Quinceañeros

Last Thursday Jessie and I had the privilege of attending a quinceañeros celebration here in Bogotá. In Latin culture, the quinceañeros fiesta celebrates a girl’s 15th birthday and her transition from being a girl to a young woman. Such parties are similar to weddings in their elaborate planning, the dresses, flowers, band, food, cake, etc. and are something that every girl grows up looking forward to. What made this particular quinceañeros so special is that the three girls who were honored are from the girls’ home at Tenjo. Lilliana, Ericka and Sarah were born into poverty and never in their wildest dreams believed that they would be able to have a quinceañeros, so imagine their delight at spending an evening as princesses surrounded by about 70 of their friends and family. Following months of planning, praying and networking with local businesses, CDA was able to procure evening gowns, flowers, decorations, a private ballroom, a wonderful band, party favors, a fully catered meal, and a beautiful ring for each of the three girls.















What made the evening even more special is that the parents of the three girls were there in attendance. While the girls’ home at Tenjo provides a safe positive environment for girls from terrible backgrounds to grow up in and receive an education, CDA works vigorously with their families to try and bring about spiritual, emotional and financial restoration. It was amazing to be sitting in an exclusive club in a nice part of Bogotá along with this group of parents from some of the worst neighborhoods in the city, who were crying with joy and thanking God and CDA for the opportunity to see a fairy tale come true. During the many years that these three girls have lived at Tenjo, their parents have made tremendous strides and it was a great testimony to God’s love and faithfulness to see the restoration of lives and families, and their renewed hope for the future.















the band played wonderful traditional Andean music (flutes, bass and drum not pictured)

Sitting there watching these three young women beaming from ear to ear, and their parents caught between tears and laughter, those famous words from Isaiah 9:2 that we so often hear around Christmas came alive in a new way for me: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light. On those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.”