This month had Ira and I learning more about life in La Aljaba and Leticia. We found out that the school year for the children is February through November and the children are officially on a break. They had their end of year programs at their academic and music schools. Several of the children were recognized for special achievements and the teachers commented that they can distinguish the children of La Aljaba from many of the others. It is always encouraging to hear that children are growing in spiritual disciplines of their life.
La Aljaba also had special events for the children, families and staff. It is always a meaningful time to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, in fellowship with one another. The children had a special Christmas meal, got Christmas cards through Orphanos' Kards 4 Kids Program and received gifts made possible from generous donations. The children also did special presentations for their families through songs and dramas on the evening of the closing programs.
We, the staff, were treated to a day at Amazon World. We were taken through a section of the jungle, where we were educated on plants, fruits and flowers. Afterward, we participated in a friendly competition "Amazing Race" style. It poured rain and we were guided by clues that tested what we retained in the tour and physical challenges of skills from tribes indigenous to the area. To this day, we still tease each other about the way we do a certain bird call or blow a dart. For Ira and I, it was a special time to relate to the other staff outside of the daily work environment. We really got to know each other and establish personal friendships.
On December 20th, a work project was done on the new property. The Mayor of Leticia and the Military, combined efforts to plant trees and bushes for a "live fence" as part of a community development program.. The staff, some of the children and parents of La Aljaba came to help. A speech was given about the symbolism between planting the trees to produce fruit to feed the children and La Aljaba planting seeds in the lives of the children and producing fruit through their lives. It really stirred the excitement and stimulated the vision for the new Children's Home.
Christmas was emotional for us this year. We found ourselves missing family. Sophie is 3½ and excited about everything. Olsson is still in the hospital and his parents were feeling a bit discouraged to be spending Christmas in the hospital. However, we pulled ourselves together and were reminded of Jesus' sacrifice for us and our blessings to be a part of His work. Lucy, even though her daughter was visiting, invited everyone who did not have family events to come to her home for fellowship. It was another opportunity for us to build on the new relationships we are finding in the ministry.
Now, we are in a New Year and look forward to learning more about the plans God has for us in La Aljaba. Right now, our biggest struggle continues to be the intense heat and humidity. I have even questioned if I can do this. The things that sustains us are the prayers and encouragement. Also, we draw energy by the sense of belonging that everyone here offers us through fellowship. We are so thankful that God's mercies are new each day!
"Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23
Our 1st week in Leticia was a busy one. Lucy took us around so we could learn the way banking is done, the layout of Leticia and the stores in order to buy our necessities. At the end of the week, 3 architects from Place Alliance in Orlando, Florida came. They focus on urban development and came to see the site of the new home and meet with the La Aljaba board, staff members, children and parents of the community. They held an all day meeting with them to learn the needs and their ‘wish list.’ Now they have taken all that information back to do their magic and develop plans for the new La Aljaba.
That same weekend, a team of four, Pastor Chris, Ronald, Marie and Jen, from McKinney Memorial Bible Church of Fort Worth, Texas came. Joining them was Donnis, an Orphanos missionary that serves through the home office and Caleb, a young man interested in doing an internship here in Leticia. The team worked hard in the extreme humidity of the 3rd floor of the rental house to make storage shelves for the children’s bedrooms. They also groomed the garden areas that had become a jungle itself. This definitely increased the curb appeal. We are thankful they were such good sports in working with us as we are just learning the ropes here. They blogged while they were here on their mission and you can read about it Team Aljaba
After they left, Ira and I have now started weaning ourselves into the daily life at La Aljaba. In addition to repairing things, Ira is learning to be a gardener. The foliage here is absolutely incredible and the most beautiful plants grow wild. If they are not maintained, they can quickly overtake the whole property. I am involved with administration on the La Aljaba sponsorship program for Orphanos. I also work with Lexie, one of the tutors, in her English classes and every other Sunday, I make lunch and care for the children so that Carmen, one of the staff team members, can have a day off. As soon as the construction of the new site starts, we will both be working with the short term teams that come.
We are both struggling with the humidity and have resolved to the fact that during the day we will just have to let the sweat roll. However, at night, we do get some relief. There is no such thing as a hot water valve, so after a refreshing shower, we sit near a fan and are usually in bed by 8 or 8:30. The sun rises here at 5:00am bringing a flock of parakeets to a tree outside our bedroom window. We call them God’s alarm clock. Surprisingly, the mosquitoes are not bad for which we are thankful. However, rainy season has not arrived full swing. Many people asked us about snakes. I have not seen one, yet. Another volunteer said she didn’t see one the whole 6 months she was here. I’m fine with keeping it that way.
As always, stay tuned and please remember us in prayer. We know God is going to do some exciting things.
I want to start this month’s update with some trivia for you that will help you to understand the ministry. La Aljaba is the name of the Children’s Home that Ira and I are serving at. ‘La Aljaba’ is Spanish for ‘the quiver.’ It comes from the scripture Psalms 127:3-5 Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are the sons born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate.
Leticia is a port town in the jungle directly on the Amazon River. It is part of the ‘Three Frontiers’ because it is the point of Colombia that borders Peru and Brazil. We actually had breakfast in Colombia, lunch in Peru and supper in Brazil in the same day, for the fun of it. Peru was a 10 minute boat ride across the Amazon River and Brazil was a 5 minute walk. There is also a time change so we lost an hour.
La Aljaba has been in ministry for 9 years serving children at risk and Lucy Palma is the Director. While some of the children are permanent residents of La Aljaba and receive 24/7 care, some are not. Due to the lack of work in the area, some parents would leave and find jobs in other towns for the week and the children would be left to fend for themselves, as young as 2-3 yrs old. Or some parents work in the area but are not able to provide for their children. Both of these cases left the children without proper daycare or meals. Seeing this as an opportunity to extend the Gospel of Christ, Lucy opened the home to serve these families. Some of the children come on Monday and leave Friday and others come each morning and leave that afternoon. Lucy works very closely with the local governmental child welfare system and all children that come are registered to receive the care through La Aljaba. She has earned a lot of respect and built much credibility with them from the fruit she bears through her dedication.
All of the children attend public schools for their academic education and social development. According to their age, some go in the morning, while the others go to afternoon classes. While the ‘morning students’ are in public school, the ‘afternoon students’ are at La Aljaba being taught by the staff of Christian Tutors and then vice versa after lunch. The children are ministered to emotionally, spiritually, intellectually in structured classes and lesson planning. They also receive physical care by meals and snacks that are prepared by another Christian Staff member.
In the summer of 2012, La Aljaba was given eviction notice after having lived at the current property for 7 yrs. The owners have decided they would like to do something different with the property. Of course this stirred up great concern for the future of the children. It is very difficult to find a place to live in Leticia. Immediately Orphanos and La Aljaba Board members came together in prayer and communication for a solution. It was decided to purchase a piece of property and construct a Children’s Home that would be their own. Knowing that the construction will take a while to get it to the point that the children can move in, La ALjaba has found a temporary rental property.
The temporary home was built by the Swedish government to serve the indigenous tribes of the jungle. Their vision was that the people would be ministered to when they come to eat, shower and sleep. Throughout the house are hammock hinges to accommodate their ‘beds.’ However, the tribes didn’t respond to it well and the ministry folded in less than a year. The house was sold and remained empty the last few years. The Board of La Aljaba approached the owners about the possibility to rent the home and a lease was signed. While it is not ideal for classes and doesn’t provide much of an area for the children to play outdoors, it is a huge house and will work and provide them a safe place for their daily care.
The second floor of the house has 2 apartments. Ira and I are renting one and will be looking for a place of our own when the time comes for the children to move in. In the meantime, projects are being done to get the house ready for the children. None of the changes are permanent renovations. They will be things that can then be moved to the new property once construction starts.
I think that wraps up the trivia and will help you understand what our purpose is in being here. Once the construction is started, we are hoping to have many teams come to partner with the development and sponsorship of La Aljaba!
