I wanted to share this editorial about Bolivia that was published in the New York Times last week. It was written by an ex-pat who lives just up the highway from us in Samaipata. Hopefully it will give you some insight into what we have been going through recently.
Danny
Op-Ed Contributor
Poor Little Rich Country
By WILLIAM POWERS
Published: June 11, 2005
Samaipata, Bolivia
MY taxi is stuck behind Indian roadblocks. Three hundred farmers, many of them Quechua in colorful ponchos, just took control of the only highway near this small town in central Bolivia, right below a jaguar-shaped Inca temple. I can escape neither east to the sweltering boomtown of Santa Cruz nor west toward the windswept Andean capital, La Paz, where tens of thousands of Aymara Indians are on the march. I get through, but only after abandoning my taxi and making my way on foot.
For three weeks, the country has been paralyzed by blockades and protests; a few days after my experience at the roadblock, the uprising forced the president, Carlos Mesa, to resign. The protesters want to nationalize Bolivia's vast natural gas reserves, South America's second largest; BP has quintupled its estimate of Bolivia's proven reserves to 29 trillion cubic feet, worth a whopping $250 billion. The Indians are in a showdown with the International Monetary Fund and companies like British Gas, Repsol of Spain and Brazil's Petrobras that have already invested billions of dollars in exploration and extraction.
Many are calling the remarkable past five years in Bolivia a war against globalization. In a limited way, they're right. McDonald's closed its outlets here, unable to lure Bolivians away from their saice and salteñas. Demonstrators in bowler hats forced out Bechtel and Suez water privatizers; blocked an income tax urged by the mighty I.M.F.; and ousted President Mesa's predecessor, Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozado, who spoke Spanish with a heavy American accent, over his plan to export Bolivian gas to California through Chile.
But this is not about walling off a Wal-Mart-free utopia; it's more of a struggle over who has power here. An American Indian majority is standing up to the light-skinned, European elite and its corruption-fueled relationships with the world.
You might say that Bolivia has colonized itself. When the Spanish Empire closed shop here in 1825, the Europeans who stayed on didn't seem to notice - and still don't. Even within Latin America, the region with the greatest wealth inequality in the world according to the World Bank, Bolivia is considered one of the most corrupt, per Transparency International's annual index of political dishonesty. It's also divided along a razor-sharp racial edge.
Highland and Amazon peoples compose almost two-thirds of Bolivia's population, the highest proportion of Indians in the hemisphere. (It's as if the United States had 160 million Apaches, Hopis and Iroquois.) And while native people are no longer forcibly sprayed with DDT for bugs and are today allowed into town squares, Bolivian apartheid - a "pigmentocracy of power" - continues.
I've been here for three years as an aid official, and exclusion is part of life. Indians are barred from swimming pools at some clubs, for example; they are still "peones" on eastern haciendas little touched by land reform. In La Paz, I was walking through the fashionable South Zone beside an Aymaran woman, Fátima, when another Bolivian viciously pushed her off the sidewalk. She wasn't shocked by the sentiment, but she was amazed that the man had been willing to touch her. Meanwhile, Bolivia's energy-rich eastern states are agitating for "autonomy" in a thinly disguised effort to deprive the poor Indian west of oil and gas revenues.
What is to be done to prevent a collapse in Bolivia? The answer, of course, must begin with Bolivians themselves. Elites here must recognize that the country's dark-skinned social movements are stronger than any political party or president and will not go away. Any lasting solution must shift real power to Bolivia's poor majority.
We'll see a lot of political maneuvering in the coming days. Some of the roadblocks have been dismantled in the wake of Mr. Mesa's ouster and the installation of a new interim president, Eduardo Rodríguez, the former head of the Supreme Court. But sustained stability depends on movement toward more equality, not just cosmetic changes, starting with speedy national elections and a constituent assembly with the full power to rewrite the Constitution and decide who benefits from Bolivia's petroleum.
Solving the crisis, however, depends not just on ending exclusion, but also on how the rest of the world relates to Bolivia, South America's poorest country, particularly through economic policy.
The United States and the international community have a vital role. In a speech this week, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was right to acknowledge Bolivia's democratic deficit.
But beyond lip service we must accept that democracy means, well, letting people decide what to do with their own resources. Existing contracts with foreign oil companies were signed by corrupt Bolivian leaders, without the approval of Congress. Even if nationalizing petroleum may be a growth-zapping bad idea, we need to let Bolivians themselves decide.
Moreover, our own ideas for this region are not always so fabulous. Bolivia was the testing ground for the I.M.F.'s "shock therapy" liberalization in 1985. This stringent recipe has made millions for oilmen and industrial soy farmers here (neither sector creates much employment) but has not reduced inequality; 20 years later, Bolivia's income levels are stagnant or worse, and half the population lives on less than $2 a day.
BESIDES taking a respectful hands off, the world should contribute one vital thing toward a more democratic society that embraces Indians: debt relief to the reforming government. Bolivia's debt load has risen to 82 percent of gross domestic product, sucking up a mind-boggling 40 percent of fiscal expenditures. This is a recipe for more poverty and turmoil.
Meanwhile, the Indians, distrusting Mr. Rodríguez's promise to call elections and talk to proponents of nationalization, are keeping some of the roadblocks in place, a tactic that costs millions of dollars in lost commerce, hurting the Indians themselves most of all. But as one Quechua told me as he crossed his arms in front of trucks here in Samaipata, vaguely evoking Tiananmen Square: "Our cultures have been blocked for 500 years. This is our only voice."
William Powers is the author of "Blue Clay People" and a forthcoming book on Bolivia, "A Natural Nation."
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
June Newsletter
Dear Friends and Family,
This is Vanessa writing this month. I can’t believe it’s been a year since we last saw you! Time sure has flown by. Not that it has been easy or anything at all like that, but I didn’t think I was going to make it. Life here in Bolivia has gotten a little rough the last couple of weeks. Not everything bad is happening right here in Santa Cruz, but mostly in La Paz and there are blockades in the main roads around us. Which is kind of sad since we were planning a family trip to Torotoro, a place were dinosaur foot prints and sea turtle fossils can be found up in the mountains. We are going as part of a team looking for evidence of Noah’s flood. Exciting, isn’t it!
Back to our ministry. Danny has been traveling to towns around Santa Cruz visiting projects and getting to know more about the people who manage them and the people involved in them. He has also linked Terry Waller (a fellow missionary of us who is a genius and has invented all these inexpensive and easy to handle agricultural machines and has developed a new water drilling technique) with the projects in San Ignacio, a town about 8 hours away by car. As you can tell my husband is always busy finding ways to cope with people’s need so they can see the Lord’s goodness and love. He is also thinking about starting a project of selling handbags in the US (importing). This would be a business that would help support mainly the lady groups and other projects already going here in South America (we are thinking big). So it looks like he and I will soon enroll with several other people in a sewing class.
For me this has not been a good month. I mean, praise the Lord for all His blessings. I just don’t like becoming good friends with people and then having to say goodbye just like that. I am saying this because we have recently had to say goodbye to a lot of people at our church, school and so on, who after the school year are leaving on furlough for a year or even permanently. It also depresses me seeing so much violence and poverty in the streets. It makes me think we will never accomplish anything here. But we cannot not rely on our own understanding. I know it is all in God’s hands. Writing these letters sure puts things in prospective for me. Thank you Jesus.
Other ministry news: This month we will host another Birthday party for the kids from the Talita Cumi home for the kids who have birthdays in May and June. And Danny is still very much involved with Cristo Viene (Christ is Coming) boys home in the chicken raising project. The kids are learning all about raising chickens and they eat some of them and sell the rest. We especially need prayer for this home. We are talking of about 30 little boys all the way between 3 to 13. Who in their majority were taken away from their homes due to abuse. These kids need tons of affection, and shoes too. They live in a rented house about an hour from Santa Cruz. The director’s dream is to have their own home with a big enough piece of land where they can plant a garden and raise animals for the boys to eat. So please pray to the Lord that He will provide for them both more love through more volunteers and more money.
Our beautiful and smart kids are out of school for the summer. It sure is different when they are here! Things get louder, more fun and interesting especially for Isaiah who chooses to stay home and play with them instead of going to his nursery school. Luciana and Nathaniel are both really busy practicing their violin and cello (poor neighbors). And we no longer have pet macaws. So sorry to those of you who were hoping to see them when you visit but they have all sorts of them at the zoo. We can take you there! They were just too messy and ornery and loud, ate the furniture, the phone, the neighbor’s lingerie and went to the bathroom everywhere. But now our backyard looks nice and clean and it is quiet too! I am sure my kids can tell you different though!
I have decided to not to teach at the school next year. I really want to enjoy being home with Isaiah during is last pre-school years and also that will give more time for some other types of ministry.
And last but not least I will give you a list of our needs and prayer requests:
Lift Nathaniel and the rest of us since he is leaving this July for a year with his mom.
Pray for the Cristo Viene boys home.
Pray for the B-day parties for Talita Cumi, that I will find enough gift sponsors.
Pray for the World Concern projects in San Ignacio, that they will be successful with their water and agricultural projects.
Pray all the street kids and moms in Santa Cruz will come to know Jesus and their life will change for ever.
Pray for protection for all the missionaries in Bolivia.
Pray we will have the Spirit of the Lord as we deal with people and ourselves.
Pray that you can come and see us soon!!!
We love you and send you lots of hugs and kisses and smiles,
In His Grace,
Vanessa (for all the Beams)
Mailing address:
Daniel and Vanessa Beams
World Concern
Parapeti #146 -- Casilla 3681
Santa Cruz, Bolivia
Office Telephone: 011 591 3336 3664
Home Telephone: 011 591 3352 9156
Email: beamsclan@yahoo.com, danielb@worldconcern.org.bo
Website: www.beamsclan.blogspot.com
This is Vanessa writing this month. I can’t believe it’s been a year since we last saw you! Time sure has flown by. Not that it has been easy or anything at all like that, but I didn’t think I was going to make it. Life here in Bolivia has gotten a little rough the last couple of weeks. Not everything bad is happening right here in Santa Cruz, but mostly in La Paz and there are blockades in the main roads around us. Which is kind of sad since we were planning a family trip to Torotoro, a place were dinosaur foot prints and sea turtle fossils can be found up in the mountains. We are going as part of a team looking for evidence of Noah’s flood. Exciting, isn’t it!
Back to our ministry. Danny has been traveling to towns around Santa Cruz visiting projects and getting to know more about the people who manage them and the people involved in them. He has also linked Terry Waller (a fellow missionary of us who is a genius and has invented all these inexpensive and easy to handle agricultural machines and has developed a new water drilling technique) with the projects in San Ignacio, a town about 8 hours away by car. As you can tell my husband is always busy finding ways to cope with people’s need so they can see the Lord’s goodness and love. He is also thinking about starting a project of selling handbags in the US (importing). This would be a business that would help support mainly the lady groups and other projects already going here in South America (we are thinking big). So it looks like he and I will soon enroll with several other people in a sewing class.
For me this has not been a good month. I mean, praise the Lord for all His blessings. I just don’t like becoming good friends with people and then having to say goodbye just like that. I am saying this because we have recently had to say goodbye to a lot of people at our church, school and so on, who after the school year are leaving on furlough for a year or even permanently. It also depresses me seeing so much violence and poverty in the streets. It makes me think we will never accomplish anything here. But we cannot not rely on our own understanding. I know it is all in God’s hands. Writing these letters sure puts things in prospective for me. Thank you Jesus.
Other ministry news: This month we will host another Birthday party for the kids from the Talita Cumi home for the kids who have birthdays in May and June. And Danny is still very much involved with Cristo Viene (Christ is Coming) boys home in the chicken raising project. The kids are learning all about raising chickens and they eat some of them and sell the rest. We especially need prayer for this home. We are talking of about 30 little boys all the way between 3 to 13. Who in their majority were taken away from their homes due to abuse. These kids need tons of affection, and shoes too. They live in a rented house about an hour from Santa Cruz. The director’s dream is to have their own home with a big enough piece of land where they can plant a garden and raise animals for the boys to eat. So please pray to the Lord that He will provide for them both more love through more volunteers and more money.
Our beautiful and smart kids are out of school for the summer. It sure is different when they are here! Things get louder, more fun and interesting especially for Isaiah who chooses to stay home and play with them instead of going to his nursery school. Luciana and Nathaniel are both really busy practicing their violin and cello (poor neighbors). And we no longer have pet macaws. So sorry to those of you who were hoping to see them when you visit but they have all sorts of them at the zoo. We can take you there! They were just too messy and ornery and loud, ate the furniture, the phone, the neighbor’s lingerie and went to the bathroom everywhere. But now our backyard looks nice and clean and it is quiet too! I am sure my kids can tell you different though!
I have decided to not to teach at the school next year. I really want to enjoy being home with Isaiah during is last pre-school years and also that will give more time for some other types of ministry.
And last but not least I will give you a list of our needs and prayer requests:
Lift Nathaniel and the rest of us since he is leaving this July for a year with his mom.
Pray for the Cristo Viene boys home.
Pray for the B-day parties for Talita Cumi, that I will find enough gift sponsors.
Pray for the World Concern projects in San Ignacio, that they will be successful with their water and agricultural projects.
Pray all the street kids and moms in Santa Cruz will come to know Jesus and their life will change for ever.
Pray for protection for all the missionaries in Bolivia.
Pray we will have the Spirit of the Lord as we deal with people and ourselves.
Pray that you can come and see us soon!!!
We love you and send you lots of hugs and kisses and smiles,
In His Grace,
Vanessa (for all the Beams)
Mailing address:
Daniel and Vanessa Beams
World Concern
Parapeti #146 -- Casilla 3681
Santa Cruz, Bolivia
Office Telephone: 011 591 3336 3664
Home Telephone: 011 591 3352 9156
Email: beamsclan@yahoo.com, danielb@worldconcern.org.bo
Website: www.beamsclan.blogspot.com
Monday, May 09, 2005
May Newsletter
Dear Family and Friends,
I just got back from a trip to Santiago, Chile where Jack McDonald and I participated in a microfinance summit. It was a gathering of NGOs (non-governmental organizations), government programs, and private banks interested in furthering economic development in poor countries through the use of microfinance services. There is great hope that the spread of this economic development strategy will lead to great strides in poverty alleviation. Of course World Concern is a small player in the world of microfinance, but we do offer something that strictly development organizations do not consider; we offer a message of love and hope through the saving grace of Jesus Christ. While many secular organizations may consider this a non-essential, inefficient, or even invasive non-financial service, we have seen from experience that change has to begin from within a person and the best place to start is with the soul. Microfinancial services may provide the means to get out of poverty, but it does not provide the knowledge or the motivation. This is why World Concern is so insistent that our programs provide training in small business skills, Biblical values, and discipleship.
I am really excited about integrating several appropriate technology projects that have been developed by an agricultural missionary and World Concern colleague, Terry Waller, working here in Santa Cruz. Terry has developed an efficient and inexpensive way to drill water wells using locally available hardware and manual labor. You can see a description of this process at: http://www.geocities.com/h2oclubs/. Communities form water clubs and neighbors help each other drill wells 30 to 40 meters deep at a cost of only about $100 each. Before this method was developed, alternative methods using a motorized drilling rig cost about $1500 a well. Terry is also developing low-cost windmills, tractors, and other agricultural implements that the small peasant farmer can afford to purchase and that will allow him to compete in the same markets as the big industrialized farmers. Some of these are still in the testing phase of development, but have the potential to revolutionize small plot farming in Bolivia. Combining these new production techniques with microfinance services will give poor farmers (who now have a hard time feeding their families) an opportunity earn many times their current yearly wages.
In order to reach the many 1000s of rural poor residents in Bolivia and other Latin American countries we need to expand our program tremendously. Our current microcredit program has about 700 active clients. We need to expand this to 10,000 or more clients so that it can become economically self-sustainable (funded using interest earned from loans) and can have a spiritual and economic impact in many more struggling communities. In order to expand the microcredit program we need to increase the capital base from its current level of approximately $200,000 to ten times that much.
Vanessa and I greatly appreciate your faithful support of our personal ministry (and we are still a little short of our monthly budget), but if you would like to make a special contribution to the capital loan fund for the CAMS microcredit program, please let us know. I assure you that these funds, used on a rotating basis, and will help many peasant farmers to pull themselves out of poverty and will be an important means of sharing the gospel. If your church or civic organization would like to partner with CAMS to increase the microcredit loan portfolio, please let us know.
We will have a busy month in May with two birthdays (Nathaniel May 1st and Isaiah May 6th). Please pray for Nathaniel as he will be traveling back to the States in July where he will spend the year with his mom in Lexington, KY. And continue to remember our ministries and our personal spiritual growth in your prayers.
In His Grace,Danny
Mailing address:
Daniel and Vanessa Beams
World Concern
Parapeti #146 -- Casilla 3681
Santa Cruz, Bolivia
Office Telephone: 011 591 3336 3664
Home Telephone: 011 591 3352 9156
Email: beamsclan@yahoo.com, danielb@worldconcern.org.bo
Website: www.beamsclan.blogspot.com
I just got back from a trip to Santiago, Chile where Jack McDonald and I participated in a microfinance summit. It was a gathering of NGOs (non-governmental organizations), government programs, and private banks interested in furthering economic development in poor countries through the use of microfinance services. There is great hope that the spread of this economic development strategy will lead to great strides in poverty alleviation. Of course World Concern is a small player in the world of microfinance, but we do offer something that strictly development organizations do not consider; we offer a message of love and hope through the saving grace of Jesus Christ. While many secular organizations may consider this a non-essential, inefficient, or even invasive non-financial service, we have seen from experience that change has to begin from within a person and the best place to start is with the soul. Microfinancial services may provide the means to get out of poverty, but it does not provide the knowledge or the motivation. This is why World Concern is so insistent that our programs provide training in small business skills, Biblical values, and discipleship.
I am really excited about integrating several appropriate technology projects that have been developed by an agricultural missionary and World Concern colleague, Terry Waller, working here in Santa Cruz. Terry has developed an efficient and inexpensive way to drill water wells using locally available hardware and manual labor. You can see a description of this process at: http://www.geocities.com/h2oclubs/. Communities form water clubs and neighbors help each other drill wells 30 to 40 meters deep at a cost of only about $100 each. Before this method was developed, alternative methods using a motorized drilling rig cost about $1500 a well. Terry is also developing low-cost windmills, tractors, and other agricultural implements that the small peasant farmer can afford to purchase and that will allow him to compete in the same markets as the big industrialized farmers. Some of these are still in the testing phase of development, but have the potential to revolutionize small plot farming in Bolivia. Combining these new production techniques with microfinance services will give poor farmers (who now have a hard time feeding their families) an opportunity earn many times their current yearly wages.
In order to reach the many 1000s of rural poor residents in Bolivia and other Latin American countries we need to expand our program tremendously. Our current microcredit program has about 700 active clients. We need to expand this to 10,000 or more clients so that it can become economically self-sustainable (funded using interest earned from loans) and can have a spiritual and economic impact in many more struggling communities. In order to expand the microcredit program we need to increase the capital base from its current level of approximately $200,000 to ten times that much.
Vanessa and I greatly appreciate your faithful support of our personal ministry (and we are still a little short of our monthly budget), but if you would like to make a special contribution to the capital loan fund for the CAMS microcredit program, please let us know. I assure you that these funds, used on a rotating basis, and will help many peasant farmers to pull themselves out of poverty and will be an important means of sharing the gospel. If your church or civic organization would like to partner with CAMS to increase the microcredit loan portfolio, please let us know.
We will have a busy month in May with two birthdays (Nathaniel May 1st and Isaiah May 6th). Please pray for Nathaniel as he will be traveling back to the States in July where he will spend the year with his mom in Lexington, KY. And continue to remember our ministries and our personal spiritual growth in your prayers.
In His Grace,Danny
Mailing address:
Daniel and Vanessa Beams
World Concern
Parapeti #146 -- Casilla 3681
Santa Cruz, Bolivia
Office Telephone: 011 591 3336 3664
Home Telephone: 011 591 3352 9156
Email: beamsclan@yahoo.com, danielb@worldconcern.org.bo
Website: www.beamsclan.blogspot.com
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
April Newsletter
Dear and Missed Friends and Family,
This is Vanessa writing this month! I pray that you all have had a wonderful Easter and are enjoying the miracle of spring all around you! We had a wonderful time this Easter as we drove to La Paz (the Capital of Bolivia). The drive was magnificently beautiful. We went from the tropical heat of Santa Cruz up to the frigid altiplano at 14,000 feet. The purpose of this trip was to celebrate Easter with our friends the Wolheters (our neighbors and fellow missionaries) at their church in La Paz, which little did we know is a huge deal! The church was packed with thousands of people who had come from all over Bolivia all dressed in their beautiful local outfits, all excited and praising God with their voices and their hands. It was kind of funny because even though all of us who went there could feel the happiness of these people celebrating Jesus’ resurrection we were also a miniscule group of western dressed and looking people and felt somewhat in cultural shock. The service included people praying (with loud wailing and crying), people singing contemporary songs and also hymns, two to three hours of preaching, a band marching and playing hymns, a skit, and (my favorite) a group of five little girls reciting a poem that talked about Jesus’ Faithfulness.
For me this trip to La Paz has been long anticipated for a couple of reasons. Number one, because we got to visit Lake Titicaca, which I have wanted to see since I was a child (Peru shares Lake Titicaca with Bolivia) and also because my ladies group just finished a study by Beth Moore called “Beloved Disciple” and this local landscape perfectly illustrated the kind of place where Jesus lived with his friends, sailing, fishing, walking on water, talking to people and loving his friends. I could just imagine Jesus, with His hair blowing in the wind, and with the beautiful blue lake behind Him that He himself had made. I just loved it. Check out our pictures on our website to see also what I ‘m talking about. And I am proud to say that I took some of the pictures too.
Reason number two, I got to see long lost members of my family, my uncle Victor and his family, who moved to La Paz from Peru about 11 years ago. It is kind of bitter sweet to reconnect after so many years and hear memories and facts of my own childhood told by another person! Also I met my aunt Flor and cousin, Kira Lani, for the first time. They don’t have Jesus in their hearts yet, but were asking a lot of questions about our ministry and why we are here and what denominations mean, etc., so please pray for them that there answers will be answered by the ultimate truth giver.
For those of you who have been praying for us because of political situations here in Bolivia, thank you. We are fine. There have been a couple of times when protests have gotten a little out of hand, but things have calmed down recently. Many people have asked me about Billy in their letters and I really appreciate this and also all your prayers for him and other kids who need God. The good news is that I haven’t seen him or his grandma at that same spot or around which could be a sign that she is no longer using him to beg. Please keep praying for all the kids on the street. Also pray for more support for our Christian children’s homes. It really is amazing how the Lord wants His little ones to be safe. There are about 20 Christian children’s homes in Santa Cruz: for boys, for girls, for street kids, for abandoned children, for addicts, for pregnant teens, etc. The problem is that from all those only 3 or 4 (I have only seen three) seem to have regular support and own their property. The others live in really sad conditions in rented places or government places that can be taken back by the owner at any moment.
We have recently gotten involved with a home called “Cristo Viene” Boys Home. We are using specially designated ministry funds to support a project in which the boys will raise chickens (500 at a time) that they will sell in the local market to help pay for the expense of running the home. The boys in this home are abandoned and most of them are between the ages of four and twelve. Can you imagine? They are as sweet as can be and love having visitors in the home to play with. Right now this home is renting a small piece of land and 30 boys live in two overcrowded dorm rooms. Pray that this home will be able to buy their own property soon.
I have also been working with the Centro de Vida (Center for Life) and helped them with translation for a training they had last week about abstinence, pregnancy and abortion. I learned a lot myself and it was lots of fun to work with young people (volunteers). I will also be involved more later as we put together lesson materials for each of them as they go into schools here and share Jesus’ truth about sex, abstinence, pregnancy and abortion, Please pray for these brave souls who will throw themselves to the hands of school teenagers to talk about these things God’s way!!! This training has made me awe at the way Jesus can heal a broken life and also at His primary design for sex within marriage and the purpose of it. I thank Jesus for healing my heart and body and giving me a loving, understanding, patient husband.
At the Centro de Vida we are also trying to put together a “Library” of things that moms can borrow and then give back to the center. I have collected a bunch of baby clothes among friends and some baby products and also some formula. But we need also the big things, you who are parents know how many things a baby needs. So please also add to your praying list some cribs or pack and play beds, strollers, baby carriers and things like this. And also pray we will find a way to let moms know we want to get these things back and they will bring them back. This is all so new for Bolivia.
Our children are doing great Luciana has been in the honor role twice already and Nathaniel’s grades are great too. We are very proud, Nathaniel’s teachers and friends are always talking about what good of a friend and a student he is. Luciana will start violin classes again this week. Pray for patience (for both of us). And Isaiah is cutter than ever he can now converse in both languages and often leaves us astonished with everything he knows and makes us laugh with his new face to scare monsters and bad guys away we might include a picture of this for everyone’s amusement. Oh yes! We did have an Easter egg hunt at our hotel room and hall in La Paz. When we first talked about it Isaiah said: “We are going to G-Mommy’s house yeh!” I guess in his mind where else in the world can you have a good Easter egg hunt!
Our whole family is very excited because we are having some of you as visitors here soon. Guys from our dear Crossroads Church are soon coming and also Ronnie and Carrol (Danny’s mom and dad) We are so excited and praying the Lord will be with you guys as you come here and also more of you all will venture to visit and spend some or a lot of time with us.
We love you and miss you guys tons. Please enjoy the spring, smell the flowers, take pictures, put them in your house, on your hair. We miss the seasons as you can see.
Now for real,
Bye
Vanessa for all the Beams in Santa Cruz
Mailing address:
Daniel and Vanessa Beams
World Concern
Parapeti #146 -- Casilla 3681
Santa Cruz, Bolivia
Office Telephone: 011 591 3336 3664
Home Telephone: 011 591 3352 9156
Email: beamsclan@yahoo.com, danielb@worldconcern.org.bo
Website: www.beamsclan.blogspot.com
This is Vanessa writing this month! I pray that you all have had a wonderful Easter and are enjoying the miracle of spring all around you! We had a wonderful time this Easter as we drove to La Paz (the Capital of Bolivia). The drive was magnificently beautiful. We went from the tropical heat of Santa Cruz up to the frigid altiplano at 14,000 feet. The purpose of this trip was to celebrate Easter with our friends the Wolheters (our neighbors and fellow missionaries) at their church in La Paz, which little did we know is a huge deal! The church was packed with thousands of people who had come from all over Bolivia all dressed in their beautiful local outfits, all excited and praising God with their voices and their hands. It was kind of funny because even though all of us who went there could feel the happiness of these people celebrating Jesus’ resurrection we were also a miniscule group of western dressed and looking people and felt somewhat in cultural shock. The service included people praying (with loud wailing and crying), people singing contemporary songs and also hymns, two to three hours of preaching, a band marching and playing hymns, a skit, and (my favorite) a group of five little girls reciting a poem that talked about Jesus’ Faithfulness.
For me this trip to La Paz has been long anticipated for a couple of reasons. Number one, because we got to visit Lake Titicaca, which I have wanted to see since I was a child (Peru shares Lake Titicaca with Bolivia) and also because my ladies group just finished a study by Beth Moore called “Beloved Disciple” and this local landscape perfectly illustrated the kind of place where Jesus lived with his friends, sailing, fishing, walking on water, talking to people and loving his friends. I could just imagine Jesus, with His hair blowing in the wind, and with the beautiful blue lake behind Him that He himself had made. I just loved it. Check out our pictures on our website to see also what I ‘m talking about. And I am proud to say that I took some of the pictures too.
Reason number two, I got to see long lost members of my family, my uncle Victor and his family, who moved to La Paz from Peru about 11 years ago. It is kind of bitter sweet to reconnect after so many years and hear memories and facts of my own childhood told by another person! Also I met my aunt Flor and cousin, Kira Lani, for the first time. They don’t have Jesus in their hearts yet, but were asking a lot of questions about our ministry and why we are here and what denominations mean, etc., so please pray for them that there answers will be answered by the ultimate truth giver.
For those of you who have been praying for us because of political situations here in Bolivia, thank you. We are fine. There have been a couple of times when protests have gotten a little out of hand, but things have calmed down recently. Many people have asked me about Billy in their letters and I really appreciate this and also all your prayers for him and other kids who need God. The good news is that I haven’t seen him or his grandma at that same spot or around which could be a sign that she is no longer using him to beg. Please keep praying for all the kids on the street. Also pray for more support for our Christian children’s homes. It really is amazing how the Lord wants His little ones to be safe. There are about 20 Christian children’s homes in Santa Cruz: for boys, for girls, for street kids, for abandoned children, for addicts, for pregnant teens, etc. The problem is that from all those only 3 or 4 (I have only seen three) seem to have regular support and own their property. The others live in really sad conditions in rented places or government places that can be taken back by the owner at any moment.
We have recently gotten involved with a home called “Cristo Viene” Boys Home. We are using specially designated ministry funds to support a project in which the boys will raise chickens (500 at a time) that they will sell in the local market to help pay for the expense of running the home. The boys in this home are abandoned and most of them are between the ages of four and twelve. Can you imagine? They are as sweet as can be and love having visitors in the home to play with. Right now this home is renting a small piece of land and 30 boys live in two overcrowded dorm rooms. Pray that this home will be able to buy their own property soon.
I have also been working with the Centro de Vida (Center for Life) and helped them with translation for a training they had last week about abstinence, pregnancy and abortion. I learned a lot myself and it was lots of fun to work with young people (volunteers). I will also be involved more later as we put together lesson materials for each of them as they go into schools here and share Jesus’ truth about sex, abstinence, pregnancy and abortion, Please pray for these brave souls who will throw themselves to the hands of school teenagers to talk about these things God’s way!!! This training has made me awe at the way Jesus can heal a broken life and also at His primary design for sex within marriage and the purpose of it. I thank Jesus for healing my heart and body and giving me a loving, understanding, patient husband.
At the Centro de Vida we are also trying to put together a “Library” of things that moms can borrow and then give back to the center. I have collected a bunch of baby clothes among friends and some baby products and also some formula. But we need also the big things, you who are parents know how many things a baby needs. So please also add to your praying list some cribs or pack and play beds, strollers, baby carriers and things like this. And also pray we will find a way to let moms know we want to get these things back and they will bring them back. This is all so new for Bolivia.
Our children are doing great Luciana has been in the honor role twice already and Nathaniel’s grades are great too. We are very proud, Nathaniel’s teachers and friends are always talking about what good of a friend and a student he is. Luciana will start violin classes again this week. Pray for patience (for both of us). And Isaiah is cutter than ever he can now converse in both languages and often leaves us astonished with everything he knows and makes us laugh with his new face to scare monsters and bad guys away we might include a picture of this for everyone’s amusement. Oh yes! We did have an Easter egg hunt at our hotel room and hall in La Paz. When we first talked about it Isaiah said: “We are going to G-Mommy’s house yeh!” I guess in his mind where else in the world can you have a good Easter egg hunt!
Our whole family is very excited because we are having some of you as visitors here soon. Guys from our dear Crossroads Church are soon coming and also Ronnie and Carrol (Danny’s mom and dad) We are so excited and praying the Lord will be with you guys as you come here and also more of you all will venture to visit and spend some or a lot of time with us.
We love you and miss you guys tons. Please enjoy the spring, smell the flowers, take pictures, put them in your house, on your hair. We miss the seasons as you can see.
Now for real,
Bye
Vanessa for all the Beams in Santa Cruz
Mailing address:
Daniel and Vanessa Beams
World Concern
Parapeti #146 -- Casilla 3681
Santa Cruz, Bolivia
Office Telephone: 011 591 3336 3664
Home Telephone: 011 591 3352 9156
Email: beamsclan@yahoo.com, danielb@worldconcern.org.bo
Website: www.beamsclan.blogspot.com
Friday, March 18, 2005
Beams Bytes – March 2005
Dear Friends and Family,
We hope winter is winding to a close for most of you in the northern climes. We are just about through our hottest months here south of the equator and the weather should start cooling off soon. This is the end of the rainy season, and while we have been relatively dry this year, it has been raining heavily up in the mountains above us. This means the rivers that flow down from the Andes swell with muddy rolling rain water and flood low lying parts of Santa Cruz along the Rio Grande river. While this mini-disaster did not make international headlines, it did greatly affect 1000s of peasant farmers in the communities where World Concern is working. In fact, 168 families with whom we are working with in the CAMS micro-credit program, have been affected by this flooding. They have lost all of their crops, which were just about ready to be harvested. For the majority, agriculture is their livelihood and a disaster of this magnitude will push them further into poverty. They have had to abandon their houses and fields, and are living dislocated in tents until the water recedes. The CAMS program is trying to raise enough extra capital to give these families emergency loans so they can immediately replant and recuperate some of their losses this year. Pray that the flooding will abate and that CAMS will be able to help these families through this crisis.
The political situation in Bolivia is worsening by the day as well. Last week the president of Bolivia, Carlos Mesa, resigned, and then several days later rescinded his resignation. He claims he cannot govern a country that does not allow democracy to function. In the 17 months he has been in office, there have been over 800 protests and civil disturbances. These various protesting groups have listed over 12,000 demands of the government. Most of these protests come in the form of road blocks, blocking key highways and disrupting commerce. In Santa Cruz, there has been a call for autonomy, meaning the state of Santa Cruz wants to independently elect a governor and does not want to send so much tax revenue to the capital in La Paz. How does this affect us? The local Santa Cruz civic committee has called a number of general “paros,” or strikes. They block all traffic from moving in the city and anyone who is on the roads without a permit will have their vehicle impounded. These “paros” usually last for one or two days, but they are becoming so frequent that it is hard to work consistently. It is a holiday for the kids in school, but otherwise it costs local businesses millions of dollars a day in lost revenue. Personally, I enjoy the general strikes because I get the chance to ride my bicycle all over town without worrying about traffic.
Most recently the Santa Cruz bus drivers have called for a transportation strike and are refusing to run their routes until the city lets them raise the cost of a fare. They currently charge $0.18 and want to raise it to $0.24. This does not sound like much, but here in Santa Cruz a roundtrip bus ticket amounts to between 10% and 20% of an average daily wage. And I would estimate that 90% of the cities population relies on busses for daily transport. Needless to say, the city is in chaos. People are walking and riding bicycles to work and school. Taxis are almost impossible to get, and when you do manage to get one to stop they want to charge three or four times the normal rate. Bus drivers are attempting to block major intersections with their busses. Last week when I came back into town after a visit to our projects I unwittingly drove through what was practically a war zone. The military began forcibly removing the buses, beating and arresting the drivers, and breaking out bus windows. The drivers were throwing rocks and attacking the press and the military and police. They began looting several neighborhoods. The military fought back with tear gas. As I drove home I passed burning tires, a burning police motorcycle, and lots of bricks and other debris in the road. It felt surreal, as if I were driving through a movie set or something. From one intersection I could see 20 or so policemen advancing on a line of rock throwing bus drivers. Later that night I saw that 30 people had been injured. Thankfully no one has been killed. Things appear to be calmer this week, but the drivers insist that there will be no more buses until they can raise the fare.
Pray for the political situation in Bolivia this month. We feel God’s presence in this country and know he will answer the prayers of 1000s of believers around the world. Pray also for how World Concern can respond to the local needs of families in poverty throughout Bolivia.
Thank you so much for your faithful support of this ministry. We are still behind in our yearly budget, but are confident in God’s faithfulness. Please pray for God’s leading in how he would have you support this ministry. Our new ministry blog (website) is www.beamsclan.blogspot.com. Visit the site to read frequent ministry updates, see pictures in our photo gallery, and find links to other ministry sites.
In His Grace,
Danny
Mailing address:
Daniel Beams
World Concern
Parapeti #146 -- Casilla 3681
Santa Cruz, Bolivia
Office Telephone: 011 591 3336 3664
Home Telephone: 011 591 3352 9156
Email: beamsclan@yahoo.com, danielb@worldconcern.org.bo
Website: www.beamsclan.blogspot.com
We hope winter is winding to a close for most of you in the northern climes. We are just about through our hottest months here south of the equator and the weather should start cooling off soon. This is the end of the rainy season, and while we have been relatively dry this year, it has been raining heavily up in the mountains above us. This means the rivers that flow down from the Andes swell with muddy rolling rain water and flood low lying parts of Santa Cruz along the Rio Grande river. While this mini-disaster did not make international headlines, it did greatly affect 1000s of peasant farmers in the communities where World Concern is working. In fact, 168 families with whom we are working with in the CAMS micro-credit program, have been affected by this flooding. They have lost all of their crops, which were just about ready to be harvested. For the majority, agriculture is their livelihood and a disaster of this magnitude will push them further into poverty. They have had to abandon their houses and fields, and are living dislocated in tents until the water recedes. The CAMS program is trying to raise enough extra capital to give these families emergency loans so they can immediately replant and recuperate some of their losses this year. Pray that the flooding will abate and that CAMS will be able to help these families through this crisis.
The political situation in Bolivia is worsening by the day as well. Last week the president of Bolivia, Carlos Mesa, resigned, and then several days later rescinded his resignation. He claims he cannot govern a country that does not allow democracy to function. In the 17 months he has been in office, there have been over 800 protests and civil disturbances. These various protesting groups have listed over 12,000 demands of the government. Most of these protests come in the form of road blocks, blocking key highways and disrupting commerce. In Santa Cruz, there has been a call for autonomy, meaning the state of Santa Cruz wants to independently elect a governor and does not want to send so much tax revenue to the capital in La Paz. How does this affect us? The local Santa Cruz civic committee has called a number of general “paros,” or strikes. They block all traffic from moving in the city and anyone who is on the roads without a permit will have their vehicle impounded. These “paros” usually last for one or two days, but they are becoming so frequent that it is hard to work consistently. It is a holiday for the kids in school, but otherwise it costs local businesses millions of dollars a day in lost revenue. Personally, I enjoy the general strikes because I get the chance to ride my bicycle all over town without worrying about traffic.
Most recently the Santa Cruz bus drivers have called for a transportation strike and are refusing to run their routes until the city lets them raise the cost of a fare. They currently charge $0.18 and want to raise it to $0.24. This does not sound like much, but here in Santa Cruz a roundtrip bus ticket amounts to between 10% and 20% of an average daily wage. And I would estimate that 90% of the cities population relies on busses for daily transport. Needless to say, the city is in chaos. People are walking and riding bicycles to work and school. Taxis are almost impossible to get, and when you do manage to get one to stop they want to charge three or four times the normal rate. Bus drivers are attempting to block major intersections with their busses. Last week when I came back into town after a visit to our projects I unwittingly drove through what was practically a war zone. The military began forcibly removing the buses, beating and arresting the drivers, and breaking out bus windows. The drivers were throwing rocks and attacking the press and the military and police. They began looting several neighborhoods. The military fought back with tear gas. As I drove home I passed burning tires, a burning police motorcycle, and lots of bricks and other debris in the road. It felt surreal, as if I were driving through a movie set or something. From one intersection I could see 20 or so policemen advancing on a line of rock throwing bus drivers. Later that night I saw that 30 people had been injured. Thankfully no one has been killed. Things appear to be calmer this week, but the drivers insist that there will be no more buses until they can raise the fare.
Pray for the political situation in Bolivia this month. We feel God’s presence in this country and know he will answer the prayers of 1000s of believers around the world. Pray also for how World Concern can respond to the local needs of families in poverty throughout Bolivia.
Thank you so much for your faithful support of this ministry. We are still behind in our yearly budget, but are confident in God’s faithfulness. Please pray for God’s leading in how he would have you support this ministry. Our new ministry blog (website) is www.beamsclan.blogspot.com. Visit the site to read frequent ministry updates, see pictures in our photo gallery, and find links to other ministry sites.
In His Grace,
Danny
Mailing address:
Daniel Beams
World Concern
Parapeti #146 -- Casilla 3681
Santa Cruz, Bolivia
Office Telephone: 011 591 3336 3664
Home Telephone: 011 591 3352 9156
Email: beamsclan@yahoo.com, danielb@worldconcern.org.bo
Website: www.beamsclan.blogspot.com
Thursday, March 03, 2005
Road Blocks
The political situation is never dull in Santa Cruz. For the past month or so, civic organizations (mostly politicized groups of peasants farmers), have been blocking the major highways going in and out of the city of Santa Cruz. Currently 3 of the 4 exits out of down are completely blocked. The road to Argentina (where all of our diesel comes from), the road to Brazil, and the road to La Paz, which goes on into Chile and Peru. These diverse groups are demanding a variety of things from the government and refuse lift the road block until their demands are met. The government is hesitant to use military force because they want to avoid violence at all costs. In the mean time, our work has been greatly disrupted because we cannot travel out to the projects. Also, many imported goods are becoming scarce. The local paper is predicting that the city will be completely out of diesel by this weekend, even further paralyzing the commerce. I will wait in line to fill our tank up this evening (we drive a diesel Nissan Patrol SUV), and try to make this last tank full stretch as far as I can.
Monday, February 28, 2005
New Links
Check out the new links on the right of the screen. We now have links to a photo gallery and to our archived monthly newsletters. Also, you can click on the "Paypal Donation" button and contribe directly to our ministry. Alternatively, you can click on the "Contribute" link to learn how to make your World Concern payments on the internet instead of having to send in monthly checks. Also, I plan on adding some longer journal entries and diatribes in the "Longer Missives" section. Thanks for reading!
More Flooding
The flooding continues in the Rio Grande area. The water had been receding, but Sunday morning another wave hit and the water rose to a higher level than it reached the week before. Our country director, Marcia Suarez, visited the area last week and brought some tents to some of the homeless families. But this is just a drop in the bucket compared to the needs in the area. These mini-disasters are sometimes hardest to deal with because the do not make it into the international news media, so donations do not come in like they should to help relieve the crisis. World Concern Bolivia would love to do more but our project budgets are too tight as it is. If you feel moved to help in this effort, please make a donation and designate it to the Rio Grande Flood Victims.
Also, in the Yapacani project area, the project motorcycle was stolen over the weekend. This was the only transportation for 10 project facilitators. There is no money in the budget to replace it and now the field workers have no way of quickly getting into some of the more remote project villages. It will cost about $1200 to replace. Please be praying for this need.
Also, in the Yapacani project area, the project motorcycle was stolen over the weekend. This was the only transportation for 10 project facilitators. There is no money in the budget to replace it and now the field workers have no way of quickly getting into some of the more remote project villages. It will cost about $1200 to replace. Please be praying for this need.
Thursday, February 24, 2005
Flooding in Micro-Credit Project Areas
This is the rainy season in Bolivia and recent storms in the mountains have caused the Rio Grande to rise rapidly and flood many of the communities where we work through the CAMS micro-credit project. More than 160 families have lost their crops and have been forced to evacuate their homes and communities. This is a tragic loss for them personally because most do not have any alternative sources of income and the majority of their annual income would have come from the lost harvest. The CAMS program is working hard to put together a plan that will give them an emergency loan so they can replant after the waters recede, and we will give them an extended amount of time to pay off their old loans. This is the second time in ten years that this area has seen severe flooding. Many people will probably decide to leave the area completely, but this too is difficult because they do not have the cash necessary to buy new land in higher areas. Please pray for these families in the communities of "Dos de Agosto," "Villa Montero," and "El Plato." Pray that they will recover quickly from these losses and that World Concern and the CAMS program will know how best to respond to this emergency situation.
Friday, February 04, 2005
Thursday, February 03, 2005
Reina in Santo Corazon
Reina and her daughters, pictured below, live in Santo Corazon, an isolated community several days away from the nearest town with public transportion. Trucks can only get into the area one or two months a year. During the other months people must walk or ride horseback for several days to get out to a main highway. There are no banks or public offices in Santo Corazon, and only a few small stores. They only have electricity two hours each evening. Before Reina joined the World Concern women's solidarity group called "El Progresso" she lived in a tiny one room mud house. Through this micro-credit and savings group she has gained access to small loans starting at $150. With this loan she bought yarn and other artisan material to begin knitting clothes, purses (like those in the picture), and weaving hammocks. She already had the skills to make these things but did not have the money she needed to invest in materials. As she has progressed in the group the last couple of years she has been able to sell many hammocks to local cowboys who live and work on the surrounding ranches. With the profits she has been able to add several rooms onto her house, pay for her children's food, clothing, and educational expenses, and beginning putting some savings in her group's savings fund, the "banco comunal." She attends monthly meetings where she learns small business management skills and where she is taking a course called "Biblical Values in the Marketplace." The local World Concern field worker, Iracema, makes sure that all of the members of her solidarity groups hear the Gospel message. With a good history of loan repayment, Reina now has access to loans of up to $400 per 6 month cycle. After several years of working and saving, women like Reina, will have saved enough money of their own so that they will not need to depend on credit from an organization like World Concern. It is exciting to see how quickly women like Reina can improve their families well-being with a lots of hard work, and a little help to get going. But the most important change Reina can make is from the inside. Once she accepts God's grace in her life, everything else will be brought into perspective.
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