Operation Restoration, Bolivia

Preparation for the new school year!

2012-01-29T19:08:00.000-04:00

Camp/retreat with El Camino

From January 17th to 19th we had a wonderful camp/retreat in the mountains two hours west of Santa Cruz in some rustic cabins on a camp ground with a swimming pool, tennis and racket ball courts, as well as 15 acres of beautiful countryside around us.

Morning small group devotion time

It was a time to reflect on God's faithfulness and also prepare for the challenges of the coming year. It was also an opportunity for the boys to say a farewell to Luis Miguel and Ariel,

Hugs after the last night farewell dinner together

our two high school graduates who moved to Torre Fuerte reintegration house two days after the retreat.

Casa Girasoles - starts with 3 girls and two of their sons

Just two days ago, Friday January 27th, Angela, Darlin with son Alex and Ninoska with son Franco

Moving in last Friday lunchtime

moved into Casa Girasoles (ex-Casa Alfa) as we start up our reintegration house for girls. So far they are settling in well with all three of the girls signed up for various classes in a local institute as they continue with their further education and preparation for independence.

School starts February 6th

This next week we will be busy purchasing school uniforms and physical education shirts and shorts for all the youngsters in El Camino and El Alfarero.

Studying

Then for the two following weeks we will be buying all the school supplies from the lists that the youngsters come home from school with during their first week! This is one of our most challenging times of year economically as we have to find around U$3000.00 (£2,000.00) for text books, uniforms, exercise books and other basic supplies such as pens, pencils, sharpeners, erasers, rulers, calculators (for the older ones) etc.

If you would like to contribute to these costs please donate through the PayPal or Justgiving buttons on the top right of this page. We would really appreciate your contribution!

Operation Restoration is now in its 21st year. None of what we are able to report here would be possible without the faithful giving of God's people. So we would like to say a HUGE THANK YOU to all who contribute to the Lord's work here, whether through prayer, giving, or those who have served here in the past, and of course to all those who presently serve on the Operation Restoration Team.

THANKS ONE AND ALL!!!

Great first few days of 2012!

2012-01-05T19:28:00.000-04:00

First seeing in 2012

We celebrated the arrival of 2012 in traditional style here in Santa Cruz! We had the whole ministry together at Las Terrazas, an outdoor swimming pool which the owners allowed us to use exclusively for the ministry. The youngsters were so excited that they were already in the pool by 2.30 pm!! By midnight some of the younger ones were pretty tired, but all were able to pray the New Year in, let off their fireworks and have a delicious meal together.


In the pool Praying in 2012 Great food!

Next, Francisco taking his next step!

On Monday evening January 2nd we were privileged to take Francisco to dinner and pray with him, as on Tuesday he became our first boy to move into a job and studies, but independent of Operation Restoration. Last week he was interviewed by a local church and accepted a job offer living on the church premises, with a small salary and the freedom to continue with his studies. It was great to see how the Lord has led Francisco over the years that he has been with us and we will continue to see him as part of the Operation Restoration family and will visit him regularly and hope he come by occasionally too!

Raul will be following in Francisco's footsteps later this month!

Francisco front & center Roberto praying for him

From one of our oldest to our youngest!

Ninoska's son, Franco, celebrated his 5th birthday in El Alfarero together with all the girls and some of our younger boys from El Camino on Tuesday afternoon January 3rd.

Franco on his 5th Birthday (January 3rd, 2012)

As you can see from his amazing smile he had a great time as did all present. He will be moving, with his mother Ninoska, to our new girls' reintegration house, Casa Girasoles, later this month, as soon as we finish some much needed work in the kitchen.

Christmas Celebration already over, time to reflect on things to come!

2011-12-26T15:35:00.000-04:00

We had a wonderful Christmas Eve into Christmas Day celebration with all the children and young people of Operation Restoration together in El Camino. The festivities began early evening with the roasting of a whole pig on an open fire!

Roasting the pig Carving the pig The finished plates

As everyone gathered, and after a brief Christmas message, the girls of El Alfarero presented two dramas, one presenting the Christmas story and the other an evangelistic message. This was followed by two of our youngest charges sharing a choreography based on John 3:16. Also Guillermo, our youngest boy aged 7 in El Camino, sang for us and prayed the blessing for the Christmas meal.

El Alfarero girl's drama Guillermo singing

The meal is served! Dancing the night away!

At midnight we had a time of prayer together and then enjoyed fireworks while the Christmas meal was being served. After the feast we shared gifts with all the children and teenagers and finished the night with some typical Latin dancing before the exhausted crowd turned in for the night at 3 a.m.

Time to reflect!

As the end of another year approaches we tend to spend time reflecting on things past and pondering on things to come. Life and time move on regardless of our efforts to stay young or make more time. As we look as this photo we are reminded to the different stages of life that we all live through.

Carlos Alberto and Raul

Carlos Alberto although he has already been with us for 4 years, has just enter his teen years this last September and has another 7 to 10 years with us through high school and his first years of further education. At his side we see Raul who has been with us now for 8 years the last 3 in our reintegration home and next month he will be moving out and becoming independent of the ministry, renting his own room, working, studying and serving in local church.

It is a wonderful privilege to see these young people coming through years of restoration in their lives and taking the step to become independent having made a commitment to Christ and moving on with their lives with responsibility and maturity.

Thank you so much for your part in praying and giving faithfully to the Lord's work here. Without you none of this would be possible.

THANK YOU!

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!

2011-12-18T21:31:00.000-04:00

Christmas Gift and Meal Appeal

As of today our Christmas Gift and Meal Appeal has exceeded its target. Although on our Justgiving fund raising page it only says we have raised 64%, because of donations received through other sources we have exceeded our target and wish to thank all who have contributed so generously to this years appeal. We are looking forward to a great evening celebrating the birth of our Savior with the whole ministry of Operation Restoration in El Camino boys' home on the 24th. We will have some of the youngsters families spending the evening with us too.

We will have games, gifts, the boys and girls doing some special presentations, a wonderful Christmas meal all topped off with fireworks at midnight!

Graduation 2011

Last weekend the other 3 of this years 4 high school graduates attended their graduation ceremonies at the two different schools they attend and we had their celebration party, meal and cake at El Camino.

Darlin and Angela - Graduation Ceremony

It was a great time as we celebrated the achievement of four more of our youngsters bringing our total of high school graduates to 14 over the last 5 years.

Ariel, Luis Miguel, Darlin and Angela - Graduates 2011

Pray for each one of them as they move on to our reintegration homes, Torre Fuerte for boys and Casa Girasoles for girls, in January and begin their higher education in February.

A little salsa at the after party!

Busy times!

2011-12-04T08:38:00.000-04:00

Just in the last 10 days we have seen so much going on here!

Firstly, an update on our Annual Christmas Gift and Meal Appeal! Although on the Justgiving site it says we are at just 32% of our target, we are glad to report that as we have received generous donations through several other sources we are actually at 83% of our target as of today! Trusting that we will achieve our aim so that we can make Christmas really special for the all our children and teenagers in Operation Restoration. If you still would like to give please follow this link: http://www.justgiving.com/oprestchristmas

Luis Miguel's Graduation!

Luis Miguel was the first of our 4 high schoolers to graduate this year. Our other 3 have their graduations on Saturday 10th December when we will be having a big celebration dinner with the whole ministry and the families of the graduates in El Camino.

Luis Miguel's Graduation November 26th, 2011

Luis Miguel has been with us in El Camino for nearly 6 years and will be moving on to Torre Fuerte, our Reintegration Home in January in preparation for his university studies next year.

El Toborochi, Reception House

We have seen two boys come through our reception house, Brayan aged 15, who sadly at the end of his 5 day stay decided that he was not yet ready to come into El Camino, so please continue to pray for him, as our street team have been working with him on the streets for a couple of years now.

On a positive note, Daniel aged 17, who came to us about two months ago and who has been in a local TB hospital, has finally been tested as non-contagious,

Daniel when he first came to us 2 months ago! He is still a light weight but doing much better!

and although he still has months of treatment to go has been in El Toborochi these last few days and will be moving into El Camino today! Pray that he will stay firm in his decision and see a complete healing not only in his body, but in every part of his being!

A great team from the UK!

For the last two weeks we have had the privilege to host a team of six from the UK,

The rabbit house in El Alfarero

who came and gave so generously to the work here through the construction of a rabbit house for El Alfarero as well as bringing gifts for the children and sharing their lives with the girls and boys in our homes. Thanks guys it was great to have you here and look forward to seeing you here again some time!

Thanks for your generosity in both praying and giving to the Lord's work here. We are privileged to see the results first hand here on the ground and encourage you to continue partnering with us in all the Lord is doing among the children and teenagers in Operation Restoration!

End of the year fast approaching!!!

2011-11-23T19:01:00.000-04:00

Annual Christmas Gift and Meal Appeal!

http://www.justgiving.com/oprestchristmas

With the end of 2011 just around the corner we are in the midst of high school graduations with 2 of our boys, Luis Miguel and Ariel and 2 of our girls, Darlin and Angela celebrating successfully finishing high school with our graduation party at El Camino on 10th December.

Also we are in the midst of our end of year fundraiser to provide gifts for each of the children and teenagers in our homes as well as amazing Christmas and New Year celebration meals which traditionally are at midnight on 24th and 31st of December.

If you would be able to contribute to this important time for our boys and girls by showing them God's love and provision for them at this time of celebrating the birth of our Saviour, then please go to our Justgiving fundraising page at http://www.justgiving.com/oprestchristmas and make a donation. Every little helps and as our homes grow in numbers the challenge to provide a great Christmas celebration for the youngsters grows too!!

Just in the last two months we have received 2 new boys (Francisco and Elimeas) into El Camino with one more (Daniel) joining us this coming Monday, and one girl (Ivonne) in El Alfarero! (Photos to follow!)

Other News!

On Sunday 6th November four of our boys from El Camino were baptised in a local church here in Santa Cruz.

Luiz Yerson, Oscar, Roberto and Arturo

We have now seen 13 boys baptised in the last 2 years! It is wonderful to see our boys taking this step of declaring their faith publicly. Hopefully we will see many more follow in their footsteps!

Be praying for our staff team, for creativity, energy and above all patience as we begin the summer vacation time here until our children and teenagers return to school to start their new school year at the beginning of February 2012!

20th Anniversary of Operation Restoration!!

2011-08-31T09:37:00.000-04:00

This coming Saturday evening (3rd September) we will be having a service of celebration and thanksgiving for 20 years of ministry to street children and teenagers through the work of Operation Restoration.
As we look back over the last 20 years we are able to see God's amazing faithfulness as we have seen Him grow the ministry to what it is today and His provision month to month for the basic needs of the youngsters He has placed in our care.
We have been privileged to see how the Lord has touched, changed and restored hundreds of lives through working on the streets and in the canals, with our Mobile Medical Unit, our Reception House "El Toborochi and in our Restoration Homes, "El Camino" and "El Alfarero"
Although we can celebrate all that has happened so far we realize that there is so much more to do! The numbers of children on the streets of Santa Cruz has increased by 370% in the last 10 years and we have seen over the years that the general living conditions on and under the streets have also deteriorated drastically.
If you would like to make a special donation to Operation Restoration at this time of celebration and invest in the future of youngsters who are taking the decision to leave the life of the streets then please click on one of the buttons below:

For UK donors

For all other donors

We also have a great need for more child sponsors. We still only have 40% of the sponsors we need and we have had several new youngsters come to our homes recently, so please check out those available for sponsorship at www.ywambolivia.org.uk/sponsor.html and click on one of the photos to choose either a boy or girl to sponsor.

News Update..........

* Last Sunday 28th August we had the official dedication of the new house we purchased earlier this year for "Torre Fuerte" our Reintegration Home for boys.

* Sadly, Alison who came to El Alfarero just two weeks ago with her baby, left the home last Thursday night and at present is with family. We are praying that she return to El Alfarero or at least not return to the streets!

* Angel and Guillermo are settling in well at El Camino returning to their studies with our teacher in the home and although Angel recently broke his collar bone playing football and is struggling at times, he is standing firm in his decision to stay!

* Those who are following his story, please continue to pray for Nestor who recently had his second surgery and we will know soon if there is more to be done.

We would like to take this opportunity to say a huge THANK YOU to all who have invested so much and in so many ways into the Lord's work here.

We appreciate all those who give so generously and those who work tirelessly to see these lives transformed by the unconditional love of God.

Thanks to ALL for being channels of His love reflected in your contribution to His work.

Great News, Good News and Sad News!

2011-08-14T18:03:00.000-04:00

First the Great News!

We have had 3 news youngsters and a baby come through El Toborochi, Reception House in the last month!
Angel, aged 14, who is the brother of Raul,

who has been with us since February 2008. Our street team has been working with him for over a year and he has finally taken the decision to come to El Camino and is settling in well.
Guillermo, aged 7, our youngest ever boy.

We still do not have much confirmed background information on Guillermo, but as the youngest "brother" of all the other boys he seems to be enjoying his position in the family.
And in just this last week

Alison, aged 14 with her 6 month old daughter, Maria Esther who will be joining the family of El Alfarero tomorrow Monday 15th August.

Next the Good News!

Operation Restoration, Bolivia is now a tax exempt non-profit 501(c)(3) organization in the USA, so we will now be able to issue tax receipts to all our donors in the States! The while process to achieve this status has taken a couple of years, so we are glad that our application has now been accepted. If you would like to sponsor a child or teenager with Operation Restoration, then please visit our website at: www.ywambolivia.org.uk or www.ywambolivia.org.uk/sponsor.html and choose the child or teenage you would like to sponsor through PayPal for those in the USA or other countries other than the UK and through Justgiving for those in the UK.

Lastly, the Sad News!

Some times while we are on the streets we find youngsters who took the decision not to stay in one of our Restoration Homes. A couple of weeks ago we were our with a visiting team and came across a girl, Jocelyn, now aged 19, who had left El Alfarero about 3 years ago. Six months ago she was seen selling drugs to other youngsters on the streets and on this occasion, having become involved in prostitution, was found severely slashed up having had a knife fight the previous night with another girl over a "client". We managed to get her to hospital where she had over 200 stitches to close the 6 or more deep knife wounds she had suffered in the fight.

She later disappeared from the hospital and we haven't heard from her since!
Please be praying for Jocelyn and for others who have taken the decision to leave the life God would offer them through Operation Restoration. Their need is great!

Preparing for teams and other visitors

2011-06-20T12:15:00.000-04:00

This time of year we begin to prepare for various teams from churches in different parts of the world who have sensed the call to come and serve the Lord's work short term with Operation Restoration.
This year we have teams from the USA, UK and Holland who will be visiting and serving the needs of the youngsters on the streets as well as in the homes. Our first team arrives July 5th from North Carolina and will be working on new fencing for El Alfarero, our girl's restoration home.
The boys and girls in our home really enjoy meeting and relating to youngsters of their own age from different countries, cultures and backgrounds and it gives them the opportunity of developing long term friendships with people who are faithful to pray for them regularly and build a friendship sometimes that lasts for years.
So please be praying for the ministry at this time as we receive 6 teams over the coming months.

Our latest addition to the El Camino family

Alejandro, aged 9, having spent a week in El Toborochi reception house, is our most recent member of the family in El Camino, boy's restoration home.

He was found sleeping in the market place having run away from home and was referred to us through the local child protection services.

Update on Nestor

I know many of our readers will be wanting to know how Nestor is doing. Well, unfortunately, we are unable to share much news at this time. At his last doctor's appointment a couple of weeks ago we were hoping that he was going to be able to have his next surgery to fix his nose after the dog bite to his face back at the end of April. However, the doctor said that the cartilage in his nose was not strong enough yet for further surgery. He should be revisiting the doctor this week, so hopefully we will have some positive news next post!!

It's never too late for a new challenge.........

2011-05-25T22:22:00.000-04:00

A Baptist pastor and friend of Operation Restoration, Alisdair Longwill, starts his journey by bicycle from Land's End to John O'Groats in the UK tomorrow, 26th May. This is a journey of over 900 miles spanning the length of the British Isles. He is taking up this challenge together with a friend, both of whom are celebrating their 50th year this year and at the same Alisdair is raising funds for Operation Restoration. If you would like to follow their progress visit his blog at http://two50s.blogspot.com/ and encourage him through your giving at: http://www.justgiving.com/Alisdair-Longwill

Still need more sponsors

Even though we have gained a few more sponsors recently, we are still in need of many more to see the regular monthly expenses for each child covered. If you would like to sponsor one of the children or teenagers in one of our homes, please visit: http://www.ywambolivia.org.uk/sponsor.html
For just £20, €25 or U$30 you can help us to restore and transform the life of a child or teenager who has taken the decision to come off the streets.

Other news for your prayers:

Carlos Andres, one of the boys from El Camino sadly left the home about 10 days ago and has not returned and unfortunately has been seen on the streets by our team. Please pray that he will take the decision to return soon.

We now have a new boy in El Toborochi, Reception House this week. His name is Alejandro aged 10. Pray that he will take the decision to stay and move to El Camino at the end of the week and that he will quickly settle in to his new home.

Minor repairs are being concluded in the new Reintegration House for boys, Torre Fuerte with a view to the family and boys moving in soon.

Updates and other new stuff........

2011-05-04T08:12:00.000-04:00

Nestor

Many have written asking for an update on Nestor after him being bitten on the face/nose 10 days ago. At the beginning of last week the surgeon informed us that he would need 2 or 3 more surgeries to complete the restoration work.

Nestor after his initial emergency surgery

These surgeries will be once every 3 weeks at a cost of U$700.00 each. This will make the total cost between U$2,600.00 and U$3,300.00 depending on whether the third surgery will be necessary.
We are thankful for the response so far as we have seen the Lord provide U$2,100.00 specifically for these costs! Thanks so much, I know Nestor, although still hurting, is very grateful!

Minibus for El Alfarero

Last week, in addition to the purchase of the Reintegration House "Torre Fuerte" we were also able to purchase a used minibus for school transport for El Alfarero girl's home with designated funds raised through the Dutch Christian TV documentary about Operation Restoration.

New minibus for El Alfarero

The original minibus we had for El Alfarero has been moved to El Camino boy's home as it is a bigger vehicle and the vehicle they have been using for the last 2 years (a 1986 Toyota minivan) has finally died!

Torre Fuerte

Last Friday we signed the final purchase and transfer papers for the new house for Torre Fuerte Reintegration House for boy's. We should be moving in the next couple of weeks and getting the six boys and the family settled in to their permanent home having been in temporary accommodations for the last two and half years.

7th Anniversary of El Alfarero

Today is the 7th anniversary of El Alfarero Restoration Home for girls. As we look back we can see how the Lord has used this home to bring restoration and transformation to many lives, although we are by no means complacent and still regularly evaluate how we work and what we can offer to the girls who decide to come off the streets, so that we can be more effective in seeing lives transformed by the unconditional love of God.

Sponsorship

If you would be interested in sponsoring a child with Operation Restoration we still need your help. Please visit our website @ www.ywambolivia.org.uk to see how you can help.

Updates on various fronts........

2011-04-24T19:39:00.036-04:00

Sadly........

Unfortunately, neither Paola nor Kimberley have returned to El Alfarero having left the home a couple of weeks ago. We have been in touch with both families and it seems that neither of them are ready to take a definite decision to come off the streets and see real change in their lives as yet. Please continue to pray for them!

New House for Boy's Reintegration House -
"Torre Fuerte" (Strong Tower)

With funds that we received through a TV documentary of Operation Restoration on Dutch Christian TV last year, we are in the process of purchasing a house as the permanent home of the boy's reintegration house.

The kitchen/dining room of the new house

Hopefully all the paperwork should be done by 11th May when we will be able to begin moving in. The home has been in a borrowed house for the last two and half years and we are grateful to finally be able to have a permanent place for this vital part of the ministry. Praise God for His amazing faithfulness and provision.

Pray for Nestor.........

Yesterday, Saturday April 23rd, Nestor, one of our 17 year old boys in El Camino Restoration Home was bitten in the face, mainly the nose, by a dog and had to have emergency surgery to repair the injury. He may need several more surgeries to complete the reconstruction of his face/nose.
This has been a large unexpected cost for Operation Restoration with U$1,200.00 spent just yesterday.
Nestor will be visiting the clinic again tomorrow, Monday 25th for an assessment on how much further surgery will be necessary.
If you would be able to contribute to this unexpected cost please click on one of the links below:

Thanks!https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_flow&SESSION=NkwZhVGXCwMtONxV0VC9OevkIZ48mjxk1rwZXq-E2NRZNAKGuZETOZgqa58&dispatch=5885d80a13c0db1f8e263663d3faee8d5863a909c4bb5aeebb52c6e1151bdaa9

Bolivian Day of the Child and International Day for Street Children

2011-04-12T07:33:00.000-04:00

Today, 12th April, is Bolivian Day of the Child and also International Day for Street Children!! We, as Operation Restoration, will be involved in various activities today to highlight and rights and value of children, especially the street children with whom we work.

http://www.streetchildren.org.uk/international-day

Some of our team will be involved this morning is distributed 300 breakfasts to children who live in the streets of Santa Cruz. This afternoon along with Viva Network, we will be involved in an exhibition and games times in the central plaza of the city to raise awareness of the plight of street children here and around the world.
This evening we will be having a special meal out with all the children and teenagers in our homes to celebrate their special day here in Bolivia.
As we celebrate children today, and more especially the rights and value of street children, we are reminded of the fact that Operation Restoration will be celebrating its 20th Anniversary on 2nd July this year! As we look back over the years we can see God's faithfulness in providing for this ministry in amazing ways and we are at a point where we sense that this year will be a time when we can consolidate and bring to completion the infrastructure of the ministry that will serve the needs of the street children here for many years to come.
Our 2 biggest needs to see this happen are the purchase of a Reintegration Home for girls, to provide a home in the city for the first 3 girls who will be graduating from high school in November 2011 and others who will follow in subsequent years, and secondly to see the children and teenagers in our homes fully sponsored so that we can continue to improve the quality of life and expand the range of opportunities that we can offer to those who take the decision to come off the streets through Operation Restoration.
If you would like to contribute to either of these needs please go to the links below:
Reintegration Home for girls: http://www.justgiving.com/ywambolivia
Sponsor a child: http://www.ywambolivia.org.uk/sponsor.html
We have an open invitation to all who would like to visit this anniversary year, especially for our celebration on Saturday 2nd July!
A special THANK YOU to all who take the time to read this blog and faithfully pray for and give to the needs of the children here!!!

Victories and drawbacks........

2011-04-10T18:32:00.000-04:00

VICTORIES.................

It was with great joy and thankfulness that we were able to be present at the baptism of Luis Miguel and Raul this morning in a local church here in Santa Cruz. We have now seen 7 of our boys baptized in the last 2 years!

Raul L. baptized 10th April 2011 (Peniel)

Luis Miguel baptized 10th April 2011 (Peniel)

It is always a time of celebration when we see our boys take this step of committing their lives to the Lord publicly declaring their faith. This is result of years of investment in their lives by an amazingly dedicated team of staff here in Operation Restoration. Please continue to pray for these guys as they continue to grow and mature in the faith, that they will discover God's purpose and vision for their lives.

DRAWBACKS.........

One of the riskiest things we do is receiving a new girl or guy into our Restoration Homes! Sadly we have to report that Kimberly who came into El Alfarero last Saturday 2nd April left El Alfarero on Thursday 7th April together with Paola, who we mentioned in our last post.
Once again we are heart-broken to see so much potential in these young lives and at the same time see how fragile their commitment to change is!
We would ask for your prayers for both Kimberly and Paola. Kimberly has made contact with her family, so we know that she is safe, but as I write we still have no news of Paola.

Reuniting mother and daughter, and other news from El Alfarero!

2011-04-06T11:15:00.002-04:00

Paola, aged 15, is one of newest arrivals in El Alfarero. She was with us for a couple of month last year and then, after being away from the home for almost two months at the end of 2010, she returned in January.

Paola in El Alfarero

Paola's daughter, Yan Carla, will be 2 years old in June. She is living with the family of her father, but is suffering from malnutrition and is weak and underdeveloped for her age, as she lives in a high risk situation being looked after, primarily, by her 14 year old aunt!

We have begun a process of reuniting Paola with her daughter and would appreciate your prayers for Paola, Yan Carla and the 14 year old aunt as we work towards rebuilding the bond between mother and daughter through regular visits of the little one to the home.

Paola with Yan Carla on their first visit

Be praying especially for patience for Paola in this process as the first two visits recently have been difficult for her as she sees her daughter very attached to the aunt.

We have also received a new girl, Kimberly aged 13 into El Alfarero on Saturday April 2nd after her time in the Reception Home last week. So far she seems to be settling in well, photos to follow.......

These two girls do not appear on our website as yet due to the short time they have been in our care, but please do take a look at those that are available to sponsorship with us at: http://www.ywambolivia.org.uk/sponsor.html and hopefully Paola, Yan Carla and Kimberly will be appearing there in the next few months!!!

Bolivian Father's Day

2011-03-18T07:32:00.000-04:00

March 19th each year in Father's Day in Bolivia! This is very often a very difficult day for the children we have in our homes as the majority of them have not had a father present in their lives, and also for many of them, their experience of a father figure in their lives has been very negative due to the physical and sometimes sexual abuse that they have suffered within their original home situation.
This is a much bigger celebration in Bolivia than in many other countries and very often accentuates the void that our youngsters feel in their lives. Please be praying for them as we try to fill that void by providing them with a family environment where they are encouraged to grow and develop healthily and at the same time that they can experience the unconditional love of that Heavenly Father whose promises to never abandon us!
We would encourage you to consider investing in the lives of these children and teenagers who have taken the decision to come off the streets through our sponsorship program by visiting: http://www.ywambolivia.org.uk/sponsor.html

click on either the boy or the girl

and choose one of our youngsters that is available for sponsorship. We still need over 100 sponsors to see all our children and teenagers fully sponsored!!
Thanks for your continued support and prayers, and following our blog!!

Joys and Sorrows

2011-03-17T22:57:00.000-04:00

JOYS

Over the first weekend of March it was Carnival weekend here. It is traditional for churches here to take advantage of the long weekend holiday (Saturday to Tuesday) to organize spiritual retreats with their congregations at camp grounds some way from the city. This year our Restoration Homes were invited to participate in two of these camps, El Camino boys with Peniel Church and El Alfarero girls with Casa de Oracion (House of Prayer).

Paola, Sandra (staff), Alex and Virginia

Raul J., Oscar and Raul L. enjoying one of the times of worship

This was a great time when our youngsters could be in a healthy environment and get some great input into their lives away from their normal surroundings. Most of them returned to the home having had a new experience of God and His love for them through new friendships and relating to many other young people excited about what God is doing in their lives.

The hard part always is returning home and back to the routine of the home and school etc., but both the boys and girls have settled back into their regular lives again some with a renewed enthusiasm for life and others still processing all they experienced during their respective camps.

SORROWS

Sadly this last Sunday we attended the funeral of the 2 year old daughter of the local Baptist Pastor in El Torno (the town close to El Camino). who had been run over by a truck on Saturday.

Pr. Ruben and his church have been great supporters of our homes over the years and it was heart-breaking to see the whole town turn out on such a sad occasion. We would ask for your prayers for Pr. Ruben, his family and the Baptist Church "Vida Nueva" in El Torno.

Carnival in the midst of transport strikes....

2011-03-07T11:05:00.004-04:00

Carnival is a 4 day event here in Santa Cruz (5th to 8th March). Many of the local churches organize retreats and camps outside the city during these days.

The boys from El Camino have joined Peniel Church for their camp and El Alfarero have joined Casa de Oracion. This is a key time when our boys and girls are able to receive great spiritual input outside of their usual surroundings. We would appreciate your prayers for each one of them. You can see their photos on http://www.ywambolivia.org.uk/sponsorboys.html and http://www.ywambolivia.org.uk/sponsorgirls.html

This is all going on in the midst of a local bus strike. There have been no city buses running since last Tuesday 1st March due to a dispute over fares.

The alternative has been the local authority offering transportation in trucks and pick-ups in a precarious attempt to keep the city working.
Pray for the dispute to be resolved soon as, once again, it is the poor who suffer most during these times.

Main News February 2011

2011-03-07T09:02:00.001-04:00

News from Operation Restoration, Bolivia

New Challenges for 2011

Finishing out 2010

We finished 2010 with the high school graduation of 3 of our boys from El Camino at the end of November and wonderful Christmas and New Year celebrations in our homes.

Maycol, Roly and Cristian are now living in the Reintegration Home preparing for their further studies in university and technical institutes. We would like to express our special thanks to all those who have faithfully contributed to their success through both prayer and giving, and a special thank you to all who responded to our “Christmas Gift and Meal Appeal” via e-mail and Facebook.

The Christmas and New Year celebrations were a wonderful example of God’s faithfulness to the children and teenagers in our care.

Bolivian Economy goes sour!

Since our last letter in October last year we have seen food prices rising at an alarming rate! Basic foods have gone up by between 20% and 90%, e.g. beef up by 25%, sugar up by little over 90%, if you can actually get any. There are queues to buy sugar, cement and at time fuel in the city. There are daily demonstrations about basic food prices, and, at the same time public transport is trying to put bus fares up by 33%. Teachers are having one day strikes asking for at least a 30% pay rise! Government sources also inform us that there is an imminent probability of a shortage of maize this year which will also cause a major problem with the production of chicken. Even though we produce our own chicken the cost of chicken feed is likely to double in the next 2 months! This has a significant effect on our ability to provide basic foods for the homes with our buyer telling us that our food budget needs to increase by at least 25% just to provide the everyday basics. This is not just effecting us, but is creating an even greater divide between rich and poor in a nation where the economic differences are already extreme, pushing the 70%+ poor into even deeper poverty.

How can you help?

In the midst of this crisis we are urgently needing more sponsors for the children and teenagers in El Camino, El Alfarero and the Reintegration Home for boys. We need more than 100 more sponsors to reach our target to sponsor each child fully. We now need 5 sponsors per child at a sponsorship of £20, €25 or $30 per sponsor. For more details about youngsters available for sponsorship and ways to get involved visit our website at: http://www.ywambolivia.org.uk/sponsor.html or contact us at the e-mail address above. On a positive note! Since our last letter we have seen 2 boys reintegrated back into their families from El Camino, seen 1 more boy come off the streets into the home and one girl return to El Alfarero after a couple of months away. We ask for your prayers for our new youngsters Nestor and Paola.

Preparing for Independence!

After two and a half years of experience with our Reintegration Home, we are seeing the need to be more proactive in preparing the boys with the necessary skills for them to gain their independence from the ministry. This year we are hoping receive training and implement a Life Skills Training Program written and developed by a Christian brother in the USA. The program seeks to train the boys and girls during their high school years in 13 life skill areas in preparation for the reintegration home and their ultimate independence from the ministry. Please be praying for the successful implementation of this program as we see it as a key part of finishing well and seeing the youngsters well established in society after leaving our homes.

Celebrating milestones!

In October last year we were privileged to share in the 50th Anniversary celebrations of the founding of Youth With A Mission together with the founders, Loren and Darlene Cunningham in Chile. This year, in July, we will be celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the founding of Operation Restoration here in Santa Cruz. The Lord called us here in 1990 with a vision to raise up a ministry to reach out to and restore the lives of street children and teenagers seeing them restored in regard to their relationship with God, themselves and with rest of society. The ministry was born in mid 1991 after our initial research and investigations led us to focus on street children and teenagers who are living full-time on the streets having cut their family ties, and survive on the streets through crime, violence, drugs and prostitution. We have been privileged to serve the Lord here and see Him build and provide for the ministry that we see today and we continue to trust Him for the growth, development and provision for the future. We will be having a special celebration on Saturday 2nd July 2011. If you would like to participate in this celebration or visit at any time during this celebration year, please get in touch at the e-mail on our website. http://www.ywambolivia.org.uk/

Finally we have a blog for Operation Restoration!

2011-03-02T08:16:00.001-04:00

We hope to keep you up to date with more of the day to day happenings of Operation Restoration here, so please watch this space...........