“I have one desire now- to live a life of reckless abandon for the Lord, putting all my energy and strength into it.”
-Elisabeth Elliot-
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
-James 1:27-
I wanted to share with you something that is happening in my life right now; God is moving me not only out of my comfort zone but also out of my country for a year!
Over the past several months, I have been in the process of applying to become a temporary missionary with Lifesong for Orphans and I have now been officially accepted on staff with Lifesong.
Lifesong for Orphans is a ministry that is based here in central Illinois and seeks to love and come alongside adoptive and foster families here in the states and care for orphans around the world.
I will be serving at Fundación Esperanza’s baby house in Cochabamba , Bolivia Bolivia that seeks to show God’s love to the fatherless around them in Cochabamba . Cochabamba alone contains roughly 5,000 children who live on the streets knowing neither love nor safety. Fundación Esperanza gives them a place to live in a safe environment. They are loved and cared for from the time they arrive until even after they age out of the orphanage. The children in the baby house range in age from infants to six-year-olds. I will be helping with cooking, cleaning, homework, playing with the kids and helping in any way that I am needed.
This is where I believe God has called me for the next year in my life. He has equipped me with the love and ability to care for children, and though my plans six months ago were not to go to Bolivia , I feel that He has clearly directed me to Lifesong’s orphanage in Cochabamba . God’s heart is for the fatherless, and I look forward to serving Him as I join the team that is currently serving the least of these in Bolivia .
I covet your prayers as I jump into a world of language conundrums, paperwork, and raising support. I would also like to ask you to prayerfully consider supporting me with either a monthly or a one-time gift as I join the work that God is doing through Fundación Esperanza. I need to raise a total of $23,000 for my plane tickets, living expenses, in-country transportation, visa, vaccinations, etc. I will be able to leave the country once I have raised 90% of that. God’s plans are not mine, but my idea is to be able to leave in January of 2018. If you want to know more, shoot me an email or text message, I would love to schedule a phone call or meet for coffee and share more with you about where I am going and what I will be doing.
In Christ,
Susannah Baffa