The beginning of my new assignment has been exciting and full of adventures.  I am learning more about the amazing ministries that International Ministries is partnering with all over Latin America and the Caribbean and I can't wait to share those ministries with you.  Over and over again, God continues to confirm that my new role as Health Care Resource Missionary is the perfect place for me to be!  Read below about my trip to Cochabamba, Bolivia and how my dog, Kobe, is now retired in a new home.

 

SCRIPTURE MESSAGE

Ecclesiastes 3:11-14

"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil-this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him."   

 

Retired Missionary Dog

As a missionary, I understand that I will often be called upon to make sacrifices that others do not have to make and I will often be living under conditions that are not easy.  A couple of weeks ago, I faced one of my most emotional and difficult sacrifices...I had to find a new home for my dog of 10 1/2 years, Kobe.  My new role means that I will be traveling a lot and it just wasn't possible to have Kobe with me on those trips.  I am also moving to a new home outside of Atlanta, GA in April and since I don't know many people in the area, I couldn't count on having someone watch him during my travels.  So, I had to face the fact that Kobe needed a new home.  As many of you know, Kobe worked with me in the Dominican Republic to help children learn about hygiene, especially dental hygiene, as I brushed his teeth in demonstrations.  He was also my companion and helped me feel like I wasn't so alone living overseas and being single.  He was my faithful friend, protector and exercise buddy and it was time to say good-bye.  

Over the years, I've been blessed to make many amazing friends and knew that God would show me who it was that could care for Kobe the way I do and would love him as much as me.  Rex and Becky Cooper, from the Mattoon, IL First Baptist Church were the perfect match.  They have such a love for animals and are some of my dearest friends and confidants.  When they offered to care for Kobe and be his new family, I didn't even consider anyone else.  The hard part was walking away, not knowing when I would see Kobe again.  But, Mattoon FBC stepped in and have become this retired missionary dog's new family.  They've promised to love him and care for him and continue to share his story of how even a dog can be a missionary and reach people in need.  

So, Kobe is in a great home...and continuing his ministry by providing unconditional love to Becky and her family as they had to face her mother's death only days after Kobe moved in.  He kept Becky's father company and has been there for big hugs.  He did that for me, too, when my mom died.  So, despite his "retirement," Kobe continues to minister and be a missionary wherever he is sent...kind of like me!

The following information about Goretti was shared with me by Mario Morales, International Ministries missionary in Cochabamba, Bolivia and the House of Hope.  We wanted to tell Goretti's story together so that others would know of the sacrifices made by so many leaders involved in the House of Hope.  If you are interested in helping with these ministries, please contact Mario Morales through the IM website at: MARIO MORALES.

The House of Hope, Cochabamba, Bolivia

To say that I was completely impressed by the ministries under the House of Hope in Bolivia would be an understatement.  I was blown away by the dedication of the local leaders that coordinate more than 70 different ministries in the Cochabamba area.  These ministries range from working with children at risk in the red-light district to programs for handicapped children who are otherwise shunned to agricultural and green projects, including solar panel installations to soy milk distributions in malnourished neighborhoods and even ministries that simply bathe babies who live in some of the most impoverished parts of Cochabamba.  All of this done with little or no outside help...just the determination and spirit of Bolivian Christians who want to see those at need helped in any way possible.

One of the women I met who most impressed me was a woman named Goretti.  Goretti was born in Cochabamba and in high school, applied for a scholarship to a university in Russia, despite having never left Bolivia before and not knowing the Russian language.  She won the scholarship and moved to Russia to study chemical engineering.  Despite the obstacles facing her, she graduated with honors and a masters in chemical engineering.  She then proceeded to work throughout Europe in her specialty, always applying herself with everything she had, building a stellar reputation.  When she moved to Germany, she met some friends who were Christians and began going to church.  It was there that she gave her life to Christ and started feeling a pull to return to Bolivia and minister to the children at risk in the red light district of Cochabamba.  Finally, with the help of her German brothers and sisters, Goretti sold everything, quit her job and moved back to Cochabamba to begin a ministry there.  She bought a piece of land in the hills outside of the city with the idea that it would one day hold a home and sanctuary for the most at-risk children.  She started working out of a small building in the middle of the red light district and encouraging children to study hard in school, attend church and be part of the outings that she planned.  For many years, she worked diligently to show these kids a new way of life and the love of Jesus.  Unfortunately, the first 14 girls she ministered to, all ended up in prostitution eventually.  But, this setback did not stop Goretti.  She began work on building a home for these children on her hillside property and kept being a presence in the lives of children in this difficult neighborhood.  She now has 35 kids in her program and lives on the property where the kids receive meals, care and love.  She has plans for a garden and projects to teach new skills to the children so that they have choices other than prostitution.  But, as she arrives home late at night, she still sees children as young as 4 years old, playing in the gutters at 11pm.  Her heart breaks for these kids and she stays awake many nights praying for their safety.  When I asked her what her biggest dreams were for this program, called Fundacion Emanuel, she simply said, "I want every child to know Jesus."  Don't we all.

Thank you, again, for all of your prayers and support in this new ministry that I'm embarking on.  I will be in Mexico next week, Nicaragua in April and Haiti in June.  Please continue to pray for discernment in all of the ministries where I'm being asked to help as well as travel mercies for all of my journeys.  

 

Sincerely,

Kristy Engel

Health Care Resource Missionary to IberoAmerica and the Caribbean

International Ministries