I woke up to rain this morning. Normally that’s not a bad thing really. It’s a nice break from the heat. But this rain has been…annoying to say the least. It’s not the nice, warm South American rain you’re imagining. It’s cold and damp and causing no shortage of grumpiness in my life.

Because of the wind, the rain’s been coming down at precisely the angle that allows it to go under the awning over my window and hit the glass. That allows it to run under the sill and into my bedroom. I made a dam of dirty cloths (no shortage there) and it was fine…for a good 10 minutes anyhow. Then it overran that dam and I had to make another. Good thing I haven’t done laundry in awhile. But when I noticed it was soaking through the paint up near the ceiling (everything’s cement here), running down wall and pooling in another corner, I finally gave up. I rolled up the carpet and got everything up off the floor. Then I went out of my room….and stepped in more water. That wind I mentioned was also allowing the rain to collect on the upstairs patio…which was now flooded and the water was running under the runners of the sliding glass door we have.

Back to my room for more dirty clothes. Yea, yea…no need to comment. But it was obvious that wasn’t going to be enough and believe it or not…my hamper was now empty. So I grabbed some “trapos” (heavy felt clothes that we use to mop the floor) and made a secondary dam.

Mother nature laughed at my efforts and soon there was a nice water fall over the edge of the stairs down to the first floor where the water ran into a storage area and Rudy’s bedroom. Up until that point the guys were all laughing at my gringo efforts to stem the tide. But suddenly Rudy was all concerned.

“Hermano! What am I going to do? The water’s in my room!”

Well, yea…you could have helped me half an hour ago….

But I finally learned what most Bolivians already know. The water, while annoying, isn’t going to really do any damage (everything is cement and tile here). Eventually the rain will stop and you can clean it up then. Of course, it might have been nice to learn that little lesson before I had piles of wet, dirty laundry lying all over the place…

Rain like this ends up having a lovely list of consequences….

- The micros (busses) stop running which leaves crowds of people stranded…and means that Ken becomes “taxi” to all the guys who can’t get home from their classes.

- your clean sheets hanging on the line are no longer dry like they were yesterday afternoon when you were too lazy to bring them in because, “They’ll be fine there until tomorrow…”

- Random traffic lights stop working. I believe I’ve mentioned what driving here can be like?

- In the realm of driving issues…when it rains, the police don’t show up to direct traffic at traffic circles during rush hour traffic. Traffic circles are not a bad idea necessarily…but when common sense goes out the window and “I can make it! I can make it! I can make it! Oh…I didn’t make it. Now I’m blocking all the other lanes of cross traffic…” thinking takes over…well, the word chaos comes to mind. I got stuck in a traffic circle in the rain once, where it looked like a parking lot where everyone just randomly parked at crazy angles. No one could move. We just sat there for over 20 minutes while the lights just kept changing… Finally people got out of their vehicles and started directing people how to get out of the mess. I was actually rather entertained by the whole episode.

To give you an idea of how much rain we had, the main drainage canal runs between the lanes around the second ring of the city (Santa Cruz is made up of a series of rings). This canal is probably 20 or 30 feet across or so and 15 or more feet deep. When I drove by it in the afternoon, it was over half full and was running really fast. It didn’t help much though. Most of the streets were like rivers. Parts of the city always flood when it rains, but today almost all the streets were full of water.

But the reality is…this is just a part of life here. You just have to hunker down and remind yourself that it could be -50 with a wind chill of 60 degrees more. Or something like that. I’ve kind of blocked that whole “winter in Canada” thing from my mind. Tomorrow or the next day will be sunny and hot here and we’ll all go back to wishing it was cold and rainy.

Ah…life in South America…

So I’ve had the flu all weekend…which was lame.  But it seems to be passing.  I’m sure the guys will be happy to hear that too.  We did okay…just in the middle (Saturday night) I was a little snarky.  I got mad at some of the guys for the first time (a few of them broke curfew for a silly reason).  They felt bad (they were just being…uh…dumb teenagers.  I apologize to any teenagers reading.  But come on…you are sometimes…), but they picked the wrong night for sure.  I told Isabel what I said to them and she….laughed at me.  She told me I’m the politist angry guy ever.  I guess it’s true that I don’t have that Latin fire…but still, I think I did okay.  Especially considering I was sick and it’s hard to yell at someone in another language.  Besides, these guys are used to being yelled at.  They had no idea what to do with someone who was mad and very solemnly made his point, and then calmly dismissed them and told them he would see them in the morning.  I’m pretty sure it made them feel worse.  They sure were listening better in the morning…

I did received some good parenting advice from many of the parents in the crowd, which I appreciated…however weirded out I was by needing to receive it.  One wise friend told me “not to sweat the small stuff”, which are wise words…but perhaps a bit misdirected.  As I told her, that’s kind of the motto of my life.  I’m pretty sure that won’t be too much of a problem.  Except, like I said, when I’m tired.  Then all bets are off…

But she also told me to pick my battles, which are also wise words and something I’m learning to do.  Part of that is remembering where these guys have come from and that wiping the food crumbs/chunks from the table onto the floor is pretty normal when you have a cement/dirt floor.  We’re all learning….

One last note…for those of you who know him, I had supper tonight with Jose.  I know some of the team from the SCS have been asking about him.  He’s doing well I think.  He’s been working out of town on a construction site.  He had some great stories about how God has been answering his prayers.  One night he was feeling really tempted to go back to drugs, and so he prayed….and he said he felt a warmth come over his whole body and the temptation was gone.  He said he wasn’t exactly sure how to explain it…  =)  

He’s still facing a long road, but it was encouraging to talk to him tonight.  He’s planning on coming to church with me and the guys on Sunday, and he and I are going to start getting together every week to read through a book on spiritual freedom together.  I’m looking forward to it.  He’s a good guy, with a great heart.  Thanks to those of you who have been praying for him.

It’s late and I should head for home.  I have a meeting with the guys tomorrow that I still need to prepare for.  We’re finally getting started with our “official” schedule (we’ve changed it a few times).  I’ve been kind of avoiding it ’cause it means having to get up earlier for breakfast.  I know, I know…it won’t kill me.  So you say.

Thanks for praying everyone.  On behalf of the guys, we appreciate it!  It’s making a difference. 

It’s hard to find North Americanish food here sometimes. It’s not that I don’t like Bolivian food…I do. But I’ve said it before…and I’ll probably say it again…some days it’s nice to eat something that tastes the way it looks like it should taste. So…when you find something familiar, you stick with it. Or at least I do… Right now I’m eating at a little restaurant that has free wireless high speed internet…and the most amazing chicken wings. It’s likely the greatest combination of random items ever. I think I probably get the same thing every time I come here. Today wings weren’t as good at first, though…they were kind of greasy. I’m not sure what was up, but since I’ve been…well, thinking about trying to lose some weight…I figured the greasy wasn’t so great. But no worries, I solved my dilemma with good Canadian ingenuity…I just covered the grease with BBQ sauce…

Most of the guys are studying nights these days, taking classes to prepare for the entrance exam into university. So for three days a week, that only leaves Jesus (one of the guys…not the other Jesus) and I to take turns cooking supper. Yesterday it was my turn, so I decided to make spaghetti. Jesus fried the hamburger for me, and I started openings cans of tomato sauce. These cans are great too, you don’t need a can opener. They open like a pop can and you just peel back the lid. I tossed four cans of sauce into the pot, a can of mushrooms and a can of tomato paste.

Jesus looked into the pot and asked me what it was.

“I’ve cooked this before! It’s spaghetti!”

“No, that’s what they call it in Italy or Europe. What’s it called here?”

I paused for a moment…I had no idea what he was talking about. “I don’t know…what’s it called here?”

“Lazy.”

Yea, whatever. I’ll stick with calling it Canadian ingenuity.

It’s been a challenging couple of weeks here. It’s hard to know how to explain things exactly. I’ve talked to different missionaries, and there seems to be a consensus that this is a difficult time in their ministries. If you’ve been following along at the blog, I wrote earlier this week about some of the things that have been affecting us. Some of the kids at the homes have taken some fairly serious stumbles in their lives and relationships with God recently. I’ve found that, even after years of being off the streets, many of the guys have not experienced true freedom from their pasts. Many of them are still in bondage to their sins. They don’t really understand who they are in Christ, and the forgiveness and freedom that are theirs. I’ve talked with my co-worker Marcee, who works with the girls at our girl’s home, and she echos this sentiment in regards to the girls.

I’m in the middle of a situation right now with one of the guys. He’s not…pleased…with the fact that I’ve called him on a sin issue that’s been plaguing him for most of his life. And the problem is, he involved other people…so I spoke with them as well. That didn’t make him happy either. =) This is a “save face” culture, which is part of the problem. If you can keep you sin hidden well enough, no one is going to talk to you about it. But I told him that I’m not going to apologize for bringing this out. It’s time for him to experience Christ’s freedom, and be done with this. I think he understands that, but his pride (which is another big issue here with guys) is telling him that he’s right and everyone else is wrong.

So, like I said…it’s a challenge. I love the guys I’m working with right now. They’re eight of the funniest, intelligent and gifted guys I’ve ever worked with. But I would say that of the eight, maybe two are living lives that are free from issues from their pasts.

Please continue to pray for these guys. I wrote in my blog that I know God has a plan and purpose for these guys. I believe that they can all experience the love…peace…grace…joy and freedom that God has for them. But they need to believe that too. Pray that God will show this to them, and that I’ll have wisdom to know how to be a good example of God’s grace and love.

That brings me to my other prayer request. As it turns out, this isn’t your typical 9-5 day job. =) Obviously, I knew that going in…and for the most part it’s fine. But there are…moments…for sure. I would appreciate your prayers about that. I haven’t been sleeping very well lately (I’m not sure why exactly) and when I get tired, the first thing to go is my patience. I was doing some work in a coffee shop the other day, and a lady next to me was using her Palm Pilot. It was making this annoying little beeping noise every time she touched the screen. It was all I could do not to rip the thing out of her hand and stomp it into tiny little pieces. So yea…I would appreciate your prayers. =)

Thanks for taking the time to read this! I’m going to flog the blog one more time and encourage you to check it out. I’ve been trying to stay current with what’s happening down here. As well, I’m posting pictures today of our new place. If you’re interested, take a look. The blog is at kenswitzer.blog.com. You can’t get much simpler than that.

Thanks once again for your prayers and support. That’s what makes it possible for me to do what God’s called me to do here…

Dios te bendiga!

Ken

By the way…I’m home briefly this summer (last week of June to the third week of July). Now’s the time to invite me over for some good Canadian home cooking… =)

Oh yea…and something that’s surprising me…

I’ve turned into my father.

“Turn down the stereo!”

“When you leave a room, turn off the light…”

“Seriously…who keeps putting the juice pitcher back in the fridge with a quarter inch of juice in the bottom? Do it again and I’m not buying Cool-Aid for a month!”

“…and I want my change!”

Go ahead and laugh, but everyone of those statements have come out of my mouth in the last week.

It’s a sad, sad thing….and I probably need to apologize to my dad the next time I see him.

And now finally…a tour of the new house.  Some day I’ll come up with a name for the place…

 

This is the view from the street.  It’s a little dusty out front because they’re working on the main road near our house and it’s detouring all the trafic past us.  But we’re not complaining…the new road will be amazing (the old road was…well, I can’t even explain really…), and the bus the guys take to school now passes directly in front of the house.

From inside the gate…the picture on the left is the front door and on the right, the side of the house.  The window on the second story in the front is my bedroom. 

The living and dining rooms.  The door behind David is the front door and just on the edge of the picture to the left is the door to Ruddy and Sandro’s room. 

This is the kitchen.  The new appliances are great.  I’m loving having the microwave…my first one in nearly four years.  By the way…this kitchen is bigger than my living room when I lived in Saskatoon.  It’s bigger than my house in El Torno (where I was living before here).

This is back in the dining room area, looking the other direction.  Of the three doors in the middle of the picture, the door to the left is to the kitchen…the door in the middle is our office/gymnasium =) soon to be another bedroom, and the small door to the right is to a small bathroom (I’ll tell you a funny story about that some other day).  Right in the middle is our laundry room…  Houses here really aren’t built with a laundry room in mind, so the only place for the washing maching is in the dining room.  =)  We’re guys…we don’t care.  We’re just happy we have a washing machine.

This is the common room at the top of the stairs, which we’ve turned into a computer room.  Thanks to the Saskatoon Christian school, we are the proud owners of six great laptops.  Since all the guys are studying computers right now, they’ve been a real blessing to us.  Not to mention the late night pinball competitions…

This is the first of the bedrooms upstairs.  David, Jesus and Franz currently live here.  The rooms are huge with two big windows overlooking….well, our neighbors.

This is the other bedroom upstairs.  Currently it houses Jose Carlos and Juan (and hopefully soon, Julio).  Enjoy the plant…Jose Carlos desperatly wanted it, but hasn’t watered it since he got it.  So in the next picture…I’m sure it’ll be dead.

These are pictures of my bedroom/kitchen/house.  It was a bit of a creative endeavor to cram all my junk into one room…but I managed (more or less).  I like it…it’s big enough to have my couch and a mini-fridge (ie living room and kitchen)…and it’s relaxing.  AND I have my own bathroom, which is also huge.  It’s the size of my kitchen back home in S’toon.  AND it has a bathtub which seems to be a big deal to some of the missionary ladies I know (wow, the bitterness and jealousy…), although I’ll probably never use it.   

And finally the upstairs deck.  This is probably my favourite part of the house.  It’s great!  We have our Bible studies/meetings here, and just generally hang out.  Another day I’ll post some pictures of planting the plants in the planter around the railing.  It was…interesting…

Anyhow…there you go.  This is where we live.  Hope you enjoyed the tour.  It’s a lot better in person, so feel free to come experience it!  =)

My church called me up to the front to pray for me yesterday, which was nice…but a little unexpected.  I always feel a bit weird in those moments.  But it was well timed non the less.  It was a bit of a rough day yesterday.  Just one of those days that you can’t pin down exactly why you feel the way you do…you just do. 

But there were some good moments too.  Jose (I wrote about him here) called me.  I haven’t seen him or talked to him since the Canadian team left.  I’ve been trying, but he’s difficult to contact.  So we plan to get together this week.  As well, one of my favourite guys, Americo, came into town yesterday.  So we went shopping for a few things he needed.  Then he, Isabel and I grabbed some ice cream before he headed back out to the home.  It was fun to have that time with him away from the home.

A quick prayer request….please pray for Rudy this week when you have a moment.  His mom is older and is having some health problems.  Rudy was visiting her this weekend and came back pretty sad and discouraged.  We took some time to pray together, but I’m sure that this will be a difficult week for him.

Before I take off, my funny moment for the week.  One night the guys and I came over to the little coffee place where I do my interneting (I may have just made up a new word there).  The Canadian team that was just here was having a desert/coffee night in Canada to report about their trip to their families and friends.  As a surprise, one of the leaders set up for us to talk with them with web cams and whatnot.  They were a little late calling us, so I bought all the guys coffees while we were waiting.  For most of the guys, this was their first time in a ”real” coffee shop, so the lists of coffees and drinks were a little intimidating (as they are to all of us non-coffee drinkers).  The guys who were sitting with me at my table decided to order espressos.   In my defense for not warning them, I didn’t really know what an espresso was either.

You should have seen the looks on their faces when these little tiny miniature cups of coffee arrived.  It was this mix of amusement and disbelief.  The guys at the other table were not so reserved in their responses.  They nearly wet themselves they were laughing so hard.  One guy just about fell out of his chair.  I’m sure all the staff standing nearby woundered what was quite so funny about a cup of coffee.  I tried to be mature about it, but after awhile I started laughing too.  It was pretty funny.  As a side note, I ordered a hot chocolate and it was…pretty bad.  It tasted like unsweetened bakers chocolate made into a drink.  I gave up drinking it after I added three sugars and it still tasted terrible.  However, later I noticed one of the guys adding even more sugar and then tossing it back.  I guess it all depends on your tastes…

I only have a couple of moments right now, and then I’m off to have supper with one of the guys from the home (Ticua, for those of you who know him). But I wanted to ask you all to pray for the guys…both at the new place and at Miguel’s.

Something happened this week at Miguel’s and it’s really gotten me thinking. I can’t really get into it (and to be honest I don’t even know all the details) but suffice to say that a couple of the leadership guys who’ve been at the home for awhile have had some problems. And it’s just that it’s caused me to take a step back and wonder once again…why so many of these guys (and many of the girls from the girl’s home) are not experiencing the freedom and grace that God has for them. I can see it in the lives of guys who are living with me too. One or two of them are relatively stable, but most are still really struggling.  They haven’t dealt with or experienced freedom from the sin and bondage in their pasts.

It worries me for them. I have different theories about why this is happening, but ultimately it comes down to them understanding who they are in Christ and what that means for their lives. And many days it’s a battle. To help them understand and to see them break through the years of conditioning they’ve experienced. The lies that are bouncing around inside their heads, telling them exactly opposite to what God is telling them.  You try to explain to them who they are in Christ…how they’ve change…that they’re not the same guys they were before they received Christ…that it’s not just about sin but also about forgiveness and grace. It’s not that they don’t want to change, but…it’s always easier to believe the worst about yourself.  

I know that God has a plan and purpose for these guys. I believe that they can all experience the love…peace…grace…joy and freedom that God has for them. But they need to believe that too.

And that’s the struggle.  It’s only through the power of the Holy Spirit that these guys will ever experience all that God has for them.  So…please continue to pray.  The reality of their spiritual battles came home again this week.   

Ah, life’s mistakes.  I think I may have made a big one. I didn’t mean to exactly. I just wasn’t thinking about what I was doing or what the consequences of my decision might end up being. But oh, to have those three minutes back….

Last week I taught the guys how to play “Punchbuggy”… 

Understand something here…playing “Punchbuggy” in a country where you see three, maybe four, Volkswagens in a day is one thing. Playing it in a country where one goes by on average, every two minutes…is something else entirely! I was playing with a guy the other day and we each broke thirty five VW’s…in just over an hour. Do the math…my arm still hurts.

For those of you who are not aware of the intricacies of this game, it’s simple…when you see a Volkswagen (ie. “Punchbuggy”) while driving, you yell “Punchbuggy green (for example) No return!”

And then you punch whoever happens to be closest to you. It’s a fun little driving game with no real life repercussions. Or so you’d think…

First, you have to take into account what it’s like driving here. Taxi and bus drivers who are completely unaware of the fact that there might actually be other people on the road with them. Oh, you need to turn left at the next intersection and you’re in the right hand lane. No problem. Just go careening across four lanes of traffic. Your lane of traffic is slowing down and mine isn’t? That doesn’t seem fair, does it. So just lane change a foot and a half in front of my vehicle. No problem. I know where I’m going when I die…

Then you have to factor in the guys I work with here. Probably the most competitive group of little turkeys…uh, brothers in Christ…that I’ve ever known. They HATE to lose. But then again, so do I. So we make a great combination.

The only caveat we’ve made to the fact that I need to drive…more or less…is that we play in my native tongue. So they have to know the colour of the Volkswagen in English. It’s the worst moment ever when I can hear them whispering “How do you say azul in English?” and I can’t see whatever VW they’ve spotted. I know what’s coming, but I can’t do anything about it.

And we usually start off nice and friendly (as do most games with guys) with little punches on the shoulder. But then the excitement builds and the aforementioned competition kicks in…and we all walk away with bruises. My faviourite moment so far was when one of the guys was so focused on getting the colour right, that when he saw a VW he just yelled, “BLUE!” and nothing else.

So I punched him.

Anyhow…like I didn’t have enough problems without half a dozen guys wailing on me while I’m trying to drive.  If it’s ever reported that, sadly, Ken has died in a traffic accident in South America, you can be assured that my last words were, “PUNCHBUGGY WHITE! NO RETURN!”

Julio has resurfaced after over a month of no one knowing where he was. I was pretty happy to hear his voice on my cell phone the other day. He explained that he had a job opportunity and in the spur of the moment (thinking that he needed to pay some debts) he took it. He thought he’d only be gone for a week…but then wasn’t able to leave the job site for over a month. The job is in a little town a few hours away and isn’t very accessible.

It’s tough for me to know what to think or say. Without really thinking much about it, Julio blew off the school that I worked hard to get him into (and was paying for). When we sat down to talk yesterday, he had a hard time communicating what he was thinking about or wanted to do. I’m not sure how to completely explain the situation. All I can ask is that you continue to pray for him. My heart really goes out to this kid. He really doesn’t have anyone. He’s sixteen and been alone and on his own for most of his life. After being fairly stoic at first when we started talking (he knew what he’d done was wrong, and was probably preparing himself for a lecture) he started crying when he acknowledged that he’s not happy with his life and the decisions he’s making…but he’s not sure what to do.

There’s more to the story, but it’s probably just best to ask you to pray. He’s agreed that when he comes home this weekend, he’d like to move in with us. For the next month he’ll work during the week and then live with us on the weekends. I know that I’m going out on a bit of a limb with Julio…our place isn’t set up for sixteen year old guys in high school. But…at the same time, I don’t feel any peace with just walking away. So…I guess we’ll see. =)

Kind of the story of my life…the lost puppy syndrome. Oh…except when someone actually gave me a puppy earlier this month I gave it back after four days. It was kind of a pain. So maybe the analogy doesn’t completely hold. But you get the idea. It’s tough when you see someone hurting and alone, to just be another person in their lives who leaves them to fend for themselves when they mess up. But the challenge is how to help someone in a constructive way without just handing them everything on a platter. The whole being compassionate but firm thing. Takes a lot of prayer some days. But I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…I feel strongly that God’s called me to be an example of unconditional love and unconditional grace to these guys. So I guess I’d rather err on the side of love and grace. Don’t think that means there are never consequences for the guys with me…there are. I had to tell a kid that he wouldn’t be able to live with us in the new place, because of the choices he’d been making. That was tough. But we’re still friends and I’m still doing what I can to help him. So there’s that balance.

At any rate…please continue to pray for Julio and for me. I don’t always feel compassionate and loving. No really. =) And now that I’m living with seven guys…soon to be nine (we’re probably picking up another fellow other than Julio…but I’ll explain that another day) it gets tough some days. But God is good and He’s been faithful. But yea…feel free to pray.

I’ve a quick, but serious, prayer request. If you remember, a while back I wrote about Julio Cesar. He was a kid from the home that I’d had the chance to reconnect with and was hoping to help out with school and a place to live. For about a month we met regularly and I got him into a good high school. Then the Sunday before the team arrived, he just disappeared. He called me the night before and things seemed to be okay. Then he left the house where he was living with a family, and no one has heard from him since. I went to his school and found out that he’d missed some classes. It could be that he’s embarrassed to talk to me and admit that he’s not doing well. But the family (and his girlfriend) haven’t heard from him either. I’m pretty worried that something has happened. So if you could pray for him…that we’d find him or that he’d get in contact with us…that would be great. I’ll let you know as soon as I hear anything…

UPDATE:

I just talked to Julio’s girlfriend and although she hasn’t talked to Julio, she thinks one of her friends may have.  That’s good to know.  I was actually talking to Corina this week about how to try to find out if he’d been hurt or worse.  So at least I know he’s around someplace…  But please keep praying.  Hopefully word will get back to him that I’d like to talk to him.

I finally sat down with Jose to chat, after trying to find time for a couple of days. With the team visiting, there just weren’t a lot of free moments. I looked at him, grinned and said, “Wow it’s been awhile eh?!” Jose looked back at me, hesitated, and then burst into tears. I swallowed, started praying like a crazy man, and asked him what was wrong…

Jose was the first kid I ever got to know at the home. For those of you who know the story, that was back in 2001. I was helping out and staying in the dorms at night because there weren’t any other male staff members. Miguel was in the States, and Edly (they were still single then) was running the place alone. There were 55 boys and just her. Some of the boys were bringing drugs into the dorm at night, and she was getting overwhelmed with the situation. She thought that because I was a pastor, I wouldn’t mind staying with the guys. Did I mention that I spoke maybe five words of Spanish? And that’s being generous…

But I stayed with the guys for five days…and that’s how all this started. But back to Jose. He was the first kid I ever really tried to communicate with…such as it was. I remember him sitting along a wall reading something. I sat down beside him and he showed it to me. I had no idea what it was, so he started singing. I recognized the tune immediately…he’d been reading the words to “Amazing Grace”. After he finished singing, he looked over and said, “Posey, si?” Posey is street slang for something that’s really good. So I agreed and said that yea…it really was.

When I came back to Bolivia the following year, Jose was gone and I didn’t see him again for seven years. Until last week when he turned up back at the home. The night before the team arrived, I went out to make sure things were ready for them. I came around a corner and there he was. He started laughing and asked me if I remembered him. That’s a bit of a loaded question…I’ve met hundreds of kids in the years since I started helping at the home. For sure he looked familiar, but I wasn’t entirely sure from where. Then one of the kids called to him, and I made the connection. It was Jose…or Capauedo as we call him. It wasn’t entirely my fault that I didn’t recognize him…the last time I’d seen him he was 13. Now he was 21…a lot taller and broader and with a lot more tattoos.

As we sat there that afternoon, Jose shared his story with me. After leaving the home, he went back to the streets and drugs. When he was 16 he was busted by the police with a bag of marijuana he was planning to sell. He ended up going to prison for the next three years. We’re not talking about a youth detention centre or anything like that. As he explained it, he was there with thieves, murders, narcotics dealers…you name it. And he had to fend for himself.

While we were talking, he mentioned my friend Corina. Later I asked her what her connection with him was. If he’d been studying with her at El Jordan when he got out of jail or what exactly. She told me that Jose’s girlfriend had been studying with them and that she’d helped them when their little baby died. She’d arranged for a coffin and burial. I don’t know much more than that…Jose never mentioned this to me…but it saddened me all over again. So much pain in such a young life.

As we sat there talking that afternoon (and a couple of more times later in the week), I was able to share with Jose a bit of God’s plan and purpose for him. Jose is so wracked with guilt for what he did and how it affected his family. He thinks that this drove his dad to become an alcoholic and become abusive to his mom. I’m not sure that’s very accurate, though. We’re all responsible for our own actions…including his father. He also doesn’t understand at all God’s grace and forgiveness. He made a commitment to Christ back in his days at the home, but I’m not sure how much he really understood. We talked about the story of the Prodigal and how the father welcomed his son back with love and forgiveness…even before the son had a chance to say anything. I really do love that story. We talked about the power of Christ to free us from sin and bondages. Jose has a serious drug problem and he’s really afraid that he’s going to turn back to drugs. He’s been clean (more or less) from serious drugs for about a month. But he says that the temptation is always with him. And he struggles so much with anger. He has moments of not being able to control it. I imagine some of that comes from his experiences in his past…but I’m convinced that much of it is spiritual as well.

We talked and prayed together, and I think he felt encouraged. But please pray for Jose…he’s got a long road ahead of him. He left the home the same day the team did. Not to go back to the streets I don’t think. But there’s no doubt that he faces a lot of challenges and temptations in the coming days. I have his cell number (I wasn’t there when he left, but he gave it to one of the guys to give to me), and I hope to continue to be able to meet with him and hopefully take him to church with us. Please pray for me as well…I have no doubt that God can set Jose free, but I also know that it might be a difficult road with lots of tough moments. I need a lot of wisdom and patience.

I’ve said this many times over the years, both in Canada and here in Bolivia…that with God it’s never the end of the story. Just because someone is making bad decisions in the moment and is hurting or in pain…it doesn’t mean that’s where they’re going to stay. God finishes the work that He starts. I’ve often wondered what happened to Jose and where he was. Seven years after meeting him and getting to know him…God’s given me another opportunity to come alongside of him and be his friend. That’s a cool thing…