Happy summer to those of you in the northern hemisphere! It's winter here... which means very chilly nights, but beautiful sunny days, barring the random snow storm. We had a crazy blizzard on the 4th of July! The past few months have been very full with interns and short-term volunteers! I'm excited to finally share with you some of the many joys of this season!  

2 Interns, Come and Gone
My first intern, Kara, arrived in February. Being my first intern, I wasn't sure what to expect and she was a bit of a guinea pig for me in my new role. I was nervous about the relational energy I would need in order to care for and disciple her and I was worried that I may not have the skill set needed to facilitate a life-changing internship experience. But, as always, God had everything under control. While only 19 when she arrived, Kara was incredibly mature and I feel like she did more to care for and encourage me than I was able to do for her. What an amazing and pleasant surprise!

Kara is studying Spanish and Social Work at George Fox University. Her work with the ministry included facilitating some workshops for our women about relating better with their children, helping to establish tangible indicators of abundant life for our friends coming out of prostitution (moving from victim to survivor to thriver), providing new content for our social media outlets, and doing some translation work. Beyond the work projects that she completed, Kara did an incredible job of relating quickly and deeply with our staff and population. She also brought new energy and lots of joy to my life, her host family's life, and to the ministry. She is deeply missed! ...but we have hope that we'll be seeing her again in the future! In May my second intern, Mandee, arrived to Bolivia. The timing worked out really well because her time overlapped for a few weeks with Kara. Kara was able to help in caring for Mandee and orienting her to life in her new neighborhood. It's amazing how different Kara and Mandee were personality wise. Mandee was very shy and quiet, but also very artistic and intellectual, gifted at discussing issues of justice and relating with close friends on a deep level.

Mandee is completing her Masters degree at Multnomah University in Global Development and Justice. She came to specifically partner with our social enterprise, SutiSana. Some of her projects included writing job descriptions for all of our SutiSana staff, establishing a new Etsy store for SutiSana products, and researching potential grants to support the business and to be able to provide dignified employment and long-term accompaniment to even more of our friends coming out of the sex trade. It was cool to see Mandee's passion for justice fuel her desire to work hard for the future of SutiSana.
  Thanks for reading about my interns! I feel like a proud momma to be able to share about their accomplishments and their character and send them off in order to pursue justice in whatever setting they find themselves. While hosting interns and volunteers does require a lot of time and relational energy, it's also incredibly rewarding. And it has become my favorite part of my job! And while most of our volunteers don't return to work with us long-term, we hope and pray that their time with Word Made Flesh Bolivia has opened their eyes to the realities of our friends and teaches them to look to the Lord for strength and guidance as they pursue justice! We also pray that they become advocates and supporters of our work with the poor and marginalized in Bolivia. May God's Kingdom Come!

“Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you. Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, LORD.” Psalm 89:14-15Thank you for reading and for joining me on this journey! As always, I would love to hear from you!

Con mucho cariño,
Ali Fraze


Word Made Flesh Bolivia
Volunteer Coordinator
alison.fraze@wordmadeflesh.com
Cell in Bolivia: (+591) 789.45.987
Mailing address in Bolivia:
Casilla 25022
El Alto, Bolivia
South America

Prayer Requests

* For rest and renewed strength and passion for my work. I have less than a month until my next intern arrives in Bolivia!
* For my health and body. I am having lots of pain in my feet and knees and may need to lay off the sports. :(
* For my own spiritual life as I seek to have healthy rhythms and trust God with my personal life and future.
* Praise God for his provision for SutiSana! We are taking on some new business staff and hope to be much more profitable in the near future!
* For our friends in the ministry as they face many challenges and learn to trust God. Praise God as he moves in miraculous ways in the lives of our friends!
* For the staff of WMF Bolivia – energy, unity, and healthy rhythms.