by Crystal Strasburg, Bolivia
17 April 2006

José knows well the life of a child on the streets of Cochabamba. It is a continuous fight for survival against hunger, disease and physical abuse. José ended up on the streets after his mother left and he became even more afraid of his alcoholic father. Like most of the street children, he turned to sniffing glue or paint thinner to try to dull the pain. He also became a part of a group working together to rob people on the streets. This group became his new family, but he still longed to be part of a real family.

Then, at age 11, José met the Sanchez family and was invited to come home with them. Victor and Cristina Sanchez are members of my church, Dios en Cristo. Three years ago, the Lord led them to move into a home for boys like José who wanted to leave life on the street. Victor, Cristina and their daughters Ruth and María Cristina were in for a dramatic change. Cristina said that learning how to deal with the boys' habits of fighting, drug use, lying and stealing was a tremendous challenge.

When boys first come in off the streets, they are usually quite sick, suffering from very poor hygiene and addicted to inhalants. They are angry and rebellious, and many end up leaving—unable to escape their desires to be back out on the streets. José was different in this sense. Although he was very angry and often violent, he never once said that he was going to leave.

Like the other boys, José argued for quite some time about having to go to church with the family. Daily family devotions were a time of great struggle and resistance. Gradually, the Lord began to work. José and a couple of the other boys received the love and forgiveness of Jesus. What a change!

Today José attends school and is one of the best students in his class. Each Sunday morning, he greets me at church with a huge smile and an "Hola, Hermana Cristal!" At age 14, he is a good friend to many of the younger children in the church. His goal is to get some training and to become involved in children's ministry. Then, he dreams of going back to the streets&mdahs;not to live, but as a pastor going out to tell others about how Jesus can change their lives.

Pray

Thank God for His work in José's life! Pray that he will continue to grow in his faith and in obedience to the Lord. Pray that God will heal the hurts that still lead at times to violent outbursts. Pray for his family situation. He asks for prayer for his alcoholic father, that he would come to know the Lord and that he would go into a rehab program. Pray also for José's desire to live with his mother. She has a new husband who doesn't want José around.

And also be praying for the Sanchez family and for our church, Dios en Cristo. It is awesome to see how God's Holy Spirit is using his own Bolivian children in this life-changing ministry.