The Kids from the House of Dreams Say Thank You!

We are so incredibly thankful to Steyning Grammar school in England for all the wonderful support they have given us over the years. Their fearless leader, Tim Treadwell, deserves a huge round of applause for keeping the kids, staff, and parents motivated. The energy and creativity they have put into extending such heartfelt generosity towards The House of Dreams Orphanage here in Cochabamba, Bolivia astounds me. From selling cakes, to running concession stands, to a day of sponsored silence they have truly rallied to assist us.

The efforts from the students of Year 7 helped in the following areas:

1. Covered one month of salaries for the caregivers, who are affectionately called “Tias” (Aunts)
2. Paid for one month of transportation costs… getting 15 kids to and from school and around town for their appointments and activities adds up
3. Bought one week’s worth of food for the orphanage

We really could not provide such a great home for these kids were it not for the individuals, such as the Steyning Grammar group, who help with financial donations. Thank you so much!

Enjoy this little video as a special thanks….

(The volume may be low, you might want to turn up your sound)

Please consider following the lead of these students and join us to help provide a safe and loving home for the Dreamers at The House of Dreams. Contact us for more information on how to give.

- Angie

Christmas celebration!

At the House of Dreams we had a great Christmas party.  The kids loved their gifts, and spent all afternoon playing!  Thank you Rock Church and the Nickel Family for putting lots of smiles on our Dreamers faces this Christmas!

All the Dreamers gifts under their tree

Jose opening his plane

Juan Daniel with his gifts

Isaura opening her arts and crafts gift

Timothy helping the Dreamers set up their hotwheels sets

The girls playing with the board games

Click on the thumbnail of each picture to get a better look.

-Marisol

 

Dancing Machines

We were blessed to have Theresa Huffman and her daughter, Amber, here with us last week. They stayed for around ten days. They came all the way to Bolivia from Oklahoma in order to visit our Dreamers. With them, they brought lots of gifts for the kids.  Among the many gifts that they brought were ballet shoes. Amber has been dancing ballet for the majority of her life and wanted to give the kids a few pointers, and teach them a routine.

Right before performing their dance in Sunday School.

They worked hard all morning Saturday learning their routine so that they could perform it for their Sunday school class the next day.  Amber did a great job teaching the Dreamers, and they all did a great job showing off their new moves at Sunday School.

Thank you Amber and Theresa for investing in the lives of our Dreamers!

Romon

VIDEO – To the park and a special Thank You

I hope you enjoy this video of a little visit to the park. The kids helped me put together a Thank You to Steyning Grammar whilst having a bunch of fun.

If you are a part of a school, church, or organization why not consider putting together an event to raise funds for the House of Dreams? 

- Angie

Pics of the new place!

Friday and Saturday the House of Dreams moved to a new house. Sunday afternoon DaRonn and I dropped by for a visit to see how things were coming along. Everyone was at the park. Marisol came back to open the door for us and left the kids with another Tia to continue to play. Emelin was with her. Here’s what you have been waiting for…

(for a better look click on any picture for slideshow style viewing)

Emelin, our little guide

tree in front of the house

the view through the front gate

the start of the garden which will be planted in the back soon

a nice cozy living room… a long time personal dream come true for my kiddos

the security system

in the study, school supplies

in the study, computers

the girls’ room (I love all the beautifully shaped windows)

one of the boys’ room

some of the built in shelves all organized

the other boys’ room

the lovely back yard with pretty flowers

another look at the front of the house

and the rest of the kids coming back from their afternoon at the park right around the corner

Thank you for all your prayers over this transition.

• We were so happy that on Friday morning Vladimir got to go with his parents so he didn’t have to have two major transitions back to back. There are now 16 Dreamers.
• We were also glad to have the move done before the first day of classes – today! More on that soon.
• We are so happy that the kids are happy with their new, spacious, beautiful home. Marisol said when they saw it for the first time they were so excited and flooded from the front door to every room in the house.

If you are in the neighborhood we would love for you to stop by for a visit!

- Angie

A Merry Christmas

This Christmas, the House of Dreams was again blessed with gifts by The Rock Church. Here is a short video of the Dreamers opening their gifts.

Thank you The Rock Church, for making this Christmas at the House of Dreams a great one!

Romon

Tradition

Traditions formed in childhood make memories and create belonging. One tradition I have come to love is taking our family to The House of Dreams on Christmas Eve. We take presents for the kids to open. We share yummy treats. People from church make a special meal. We have a good time.

This week we received word that friends from the States, a group of people from a church in Louisiana, sent off 37 packages for the Dreamers for Christmas. I am so excited! We will have our annual wrapping day with the volunteers. And an extra special treat is that each of the kids are getting an ornament all their own for the tree.

I know that Thanksgiving is this week in the States. I want to say that I am so grateful for people who help make our Dreamers feel special.

Thank you for reading the updates. Thank you for passing along word about the House of Dreams. Thank you for giving. Thank you for praying. Thank you for being a part of what happens on the other side of the world. Thank you!

- Angie

Behind Enemy Lines

Can you see the threat?

Walking by the meter you really don’t notice anything aside from the fact it needs to be cleaned.

Closer inspection reveals danger lurking inside.

Wasps! Building a nest! Right beside the yard where the kids play! Danger!

What do we do?

Take a picture, of course.

Take a bunch of nice, close-up pictures to see all the gruesome detail!

Threats immobilize me.

After the initial shock I analyze the full implication of the impeding doom. I fret until I produce a few more gray hairs on my head. My heart beats faster and my gut ties itself in knots. I shoot pictures to display the awful details and gripe about it.

What do you do when a threat approaches?

My husband responds very differently than I do to an attack.

He attacks back!

Our hero!

Paralyzed? No way! Worried? Doesn’t seem like it. Thwarted by the sneak attack behind enemy lines? The poor guys didn’t stand a chance.

My purpose in sharing our Saturday morning battle goes deeper than showing our infestation prevention prowess.

I fully realize our foes view us as enemies. Yes, an orphanage is an enemy. Desolation magnifies the spiritual realm. The good being done at the House of Dreams has not gone unnoticed by the evil powers that be.

Sure, it’s not like a guy in a red suit with a pitchfork showed up at our front door announcing his intent to make our lives a living hell. Nope. The attacks are more subtle. Paperwork mysteriously misplaced as the handlers insinuate an extra donation to help them find it. Grumpy landlords scowling at the imposition of group of children living on their precious property. Neighbors and even church members whispering disgruntled complaints about bad influences upon the fragility of their own offspring from the riff-raff we choose to shelter.

It hurts. But we power through. Greater is He who is in us than those who might play puppets to evil. More are the ones who are for what happens at the House of Dreams than those who would wish for our demise.

The enemy has once again tried to stop the good being done. This time the attack came behind enemy lines. An infiltration began to set up a bit too close for comfort.

I cannot share with you all the detail surrounding this issue. First, because it wouldn’t help anything. Second, because it really doesn’t matter – because I know who will win in the end. Suffice it to say that the matter deals with legal problems with the land purchase, corruption and some people who were found trying to take advantage of us who we thought we could trust. As in the example of the wasps we currently have our finger on the spray can shooting at the nest.

I wish the simplicity of my illustration carried over to our real lives. Not so. The hit came hard. We’ve suffered. The fight’s not over yet.

What can you do?

Please pray for us. We know that we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers in the spiritual realm. Still, we have to act. And facing these issues gets tiring and hard. Pray we have wisdom, strength, favor, and whatever else comes to your heart.

Encourage us. I know that each person has their own struggles and I don’t want to sound like a cry baby. But you have to know that voicing your belief in the House of Dreams to those of us in the thick of it does wonders.

Give. Advancing requires funding. Money isn’t the answer to clearing up the whole matter, but it helps. If you have decided to give to the operations here on a monthly basis, thank you! And please continue to be faithful. If you know of anyone else who would be interested in getting involved with the beautiful work of caring for orphans please share with them about the House of Dreams.

Hope is not lost. Good will prevail. Thank you for sticking it out with us. 

- Angie

Those Five Years Flew By

Last month marked five years since the inauguration of the House of Dreams Orphanage here in Cochabamba, Bolivia. For my 30th birthday in June of 2006 I hosted a banquet to raise funds for our newest project to give abandoned, orphaned and abused children a home filled with love. It was a race to see which would come first: the birth of the baby in my belly or the arrival of our first child to the House of Dreams. The orphans came first. Balanced around my bulge I remember taking into my arms those first few who found refuge under our roof and in our hearts.

While I am no longer pregnant there are still things crowding my life around which I manage to situate the kids who call this place home. Some of the children have been with us from the very beginning and can now say that they have spent half their lives or more as Dreamers. Some have come more recently and are still adjusting to a life lived with respect under the watchful eye of unconditional love. I can only say that it has been by the grace of God that we have done what we have.

Each great life that has been brought to us carries with it enormous stories, such unique individuality and immense promise for a bright future. What a privilege to be a part of breaking vicious life cycles and allowing these people to dream again. What an honor that we can come in the name of Our Father and wrap our arms around these precious children to say to them that they are worth it.

Thank you for helping us to give 53 children a new life. Thank you for believing that dreams can come true. By God’s grace let us continue on.

- Angie

Talks on a Train

Coming back from Machu Picchu my husband and I rode by rail into Cuzco, Peru. We took up separate conversations with a few of the fellow passengers.

The man’s toothy smile stretched from ear to ear and made his already slanted eyes squint shut. From Asia he tried his Spanish but we decided that English would serve us better.  One part of that conversation has stuck with me over the years.

“So you get paid to do all these things?” he asked after inquiring what we did for a living in Bolivia.

“Well, we receive money from others who believe what we are doing is good and want to help us,” I answered.

“So they tell you what to do with the money and they are your boss?”

“No, not exactly. We decide what to do with the money they give us.”

“So you can do whatever you what with the money. You could spend it on whatever you like. But you choose to use the money for helping these people.”

“Yes.”

“You are volunteers doing social work?“

“Yes.”

“So you pay your own money to work?”

“I guess that is one way to look at it. We pay to work instead of getting paid to work.“

Still smiling the man shook his head in disbelief and turned away from me with his arms crossed against his chest, visibly disappointed.

I know some people share this view of the absurdity that we choose to pay to work. I also know there are those who get it. To those generous givers, volunteers, and staff who are vested in this work and understand the way we operate I would like you to know that I appreciate you more than words could say. You encourage me to no end. You give me the oomph to keep fighting for these Dreamers.

With all my heart I thank you.

- Angie