Why are we here?

Even though we are spending the month of December writing end of the year reports, abuse and violence cases still come in.  The women who have shown up on our doorstep recently have been in some really desperate situations.  Perhaps, it is hard for the psychologists who have to put their other work on hold, but for me it is an important reminder as I am consumed with all the details of running the office.  Each time we have a woman come in, I can put a face to my reasons for organizing folders and distributing out the weekly cleaning duties.

One recent case has really grabbed my attention. A lady "Maria" comes in and reports abuse from her husband.  We do psychological reports on the lady, her husband, and their children.  Then we take her to file a report at the police office.  In the several weeks that follow, we follow up closely with the case, continuing to provide support as the family has to decide what their next step is.

Last week, we got a call from Maria, who was hiding in her bathroom because her husband had come home in a bad mood.  He had apparently beaten on her, and she in return had thrown a brick at his head.  Maria was in a desperate situation, and had no idea how to respond or what she could do. So we took a police officer to the house where we seperated the couple and talked to each alone.  By the time our team had finished talking to both parties, we found something out that had never been shared before: this couple used to go to Church together.  Things got bad in their marriage, they went to their pastor, but he turned them down saying he was too busy for marital issues.  Soon their marriage was getting worse and worse, and with no one to turn to for help, they ended up becoming violent toward eachother in front of their children.  Now, it has come to the point where they can't see any reconciliation in sight.

Seeing Maria walk into our office, along with the other women, helps me to remember why we came to Bolivia to help this office get started, and why I volunteered to organize papers full time.  There is so much need and I am thankful for this time to support my Bolivian brothers and sisters.  But, as I think about this situation, I can't simply pat myself on the back for simply being here.  There is still more to do.  It also reminds me that we all, like the pastor, have turned our backs to situations that are right before us.  Whether big or small, we always have an opportunity to speak encouragement to those around us.