Newsletter # 5 for WAYS OF LIFE

December 2006

Born in a stable and died on the cross, out of love for you and for me.
His name is Jesus.

Happy Birthday Jesus! You have given everything, I give you my life.


Learned and experienced und erlebt: News from us and
the kids in Colombia


Dear Family and dear Friends,

Again two months have passed and many things have happened.

* November: A month full of joy and hurting. Joy, because dear friends came visiting us from Holland. We had a great and blessed time together. Hurting, because during this visit, I already began feeling very bad with a big flu. After a while, all my resistance broke down: fever, chills, head and throat aches conquered me. So I went to see a doctor who diagnosed heavy Halsschmerzen machten sich breit. Also ging ich dann doch zum Arzt. Diagnose: Schwere sinusitis and angina. Almost three weeks I spent in bed...

* This is what our kids were telling our visitors:

Daniel: I was a thieve and my parents were continually fighting with each other, this is why I spent a lot of time in the streets. Now, I attend school regularly, I changed a lot. And I don't steal anymore.

Luís Carlos: I never believed in God before. I was living in another institution where I was not treated well. But now I am fine. And I believe in God! His sister Yuli wants to talk of her life; she says: We were a real family before living on a farm. Then they killed my mom. Yuli cannot go on speaking, heavy tears well up...

Daisy tells of the sexual abuse she experienced. Yeimi hugs Aukje a lot and wrote her a lovely note. She is an orphan, 14 years of age. Together with her mom, she lived on the street for many years. When she was 10, her mom sold her into prostitution. Today she wants to change and advance with God's help and have a different life. The kids talk about their dreams. It is good to hear the dreams of each one of them. Broken and hopeless lives have hope and dreams once again! Thanks to your help it is possible for us to give a life with a future to those kids. Thank you so much. It is worthwhile. Even, if not all of them react positively, most of them do.

Araceli turned 18 and moved in with her boyfriend despite a lot of advice. Hermes did not return. Wilfer moved to live with his family this December. With a lot of help from Liliana, he finally graduated from school.

* Dezember: Soon it will be Christmas again. Kid have desires and want to find little presents under the tree. Things that broke in the course of this years, had to be repaired again. Like for example, some doors that fell out of some old cabinets. One bathroom cabinet was soaked. The shower did not work anymore. And the TV set broke down. Two couches broke down. We could pay the 2007 school fees for some of the kids, but there are still kids without. We had the following extra costs:

Bathroom: 65.-€ Medical consultation and medication 100.-€ Cabinets and broken beds 65.-€ Broken couches 250.-€ School fees for 8 kids 250.-€. Presents per child around 20.-€ Presents per staff 35.-€ Four-day leader meeting in a hotel outside Bogotá 343.- USD, the TV set 42.-€

Who would like to help us pay those extra costs? Please fill out every donation transfer with either: Christmas present, Repair or School fee 2007, etc.

* Vivana had a harrowing experience this last week. For quite some time already, she wanted to get to know her brother who she only knew from a very old photo. He is now 30 years old. Her mother gave her the phone number. They agreed on a certain date to meet before a shopping mall. She asked me to give her my camera to take some pictures. He came with his girlfriend and they hugged. But the conversation went rather strange. But she wanted a photo all the same. So she handed the camera to this girlfriend who just ran away with it. Crying and screaming, Viviana ran after her, but she lost her. Viviana felt so bad about this that she wanted to throw herself under a car. She arrived home barefoot and weeping. Up to now she is not sure whether it was her brother or somebody else. All we know of him is that he belongs to a group of Satanists...

Who would like to help us with a new camera?

* New kids in House 1: Yuri, 9 years old. She was untended and often suffered hunger. She is getting a little help from an aunt. María Judit, 14 years old, has been abused and was brought to us by the youth office.

House 2: Carlos 11 years old. His mom lives in the slums and is suffering a very painful bone desease. She spent her childhood on the streets and Carlos is the result of a rape when she was 17.

I thank you so much for your friendship, your prayers and gifts, letters, phone calls and emails. You are indeed a very big blessing to me and us!

Be abundantly blessed and have a great Christmas time!

Angelika

Prayer requests: A lot of wisdom, health, increase of this ministry. More people to help us make this ministry known. Protection for our kids to heal as soon as possible.


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