Honoring Andrea

Epoch 2011 is a one-night mission gala like none other which will gather individuals from around the world to honor and celebrate the past, present, and future of missions. I nominated my dear friend, Andrea Baker, for the category of Outstanding Work in the Lives of Individuals. Out of several hundred nominations, she was chosen as 1 of the top 3 in this category! She'll be flying home from Bolivia in October to attend the Gala. We'd love for you to join us for this super special occasion!

In honor of Andrea's commitment to Jesus...to being His hands and feet among some of the world's most forgotten... Here's the nomination I wrote. Love you, Andrea!

What makes this person worthy of recognition?

Ten years ago, a young 26-year-old and her husband made the decision to leave their ministry among youth in Kentucky- partly looking for another adventure, but mostly seeking to follow God to the streets of El Alto, Bolivia. At the time, there were very few groups~ even internationally~ that were even talking about or working on human trafficking issues/sexually exploited individuals. Andrea and Andy were the first Word Made Flesh missionaries to pioneer a work among those affected by prostitution in a massive city with no other known ex-pat workers.

Now, ten years later, Andrea and the entire Word Made Flesh Community of 17 people (11 Bolivians, 6 North Americans) have grown to experience God's beauty amidst the often unfathomable challenges that are a part of life in the Altiplano. She has exemplified tenacity for the sake of the call of Christ on her life. And that tenacity and deep love for others has yielded beautiful fruit.

Why is this person remarkable?

Andrea and her husband's deep commitment to live incarnationally among the Bolivian people has been foundational in their ability to connect with those living in the massive urban slums of El Alto. In 2001, they moved into the neighborhood, a city of around 900,000+ people. I remember hearing stories of life at 13,300 feet with no heat, and of meal prep with no refrigeration except the cold air itself. But I remember even more poignantly their decision to give birth to their first son there. Because of the altitude, he was born by emergency c-section, and was low birth-weight. He was repeatedly sick with giardia, e-coli, and many other stomach issues. Once, the family took a trip to the jungle when he was 2 1/2 and upon their return to El Alto, he ended up in the hospital from HAPE-high altitude pulmonary edema, a fatal illness where the lungs fill up with water from the rapid increase in pressure/altitude. Later, they chose to birth their second son there. And then the 3rd and 4th-- twin boys. I recall their wrestling to decide where to birth the boys as they strove to most intimately identify with those living in such challenging conditions. Ultimately, though, Andrea's decision to birth the children there was~ from my point of view~ the most monumental act of solidarity with her Bolivian friends. It was a choice to forgo both personal comfort and the security of the familiar in the US in order to unwaveringly live out the Gospel amidst the Bolivian people. With each selfless birth decision, the Kingdom of God broke through more and more among those with whom they were working.

Andrea would say that the 7.5 years of living in El Alto was much more about her own personal growth than it was about how those decisions impacted their friends. However, when we enter into the lives and the way of life of others in such a profound way, we are exponentially more able to enter into a deep and genuine friendship of reciprocity. And in those relationships, the Kingdom of God is made known.

Robert Frost once wrote, "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference." Andrea is remarkable because, in a world where the norm is to look out for one's self, to meet one's own needs, and to avoid personal discomfort, she has chosen to take the road less traveled. And because of her willingness to die to herself and to live for Christ in such tangible ways, she has built beautiful bridges with the Bolivian people. Lives are being changed. The Kingdom of God is breaking through the darkness in El Alto.

How is this person exemplifying creativity and innovation in missional work?

Andrea and the WMF community arrived as students of a culture and of multiple sub-cultures that comprise El Alto. When Andrea and her husband arrived 10 years ago, they entered life and ministry in Bolivia from the position of learner. They arrived with no preconceived ideas of what should be done, or where, or how. They researched and prayed, watched and learned. And from there, they built a ministry.

Andrea, a doctor's daughter, knew nothing of life in the slums or of ministry among women in prostitution. So, they had to learn from the people~ from the girls themselves. Through various attempts to support women in their desire to leave the streets, the community learned that money would not solve the problem, nor would a quick faith conversion. They learned that a woman needs a supportive community around her in order to learn new life skills and rhythms and to address the deep issues that led her to her reality. They learned that women need both space and economic security in order to allow the deep wounds to heal, and ultimately- to hear the voice of God. They listened to the girls' stories and then built a ministry out of what they learned.

After years of building relationships, Andrea and her team opened the House of Hope drop-in center. The center offers a place of refuge, a space where a new identity begins to form as the WMF team is able to share a precious gift of presence to the women. It is not just a lunch but rather a place where pregnant conversations offer mutual friendship. A mix of people from vastly different cultures and multiple countries laugh and learn together.

Suti Sana~ the micro business within the House of Hope drop-in center~ is both an economic option and a therapeutic program. (A combination of Aymara & Spanish, the prominent local languages, Suti Sana means 'healed name'. It is based on Isaiah 62 and inspired by Andrea’s co-worker and friend, Eliana. Upon her conversion, she chose a new name meaning, “My God has answered me.” Eliana embodies the hope desired for many others: holistic transformation, healed names and identities.) There are other organizations tackling the economic issues, but few are addressing both the internal and external factors in leading a woman to holistic transformation like Suti Sana. Here, the next steps that offer freedom from captivity can begin as women receive counseling, prayer, and begin a new vocation in a handbag sewing business. Now, women like Eliana who have successfully left a life of trafficking serve in the center, modeling the freedom found in Christ and the journey toward restoration.

What is one incredible story that has happened as a result of your nominee’s work?

Several years ago, Andrea and the team met Hans, a transvestite and severe alcoholic who was prostituting. The community suspected he was demon-possessed. They began walking closely with him through many ups and downs that were a part of his journey. Eventually, he became a confessing follower of Jesus! However, the battle was far from easy. I remember a letter we received with a plea for intercessors. Yes, Hans had made the decision to follow Christ, but there was an intense spiritual battle for his life. Satan didn't want to let him go. Every time the WMF team was planning to meet with Hans, there would be some interruption, some team disunity, some challenge.

The day that Andrea’s 2^nd son Luke was born, Hans entered a center for alcohol rehabilitation. On the morning of Hans’ first job interview, baby Luke screamed suddenly and then turned blue. His body went stiff, his eyes rolled back into his head and he stopped breathing. Andy began CPR and eventually Luke began to breathe again. But even after he regained consciousness, Luke stayed stiff and non-respondent for a few minutes. Eventually, after repeated incidents like this, they flew to Boston because they needed to get some answers and to get their son stabilized. Luke’s illness was all so tied to the great spiritual battle that was being fought for Hans' life.

One might conclude that at this point, Andrea and her family would have been completely justified by making the decision to stay in the US. However, Andrea’s love for the Bolivian people and her passion to live the Kingdom among them fueled their decision to persevere. This decision was pivotal for Andrea as, in spite of the incredible challenges she had already endured, she and Andy made the decision to return to El Alto*. It was a decision that deeply marked their Bolivian friends, for they knew the full extent to which Andrea and her family both loved them and were committed to their transformation.

Luke is now a seizure-free 5-yr old.

And Hans, though sadly he passed away recently, is now in the loving arms of Jesus.

*Two years later, after 7.5 years of living up in the Altiplano of El Alto, Andrea and Andy decided to move to a couple thousand feet lower elevation before the birth of their twin boys. The twins were born at 38 weeks, healthy and strong. Today, the ministry of Andrea and the entire WMF community is thriving.