Eggens Run Amok: Bolivian Adventures

Gospel According to Starbucks

2007-07-17T19:39:00.000-04:00

I have a much overdue post for our blog entitled... "What are the Eggens doing now?" In the meantime I offer you a review on Leonard Sweet's new book: The Gospel According to Starbucks. Following Michelle's suggestion that these are too long and boring for a blog, you can find it at: http://eggen4jc.googlepages.com/grandepassion%3F

End of Bolivia Visit

2007-05-26T09:08:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I returned from my seven day visit to Bolivia. It seemed to go by quickly, but was also packed with time meeting with staff, hanging out with kids, and visiting friends in La Paz. It was encouraging to see how the new leadership team has been doing. As expected, there has been a few bumps in the road, but nothing that wouldn't be expected for any change in leadership. Some of the people we worked with on a daily basis miss us the most, both in our personal and work relationships. It was great to spend time with them and encourage them to help our new leadership in the ministry, to be patient, and to recognize what is different vs. what is bad.

On the way home from Bolivia I started to think about how I perceive much of Corporate America and its drive to lower the bottom line. Specifically it seems that many companies now view their workers as liabilities, and do whatever possible to minimize its cost. I recognize the fact that lower costs directly raises profits, but I wonder how effective this really is long term. I consider (and I think many would agree) that the individuals in our ministry are assets, our most important assets. Furthermore I think that the more that is invested in them, the more they will be invested in the ministry, and the higher their quality and quantity of work will be. Someone who feels cared for, secure in their job, trusted, and encouraged will be far more willing to go "above and beyond" than the person who is motived to complete their job responsibilities out of fear. (Fear for loosing their job, being demoted, etc.) We might be in a unique situation due to the lack of trained individuals in this field, but it is also very important to us that we develop our own leaders within the ministry. We cannot afford to expect to find a good house parent, or a good school director who has leadership qualities, experience with street children, and the same methodology as we do if it is not someone who comes from within our own ministry.

On a more basic level though, I think everyone can and should be a leader in their area - demonstrating to others what it means to be an excellent cook, and excellent teacher, and an excellent accountant. I also think that is part of our calling as Christians - to never be satisfied with doing a mediocre job, always striving to provide the best and do the best as a testimony of our earthly responsibilities. I always think of Jim Collins moto in Good to Great, which is "never let good be the enemy of great," standing in contrast to the popular saying of "don't let perfect be the enemy of good." From Collins' perspective people all to often settle with doing a good enough job, allowing excellency to slip from their hands mainly because good is good enough. Our kids deserve excellence, and our staff can give it to them, and they can achieve it in their own lives as well. Kids respond to both expectations and example, and if we are satisfied with "just getting by" they will be too. If we don't expect something great from them, they won't expect it from themselves.

I was also reminded of how the problem we deal with in Bolivia daily is such a systematic problem. This idea of expectations is so ingrained in Bolivian culture and their stereotypes against street children. Our staff and our kids hear all to often that our kids are "only kids from a home" or "from the street", used as an excuse to basically say "what more can you expect?" What can we expect? That our child will be treated as your child. That he will have the same rights, same opportunities, and the same dreams. We expect our children to do well - not so they feel bad if they fail, but so they know someone trusts in them, has confidence in them, sees their value and their potential - not for who they were, but for who they are and in whose image they were created.

-J

Visiting Bolivia

2007-05-19T16:16:00.000-04:00

John is visiting Bolivia for a week to see how everything is going in our absence here. After living in La Paz for about two and a half years, it is kind of odd being back here as a visitor. It is especially odd going back to your own house with all of your stuff still there. Ethan still has a sheet on his crib, still has toys in his room, etc. Our ministry partner and friend Pato is staying there with his wife, so things have changed a bit, but are largely the same.

It is refreshing to see the boys and all of the staff. I have had the privledge of talking to many of them one-on-one, and hoping to have time with more of them as the week progresses. I have also been able to connect with the SIM team here and see our good friends Lisa and Scotty. It isn't the same spending time with them without Michelle, but it is still great to see them again.

It is easy to forget how special the boys are that we work with. After having spent years living in the streets it often seems like they grow and play extra hard at the home to make up for "lost time" on the streets. Today I was looking at some of their pictures at the home, remembering what they looked like when they first came to the home and amazed how much even their face changes. It is easy to be proud of what they have done with their lives. One boy who lived on the year for at least 5 years just told me today that his grades in school are so good that he is skipping a grade, and will be switching to the sixth grade. It is always fun to see the boys, to see their excitement in showing of their room, their homework, and their little projects. It is great to spend time with them again.

-John

Wedding Time

2007-04-24T15:22:00.000-04:00

We seem to be getting progressively worse at blogging.... but will try to fix it. Now that we are in the States our blogging might not be quite as exotic as our Bolivia blogs, but we will try to have enough fun in life to make it worth reading about ;)

We spent this last weekend in Jacksonville Florida for Denny's wedding. (Michelle's brother.) First, I have to say that Jacksonville seems 1) to never end, 2) to be one big, huge suburb, and 3) to be the same thing (suburb, strip mall, target) repeated over and over about 100 times. Anyway, the weather was beautiful - 70s the whole time with just a little rain.

Our flight got in super late and so we did not make it to the first hotel until about 1:00 AM. We stayed at a La Quinta Inn. We were excited because when we made our reservations they said they did not have a crib, but the day we left they called our cell phone to tell us they got one. When we arrived at the hotel they had made a cozy little spot for our little Ethan to sleep, teddy bear and everything.

The next day we headed over to Denny and Crystal's house and then to the Jacksonville Naval Air Station. (Denny is a Navy pilot.) The rest of the trip we stayed in a nice 2 bedroom cabin on base... our back yard was the base golf course, so we had great accomodations for our time there.

We were both in the wedding, which was in the base chapel. We spent Friday doing things like getting tuxes, rehearsals, etc. and then the wedding was Saturday. Even though the wedding itself is only like 30 minutes it is amazing how quickly your time gets filled with wedding related activities. The wedding ended with a "Arches of Sabres" ceremony, which is done by other Naval officers and ends with the last officer hitting the bride on the butt and saying "Welcome to the Navy ma'am."

From Denny & Cryst...

Sunday was spent at the beach... which Ethan loved! We thought the little guy would be scared of the water, but it was the opposite. First he started by getting a good taste of the beach... which he said was good, but too gritty and salty. Once he got into the water and hit by a wave he made us all laugh as he went chasing after the wave and crawling straight into the ocean! He had tons of fun. He had so much fun that he didn't even notice when he took his first two steps without holding onto anyone or anything! He is still too scared to try on his own at home, but there was something about being at the beach that made him go for it.

From Ethan at the ...

We will post more about our transition back to the States later, but wanted to share a little bit of our fun from this weekend!

Setting out from Camp!?

2007-03-29T19:35:00.000-04:00

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?

2007-03-07T11:07:00.000-04:00

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

2007-03-01T10:20:00.000-04:00

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

Current Reading Update

2007-02-27T09:48:00.000-04:00

I finished reading "The Pleasures of God" a couple of weeks ago, and put together a short summary of the book at: http://eggen4jc.googlepages.com/pleasuresofgod for anyone who is interested.

Currently I am working on a Bible Study guide for When Invisible Children Sing, which will hopefully be completed within the next month. It is both an exciting and challenging project. The reality of abandoned street children presents a lot of challenging theological questions about the responsibilities of the Church, and the state of individual souls. It is exciting to have such a great book with vivid experiences to highlight these issues, yet challenging to come up with a Bible Study that will be both challenging and encouraging to the reader. I will keep you posted.

-J

What a week!

2007-02-25T14:26:00.000-04:00

This was one of those weeks where it seems like nothing more could happen that would make the week worse... yet things kept on happening. First we started the week with the news that Tito was missing and was swept away by the river at the camp. By Tuesday they had found his body, and we knew he had died. A huge loss for our church here. A great, young father, friend, church elder with half his life ahead was gone. That same weekend we got a call that one of the boys in the Renacer home had fallen off his bike and hurt his arm. A few hours later we find out that his arm was broken in three places and he would have to have surgery. His operation was last Sunday morning. Everything went well and he was back in the home by Monday night.

We later had some exciting news of two new boys, Fabian and Juan Carlos, in the Renacer home. Then brought back to reality by Tito's funeral. Then our cat went missing. Our cat leaves for a day at a time, sometimes a full night, but has now been gone for almost five days. We think that Nube used the last of her nine lives. (Seems kind of minor in comparison to the rest of the week.) Friday brought the admission of another boy into the hospital. This time Juan Carlos, who has been sick since he got to the home. Diagnosis: Tuberculosis in the lungs and kidney, pneumonia, and a urinary tract infection. Saturday he was admitted into the hospital. We think the hospital should name that area the "Barnabas Wing" after this week. He will be in the hospital for about three days being treated with IV antibiotics and once his TB is confirmed we will start the six month treatment for that. He is starting to get better, but at only 63 lbs he has a lot of weight to gain to become a healthy 12 year old boy.

Friday also brought the excitement of finding our checking account balance at -23.88 after someone (not us!) bought some nice clothes, travel, hotels, etc. on our debit card and emptied out our bank account. We will eventually get it all back, thanks to the Visa fraud protection, but not without filling out paper work, talking on the phone, and doing a lot of other things that don't fit into our schedule at this point.

Finally, today we found out one of our street kids died. Jamie was about 20 years old, and we have known him for a few years. We haven't seen him in at least nine months, but used to hang out with him a lot. He was jailed about 18 months ago, and ever since he got out he drank hard liquor about 24 hours a day, so it was just a matter of time. Still sad though.

So the summary for our week:
1 dead friend
1 dead street child
2 kids hospitalized
1 lost cat
1 emptied out bank account

Hopefully next week will be a little easier. Can't imagine it any other way! Life here in Bolivia isn't always fun. We have been to more funerals than we care to count or remember. Until this week they have all been for kids. The unfortunate reality is that the street is a hard life, and kids die. Sad, but true. Fortunately Juan Carlos made it to our home, or he would have been one of the ones who end up in a pine box within a few more weeks on the streets. We are glad to have him as part of our family and can't wait to get to know him better.

Rembering Tito

2007-02-21T21:09:00.000-04:00

This past weekend was Carnaval, which is a large celebration in all of Latin America to mark the beginning of Lent. Carnaval is marked by traditions of dancing and drinking. In Bolivia it is also marked by making sacrifices to the "Pache Mama." Our church here has a tradition of going to the church camp every year for these four days. The purpose is to get away from all of the drinking in the city, and just have a nice wholesome weekend as a church family.

This year our church tragically lost one of our elders during the camp. Tito Gonzales, a church elder, husband, and father of two daughters (2 and 4) was hiking down into the camp when he dropped his backpack into the river. He went into the river to retrieve the backpack and was last seen with the backback a few hundred meters down river. After not returning for a few hours the church members at camp began looking for him. First it was by foot, then by rafting (in level 4 or 5 waters). Search and rescue was done both by church members and a professional rescue crew from La Paz. Yesterday, on Tuesday, they found the body about 70 km down river from the camp.

The funeral was this afternoon, and we all consider the loss of Tito a painful loss for the church. He was a wonderful father, was an elder of our church, and a friend to many, including many of the staff and boys of the homes. When someone so young dies, you realize how death is the great interrupter of life. Remembering Tito, we recognize the mourning that even Christ experienced at the loss of his friend (John 11:35) and also find hope in the words of the Apostle Paul, who says that "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." (Philippians 1:21)

We ask that you keep Tito's family in your prayers - his wife Katia, and his two daughters Augustina and Martina as well as his mother, brothers and sisters.

Coffee Fanatic?

2007-02-15T21:07:00.000-04:00

We have been busy this week doing a lot of different things, but not anything super exciting. It has been one of those weeks where you look back and feel like you worked 80 hours, but you can't really recall how all of that time was spent. A lot of time goes to a quick meeting here, a quick meeting there... and all of a sudden it is Friday! That has pretty much been my week - meeting with everyone and their brother about anything from how the homes should share the minibus, to future construction projects, to meeting with the new tenants of our old office.

Anybody who knows me knows that I love coffee, and I love to drink coffee in almost any form at any time during the day. (Except for gas-station cappuccinos, which I would consider more sugar than coffee.) In any case, I put together a list of indicators that might mean you are a coffee fanatic. I would say that anyone who could say yes to five or more of these would be considered a coffee fanatic. I can confess to a full 8 of them... wonder if you can guess which ones they are. The remaining four (and some of those eight) I have learned from our fellow SIM teammates.

You pre-heat your mug with hot water so your coffee stays warmer longer.
You know how paper and permanent filters affect the flavor of your coffee.
You think the phrase "Folgers Coffee" is an oxymoron.
You are concerned about the date your coffee beans were roasted.
A coffer grinder is the cornerstone of your kitchen.
You have participated in an advertisement for a coffee shop.
You take with all of your coffee equipment to team retreats (where you need to hike to the cabin), including a large 220 to 110 volt transformer to run the coffee machine.
You think "Nescafe" is better pronounced "No es cafe."
The first thing you hear when arriving to the office is "would you like some coffee?"
You have started a micro enterprise to roast and sell coffee.
You keep a package of instant coffee in your backpack "just in case."

-John

Pato's Wedding - FINALLY!

2007-02-11T08:40:00.000-04:00

Pretty much anyone who has been to Bolivia to visit the Barnabas house over the past five years knows Pato. They probably also know that since they day they met him he has been talking about getting married that year. When we first met Pato in 2003 he told us he was going to get married that December. Years have come and gone, and Pato was still single and still dating his girlfriend. This week the single chapter of Pato's life has finally come to a close, and he is now married to his girlfriend of five years, Carito.

From Pato's Wedding

Here in Bolivia the evangelical church has no legal right to marry a couple, so couples here often have two wedding ceremonies - a civil and religious. Pato and Carito celebrated their civil wedding on Thursday night with a small gathering and dinner at Carito's parent's house. The religious ceremony was yesterday (Sat, Feb 10th) and was both large and elegant. There were about 300 people at the wedding and reception that came from all over the country. The wedding was very elegant, and was held at Pato's church - Dios es Amor. The reception was held at our church (and where the boys go to church, La Communidad. The wedding was at 10:00 AM, and the reception lasted until about 4:00 PM. We had a great time with some of our friends there and all of the staff and boys of the homes. Ethan got to dress up in his suit, and Lola (former street girl) and her little boy also came with us.

If you want to congratulate Pato feel free to send him an e-mail or a card. If you can write in Spanish send it directly to pato@ centrobernabe.org or if you want to write a short letter in English, send it to letters@ bolivianstreetchildren.org and someone will translate it and give it to Pato. If you want send a written card you can send it to:
Luis Carlos Ruiz Carreno
Centro Bernabe
Casilla 3-34985 SM
La Paz, Bolivia

From Pato's Wedding

Did you say "da-da"?!!!

2007-02-05T15:15:00.000-04:00

Yes, Ethan is a star. He's feeling better again, so he's crawling around and trying to climb everything in sight. Today he was feeling pretty talkative after his nap, though most of his "talking" is silently moving his mouth as if he were talking. (For those of you who know my cat Orville and his famous "silent meow," you've seen this kind of pseudo-talking in action.) Without further adieu, here's Ethan's latest movie, showing his developing language skills in all their glory. Enjoy!

Barnabas Family Vacation

2007-02-04T06:01:00.000-04:00

On Friday morning I left to spend the last couple of days with the boys at camp. The church camp is about three hours outside of La Paz. Taking public transportation takes about an extra hour, but fortunately Michelle let me take our truck, which made the trip much quicker and allowed me to spend more time in the camp with the boys. The road to the camp used to be considered the most dangerous road in the world. Most of the deaths on the road are from people like myself, who are on vacation and don't know the road well, which is why I have always used public transportation. Besides being the most dangerous road, it also has to be one of the most beautiful drives in the world, being basically a part of the mountain itself including water falls that fall onto the vehicles. The old road is a one lane road, with huge drop offs... and I think you can get the idea of why it is so dangerous. Below is a link to a BBC article on the road.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/6136268.stm

I say all of that not to bore you, but to give you the same appreciation I have for the new road. It is much less intimidating to leave La Paz knowing you will have a two-lane paved road to get yourself down into the Yungas (a drop from about 15,000 feet to 3,000 feet over about 30 miles of road.) The new road still has incredible views, and is worth driving even if you are not going anywhere. The new road is not without its own problems though as there was a section that had a very rustic detour since there was a landslide that covered a stretch of the road.

From 2007 Barnabas...

Once you get towards the end of the new road there is just a short jaunt on a dirt road into the camp, and then a quick hike into camp across the river. One thing you immediately notice about being in the Yungas (in comparison to La Paz) is that it is HOT, and HUMID, and very green.

From 2007 Barnabas...

That is how I got to the camp. The boys, however, took a slightly different route. While I got to enjoy the new road headed into the Yungas, the boys left from the Cumbre (about 20 minutes outside of La Paz) and headed into camp by foot. It took them three full days to get to camp - they all had a great time. By the time I got there there were pretty much exhuasted, having hiked for three days and having spent six days in the camp. At camp, the schedule involves a lot of physical activities - swimming, playing soccer, playing team building games, and repeating that as often as possible in any given day. The boys also have devotionals in the morning, afternoon, and evening, and this week the devotionals were focused on friendship and specifically on Ecclesiastes 4:9-12. At the end of the time at camp each of the boys shared something special about the trip, and named someone they had become better friends with over their stay.

From 2007 Barnabas...

The boys were also divided into teams for the entire trip, so every game was a competition and then all of the points were summed up at the end of the trip. The winning group got to ride home with me in our truck, and also gets to pick a dinner at any restaurant in La Paz as their prize. Besides the team competitions, these teams were also the basis for dividing up responsibilities at camp, and were also small groups for devotional times during the day. We also set aside time each day for the team leaders to spend one-on-one time with their team members.

From 2007 Barnabas...

One of the favorite parts of the "Puente" is always the swimming pool. The boys love swimming, and do it a couple of times a day while we are at camp. We always find different games to play in the pool, and everyone loves throwing someone else into the pool... even if it is one of the counselors!

From 2007 Barnabas...

The last night we had a camp fire, and the boys had sort of a talent show, and then it was off to bed. Saturday afternoon came around quicker than anyone had expected, and it was time to head home. We all had a great time at the camp, and the boys had a great time on vacation. The boys where exhausted, but had also become accustomed to the routine of being on vacation. On Monday, they start the new school year here, and it is promising to be an exciting time for the boys. Some of the Bethany home boys will be going to school for the first time in years.

From 2007 Barnabas...

If you want to see more pictures of the vacation, just click on any of the pictures above and it will take you into the photo album. Once the film pictures from the hike have been developed we will be sure to put a link up.

Thanks to everyone for all of your support for the ministry, that makes things like this possible.

-John

What if his eye is all red and gooey?

2007-01-31T10:39:00.000-04:00

This week definitely started out with a pfffff instead of a bang. We were all packed to join the boys at the Puente on Sunday after church, but Saturday night Ethan came down with a yucky fever. After a sleepless night for everyone (poor E!), we got serious about getting Ethan's fever down on Sunday. He was finally feeling comfortable enough to sleep Sunday night after a day filled with lots of "electrolyte drink" (homemade Pedialyte) and not very much milk. Needless to say, we were disappointed to have to cancel our little vacation with the kids. I was especially sad since I didn't get to go to Rurrenebaque last year with them. (Pregnant women and a flight to Rurrenebaque in an unpressurized cabin at 18,000 feet just don't mix, people.) Anyway, Ethan's illness turned out to be a blessing in a couple of ways. One, we are so happy he didn't get sick while we were at the Puente, as getting to the doctor can be kind of difficult and the heat (it's about 95 degrees there this time of year) and humidity would've been tough on his fever. Second, we found out on Sunday that the other two babies who went to the Puente got bit by an unknown insect and had uncomfortable reactions, so they were forced to come back to La Paz. While there is no risk of malaria or other tropical diseases in that part of the Yungas, there are a lot of bugs, and little babies can't wear repellent, so that is a bit of a challenge. So in the end, we figure God had different plans for us this week. By the way, take a look at this photo. Is this baby really sick or is he just too afraid of spiders to go to the Puente? (Wonder where he gets that from...)

From Ethan - Janua...

So, instead of swimming and soccer and canned sardines in tomato paste (traditional camp food here), we're back to work again this week. I'm currently working on a complete medical guide for all of the staff in our homes. With so many kids, and the number of kids only going up, our staff encounter a lot of basic medical problems (colds, minor cuts, earaches, stomachaches, etc.) and some emergencies as well (broken bones, serious infections, etc.). In the past when a kid was sick, the staff took them to a public hospital at the other end of town. However, the hospital is very far away (at least an hour or more to get there by public transport) and the quality of care can vary quite a bit. Also, many street children are treated at the same hospital, and we have found that exposing our kids to current street children can make their recovery process more difficult. About a year ago, I was able to negotiate a contract for emergency and specialized cases with a private clinic close to all of our homes that has much higher quality of care. I also contacted a wonderful pediatrician who has agreed to take on our basic cases (earaches, check-ups, etc.) for a very low fee.

What remains to be done is create a resource for our staff that allows them to 1) identify important symptoms, 2) determine whether medical intervention is necessary, 3) decide whether the problem can be treated at home, requires a doctor's visit, or is an emergency, and 4) provide medical treatment in the home when appropriate. So that's what I'm doing. I found a two-volume book, "The Pediatrician in the Home," which was written by a Bolivian pediatrician. The good thing about the book is it does a decent job of explaining a large number of common medical conditions. It also has a section for each illness that tells you when you should call the doctor. The downside is that the entire book is directed towards the treatment of 0 to 2 year olds. This being the case, some illnesses aren't relevant (not too worried that a 14-year-old is going to have colic, for instance), some treatments aren't relevant (a sick teen probably doesn't need Tylenol drops), and even some of the indicators of when to take the child to the doctor aren't relevant (a teen with a fever of 102 degrees F isn't so troubling as a two-month-old with the same fever). There are also some antiquated treatments in the book that need to be wiped out all together. One that particularly surprised me was the doctor's suggestion to give aspirin to baby for everything from fevers to aches and pains. (If you don't know why that's not a good idea, check out http://www.reyessyndrome.org/default.htm). The doctor even mentions Reye's Syndrome in recommending that the parent not give aspirin if the child might have chickenpox. I guess he figured in any other case, it's ok. Anyway, having a foundation on which to build this resource for the staff has been helpful. However, by the time I'm done, I wouldn't be too worried about copyright law (if they had such a thing in Bolivia) because the finished product will be quite distinct from the original.

I'm excited to finally be able to give the staff this resource. Before we came, they just took the kids to the doctor for every little problem. This was a drain on our precious human resources and in the loaded schedule the kids have, they always end up missing out on some important event. Now that we are here, I get a lot of phone calls describing symptoms and asking what to do and should we go to the doctor. I give kudos to any doctor who tries to diagnose over the phone-- it's not always very easy. I've heard a lot of "I don't know, he just says he doesn't feel good" and half-stories like "Well, his eye just started to hurt for no reason." (Here's that conversation: Are you sure? No dust got in it, he didn't get hit in the face? It's not gooey or anything, it just hurts? Really?...... Well, he was watching some guy weld a piece of metal this morning. Could that be it?.... Um, yeah. That's not good.) so providing this resource will allow our staff to take control of this issue and not have to worry about whether they'll get a hold of me or someone else when a kid gets sick.

So that's one thing I've been up to this week.

The Yungas

2007-01-31T10:32:00.001-04:00

coroico
Originally uploaded by jmeggen.

I wish I was here right now... don't you? The boys come home on Saturday!!

Future Grace

2007-01-31T07:41:00.000-04:00

Our little Ethan got sick this weekend, so instead of going on a fun vacation with the boys we are at home with a sick baby. We decided to stay home primarily due to the heat in the Yungas, and the distance from medical care since we were not sure what little Ethan had. He is getting better now, but the boys will be back in a couple of days. I might head out to the Yungas for at least a day or two to hang out with the kids, but we will see how little Ethan is doing. When he doesn't sleep through the night, and is fussy all day it can be a little too much for one person to take care of him, so I want to be around to help Michelle out. We don't know how single working mothers take care of their children, but have a tremendous amount of respect for them being able to do so.

Part of my extra time here has been spent finishing a book by John Piper called "Future Grace." I have heard a lot about John Piper and many people have recommended him to me based on his Reformed/Calvinist theology given my tendency towards Reformed/Lutheran theology. "Future Grace" is described by Piper himself as one of his fundamental works, and outlines his basic theology that form a foundation for his other books. (His best known work is probably "Desiring God.") My current reading material is "Pleasures of God", which is also a Piper book, so you can look forward to a short summary when I am done with it.

I was told by the co-owner of our blog, that book reviews are "too boring and long" for a blog... so I moved it. If you are interested in reading the review of Future Grace take a look at: http://eggen4jc.googlepages.com/futuregrace

-J

Bolivia/Spanish Vocabulary 101

2007-01-26T17:04:00.000-04:00

To help you better understand what part of our life is like, and some of what we deal with every day, I thought we could share with you some Spanish words, that also have some special significance.

Trámite - A long governmental process. Typically involving significant amounts of paperwork, normally a lawyer, and about more forms than you could ever imagine necessary for any particular task. A true trámite will have no end in sight and will not go right the first time. Most often a trámite will involve the request by a government official for a "refresco" (which literally means "a little drink"), which is their way of asking for a bribe. The more people you know in the government, the faster the process goes. If things go right someday everything will finally be finished, and you will feel like you spent two months of your life to do something that you think should take 10 minutes.

Here are some examples:
1) Buying a phone line. First, the phone company doesn't just give away phone numbers here. There were a limited number of phone lines initially sold to individuals. Now the only way to get a normal phone line is to buy one from another individual. Once you have purchased a phone line you will need to write a legal document for the transfer of the property, you will need to get an official document from the phone company, pay your first few months of the phone bill, pay a transfer tax based on the value of the phone line, and then present all of these things to the phone company. Once this has happened it will take about three months and then you will have the honor of being a legitimate owner of a phone line.
2) Buying a house. Let's just say if buying a phone line is that hard... just imagine what it takes to get the paperwork done for a house! Today I had the joy of trying to finish a trámite for our home that we purchased over a year ago. I got there, pulled number 141 out of the number machine. The TV showed 115. 15 minutes later, we progressed to 116. 45 minutes later we were to 122. At this point I calculated I would be waiting from 3:30 PM until about 7:00 PM to get my turn... at which point the office would not even be open. So I guess I spent 30 minutes to get downtown to take a number, wait 45 minutes, and then drive 30 minutes back home.

Work accomplished: 0. Time spent: 1:45, not including the time spent at the phone company just to drop off a pile of papers. If installing a phone line was only as easy as giving Verizon a call!

2007 Barnabas Family Vacation Begins!

2007-01-24T20:29:00.000-04:00

Today the boys started the family vacation, which is an annual tradition in the Barnabas family. Last year we went to Rurrenabaque, which is near the Madidi national park. This year the boys are returning to the church camp again, but will be started the trip with a three day hike.

This morning I went up to the home to see the boys off. We will be meeting the boys at the camp on Sunday afternoon, but were not up to a three day hike with Ethan in the rainy season. The boys, however, were very excited about the hike - rain or shine.

From 2007 Barnabas...

After the kids were ready and had divided out the gear and divided into two teams, it was about 7:00 and the bus had arrived to take the boys to the Cumbre (spanish for the peak) which is where they will start their hike. Cumbre is at about 15,200 feet... higher than the tallest mountain in the continental United States (Mt. Whitney at 14,498 ft.) Fortunately for the boys, the hike is all down hill from there. They will hike for about three days until they reach a small village outside of the church camp. From there they will take a bus to the camp, and meet the rest of the staff who will be bringing extra food and cooking supplies for the last seven days of the trip. Everyone is looking forward to another fun family vacation.

From 2007 Barnabas...

If you want to look at some old pictures, and some pictures from other people to see what the boys have in store, here are some links for you.

Cumbre: http://www.bolivianbeauty.com/ChoquetangaCotapataChuspipata/LaCumbre.htm

Church Camp: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmeggen/sets/499053/

On another note, today I got my suit back from the tailor, which is one of the benefits of living in Bolivia. For only $4.50 I was able to get my pants and jacket altered to fit. If you ever wondered if anyone still uses a manual sewing machine, I have the answer for that too. That is exactly how my suit was altered. They guy did a fantastic job, and it is hard to complain about a $4 alteration!

-John

A Social Life ?!?

2007-01-23T19:08:00.000-04:00

Believe it or not, the Eggens have a social life. This Sunday we had a big grill-out at our house, and had eight of our friends and fellow expatriates over. It is a mixed crowd, one being a fellow member of Park Street in Boston working with Food for the Hungry, other members of the SIM mission team, and missionaries with other organizations. There is nothing better than going to church in the morning and coming home to a huge 3.5 kg chunk of meat staring at you, waiting to be grilled and eaten. (Sorry to all of the vegetarians, but we are definitely not one of your group.).

From Misc

Grilling here is a lot of fun, but also a bit more challenging. First off, a lot of houses have a built-in outdoor grill. Our house happens to be one of those. Secondly, they are not propane, and thirdly the charcoal is very large, sort of in a raw form, and there is no lighter fluid here. Definitely not match-light charcoal, but with a bit of practice you kind of get the system figured out.

We grilled our massive quantity of steak, chicken, and sausages and all sat down together for a nice meal. It is fun having friends over and we enjoy the fellowship that we have been blessed with here. After lunch we played a game of Cities and Knights (a version of Settlers of Catan) in teams, and then some people left and others had some left-overs from lunch. With all of the games and food it felt a lot like Thanksgiving.

Then came a minor problem - some people wanted to watch Napoleon Dynamite and some wanted to watch Tommy Boy. The solution - a triple dog dare to our friend Scotty Miser by those who wanted to watch Tommy Boy. If he did it, we watched Napolean Dynamite, if not, we were going to watch Tommy Boy. Fortunately, Scotty was brave enough to eat the sausage sandwich on a cinnamon roll, and even added some BBQ sauce for extra flavor. He said it wasn't all that bad.

From Misc

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the dare system, it would be good to read the following summary of the "Christmas Story" scene:
“At one point in the film one of his friends dares another friend, named Flick, to stick his tongue on the flagpole in front of the school on a snowy winter day. The kid who has been dared shows normal innate common sense until his friend ups the ante by double-daring then double-dog-daring him. At which point the movie’s narrator comments: ‘Now it was serious. A double-dog-dare. What else was there but a “triple dare ya”? And then, the coup de grace of all dares, the sinister triple-dog-dare’. At that point, of course, Flick has no choice but to accept the challenge with the predictably disastrous results”.
http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-dou2.htm\

That's all for now. The boys are off for their family vacation tomorrow and will share more with you then!

The Move

2007-01-20T06:44:00.000-04:00

Friday finally came, and it was time to move the boys into the new home. My day started early at 6:00 am, with a Bible study and accountability time with a group of guys from various ministries in the city. It is a fun time, and a great mix of guys. Afterwards, I headed home to pick up Michelle and head down to the Renacer home. The plan was to have a short "goodbye" to the house, then the kids could pack and clean, and we would move there stuff at 1:00 in the afternoon. Since the new home is already furnished at this point, it is mostly the belongings of the kids, and a few things we need to borrow from the old home until we can buy the new ones. We arrive at the home at 9:30, and the boys are already packed, house already clean, and everything ready to go. The counselor said that they have been so excited to move that they started getting things ready at 5:00 AM the day before the move, so I guess there is no need to worry that things won't be ready by the afternoon!

The "goodbye" to the house was a very touching moment, as each of the kids said something that they were thankful for and something that has changed in their lives since they moved into the home. The boys said that they got their childhood back while they lived there, they got a new family, and they got a second chance on life. They thanked everyone for the love and patience that they have been shown, and how much they have been taught. The counselors encouraged the boys in this new stage in their lives, encouraging them to try to leave some of their bad habits in the old home, and think of it as a time to get a fresh start. We are so proud of all of our staff and especially of the children for having made it so far. The change in some of these kids is so dramatic, that one of our new staff members who worked for another organization for almost 10 years, and knew many of these kids on the streets, said that they are almost unrecognizable compared to the child he knew in the streets. It is hard to describe how much these boys change, but amazing to experience.

From Bethany House...

After the "goodbye" to the house, we headed off for a couple of different activities and to finish preparing a few things at the new home for the boys. While I was working in the new home, the Barnabas boys were busy preparing a special welcome for their new neighbors. In Bolivia there is a tradition to do a "Baptism" for special things like moving into a new home, end of the school year, etc. The process can basically be summed up as an attempt to get the other boys as dirty as possible. There was a lot of crawling that was going to happen, through a lot of dirt, but it was great to see the Barnabas boys so excited to greet their neighbors.

From Bethany House...

The afternoon passed quickly, and we were back again at the home, and it was time to go meet the truck that was going to help us move. No big surprise, that the person didn't show up (that happens frequently here), so we had to go look for someone else to do it. A little while later, we had a truck and were headed to the home, ready to load up their stuff. With 4 adults and the kids, the loading went quickly, and we were on our way to the new home. The boys in the minibus with some of their stuff, and a few of us in the big truck (mostly to be sure the guy goes where we tell him!) We made the 30 minute drive up to the new home, and unloaded mostly everything into one room. Once things got unloaded it looked like the boys had a lot of work before there was any possibility of sleeping in a bed, but the staff wanted the boys to be able to setup their own home, so they felt like it was theirs. After getting everything unloaded Tuny, the house dad, had a short Bible study and prayer time to welcome the kids into the new home, and talk about what it means to be a family together.

From Bethany House...

On the other side of the wall the Barnabas boys were busy preparing for their part of the welcome. The basic plan was to be waiting outside for the Bethany home boys, and each of the Barnabas boys was going to trap one of the boys, and then they would all go down to the soccer field, and each boy would have to come up one at a time to do the obstacle course.

From Bethany House...

The obstacle course involved crawling under things, through tires, and getting really, really dirty. All of the kids had tons of fun together and it was a great way to welcome the kids into their new home.

From Bethany House...

After everyone had finished the obstacle course, they all got together so that Gonzalo, the house dad at Barnabas, could give an official welcome to the new boys and their parents. Besides the obstacle course, the Barnabas family also welcomed the new home with a nice surprise dinner that they were preparing for them for later on in the night. It is great to see these two families coming together, and we are sure they are bound to have lots of fun activities together. Today (Saturday) we are doing an "Olympics" with both of the homes, to celebrate the end of a journey preparing the boys to come together and play some of the same games they have been playing for a couple of months to get to know each other better.

We encourage you to click on any of the pictures on our blog, which will take you into the photo album and you can see many more pictures of the move. We thank everyone who has given us and the ministry support in so many ways, and especially thank the community of Bethany Lutheran who made the dream of this house a reality, and who is an integral part of our Bethany family here in La Paz.

From Bethany House...

And... he's.... on the move!

2007-01-18T17:46:00.000-04:00

We are proud to share with you the exciting, fun, and slightly scary news that Ethan is finally crawling. He loves making his way around the room... and has even found his way out! It looks like it takes significant concentration still, and is funny since it seems like he thinks... "okay, right hand forward now, set it down, and then move the legs." If you want to see a video click on the link below.

http://picasaweb.google.com/eggen4jc/EthanJanuary2007/photo#5021484287663721426

Moving In... Buying Furniture

2007-01-18T17:22:00.000-04:00

This morning I started the day-long task of buying furniture for the new house. First, it was off to the bank to get some money, and then off to the "Casa de Cambio" to change the dollars into Bolivianos. (The Boliviano is the national currency here, but most people keep their bank accounts in US Dollars, which we do for the ministry as well.) The cost of the items we were going to buy today: furniture, dishes, beds, etc. was going to be around $2000 USD, which is how much I got out of the bank, and then I exchanged that into Bolivianos. Well... at about 8 Bolivianos to the dollar... I didn't quite think about the logistics of having that much money on me. That works out to be 15,900 Bolivianos at the current exchange rate. The lady wanted to give it to me all in 50b bills, but fortunately finally got some 100's. Still, that makes 159 bills, which is both a lot of bills to count, and a lot of bills to carry around without being obvious about it. Fortunately I had a money belt... unfortunately, only about a third of the bills fit in it. God's providence was that as I was leaving the office to get in my car I ran into my friend Scotty, who lent me his money belt for another third, so now I am only carrying about 5,000 B's in my pocket... definitely better than before!

From Bethany House...

So we headed up to El Alto, which sits at about 13,500 feet and on Thursdays and Sundays happens to have the largest and cheapest market in the city from anything from sewing equipment, to appliances, to monkeys, cats, parrots, and... furniture. It took us a few hours of looking over furnture, bargaining for prices, then buying everything and looking for a truck to hire to load it all into. After getting everything loaded into a truck and tied down, Tuny and Sheila headed off to the home while I tried to do some more shopping for the home. A couple of hours later... most of the time in traffic... I too was headed down to the city enjoying a beautiful view of Mt. Illimani from across the city.

From Bethany House...

Tomorrow the boys will move into the home, and it promises to be a busy and exciting day.

-John

Moving In... Buying Appliances

2007-01-17T16:21:00.000-04:00

Today my day was spent going to the Bolivian version of the Home Depot to buy appliances and electronics. Basically it is just a bunch of little stores, each one crammed full of appliances and electronics. Part of the market system is that all of the stores that sell any one thing are generally all grouped together, which makes price shopping easy as you can go from store to store in a matter of minutes. There are some differences in the stores, but most of them have all of the same things, so it is just a matter of finding the cheapest price.

From Bethany House...

After going to about 10 stores, I finally found the cheapest prices on everything, bought everything from four different stores, and then our "cargador" loaded everything up into a 1969 Nissan Junior pickup truck. Our driver was seventy years old and was a Christian. A good 60% of the trip consisted of him telling me about how things were "back when he was young", but we had lots of fun.

There are two big differences in how you buy things here in Bolivia. The first applies to pretty much everything you buy - you always test it before you buy it. This means you take the blender out, be sure it starts. Hook up the stove to gas, ensure it lights. Turn on the refrigerator, make sure it gets cold. Turn on the iron, be sure it gets hot. I think you get the idea of how important this is in Bolivia, and how time consuming it can get. But since there are NO returns, it is good to know you have a working product.

The other difference is in the rigorous safety standards we have in Bolivia for those moving the furniture. In the states we might think you need a dolly and a ramp to move a refrigerator, but in Bolivia you really just need a guy with a rope so he can strap the refrigerator to his back. One thing I am sure about in life is that I am glad I am not that guy!

From Bethany House...

That's all for now. Tomorrow morning we head up to the big market in El Alto to purchase furniture. At about 13,500 feet it must the the highest furniture market in the world.

For any of you who have not seen the new Bethany home, it is the right half of the homes below. (It forms a large duplex together with the Barnabas home.)

From Bethany House...

-John

Moving into the Bethany House - Stage 1

2007-01-17T07:29:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we started to move into the Bethany house, starting with the house parents. Part of the day was spent dealing with some of the typical frustrations we have here in Bolivia, which is things not getting done.

At the start of December I did a walk through of our house with our contractor and the carpenter who is building the closets. We had a few small things that needed to be taken care of, and they all said it would be done by the 20th of December, which gave them a week to finish about 2 days worth of work. The carpentry was going to be a little bit of a stretch, but given that we ordered the closets in September and they have 30 days to complete the contract, it was time for them to get things finished.

Well... the 20th turned out to be too close to Christmas to get anything done, so when we got back from vacation we found out that essentially nothing had been done since we left. Unfortunately if someone has a question, and we are not here to answer it, that also becomes an excuse to just quit working. So yesterday I spent the day meeting with our contractor, and dealing with the carpenter, who didn't want to work yesterday because his truck was in the shop. Luckily I have a vehicle so I went to his shop and hauled him and all of the materials up to the home. Carpenters in La Paz are notoriously bad. They are known for not finishing jobs, taking money and never doing anything, or taking materials from projects to sell or use for their own projects.

After spending the morning dealing with getting people to do work that should have been done, I was able to help the new house parents move into their new apartment. The house parents (Tuny and Sheila) have an amazing dedication and love for the boys that will be living in their home. Tuny is a professional soccer coach (former professional player) who is giving up an excellent job at a prominent university to become a house parent. The kids love Tuny and Sheila, and their son Jordan. It is heart warming to see them all together - they look like the most natural and loving family one could imagine. It is amazing to consider the progress the Renacer boys have made, and the ways that God has been transforming their lives. In my heart is is nearly impossible to connect the person I know now to the boy we met on the streets and brought to the home. They have grown so much spiritually, phsyically, socially and academically in the past year. We always say that each child is a treasure in God's eyes, and a lost and forgotten treasure for this world. We are excited and proud to see these boys develop and become a family together.

We had just a few things to move yesterday. Fortunately Tuny and Sheila's living area was on the second floor of a house with a balcony, so I just pulled up under the balcony and loaded things directly onto the top of our vehicle. It couldn't have been easier. We made the 45 minute trek from one edge of the city to the other, unloaded and the house parents had started to make their new home. This week will be busy with buying and moving furniture into the new home, getting carpenters to do their jobs, and filled with excitement as the Renacer boys finally get to move into their new home.

Bolivian Birthday

2007-01-16T07:39:00.000-04:00

I always find Bolivian birthday parties fun... especially the ones at our homes. Last night we celebrated Ariel's 17th birthday. We had Sajta de Pollo, which is a traditional dish from La Paz, played a lot of canchitas (foosball), had birthday cake and opened gifts. The tradition is to eat dinner, then hang out for a while playing games, sing, stuff the Birthday boy's face in the cake, and then open gifts. Last night was extra special though, since the boys managed to get Ariel's entire face in the cake.

After we sing "Happy Birthday", the tradition in Bolivia is to take a bite of your cake... which in our homes usually happens with a bit of assistance. In our home usually one of the adults gets behind the boy to "protect" them from the other boys pushing their face into the cake. It then becomes a competition to see if the person taking the bite can do it quick enough that nobody notices and escape with just a small bite, or if it will be obvious that they are taking a bite and everybody will push their face into the cake. Sometimes they escape with just a small bite... but not usually.

After eating what was left of the cake we all sat down for Ariel to open his gifts. We start by offering a chance for the other boys to share words of encouragement to the birthday boy, and usually they do. Some are funny, and some are serious. We then pray for the life of Ariel, giving thanks to God for him becoming part of our family, and open gifts. After the gifts it is back to game time until everybody is tired and ready to head home.

Playing Santa, the Red Cross, and baby food bliss

2007-01-15T10:33:00.000-04:00

On Thursday, I finally got to spend some time with the boys at Renacer. We had a quick group therapy meeting, and then it was time to give out gifts. Each of the boys at Renacer has a "godparent"-- somebody in the States who writes to them and prays for them. It's a huge encouragement to the kids, and they feel really special knowing that someone who has never even met them cares about them so much . Ysrael's godmother, Christina, sent backpacks for all the kids with their names embroidered on them. I handed out the backpacks by name, and in each was a gift from each kid's godparent. All of the kids LOVED their gifts. They were so excited. Everyone slung their backpacks over their shoulders and walked around the house with them for quite a while. They are anxious to finally go to school, and the backpacks were a great gift to help them feel more prepared for that step.

From Merry Christm...

Playing Santa was awesome, and it's always nice to see a bunch of happy, smiling kids at Renacer. Next on my agenda was a meeting at the Red Cross. They contacted us to collaborate with them on a nation-wide project to educate street children about HIV and AIDS. This was our first planning meeting, and the project leaders at the Red Cross basically spent two hours asking us questions about how to approach street children, how to gain their trust and confidence, effective teaching methods to use, and what the current situation is regarding HIV/AIDS and STDs among the street population in La Paz. I also got to present a couple of workshops that I've already done to educate street kids about HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. It was cool to be able to collaborate and teach the Red Cross people a few new tricks. We'll be working together on this campaign, and will even have our logo on some of the materials that the Red Cross produces so that kids will become more familiar with our organization and seek us out when they need us most.

Finally, the work day was over and it was time to delve into a really big project: the baby food. I enlisted the help of my good friend and missionary-partner-in-crime Lisa Miser to tackle the massive amounts of raw ingredients I purchased a few days ago at the market.

From Ethan - Janua...

We baked, we boiled, we blended. We sliced and shredded. We peeled and processed. Now I have a freezer full of fresh, hopefully yummy food for little E.

From Ethan - Janua...

Despite four hours of work, I still have a few more fruits and veggies to go. I finished the yams last night and tonight I'll be going for apples, pears, peaches, squash, and an extra special combo meal: spaghetti. Sound like a lot of work? It is. Lisa asked me what "normal people" do to feed their babies here in La Paz. My answer? Either they actually have time to cook every night and make something super nutritious that they can slowly cut into little pieces and feed to their baby, or they just feed the babies chicken soup and french fries till their old enough to really eat, and supplement a few vitamin drops a day in the meantime. Also, a couple of months ago the cook at the Barnabas house sat her 7-month-old up on her ahuayo and gave her a whole cooked chicken breast to gnaw on. I guess that's one way to do it too. Ethan has tried out a few varieties of the new baby food, and surprisingly did not make the "um, I don't think so mommy" face, so that was nice.

From Ethan - Janua...

So that's what I've been up to. Today we start looking for street kids again, as Renacer will be open for a new group at the beginning of February. The current Renacer kids will be moving to their new house-- the Bethany house, or Casa Betania-- this Friday. It's going to be a crazy week, but I'll catch up with you all when I can.

Have a good one!
-M

January 10th: What a boring day.

2007-01-10T18:23:00.000-04:00

I woke up early this morning to take care of little E-bot (think 5 a.m. ish) and then did some work for a little bit translating letters for some of the kids at Renacer. (I figured, hey, I'm up, and even though Ethan went back to sleep, that could be for 5 minutes or 2 hours.) I eventually got re-tired and went back to bed. I was awakened by John saying "Fatima's here!" She's our part-time nanny, and since she just got back from a long trip this morning at 6 a.m., I told her to come to work late at 10 instead of 8 like normal. My first thought: Fatima can't be here. That would mean it's at least 10 a.m. and I am supposed to be at the home to do group therapy. Great. I just get back from vacation and already I've ticked off an educator by not showing up. Good times. I called Chi Chi, told him I wouldn't be able to make it (sorry sorry sorry!) and spent some time teaching Fatima how to use the formula we just started Ethan on and his new solid food schedule/ menu. Then I cranked out a couple more letter translations and responded to a mountain of email. (People, don't hate me. I really do get a lot of email and I wouldn't be that great about responding to it "promptly" even if there are only a couple. Yup. I'm a procrastinator.) Then I made lunch which was totally boring tuna fish wrap and this semi-gross diet salad that consisted of cucumbers and radishes with a vinager dressing. (If that sounds nasty, you're right. And I ate a bunch of it anyway. Uck.)

My day already half-over, I got down to a not-work-related but pretty important task: learning how to make baby food from scratch. I thought I'd have more time to figure this out, but when we returned to Bolivia on Sunday, I was not-too-surprised to find out that the blessed shipment of Gerber baby food had run out and there was no more to be had in the supermarket. Awesome. If we were just talking peas and applesauce, that's not such a big deal. I mean, how hard is it? You cook it, you put it in the blender with water, you blend. But now little E is into meat, combo foods, "level 3" chunky style, and it's a little trickier. So I read a bunch of stuff written by people who are super-serious about never ever ever ever no never serving your baby anything but homemade baby food, and I think I've got it figured out. E ate the last jar of "Chicken Vegetable Dinner" today, so I guess I'm going to the store tonight to buy ingredients. Wish me luck. I can make "real people" food, but baby food is a new culinary challenge for me, so we'll see. I can't wait to see Ethan make his "this-is-so-gross face" the first time he tries it. It's pretty cute and funny.

I finished off my day with some more email and reading some reports from our staff, and I gotta say: it was a boring day. Really pretty boring. I hope this blog captured the boredom by totally boring you too. :)

'Till next time,

Michelle

A New Blog for a New Year

2007-01-10T15:14:00.000-04:00

For a couple of people as technological as ourselves, you might wonder why we have never maintained a blog before! Well, there is really no good reason, so now we are going to work hard on keeping our blog updated. We hope that it will provide a good means to keep in touch with all of the important people in our lives.

We spent much of December working non-stop. We were both very busy with ministry related work - preparing staff training, planning for Christmas events in the homes, for the staff, and for street children. I was also busy doing the programming for the newly revised website for BSCP (www.bolivianstreetchildren.org) and finishing my studies for my Master of Divinity from Boston University, which I finished in mid-December. We were able to get all of our work done, and left on the 20th for a relaxing trip to Nebraska to spend Christmas and New Year's Eve with our families there. Ethan had a great time visiting his Grandparents and celebrating Christmas. He had just as much fun eating the wrapping paper around the gifts as he did playing with his new toys!

From Christmas and...

Ethan was baptized on December 24th at Bethany Lutheran Church. It was a really important moment for our family, and humbling as a parent to admit that Ethan's spiritual growth is fully dependant on the grace of God and that we are mere supporters of His work. In Ethan's baptism we affirm that we will support Ethan in his faith journey, and humbly admit that it is God's work that saves Ethan, nothing we nor he will or can do. The decision to baptize Ethan took a lot of study and prayer, as we have been exposed to many viewpoints on infant baptism, and weren't really sure where we stood on the issue. We are grateful to our pastor at Park Street Church and some rock-solid theology by Luther that helped us through this decision. If this is an issue you are struggling with we would love to provide some guidance. A rough outline of Luther's basic beliefs on the subject can be found in one of John's papers at: http://eggen4jc.googlepages.com/lutheronthesacraments

We now look forward to a new year with its own challenges and excitements. First on our list is the opening of the new home for the ministry, Hogar Betania. We are excited for the boys to move into the home and to start a new family of former street children in the Renacer home. Shortly after moving into the new home we are planning a family vacation for all of the boys and some of the staff, which is always a great experience for everyone involved. We are hoping to return to the "Puente" which is where the boys went on vacation in 2005. (Pictures are available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jmeggen/sets/499053/)

We wish you all a Happy New Year and look forward to keeping in touch with you via our blog and hope you will share with us via your comments or e-mails!

Yours in Christ,
John

Five minutes on whose watch?

2007-01-09T19:40:00.000-04:00

We returned to Bolivia from a short trip to spend Christmas with our families. When we got back we immediately noticed that our DSL connection was not working when we tried to use our Vonage phone. A quick diagnostic pointed to the obvious fact that the power light on the modem never came on. So I called the Internet company, and they told me to bring in the modem so they could fix/replace it.

Knowing that things can take longer than planned, I made stopping at the Internet company one of the first errands of the day. I sat in line for about 15-20 minutes, listening to an audio book and defending my right to go next. I finally sat down at the desk, and thirty seconds later a technician had our modem in hand. "Give me 5-6 minutes and you will be all set" he says. Usually I don't believe time estimates, but if they are that specific it is a good sign.

10 minutes later... waiting patiently
15 minutes later... getting bored watching other people talk to the service desk people. I mean how many people can ask the same question?
25 minutes later... I ask, "Hey, can we see how things are going with my modem?"
30 minutes later... The customer service guy tells me, "They said it will only be a couple more minutes. Please just be patient."
45 minutes later (not since arrival, since handing over the modem) I have a new modem in hand and walked out the door.

I have become accustomed to waiting a lot; it tends to happen frequently in Bolivia. My only question is what would be wrong with "Hey it might take a while to fix your modem, so why don't you come back in an hour?" I guess it is like the old Heinz commercials... "Good things come to those who wait." In this case, it was revived Internet access.