I´m serving in Cochabamba, Bolivia this month.
I.O.U. I owe you. Have you ever written one of those? Received one? Ever since Mike and Bonnie Timmers began a relationship with the Lord, they felt the burden to repay their Savior with a lifetime of service. An IOU with their lives. They have been doing just that in Bolivia.
This month, we are partnering with International Orphanage Union (IOU) Bolivia. The goal of IOU is to provide Christian homes for orphans that include:
*Chrisitian House Parents
*Family Setting
*8-10 Children
*Sponsored by a local church
*Supported financially by a small business
IOU currently has 8 orphanages- 4 have children, 1 is waiting on paperwork and 3 are being constructed. Due to the goals of the orphanages, we don’t want to harm the family unit that is already in place. Therefore, part of our ministry will be to visit and encourage the orphans 2-3 times a week and give the full time house parents a breather. In addition to the visits, I have been asked to tutor some of the children in Spanish. I know, could life get any better for me? Teaching, children and Spanish…all rolled into one.
To add to the variety this month, we will continue our theme of construction. Twice a week we’ll load up in a vehicle and head to one of the three orphanages still being constructed. Cement, bricks, painting- we’ve got it covered!
Finally, there’s Café Ole. One of the goals of IOU is to be supported financially through small business. 4 months ago they opened their very first restaurant, with the vision of funding the orphanages through the proceeds. Kathryn is a 22 year old graduate from culinary school in New York who has a heart for orphans and a mind for cooking. She is a jack-of-all-trades kind of gal who operates and cooks for the restaurant.
Cafe Ole´s dining room.
Café Ole is located near the airport and serves many of their employees. It is open from 12-2 and serves two different menu options each day. Our team will split time working at the restaurant- cooking, serving and cleaning Monday through Friday.
In addition to the restaurant, we will make a trip to La Cancha twice a week to buy supplies. La Cancha is one of the largest open-air markets in the world and is said to violate all 5 senses. I was there on Saturday, and I concur. I’ll tell you more about that later.
All the foods are locally bought at La Cancha, a giant market.
So the gist of our ministry this month is working directly or indirectly with orphans. I love it. We’re either hanging out with them, tutoring them, building more orphanages or working at the restaurant that will fund the orphanages.
Before I take off, I’d like to make you aware of how you can be involved in the ministry here. Coffee. That’s right. Just my buying a different type of coffee you can help orphans here in Bolivia. This is another one of the small businesses that is funding the ministry here.
Check out their website at www.boliviasbestcoffee.com. One bag of coffee feeds an orphan for 5 days. Think about the impact you could have…and the coffee’s delicious!
Cochabamba is right in the center of Bolivia, about 8,000 feet above sea level.
