Yesterday, my ST offered a Day of Jubilee for the workers at La Casa. We offered manicures, foot massages, face masks, makeovers, and back rubs for them. One of our friends from the streets is 17. She prostitutes and lives at a brothel with her younger sister, and also knows how to give manicures. We were able to pay her for her work at the center and also hang out with her for the afternoon before she had to go to work on the streets. The staff is a compilation of paid workers and volunteers - most are Bolivian women. It was a joy to treat them to something special after a long day of work to serve lunch for the women who came off the streets for the afternoon. Some felt embarassed when we told them we wanted to touch their feet. All were good sports about spreading a green homemade avacado-honey-egg yolk mask on their face, complete with cucumber slices for their eyes. Their faces lit up as they talked about their smooth, soft skin. They moved from one station to the next. One women fell asleep while she was waiting for her face mask to dry. I`m glad they got to relax... I don´t think Bolivian women relax often enough, or even know how to relax. I often see them carrying huge propane tanks on their backs, pushing heavy carts with goods to sell in the market...babies on their backs and babies on their laps. Yesterday I even saw a woman carrying a sheep on her back. These women are strong, responsible, and under-appreciated.
The Day of Jubilee was inspired out of Irresistible Revolution in which Shane Claiborne writes about offering equality to people... even just for an afternoon. Hopefully I´ll be able to find out the shoesize of the two little boys who approached me in the Internet Cafe - their faces are imprinted on my mind. We want to buy them new shoes so their toes aren´t poking out of the seams, and their heels are protected from the nasty streets.
It´s what Jesus did. He threw parties for tax collectors, feasted with sinners, crossed cultural barriers to befriend people different than he.
More ideas to come, to be inspired by people I meet.
1 comment:
so i'm pretty sure i shouldn't read your blogs when i am at work. this one just made me cry, knowing that jubilee is still a possibility and can be practiced in everyday ways. blessings on you, friend!
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