At Sovereign Grace Church we want to be on mission with what God is doing not just here in Bloomington, but also with his mission around the world. That’s why we love the partnership we began a year ago with the orphanage, Casa de Esperanza, in Carnavi, Bolivia. We’ve sent a ministry team to extend mercy through service projects, church members Jameson and Diedra Nass served for an extended period of time with a related Christian training ministry down the hill from the orphanage, and our own Lily Fluharty and Jessa Veldhuizen have been serving onsite at the orphanage for an extended period of time. We recently received this update from Jessa that we wanted to pass along to you, her church family:

Well I am sorry it took so long to write an update but as always, the time flies past you!! So the first 10 weeks that I was here in Caranavi, Bolivia I was in a discipleship course called CEC that is right below the orphanage I am now in, Casa de Esperanza. I am going to run you through a brief overview of what I did in CEC and how my time was spent.

First we have a maximum limit of 3 minute showers, and they are cold showers by the way. And If you come even a minute late you get what are called “bendiciones especiales” translation: special blessings. Which is like extra work haha. You can never have one girl and one boy, you always have to have 3 people. 3 times a week, we did 2 and a half hours of practical work, the girls clean and cook and stuff and the boys cut the grass with machetes. 3 times a week we also had an hour where we had to read. I read the cross centered life and Road to Calvary and other books in Spanish .

We get up at 6:30 every day and have breakfast at 7. Then 7:30 someone gives a devotional then 7 to 8 is quiet time, personal devotions. Then 8-10:30 classes. Then 15 minutes of break then class till 12. Then lunch and after lunch sometimes it was work time and other days we practiced choreography or clowns or puppets or dramas. And then 4-5 we had free time then we had class or we read. Then dinner at 6 or 6:30 then more classes till 9:30 then break then sleep!!!!!

So as you can see I was very busy. The whole time in CEC we were preparing things like the puppets, songs for kids, clowns, dramas and choreographs to use on our Crusada. Which is like a 2 week mission trip. There were 15 students and we split into two groups for our crusades, my group went to a city called Yucumo, like 6 hours away from Caranavi and the other group went to a city about a half hour farther away called San Borja. During the crusada we went to schools and presented programs and gave testimonies and every day we did a program and invited kids off the streets to the church. I learned so much in my time in CEC and grew closer to God than I ever have been before. God has been teaching me to put him above EVERYTHING and has really been helping me to see my pride and selfishness. He has shown me many things in my life that I did not want to give up, that I was putting above him, but he has helped me to let them go.

Another thing God has really been teaching me is that God is ALWAYS at my side, literally at my side, waiting to help me and care for me and protect me. He is the one person that will NEVER fail me. And no matter what I do, no matter how many times I reject him and put worthless things above him, or get distracted with the things of this world, he always accepts me and love me and he has Forgiven me. There is NO condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. I am forever grateful for my time in CEC. I know that it’s not the place that changed me, its God, but the place simply gave me time set apart to learn and know God more and more every day. Thank you all for your prayers! I ask now for prayers that I will keep up my devotions and be able to be a light to those who are in Casa de Esperanza. The kids know SO much about God, they can repeat verses, they know all the stories and all the right answers, but the majority do not KNOW God personally and it makes me sad. I want them to see God at work in me.

Attentamente,
Jessa

Please remember to continue to pray for Jessa and Lilly as they serve at Casa De Esperanza. And also pray with us, as we look forward to strengthening our relationships with these valuable ministries in Bolivia and returning in 2014 with a team to serve once again.