bolivian leaders who can be visionaries in their own right, take ownership of the overall vision, and make that a reality within this context. We are hopeful for a future where resources exist that allow us to focus our efforts on the multiplication of this program within Bolivia or internationally.

While there is no quiz at the end of this reading, we hope it helps you grasp what guides our daily work as an organization and as individuals.

For some more reading here are a couple of relevant articles in Wikipedia and our website:
Bolivian Street Children Project - http://www.bolivianstreetchildren.org
Street Children - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_children
La Paz - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Paz
El Alto - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Alto

Ti---red

John hinted at how crazy the last couple of weeks have been. Yeah, no kidding. He forgot to mention that Kristin was here most of last week (was that really just last week? Not a month ago?). We spent the week hammering out some ideas on organizational direction/ vision and basically trying to define and prioritize what we should all be doing at this point for the ministry. The good news: we're more organized. Bad news: lots of work to do, not a lot of people to do it.

On the other hand, I have to give a little shout out to my good friend Catherine who's week was even harder: her dad's been hospitalized and on Sunday night had a heart transplant. Woah. All of you who were looking for more prayer requests you can add "get well soon, Charlie" to your list. Hang in there, Cat!

Anyway, I knew this week was off to a great start when I came home Tuesday and said, "Man, I gotta make sure I get into the office tomorrow before the week is over!" Translation: my mind said it was Thursday, not just one-day-after Monday. Yikes. That's always a bad sign.
To my credit, Tuesday was a very long day. I had to be at the hospital at 7 a.m. to here the doctor's report on Juan Carlos' progress. Then it was back home for a bit to work. I went to the office around 2 to fill Pato in on a variety of crises and conflicts that we need to deal with and we spent some time coming up with plans to put out the fires. At 5 I took John home and saw Baby Ethan for a few minutes while I inhaled some bacon and an apple for lunch. (Good combo, huh?) I had to be back at the hospital at 5:30, because they were finally letting Juan Carlos come back home. I got the doctor's orders, picked him up, and we jetted to the home, where he received a warm reception from his friends. From there, I raced over to my own doctor's appointment for a check-up at 6 p.m. That took about an hour. I swung by my taekwondo class to explain to my instructor that I wouldn't be able to come to class most of this week, but would be back Monday. Then it was back to my house to pick up some meds, and down to the home (thankfully only 5 minutes away) to drop the meds off and explain Juan Carlos' treatment plan to the educators. Finally, at about 8:30, I was back home and done for the day... oh, maybe not. John and I had to look through the schedule for the next five days and make some plans for visitors arriving the next day. But, once that was done, it was finally time for some R & R. Yeah!

So, this week we have George and Deb and their two lovely kids in town. They are members of the Board for BSCP, and we're looking forward to showing them around the ministry and having some one-on-one time with them. We had them over last night for supper and John and Lola prepared some very yummy majadito, a traditional dish from the Beni region of Bolivia. They are up at the permanent homes this morning, and then going off to see another ministry this afternoon. Meanwhile, I've got some urine and spit samples to drop off at the national lab to see if Juan Carlos really does have tuberculosis, then I'm thinking about maybe heading up to El Alto with my friend Lisa to get us a new kitty..... But before I do all that, I HAVE to read my mom's final paper! Yes, I'm going to read it! (She's almost done with her college degree everyone... you go Mom!)

Until next time,
M