Burning Furnace of Charity

Sorry about all the lack of updates lately. This year has been quite full with visitors, teams, construction, and, of course, Boys Town. The end of the summer marked my 4-year anniversary here on the border. As I reflected on the journey, I found myself grateful for ever-deepening relationships with my friends inside the walls of Boys Town, as well as with my neighbors-to-be in Aquiles Serdan (my new neighborhood). As I remembered times where I have cried with them and celebrated with them, I began to re-think the way I share stories from life here. I began to question whether or not I have the right to tell the stories of some of my friends on this blog, for anyone to read. While my heart is to share the story of Jesus in this place, I wonder if there isn't a better way to do that while protecting the friendships with which I am entrusted here. I haven't quite figured all of that out, but I have come to a place where I feel like I can begin writing again. Jesus certainly has been at work here, and some things are just too beautiful not to share. So, I'll probably not share names as much anymore (not real names, anyways), but I'll do my best to to protect and honor my friends, all while spreading the good news as much as possible. To all of you who pray for Boys Town, thank you for your continued prayers in this journey, and for the grace to sort it out as I go. There are a couple of stories that I can share with you today...

Some of you have heard me talk about Lucia over the last few years. (She is my self-proclaimed Mexican mom, and she reminds me of this on a regular basis.) In her nearly 35 years in Boys Town, Lucia has given birth to 4 children, one of whom still lives in the walls. Her arms, legs, back, and face bear the scars of her literal fight for survival. She is thin; if Olive Oil were a Mexican woman, her name would be Lucia. Lucia has left BT twice during my friendship with her. At the end of August, she left again. It was dark, and though quite inebriated, she walked herself to a rehab clinic many miles away. After eating dinner, she went to sleep in one of the beds in the women's dormitory. The next morning, she awoke to find she had no feeling in her legs and was unable to walk. For six mornings, this was the same. One of the workers told her a doctor could give her some pills that might help her. Lucia's response was simply, "I don't want pills; I want prayer." On the sixth day, some people carried her to the daily prayer meeting, then carried her back to her bed. On the seventh morning, Lucia woke up to find she had full use of her legs - Jesus had healed her! One of the reasons that I can share this story here is because Lucia has already shared it on the local radio station! She quite calmly, and without unnecessary drama, shares the story of what Jesus has done and is doing for her. So sweet and beautiful. This is the longest that Lucia has been out of BT, and I recently learned she is moving in with her daughter and her family in the city. She visits her other daughter and best friend in BT on a daily basis, always with her Bible in tow.

I also recently saw two friends of mine that I have known for the last 2 years in BT. They found me because they have started their own rehab facility just two streets over from my new house! They also took themselves to the same rehab clinic that Lucia had gone to. For various reasons, they felt it was time for them to move on, and that Jesus was wanting them to start their own house. So, they simply walked up to a house in Aquiles, offered to clean the house (it was literally filled with trash, inside and out) if they could live there with their friends who were coming off of drugs and alcohol. The owner of the house agreed, as long as they also pay $100 a month in rent. There are now 11 men, 1 woman, and a chicken living in this house! (They told me the chicken used to be skinny and lazy, but since rehab it has been eating and waking up before 10 am!) We have opened up the 24-7 prayer room to pray together with them once a week. We are hoping to begin a program called Celebrate Recovery in the new year, provided we can get all of the materials in Spanish. (We already have some - we just need participant materials in Spanish.) I cannot fully communicate to you the beauty of what is happening in the lives of these men and women. One of the men, when asked to share the testimony of Jesus in his life, with tears in his eyes could only say these profound words: "Cristo vive." "Jesus lives." It is truly the power of the resurrection in their lives, my life, our lives that frees us from chains we could never break on our own. These men shared stories of seeing demons, hearing voices, having demonic dreams, and also knowing the protection and liberation of Christ in those moments. Truly the Kingdom of Heaven come to earth.

Construction continues, slowly but surely. The amazing people at Isaiah 55 continue to bless me and amaze me - sending teams of volunteer, skilled workers to complete my home. My friend Emily Sengel will be moving here in November to commit her life for 2 years to Boys Town and Aquiles. Wes and Jessica continue to "man the fort" as they live and pray on my land, loving our neighbors and sharing Jesus' story with everyone. God is constructing a community there, and I am so grateful to have a front-row seat!

Thank you to all of you for your prayers and friendship!

Love,
Kelly