Liberi America

In 2022 I moved to Ecuador with my husband and two and a half year old daughter. My husband worked remotely and I was taking a sabbatical, working on my Spanish and caring for our daughter. As we began to integrate our lives into our new home, we learned what it meant to be "tranquila," searched for community, and found an amazing church.

Living Rock, our church, became our home base, a healing space, and a place to pour out for the people of Ecuador. In this vein, we were invited to join something called a Christmas Brigada at the church. My friend, who runs the organization, tried to explain the event to me, and in my broken Spanish I understood it was a Christmas event for the kids. So, I decided to take Aidy for something fun to do. What I didn't realize was that it was a Christmas event for street kids and their families and I was invited to help and support. So, my little, now three year old and I got to work. She played with the kids and I helped support in any way I could with the few words I understood or knew how to say. It was humbling, emotional and invigorating.

Streets of Cuenca

This Brigada opened the door for an amazing partnership with Liberi America. Liberi, for short, is an anti trafficking organization that works to prevent kids and families from having to work on the streets or being sold to the plantations by addressing vulnerabilities in their community of Cuenca. They have the unique ability to address the issues through informational videos on social media and local television, providing counseling, and supporting these families through Brigadas. The Brigadas are a time when medical, dental, psychological, teaching and prayer support are all offered to families that live on the street.

Kids as young as 3 (namely boys) are often on the streets with brothers, cousins, or friends, trying to sell candies or begging for money. The mothers and daughters are often elsewhere selling other candies or handmade things. These families and their children are at high risk for being trafficked or sold to plantations as slaves.

The work of Liberi is to address some of the physical and emotional needs in order to create space for parents to work, kids to go to school and families to have a home.

As we return to Ecuador, I am looking forward to partnering with this organization again, helping them expand their work and hopefully creating more pathways for families to find freedom and wholeness.

Please pray for Liberi America and for our time supporting the staff that works with these families full time!

On our way back to Ecuador