My Working Week

So this week was the first proper week of work. I’m placed in the Centre of Motivation, this was the centre I really wanted to be in so I’ve been very excited to begin the work here.

Me and my team mate John have received such a warm welcome from the staff at the centre, its been a joy to work alongside them and get to know them better.

On Tues morning we went out onto the streets of Cochabamba to do some outreach work. I don’t think anything could have prepared us for the sights we saw, it was like nothing I’d ever seen before. As we walked around this particular part of the city I just kept thinking its crazy to think that just 10mins away there’s comfort and wealth compared poverty and struggle of where we was! The streets are just covered with people selling fruit, veg and meat, from young girls with babies right up to old grandparents. Their skin is so withered and dark from been exposed to the sun day in day out.

As we walked round our noses had to get accustomed to the horrific smells that were invading our senses. Like the street smell described in my last blog this was 10 times worse, at times I found myself holding my breath so not inhale it too much. Its so sad to think people live in these circumstances everyday of the year, some for all their lives. The thought of been born on the streets and to die on the streets breaks my heart and this is a reality for so many people here. Its so hard to comprehend.

Some people live in the parks, up in the mountains and under the bridges similar to the picture above. As we ventured around many of the homeless people called us over as the workers we were with have quite good relationships with a lot of the street kids, I say kids but some of them are adults aswell. Throughout the morning we went into some very different environments all of which we felt way out of our comfort zone nevertheless we continued.

As the morning went on I kept thinking if only my eyes had the ability to take pictures to share with you guys cause really no words can truly describe the images we saw. Obviously it wasn’t appropriate to be taking photos at this time.

Many people living on the streets self harm not just on their arms but face aswell. Its supposed to be seen as a sign of been tough. Its like the scars are used as a form of protection, the more scars you have the tougher you are seemed to be. Some peoples scars can be inches long and very wide, right across their cheeks. Scars up and down their arms is like the norm here, some are much bigger and worse than others but pretty much everyone living on the streets has them.

Sniffing glue Is the biggest problem amongst the homeless people of Cochabamba on this morning we we’re exposed to pregnant ladies sniffing glue, young kids and teenagers all high on glue, it was disturbing to see. At times It was so hard to comprehend how we could even make a difference in these people lives, some of them seem so far gone.

We went up into the mountains to visit a group of people living up their, the stench was even worse up there than the one down on the streets! I was so shocked to see the make shift shak these people we’re living in. Every single one of them had a pot of glue in their hands and we’re totally out of it. The men seemed to be quite overwhelmed by us and started to get quite aggressive so we left pretty quickly!

This experience was such an eye opener of the real problems of Cochabamba and the desperation of the people here!

In the afternoon we sorted out some clothes out that had been donated to the centre to give to their users. Some that we’re not suitable to give out we went and put on the huge rubbish dump and the bottom of the road. It was so sad to see that the next day all them clothes had gone, people had obviously rummaged through the rubbish during the night and took the clothes. This made me think about how we’re so obsessed with image and clothes back home, how we like to keep up with the latest fashions, always want new clothes when we have plenty. Yet these people have very little and are grateful for clothes found on a rubbish dumb that have holes in and stains on, far from the latest fashion. Makes me think is there really any need for all the clothes I have at home that I don’t even have the time to wear, and I still want to shop and buy more. It seems crazy!

On the upside of this heartbreaking reality, throughout the week we met a family who had been saved from this harsh, sickening life of the streets. It was so encouraging to hear their testimonies of how the centre had helped them rebuild their lives.

The father of the family had lived on the streets for 16 long and painful years and had been exposed to pretty much everything street life has to offer. The drugs, violence, self harming, alcohol and the rest. From hearing the word of God from his wife who had been attending the centre he began to think it was possible for him to change his life and started to attend the centre himself.

Now he is free from the streets, self harming, drugs and alcohol and is slowly but surly rebuilding his life with his wife and 2 beautiful little boys. Joshua who is 1 and a half. He has officially become my favourite little person in Bolivia, he is such a delight to be around he melts my heart, such an innocent and happy child. I wish I could put a picture on here for u all to see but I have to stick to child protection. I Think the story of his parents makes me warm to him even more, I’m so happy he won’t have to live the life his mother and father have lived. Every opportunity I get I’ve been playing with him in the centre chasing him around n tickling him – he loves to be tickled and now he has started to recognise me when he comes into the centre which is lovely.

There’s also tiny lil Ezekiel who is just 1 week old. It warms my heart to think these children now have a sense of hope and won’t be growing up on the streets like so many of the children in Cochabamba.

Hearing this families story reminded me of Isaiah 59:1- ‘Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear.’

The God I serve is defo the God of the impossible and is mighty to save the most desperate and hopeless of people! Like it says in this verse his arm is not shorted to save and this was really apparent when speaking to this wonderful family!

I will continue to keep this family’s amazing testimony and this scripture in remembrance when I go out onto the streets again and do the work that I do. I believe if God can do it for them he can also do it for all the desperate people living in the darkness of this city!

Please keep this family in your prayers and all the other people living on the streets of Cochabamba who are bound by the evil, dark works of this world. I believe God can reach out and bring these people into his marvellous light and restore them back to mental, emotional and spiritual health, just like he has done for many families who use the motivation centre.

Thanks for all your prayers and support guys its greatly appreciated! Together we’re making a mark on a generation that cannot and will not be erased!

More stories to come soon….