Ministry Update - July, 2025
Dear partners and friends:
We hope you are well and that this message finds you doing well. We are pleased to share the significant progress we are experiencing in our life-transformation work here in Cochabamba. Currently, all the young people in our transition house are working, and most are also studying at educational institutions. This balance between work and education represents exactly what we seek: young people who don't just survive the transition to adult life, but build solid foundations for a productive future.
We are about to complete the courses in our Academy of Transformation, a comprehensive program that includes 22 specialized modules that I facilitate. These courses cover everything from discovering spiritual gifts and personal strengths, to practical skills like resume writing, mastering job interviews, financial education, and using artificial intelligence as a personal tool. Each module is designed to equip our young people with essential competencies for independent living and professional success. Each young person will present a final project demonstrating the progress achieved at personal, social, and spiritual levels. These presentations will be powerful testimony to the real impact your support is generating in these lives, showing how they have integrated concepts like critical thinking, problem-solving, time management, and resilience development.
At the same time, I'm also training missionaries from the Word of Life organization, sharing our Academy of Transformation principles with them but adapting the approach toward a more psychological approach for their educational work. This partnership helps us improve our own methods while allowing our model to reach other communities.
We know you value getting to know the people behind the statistics and reports. For this reason, we want to introduce you to José Moisés Ayala, one of the young people currently living in our transition house. His story perfectly illustrates how our comprehensive model of accompaniment and training works. In upcoming communications, we will share the profiles of all the young people who are part of our program, so you can personally meet those you are impacting with your generosity.
José Moisés Ayala:
A Story of Authentic Growth
José arrived at our transition house last November. He was 19 years old, had just aged out of the institutional care system, and barely spoke. He was one of those young people who go unnoticed, who respond in monosyllables and avoid drawing attention. His story was similar to many others: early abandonment, years in institutions, and now the uncertainty of facing adult life without basic tools to navigate it.
The first few months were about adaptation. José observed a lot, participated little, but complied with everything asked of him. He lived with two other young men who had arrived with him from the same care facility, had his household responsibilities, and gradually began integrating into the routine. He wasn't the most sociable, but he didn't cause problems either. He was simply there, trying to understand how this new world worked.
Everything changed when he began attending our Transformation Academy sessions. At first he remained quiet, but gradually started participating. His comments were intelligent, his questions profound. As the facilitator of these 22 modules, I began noticing that José had an exceptional analytical mind, capable of connecting complex ideas and finding creative solutions. He wasn't just intelligent; he was thoughtful, careful in his responses, and had that special ability to truly listen to others.
The modules on critical thinking and problem-solving particularly resonated with him. When we covered financial education, José asked detailed questions about budgeting and savings strategies. During our sessions on using artificial intelligence as a personal tool, he quickly grasped how technology could support his goals. Most importantly, through the resilience development modules, he began understanding that his fears and insecurities were normal parts of growth, not barriers to overcome.
Getting a job was an important step. José found part-time employment at a plastic recycling facility. It's not the most glamorous work, and his salary isn't enough to cover all his expenses, but for him it represented something fundamental: a step toward economic independence and the possibility of contributing to his own costs. His supervisors describe him as responsible and punctual. He arrives early, does his work without complaints, and has proven to be reliable.
At home, José has assumed a role of quiet leadership. It's not that he talks much or tries to direct others, but his example is powerful. He fulfills his tasks, has helped his two housemates adapt better to the program, and has become someone others seek when they need advice. He has that natural ability to listen without judging and offer useful perspectives. What excites us most is seeing how José has begun planning his future. Since childhood he had shown interest in technology, but had never had the opportunity to explore it seriously. Now he has decided to enroll in a programming course. It's not an impulsive decision; he has thought it through, researched, evaluated his options. He's also considering studying English, an area where he has shown natural aptitude.
José still struggles with insecurity. Sometimes he doubts himself, worries about not being enough, fears making mistakes. But through our Academy of Transformation, he's learning that these fears are normal and don't have to paralyze him. He has discovered that he can move forward even when he doesn't feel completely confident, and that's an invaluable lesson. In these eight months, José has gone from being a lost, silent young man to becoming someone with clear plans, developing skills and, most importantly, self-confidence. His transformation hasn't been dramatic or sudden, but it has been real and profound. He has found his rhythm, his purpose, and is building the foundation for an independent and productive life.
For his final project presentation, José will demonstrate how he has integrated the personal, social, and spiritual growth achieved through our program. His story represents exactly what Pneuma seeks to achieve: young people who don't just survive the transition to adult life, but use it to grow, contribute, and become examples for others. José's story continues, and we keep accompanying him as he discovers everything he can become.