Seeing the Light
I came home from these past 6 months in Peru sick and confused. My sight was clouded by fear. In the past few weeks of seeking God, He has given me new vision—physically and spiritually. By asking me to describe the desire of my heart, He enabled me to see the light! My life work, my calling, the way I want to give God glory is by ministering to street/ troubled children. I believe meeting my dear friend Cecy Wong and living in the Amazon has brought me to a place of transforming my dreams into reality.

Changes
As I continue to seek direction, I ask that you pray and be patient with me. I will not be returning to work with YWAM Iquitos, the overall reasons being that my vision—working with troubled children—is different than theirs. This I knew but felt led by God to stay on. My health problems hastened the imminent decision. So what happens next? The Lord is opening doors that will give me experience toward the goal, which is to work with Cecy and David’s legal organization Children for Christ, which will be under the umbrella of YWAM Leticia, directed by Jaime Useche. Lord-willing, in a few years, we will, with a team, begin to build up two children’s homes, in Leticia, Colombia and Iquitos, Peru. In the meantime, the three of us will be studying and working with street children in Bogotá, Colombia. We are seeking the Lord’s will about these life decisions.

Tentative Plan
September: Lima, Peru
Travel through South America with Cecy
October: 2 weeks in Cali, Colombia
YWAM Leticia’s Explosión, a powerful street crusade (I will be serving in many ways and may translate, teach, and help with the kids’ crusade.)
Late October-early January: Iquitos, Peru
Teach the Bible, feed and clothe, and provide activities and Christmas to the street kids, Teach ESL
Mid-January-February 18: Leticia, Colombia:
February 17: Cecy’s wedding to David from Bogotá (they will be living in Bogotá for a few years, while David finishes a second degree—in psychology)
March 2-May 21: Bogotá, Colombia:
YWAM Bogotá Children At Risk 4-month training school http://www.colombiastreetkids.org, Street kid ministry with Cecy and David
June-?: USA
?-? (a few years?): Bogotá, Colombia: Street ministry/ special needs’ school (with YWAM Bogotá?—$250/month), Take Spanish classes, Teach ESL

Donations
For October 2006-May 2007, I have budgeted $5000: $400 for the transportation for the crusade “Explosión” in Cali (Oct), $1000 for the street kids work in Iquitos (Oct-Jan), $2500 for the YWAM Bogotá CAR school (Mar-May 2007), and $1100 for traveling, insurance, communications, food, and all other expenses for the 8 months. (The September traveling will come from my personal account.)

I appreciate those who have been faithful to give regularly or occasionally, and apologize for any confusion. All money recently sent to Upper Amazon has been transferred to my new account with the same accountant that I have had for the last two years, Al Reisch. He has a non-profit organization to support missionaries—one way is through doing their accounting. Donations remain tax-deductible.

PLEASE NOTE THE NEW SENDING ADDRESS: (Write my name on a Post-It note and put it with the check. Thanks.)
Missionary Manna Incorporated
c/o Al Reisch
1632 Hastings Avenue
Newport, MN 55055

Ver La Luz
Llegue a casa desde seis meses en Perú enferma y confundida. Mi visión era oscura por temor. En las últimas semanas de buscar de Dios, me ha dado una nueva visión-físicamente y espiritualmente. En pedirme describir el deseo de mi corazón, ¡me ayudo a ver la luz! El trabajo de mi vida, mi llamado, la manera en que quiero darle a Dios gloria es por ministrar a los niños de la calle o en peligros. Creo que conocer a mi amiga querida Cecy Wong y vivir en el Amazonas me ha traído al lugar de transformar mis sueños en realidad.

Cambios
Mientras sigo buscando a Dios, pido que ores y seas paciente conmigo. No regresare a trabajar con JuCUM Iquitos, la mayor razón es que mi visión—trabajar con niños con problemas—es diferente que la suya. Lo sabía siempre pero sentí que Dios quería que me quedara con ellos. Los problemas de salud aceleraron esta decisión inminente. ¿Que pasa ahora? El Señor está abriendo puertas que me darán la experiencia hacia la meta, la cual es trabajar con la organización legal, Niños para Cristo, de Cecy y David, debajo de JuCUM Leticia, dirigido por Jaime Useche. Dios mediante, en algunos años con un equipo, empezamos a construir dos casas para niños—en Leticia e Iquitos. Mientras estaremos estudiando y trabajando con niños de la calle en Bogotá, Colombia. Entiende que estamos buscando la voluntad de Dios en cuanto a estas decisiones de vida.

Plan Tentativo
Septiembre: Lima, Perú—viajar por Suramérica con Cecy
Octubre: 2 semanas en Cali, Colombia—JuCUM Leticia Explosión, una cruzada poderosa en las calles (serviré como pueda: traducir, enseñar, ayudar con la cruzada para niños)
Octubre-14 de enero: Iquitos, Perú: Enseñar la Biblia, alimentar y vestir, y proveer actividades y la Navidad a los niños de la calle y Enseñar ESL
15 de enero-18 de febrero: Leticia, Colombia: 17 de febrero: la boda de Cecy con David de Bogotá (van a vivir en Bogotá por algunos años ministras David termina su secundo titulo en psicología)
2 de marzo-21 de mayo: Bogotá, Colombia: JuCUM Bogotá Niños en Peligro (CAR) escuela (4 meses de entrenamiento) http://www.colombiastreetkids.org, Ministerio con niños de la calle con Cecy y David
Junio-?: EEUU
?-?: Bogotá, Colombia: Ministrar con niños de la calle/ con problemas especiales (con JuCUM Bogotá?—$250/mes), Tomar clases de español, Enseñar ESL

Apoyo Financiar
Para octubre 2006 - mayo 2007, mi presupuesto es $5000: $400 para la transportación para la cruzada “Explosión” en Cali (oct), $1000 para el trabajo de niños de la calle en Iquitos (oct-enero), $2500 para JuCUM Bogotá escuela “CAR” (marzo-mayo 2007), y $1100 para viajar, seguros, comunicación, comida, y todo el resto de los gastos para los 8 meses. (Pago por el viaje en septiembre con dinero personal.)

Aprecio mucho todos que han sido tan fieles para dar regularmente o ocasionalmente, y pedio disculpas por cualquiera confusión. Todo el dinero recientemente enviado a “Upper Amazon” ha sido transferido a mi cuenta nueva con el mismo contador, Al Reisch. Tiene una organización “not-for-profit” (sin ganancia) para apoyar a los misioneros, y una manera es hacer su contabilidad. Donaciones siguen impuesto-deducible.

NOTA POR FAVOR LA NUEVA DIRECCION DE MANDAR APOYO: (Escribe mi nombre en un papelito y incluirlo con el cheque. Gracias.)
Missionary Manna Incorporated
c/o Al Reisch
1632 Hastings Avenue
Newport, MN 55055

Children At Risk
‘I asked over his grave dug in the side of the mountain, “Isn’t there some way that Colombia, instead of killing her children, can make them worthy of living?” (Gonzalo Arango, A Lament for Disquiet)
To help allow street children become ‘worthy of living’ is the focus of all of us working with children at risk.
We need to understand what a huge problem we face, especially in Latin America. It is difficult to picture the number of children living in the world’s streets, many unattached to any family at all. The standard reference figure quoted for street children around the world today is a staggering 100 million (UN). In Colombia there are 17 million children under 18 years of age, 42% of the population. 38.9% living below the poverty line, and about half in absolute poverty. More and more of these are finding their way to the streets. Approx. 7,859,673 boys and girls are said to be abused. It is calculated that of these 850,000 are severally abused the majority between 5 and 14 years old.
12 children die daily: 5 are murdered, 3 in traffic accidents, 1 commits suicide, and 3 in other types of accidents. 1 child is kidnapped every 2 days. Approx. 18% minors have killed at least once, 60% have seen someone killed, 78% have seen bodies mutilated, 25% have seen someone been kidnapped, 13% have been kidnapped, 18% have seen someone tortured, 40% have fired a gun at someone at least once, 28% have been injured. 70 to 80% of the sexual abuse toward children ages 5-15 is committed by persons known and trusted by the victim. Because of physical or sexual abuse or neglect, the education system is incapable of receiving them again.
Today, 30 of every 100 children of preschool age attend school and only 60 of every 100 that start primary school finish there primary education. More than 2,500,000 children work in dangerous conditions and of them only 3 attend school. 35% of the children who complete the 3rd grade are literate. Only 47% of children between 12 and 17 attend high school, of them 84% live in urban areas. Only 30% finish 9th grade. Only 30% of pregnant girls finish elementary school.

Who are these children?
Totally abandoned children: live in the streets with no family contact, use drugs, (usually shoemakers’ glue), don’t work.
Partially abandoned children: live in the streets but have some contact with their families, use drugs, typically, don’t work.
Latch-key children: roam the streets but maintain contact with their families, do not usually use drugs, don’t work.
Working children: 1,700,000 youth between 12 and 17 and 800,000 boys and girls between 6 and 11 years are working on the streets (shine shoes, wash car windows, sell goodies). They live with their families and don’t normally take drugs.

Life on the Street
In Latin America, both boys and girls live on the streets. However, the boy/girl ratio of street children may be as high as nine to one. Most street children are not abandoned by their families. Instead they leave home to escape abuse, poverty, or ordinary parental authority. 9,500 cases of physical abuse 9,300 cases of sexual abuse are investigated every year. Lack of stability in family life is the main reason for losing a child to the streets. In the streets they find other children who have come from equally difficult backgrounds. However the child also soon finds that in the world of the street they are abused as much as they were at home. This disillusionment is a tremendous shock – the child realizes that he can have no confidence either in his parents or in any other authority figure. Inflicting damage on others results and about 30,000 youth are now facing charges for breaking the law. Inhaling drugs becomes part of the child’s survival strategy as they lessen the sense of reality.

What can we do?
Governments and social agencies do not own this world problem. We all do. God’s word to us is full of commands to watch out for orphans. These words to us are as fresh today as when they were first spoken:
Change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, do not oppress…the orphan (Jer. 7: 5-6). This is what the Lord says: Do what is just and right…do no wrong or violence to the… orphan (Jer. 22:3). Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans…in their distress and to keep from being polluted by the world (James 1:27)
To begin to solve this problem, the Christian community (organizations, agencies, and churches) must:
1) Recognize that each of us can have a part in sharing the love of Christ with these children. The local church must decide to face the problem of the children on its own city streets.
2) Prevent children from arriving on the streets, making choices available to them before they enter street life.
3) Re-evaluate our work and give much more support and funding to meet the needs of children at risk.
Street children need a choice so they can leave the street scene, recover from their tragic experiences, and learn to have a personal relationship with the Heavenly Father.
All above info from: http://tilz.tearfund.org/Publications/Footsteps+21-30/Footsteps+28/Children+at+risk.htm

YWAM Bogota’s Street Children Ministry
Since 1982, the Street Children's Ministry under Youth With A Mission (YWAM) has developed a program to restore the children of Colombia who have been living in the streets or are at high risk of falling into this lifestyle. This Christian non-profit organization, called "Formando Vidas" (Forming Lives) is staffed by volunteers and is currently recognized under Resolution 0539 of May 16, 2003 of the Colombian Family Welfare Department (ICBF), legally authorized to participate in social development programs. Beginning with boys and girls between the ages of 0 - 12 years, the process of rehabilitation takes the child through various stages until he or she is able to perform in a socially acceptable manner as an adult.
The two areas of “Formando Vidas” that interest me are the following:
THE LIGHT & LIFE SCHOOL: Integral formation of the child that is not able to attend a school of basic formal education for reasons of: learning disabilities, emotional difficulties, negative behavior, or differentiated intelligence. This re-educative bridge has as its goal to reintegrate the child into community schools or training programs.
STAFF TRAINING: For people already working (or that show interest in working) directly with children, a bilingual school, Working With Children At Risk (WWCR), is held once a year and consists of 4 months of teaching by 30 qualified teachers from all over the world and includes the following: 300 Hours of Theory, Biblical Perspective on Children At Risk, The Christian Worker's Formation, Normal and Abnormal Development of the Child, Analysis of the 52 Problem Areas, Functional Strategies to Restore the Child, Servant Leadership, Team Dynamics, Administrative and Juridical Concepts, 300 hours of practice in local street/ children’s ministries.
For more information, check out: http://www.colombiastreetkids.org