Casa Mis Sueños

The movement started with a dream.  And now that dream is developing into a house of dreams.

Two years ago, Mela and Sabri heard a cry.  It came from the girls in the prison who were starving for love and purpose.  It came from the street corners where the prostitutes stood enveloped in the shadows and lost in a darkness of their souls.  It came from the girls who had been kidnapped or sold from their families, brutally forced into a life inside the brothels, and know nothing but pain and brokenness.  Their silent cries begged for someone to stop and listen, to do something, anything, to offer hope, to fight for them.  And that cry reached the hearts of Mela and Sabri.  Casa Mis Sueños was born.  It was birthed with a desire to be a voice for the voiceless, to fight for a way out for these girls, and to stand in the gap against the incredible injustices that these girls face every day.

House of My Dreams - Created For Freedom

Ecuador is a huge hub for human trafficking within South America.  Thousands of underage girls are trafficked in and out of Ecuador for the single purpose of being sold for sex 10-15 times a day.  And within the entire nation, there are only two homes devoted to the restoration of the girls that are rescued out of this nightmare.  And what is worse, most of society is either ignorant of this inhumane crime or has simply turned a blind eye to what is going on right beneath the surface.  Speaking about sex is taboo in this country, so of course, anything related to prostitution or child sex trafficking gets pushed under the rug.  Even people within the government have no idea what is going on.  Recently, one of the two foundations that works with rescued girls met with some very high officials in the government.  When these politicians heard about the work, they displayed their complete ignorance by asking, "Is there really trafficking in Ecuador?"  How can the ones who are responsible for the peace and prosperity of a nation be completely unaware of the darkest, most evil crime that is taking place on their  very soil?

Casa Mis Sueños is simply a response to the incredible need in this country.  What is the answer to injustice in the world?  We are.  

The moment I sat down with Mela and Sabri and heard their vision of starting up a safe home for girls who have been rescued out of forced prostitution, I knew I had signed up for the right internship.  The vision - "Casa Mis Sueños is a ministry devoted to restoring value and identity to young single mothers at high risk, who come from human trafficking, prostitution and youth prisons, in order for them to live as daughters of God and to inherit the Kingdom."  In a nutshell, the vision is to open up a safe house that could be not just a rehab center, but a home for these girls.  Casa Mis Sueños literally means House of My Dreams.  This home would be an environment that would allow these girls to heal physically, emotionally, psychologically and spiritually, and also be a green house for them to have dream for their future.

One year ago, Jesus signed this dream with His seal of "Yes and Amen."  Mela and Sabri were given a house where this dream could come true.  Located outside of the city, this facility is perfect for Casa Mis Sueños to be born.  Within one moment this dream became so much more than a dream, it became reality.  Since then, this beautiful story has continued to unfold with doors opening up everywhere, connections being made with people of influence and resources, miraculous donations coming in, etc...  God's favor is all over this ministry!

The home where dreams will come true for
countless girls.

Someone once told me, a dream is not a dream unless it is absolutely impossible if God does not come through.  Will we limit our dreams to what we can accomplish in our own ability?  Will our dreams reflect a small God or a big God?  How big do we believe God is?  How good do we believe God is?  How powerful do we believe God is?  Well where we are at this moment is in the very middle of a lake of impossibilities, 5 feet in over our head.  There is no way any of this can happen unless God miraculously shows up... as He has over and over and over again.

In order for our home to open up, we have a laundry list of things that need to be accomplished.  First of all, we are $300,000 dollars away from reconstructing our facilities.  We already have all the blueprints for what will be an absolutely beautiful home for these girls and their babies.  We have the architect and the man power.  We even have people who are donating material.  It's just a matter of putting all the pieces together, along with the missing finances, and this house will be reality.  Then we are praying for the right house parents to come to our back door.  These would be people who are willing to give their lives to create a family environment for these girls, to pour into their lives, and to oversee the restoration process so that they can eventually leave the home and enter society as capable and successful young women.  We also need everything it takes to make a house a home - furniture, appliances, kitchen utensils, lighting, etc...  So from where we stand, there would appear to be giants standing in the way.  But we believe our God is bigger!

So that's the home of Casa Mis Sueños.  But while we are waiting for all the pieces to line up, there is no way that we could wait to find the girls!  For the past 2 months, we have been working at one of the two rehab centers here in Ecuador.  We go once a week to simply love on these girls, help awaken their dreams and desires, bombard them over and over again with words about their value and identity, and be a friend to them.  I guess you could say that we are being Jesus to the least of these.  The facility they are at is by no means Christian, but we have been given liberty to share whatever we want with the girls.  It has been phenomenal watching the transformation that has taken place!  They are so hungry for love.  Each time we come, we are met with laughter, hugs and kisses.  Every time we leave, we are begged to stay and held onto with even bigger hugs.  These girls are opening up their hearts to us, sharing their dreams, asking for prayer, etc...

In the red light district

On top of that, my room mate Carly is starting to go down to the red light district on a weekly basis.  She wants to build relationships with the prostitutes, the ones shunned by society.  Her heart is to be able to buy girls out for the night in order to take them out to dinner and just show them their value and worth.  By Valentine's day, she wants to have a formal dinner for the girls that she has built relationship with, where they will be able to come, be catered to with the finest food, be given roses, etc...  All to demonstrate the extravagant love God has for them.

It is such an honor and privilege to be part of this incredible dream that is unfolding before our very eyes.  My heart is fully in this.  I want to see Casa Mis Sueños up and running while I'm here.  So please partner with me in prayer.  Those girls are out there and they are waiting for us to do something about it!

Check out our facebook page - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Casa-Mis-Sueños-Created-For-Freedom/250430848412112

If you want to hear more or get involved, shoot me an email - le.stailey333@gmail.com

Also, check back within a couple of days when I will be blogging about the exciting things that have happened this past week as the dream continues.

A Tiny Piece of Heart

This morning I stood against the side of the "Trolley bus", bracing myself so as not to fall with the jolting and jostling of the city streets.  I grasped my backpack with both hands, fully aware of both my whiteness and my aloneness, but also feeling strangely at home in this completely foreign world.  I became engrossed in the scene that passed by me - each street corner occupied by fruit vendors who called out to anyone in their close vicinity, groups of children running to catch the bus, cement wall after cement wall marked by the unspoken and broken reality of a hurting people, their paint screaming a message of hopelessness... All the while I contemplated my entire immersion experience here in the South.  I found myself at a loss in trying to explain how this dirty, broken, impoverished world had completely captured my heart.  Although the South is still Quito, it really is a different world - the economy, the people, the way of living, the spiritual atmosphere...  But it has been here amidst all of that, that I have felt so fully alive, the most alive I have felt since living here in Ecuador. 

This morning I walked in through front door of the church, Genesis 7, and greeted Laura as always with a "Buenos días Laurita! Como le fue?" She looked up from scrubbing one of her massive pots, sleeves rolled up, hair in the way, but a lovely smile on her face. "Buenos días Ely!" I gave her a kiss on the cheek and moved over to the counter where I set down my things.  I then handed her the bag of arroz (rice) that had been donated from my church in the North. "Muchas gracias Ely!" 

As soon as she had wiped her hands off, we left the church to visit the neighborhood tienda (store) in order to buy some meat and vegetables for today's meal.  I have been using donations from the church to help buy food each day for the kids. For a meal that feeds 100 children I have spent between 15$ and 30$ per day. Although that seems so little in feeding 100 kids, many times the church cannot afford even this and end up feeding the kids with whatever they have on hand at the time, which could be only rice or noodles. Only recently have we been able to inform our church about their situation and a few have started helping with donations.  But there is still so much opportunity to help in so many different ways!

As soon as Laura had sifted through the vegetables, looking for what seemed fresh to her, and we had paid the owner, we headed back to the church.  While we were gone, the two widows that help every day with the cooking had arrived.  Both elderly and living in impoverished situations of their own, they come to help in the morning and eat the meal afterwards.  Both bring so much joy and laughter to the center!  Today we all sat around a table peeling vegetables, all happily chatting about family, food, stories, every day life, etc... Every once and a while, I would chime into the conversation, but for the most part I remained quietly listening to the rapid, tennis-like interaction, picking up my interpretation of what was being said. 

So the question we have all been waiting for - Am I fluent at Spanish?  Claro que si!  Well not quite...  Within a group context, I still feel as lost as before.  But I am continually amazed at how I have been able to have one-on-one conversations with individuals on about pretty much every topic you can think of - everything from my life back in the states, to why God allows bad things to happen - all in Spanish!  More than anything, I feel like I have positioned myself in such a way that I am pursuing this growing passion in my heart.  This is something that I am realizing I will have to fight for, but it's so worth it!

Back to my story... The kids started showing up at 12:30, while the soup was still boiling on the stove and the smell of spices and meat floated out of the kitchen.  "Hola Ely!"  A handful of kids ran into my arms, giggling as they gave me huge hugs with their little arms and kisses on the cheek.  I greeted each of them as they came in, asking them how their day was, poking the more mischievous ones, making faces with the little ones and complimenting the older girls on their hair or outfits.

Once they had all arrived and had packed their little bodies into the small room, Laura had me lead the kids in their favorite song, accompanied with lots of crazy hand motions.  Then I lead them in a simple prayer with my limited Spanish, them repeating after me.  Afterwards, they all lined up to receive their meal for the day, the older ones helping the younger ones.  I stood behind the counter and handed them a little yellow cup of juice and and a big bowl of rice, vegetables and meat. After quickly clearing their plates, they systematically lined up to wash their plates. I have enjoyed using this time to play with some of the younger ones or chat with some of the older ones in between cleaning up. 

Today as I talked with one of the girls who is 13, just about life and school, I noticed a pretty necklace that she was wearing.  It was a two piece heart.  I had just commented on how pretty it was, when she took off her necklace and handed me the second half of the heart that made up this friendship charm.  I honestly did not know what to say.  In my hands I held a little tiny piece of a heart, inscribed with words of friendship, and I knew that this girl had just done something so much bigger than just offer me a trinket.  This gift of hers pretty much sums up what all of the children have done - they have left pieces of their hearts with me and I find myself with hundreds of pieces of hearts now piled up inside of mine. I am overwhelmed with a love for these kids who have so little.  They truly are hungry for so much more than the food we feed them every day.  They are hungry for love.  Many of them live in broken families.  Some are forced to work every day to help their families make 6$ for the day.  There is one family of 5 kids whose mother is a known prostitution in the community. There have been girls who have been taken from the community and never seen again.  Most of them are fortunate enough to go to school in the mornings, but in reality, they don't have hope for a future.  Their lives will probably end up like their parents lives.  How can my heart not belong to these children?  How can I not answer the cry that is screaming out to me?  They need someone to commit their heart to fully love them.  I know I can only do so much, but I have left my "immersion trip" with such a strong desire to do as much as I can do.  I am not sure what this will look like, but I am willing to fight for it whatever it may be!                                            
                                       

A Dream Within a Dream

Before I head off to church this morning, I need to make sure I don't forget my toothbrush, my water bottle, or my money for the week.  Why, you might wonder.  I am about to take a trip within this trip.  Something like a dream within a dream.  Except this is reality.  I will not let my dreams be dreams.  There must come a time when desire, vision, urgency, and honestly whatever it takes to push me over the fence of a good idea into the world of seizing every opportunity.

These past few months I have been growing so much - adjusting to an entirely new culture, stepping into leadership positions, growing in communication and relationships, etc...  But I have continued to have this gnawing dissatisfaction with my ability to communicate within the Spanish language.  I know that I am Leaps and Bounds ahead of where I was just 2 months ago, but in my heart, I know I am not on the track that I want to be on.  This is mostly due to the fact that my current living situation is with other English speakers.  It's just so easy to revert to the language that where everyone can understand each other.  We have all been putting forth our best effort on a daily basis: reading books in Spanish, watching Spanish TV/Movies, Spanish lessons, listening to Spanish music, etc...  But all of this can only take you so far.

A week ago I sat down with the Lord and had a long discussion.  As I sat in my room with heavy tears spilling down my face, I had to ask, "God, why am I so emotional about this?!"  He began to remind me one of my biggest dream in signing up for this internship - I really, REALLY want to learn this beautiful language.  It's been my dream since being a little girl.  And it has not been my main focus in being here.  He began to speak to my heart that this is not just a little dream that has to be pushed to the side to make way for ministry.  Ministry is life.  My life is ministry.  Ministry should not push any other dreams out of the picture.  Therefore, God is giving me full grace to pursue this dream that burns within my heart.

Sooooo... it began with a simple thought as I rode in the bus a week ago.  "What if I left?  What if I completely removed myself from all English and lived a Spanish life for a couple weeks?  That's probably not long enough, but maybe, just maybe it would be the push I need to get on the right track of realizing this dream of mine."  With everything built up inside of me, I was just crazy enough to make this more than just a thought, to see if this could really happen.  So I talked with my amazing mentor, and within a couple days she texted me, "I found your family.  They're ready for you on Sunday!"  Really?!  Oh, OK, here we go then!

So for the next 10 days I will be living with a family in the South part of Quito - very far removed from my current home and ALL English, as they do not speak my language.  During the day, I will be working at a BEAUTIFUL feeding center, called Genesis 7.  This ministry has been running for 15 years.  I mentioned the pastors of this center in an earlier post (The God we serve) - Fausto and his wife.  They have been feeding over 100 children everyday for these 15 years, many of whom this meal is their only meal for the day, and who live on the streets or in very poor conditions.  The beauty of God's favor and grace on this ministry is overwhelming.  I am so excited to be able to help out with the beautiful ladies that cook for the kids, to learn from their example of servanthood, and to spend time with all 100 of the beautiful, smiling, Ecuadorian faces that have already captured my heart.  Did I mention how beautiful this is to me?

It's crazy how much excitement and peace I feel in this moment.  I know I am about to take a pretty big risk - for me anyway.  But I feel the Lord all over this decision and I KNOW that His grace will cover me in this time.  Please pray for the supernatural ability to retain the language, to speak it with confidence, and to enjoy the process along the way!

La Familia

During the 2 years that I was in ministry school, I was constantly hearing the message on "Family."  "Have mothers and fathers in your life who can speak wisdom and counsel into you and challenge you to be the best you you can be."  "Have community around you who are pouring into you, strengthening you, calling you out, and running with you."  "Don't try to do life or ministry on your own, you will burn out!"  And my spirit has always resonated with this message.  The Lord has graciously lead me through process after process of learning how to truly live within family - how to go from independency to inter-dependency, how to become vulnerable and weak with others, to believe in myself as worthy of being poured into and believed in, etc...

But family is not something that can be achieved or a place to which you can arrive.  Family is not just a happy concept.  You can learn all about family, gain all the tools, and fully believe in family.  But if that is all there is to it, you will constantly need the perfect environment for your family to survive.  If it is anything but an ideal situation, it will shrivel up and die.  Family is so much more.  Family is a value that must first be established in your heart and then it is a culture that you must cultivate and fight for wherever your current situation in life may be.

I have been doing a lot of thinking lately on this whole issue of family.  It has been something that has been stirring in my heart since being here in Ecuador.  I honestly didn't anticipate it to be one of my focuses this year, or something that the Lord would be teaching me about.  I anticipated to be growing in things like how to do ministry, or how to fully love "the one" in front of me.  These things I have most definitely been growing in as well, but the Lord has been showing me that doing ministry and loving on people HAS to be done within the context of family.

I have been working with one of the most incredible families I have ever met.  The Toledos came to Ecuador from Guatemala as missionaries - to start a church and whatever else the Lord might call them to do.  For over 20 years they have sown into a country that is not their own as if it was their own.  They raised their kids here, established their lives here, built life-long relationships here, ministered here and given everything to love the people here.  Now that their kids are all grown, they are all able to share in this beautiful family unit of life and ministry.  Ministry is a way of life, it is not a separate entity.  And it is always done within the context of their family.

Luis & Maria Tersa Toledo
And their 2 grandkids - Paz & Elias

Sabri & Mela

Simply stated, the Toledos do life really well, both ministry and family.  And I am beginning to realize that when those two entities are married together, there is an overflow and an abundance of life.  The more time I spend with this family, the more my heart is stirred to cultivate this marriage in my own life.  I don't want to merely participate in a family or slide into the place that is open for me.  I want it to be something that I carry in my heart and something I create wherever I go.  Where I am right now, there is no easy way to slide into a family or community.  I don't speak the language.  I am far removed from everything that is comfortable and familiar.  It is not the ideal setting for building relationships.  But family is worth fighting for.  It is worth paying the price.  And I am realizing that ministry flows freely from that place of family.

This past weekend my cousin Rachel came to Ecuador to visit me!  It was a whirlwind of a trip, as she was here for only 3 full days, but the time that she spent with me was pure ministry to my heart.  I had so much fun doing the "tourist" thing with Ray.  We blew way too much money at the market, toured the city at night, fell in love with hot chocolate and cheese, rode horses in the mountains, and hung out with the girls at the prison.  But simply having genuine quality time with someone I dearly love, left me with greater desire in my heart.  Having a piece of my family here definitely made me miss home, but more than that, it gave me an urgency to fight for family right where I'm at.

Hacienda Pachamama

Rachel & Me en el Mercado

I know that the Lord has called me to Ecuador not only to pour myself out in ministry while I'm here, but He also wants to equip me for the life ahead of me.  I know that I am going to be doing ministry the rest of my life - it's just who I am.  So while I'm here, it is my heart to experience family and ministry done simultaneously in a healthy way.