Our support letter

Here is the letter that some of you might be getting in the mail soon. We wanted to post it here too for everyone else to see. Also, check out the donation button on the right!

Dear Friends and Family,

We hope this letter finds youwell. It’s hard to believe that we have been back from Bolivia for a whole year now! We have thoroughly enjoyed being back home with old friends and family, making new friends, and visiting both new and familiar places. We came back from Bolivia not knowing what to expect, seeking God’s will for our life and wondering whatwas next

After spending much of this year in prayer and consideration, along with the prayers of many friends, we have decided that our calling is to return back to Bolivia, this time to a new city and taking on whole new roles. It is going to be a big change in our life and so we are writing to you to update you and to ask for your prayers and support as we head into our next big adventure.

How we got here:

As you all know, last year we returned from a two-year stay in Cochabamba, Bolivia, where Drew was studying for his master’s degree and Ann was teaching second grade at a school. We became very involved in the local church and had many opportunities to serve the neighborhood around us and the school and university where we found ourselves. During our time there we became good friends with Juan and Eva, a couple who organized the CCU (Bolivian Intervarsity ministry) at the university. Drew served with them some at the university and Ann helped teach Eva English. As we got to know each other we saw how we both had similar passions for the poor and marginalized people of Bolivia. So last year as we left to return home and figure out if God really did want us to serve Him in South America, Juan, Eva, and their little boy Felipe were moving to Santa Cruz, Bolivia to begin a new ministry with Paz y Esperanza. In January of this year we spoke with them and talked about possibly coming down to work alongside them and we found out that they had been thinking along the same lines. We were excited about the possibility. Since then, we have been consistently praying and talking with them until we arrived at this point of writing to you to tell you that we are committed to going to work in Bolivia!

What is Paz y Esperanza?

Founded in South America, Paz y Esperanza (Peace and Hope) is a pioneering Christian organization that seeks justice in all levels of society. Paz y Esperanza’s work focuses on holistically caring for victims of injustice(through legal, social, psychological and pastoral services) and transforming unjust social structures to prevent further abuses. Paz y Esperanza’s social transformation work includes mobilizing churches to be justice-seekers, advocating systemic change in partnership with local stakeholders, and educating communities on peace building.

In Santa Cruz, the work we will do is currently focused on the issue of domestic violence. Paz y Esperanza is working to help support women and children who have been victims of physical and sexual violence through all the means mentioned above and working to train and support local churches to be agents of social and cultural transformation through the Gospel. As well as working on these issues, we

are also going to begin a new project in the same neighborhood focusing on the indigenous groups of the Amazon and Chaco regions that have migrated to the city by training Christian leaders in these groups, helping to defend their rights, and working to build a culture of peace between people groups in this conflict-ridden region. All of this we will do while seeking to be faithful witnesses to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In fact, we believe that caring for people’s physical needs is an integral part of the Gospel, like Matthew 5:16 says, “In the same way, let your light shine before people in such a way that they will see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Thus we are not going to Bolivia simply to help people, but we are going there to offer the true hope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to people who have been marginalized, abused, and lost all hope. Through meeting their needs and entering into their pain we will be able to share with them the love of God and show them how He can meet their deepest need.

We fully trust that God will provide for us and more than anything, we ask you for your prayers-- that God would grant us wisdom, strength, humility, and grace to serve these people for whom he has given us such a heart. We are convinced that this is what God has for us. This is a long-term commitment for us, but for it to happen, we need your help. The total cost to run the programs that we will be helping is $52,000 per year. Of that amount, about 30-35% will go to administrative costs and our own salaries. The rest will go directly to funding projects that will help to strengthen grassroots leadership in order to participate in local development processes and defense of their rights; train pastors and lay leaders in conflict resolution, holistic mission, biblical justice, sex education, peace building, domestic and sexual violence; come directly alongside and be advocates for women, children, and indigenous groups pushed to the margins of Bolivian society; as well as program planning, monitoring, and evaluation in all these processes.

Lord willing, some of this can be raised from foundations that have already supported the organization in the past, but we have committed to raising support to cover costs of at least one full year of operation. Also, since we are staying for the long haul, we are looking for some people who would be willing to partner with us over the years to come. Paz y Esperanza has opened a non-profit organization here in the USA to receive donations which they will send to our project in Bolivia. If you are able to help us financially, you can make a tax-deductable donation by writing your check to "Peace and Hope International" with "Indigenous Communities Project" in the memo line and sending it to:

Peace and Hope International
3400 Park Avenue South
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55407

People can also donate online or make a recurring, monthly gift by clicking on the button to your right. Make sure you let us know that you are supporting us!

We are very excited about this opportunity and we are looking forward to sharing our experience with you. We hope that you will share in this work with us through your prayer and financial support.

If you would like more information about our organization or work, go to www.pazyesperanza.org and
click on the “English” button on the right or check on the enclosed envelope that you want to know more. Feel free to comment here with any questions.

Thank You!

Ann and Drew Jennings-Grisham