The father is drunk, stumbling out of his mud-brick house. I see his bloodshot eyes, matted hair, clothes thick with dirt, mouth twisted in anger. I move away from him — fearful. And then he hauls off and hits his daughter square in the face. I gasp….

On the highest hill in Cochabamba stands the Cristo de la Concordia, the second-largest statue of Jesus in the world. At 112-feet tall, this steel and concrete “Christ of Peace” ….

Do you ever wonder how the other half lives? I have, but I had no idea just how hard it was until I saw it two weeks ago in Bolivia. And then I discovered here that this isn’t the way half the world lives — it’s actually how 95% of the world lives….

They said this would happen upon reentry. The shattering. Erik and Rowan picked me up at the airport. Smiles plastered wide, I embraced fully, leaned my weight into theirs and became part of the family again….

In December, I was thrilled to be with my daughter in the delivery room when my grandson was born. Those memories initiated my thoughts about the experience of pregnancy and deliveries in the United States vs. neonatal care and birthing in Bolivia…..

“With peace we can do many things,” he said. And he smiled. The smile of peace is radiant–like sunshine breaking through the clouds of despair. Here, in the midst of hopelessness, the songs of freedom are pealing….

The first 150 people who sponsor a child in Bolivia through our blogs this week will also get a special “Bolivia bloggers” edition necklace thanks to our sweet and talented friend Lisa Leonard….

To the incredible mothers and fathers of Bolivia, This journey has been an opportunity to give a voice for the voiceless. To put a spotlight on the unseen. To shed light on what life is like through the eyes of Bolivians.

I confess that until recently, the first thing that came to my mind when someone mentioned child sponsorship was Sally Struthers kneeling next to an emaciated African child….

Can I be honest? I think many of us who are engaged in the blogging world (Christian or otherwise) are suffering from a disease. Not a disease like HIV or diabetes….

I saw her as soon as I walked into the room. Her bright yellow name tag held her name, but I didn’t need to read it to know it was her. I knew that shy smile from the picture….

I recognized him from across the dusty patch of grass, his shy little face mirroring the exact expression that he has in his picture–the one that is posted on our fridge at home…..