The end of this path here in Bolivia

Last Saturday night, I attended a Christian conference put on specially for women. The conference was organized by Doris and it was held at Gustavo´s church in El Alto. These are the same amazing individuals who host a church for children (where I spoke and helped make puppets).

The conference was scheduled to start at 7pm but of course with Bolivian time that meant the women did not start showing up until 8:30pm. We started off singing worship songs. The voices of all the women together was really beautiful. Several women went to the front to read a section of scripture and-or say a prayer. Then it was time for me to say my piece.

I approached the front with Rachel, a gal who leads worshop at the church Reyes de Reyes who agreed to translate for me. I spoke a little about my family and then proceeded to tell the story of how I ended up in Bolivia and more specifically how God kept me in La Paz. As much as I wanted to make my plans and have everything go my way on this trip, God changed my plans for the better and for His glory, since the true reason I came to Bolivia was to be beautiful feet. Sometimes I get caught up in thinking this is my life, my path and I am in control of it all. When in reality, I am on the path God created for me and He is in control and honestly, I would not have it any other way. It is when I trust in God´s path for me, that I can worry less about myself and focus more on his mission.

Yes, I planned this trip to Bolivia, but there is no way I could have ever planned the experiences I have had and opportunities I have been given. I didnt even really know how to be a missionary, but after my 3rd week in La Paz, it started to become more clear. I still cant get over how in my mind my time in La Paz was going to be secondary. How one day I walked into a bookstore, spoke my little Spanish, got invited to a church at which I met a Christian missionary family who introduced me to their ministry and the 2 churches in El Alto where I ended up sharing parts of my testimony.

After my message, we sang more and some of the congregation prayed over me. Present at the conference were women from several different churches and each group went infront and did some kind of performance. Some danced and some sang, not only in Spanish but in Aymara (a native language). I went upfront and sang ¨Open the eyes of my heart Lord¨in Spanish and then in English with Rhonda, Rachel and Rhonda´s friend to represent Reyes de Reyes church.

Lots of singing and moving around all in praise to Jesus Christ. It was a wonderful event. I felt very much at peace. What a perfect way to end my time here in Bolivia.

8 weeks later and here I am on my last day. Tomorrow evening I fly from La Paz to Lima, from Lima to Miami, and from Miami to Boston.

Hospital Art Show

My last day at the hospital was one of mixed emotions. For 7 weeks I have visited the children and adults here. There were 8 specifically I was assigned to work with and over the 7 weeks much art was created. Naturally I saw it fit to have an art show, displaying a portion of what was created during our time together.

I went in at 2 to begin taping paintings and drawings to the walls of an empty room. Immediately a few children saw what I was doing and became interested. My volunteer coordinator, Iris, came with the soda and snacks and the room was instantly buzzing with excitement. We knew this would be an unorganized event, and not without some chaos, but a celebration none the less.

One of my children, Oscar, ran around the room smiling pointing to his artwork and counting each one on display. He had by far created the most art and it was so wonderful to see his expressions of true excitement and pride in his work.

I passed out certificates to the 6 artists (2 were elsewhere and sadly could not attend). It is amazing how a single piece of paper with your name on it can create such joy. It was a challenge to have them wait a moment while I shuffled through to the next certificate to read the artist´s name aloud.

Along with being a day of celebration, it was also a day to say goodbye. At one point I felt a tug on my back and I turned around to see Monica in her wheelchair with her arms wide open and a big smile on her face. I was surprised at first, I had never given her a hug. I quickly bent down and her arms embraced me firmly. Iris said that Monica looked like she was going to cry.

After the party settled down, I walked with Oscar and Iris to visit Simon. A child who is restrained to his bed and therefore was unable to attend our gathering. We brought him some snacks and his certificate. He was all smiles as always. It has been such a joy working with these two fellas. During our time together, I have witnessed them become, what I could tell, good pals. I was almost brought to tears when I saw Oscar drawing pictures for Simon to color in. (This was especially helpful because Simon has difficulty drawing but excels in coloring).

I had for each of the 8 artists a set of crayons and a coloring book. Each picture in the coloring book had a corresponding Bible verse. Although I did not speak the Gospel to them, I was able to be with them and love them for who they are (as corny as that may sound). I like to think that in this way I was Jesus´hands and feet. And maybe these simple little coloring books will speak to them. I also gave Oscar a special gift for doing the most art, a blank sketch book and a set of colored pencils. He put it safely in his cabinet along with all of his other prized posessions.

I have learned so much through this experience and through these amazing individuals. It was difficult to say goodbye but I have faith that I have left them in good spirits and ready for the next volunteer.

God the Creator

August 10 I faced my fears of heights in a big way and mountain biked down the Yugas Road which was recently renamed ¨The World´s Most Dangerous Road.¨ Of course, I had very little idea of what I was actually getting myself into when I signed up with a friend. We signed our life away on a form but were told that the guides were rope rescue trained and we were in good hands. GRAVITY Tours is the way to go- they were the first to start the bike tours and they also have additional safety protocol that the other companies do not have. Although they were a bit more expensive, I figured it was money well spent.

We left La Paz at 7:30am. An about an hour later we arrived to our starting point, La Cumbre which is at 14,500 ft. We started riding down a paved main road with cars traveling in both directions. About 2 hours later we reached the actual Most Dangerous Road. When our guide announced that now we would be riding down the actual road, I realized that the previous 2 hours were just practice. This road is no joke. Barely 1 lane, no guard rails, no safety... just you next to a cliff. We were warned to keep our eyes focused straight ahead because looking otherwise could be deadly. Apparently one man followed a butterfly off one of the cliffs ( he survived). ¨This infamous narrow dirt road is cut precariously into the side of the mountain and descends 2,000m (6,500 feet). With 1,000m+ (3,300 feet) sheer drops off to our left and hulking rock overhangs and cascading waterfalls to our right, we ride through mist, low cloud and dust¨(from http://www.gravitybolivia.com/).

Terrifying but at the same time, absolutely amazing. Just me, my mountain bike and God. My heart beat was pounding at times and yet I felt at peace riding down 41K.

We traveled down the road as a group, making pit stops every so often. I passed many crosses along the way. Finally, 4+hours and 63K later, we reached our destination, La Sende Verde Animal Revuge. We ate some lunch and hung out with the animals for a bit before heading back along the same road on our bus. This part was almost more terrifying because at times, it seems the width of the road is not enough for a bus to travel on. Also our guide decided this would be a good time to tell us about several tragedies which occured no other than on the road we were slowly and cautiously making our way up. At several points a car was traveling down which made for an almost colision. We stopped to take photos at the ¨postcard corner¨and as our guide was taking a photo of me a bus started heading down toward me. I nearly had a heart attack- either the bus would run over me or force me off the edge of the cliff. Thankfully, not to the laughter of the guide and several others, I survived. We arrived back to La Paz 7:30pm.

Isla del Sol

With feeling a bit stuck in routine and bogged down... it made sense to take some time to relax and refocus. On Saturday, Aug. 21, I headed to Lake Titicaca for the 2nd time, this time to hopefully make it to Isla del Sol.

This time, wonderful weather allowed me and a friend to arrive to the island about 3pm. after an hour 1/2 boat ride. We walked (or rather climbed) the Incan steps to our hostel that overlooked the lake. It was so beautiful and peaceful. There are several villages on the island.

The way of life is so very simple but lacking nothing. Often we passed locals climbing the steps behind a group of donkeys carrying goods. In the early morning, men carried gasoline tanks filled with water from the fountain below and women with bags of bread and fruit. At 6pm We climbed a nearby mountain to watch the sunset. Children played hopscotch nearby.

At 6am we woke up to watch the sunrise. It was completely silent except for the numerous outbursts from the donkeys. Unfortunately there wasnt time to hike to the North end of the island, we needed to catch our boat back to Copacabana and then our bus back to La Paz. I was on the island for 19hours.. although short it was enough for me to rejuvinate for these last 2 weeks in S. America.

Amistad at Last

Roughly 4 months ago I sat in a Seattle cafe on my computer and did a Google search for Christian orphanages in South America. I found Amistad and emailed the contact immediately declaring my interest in visiting. It was the only email I sent that week. I heard back from Amy, the coordinator in the US the next day. We chatted about art therapy and my walk with God. I knew I wanted to visit Amistad so from there I continued adding to my itinerary. This orphanage started this adventure- and Now I am here!

I arrived to Cochabamba on Sunday, Aug. 1st. I was picked up by Ximena, who looks after the visitors ( & translating) along with fundraising for the orphanage. We immediately drove to La Villa to see the childrens performance- a musical accompilation of what they had learned that past week with 3 amazing women volunteers. 2 of the women are teachers for Teach for America and the 3rd woman has been a music teacher for many years. The guest house feels more like a resort. I am ridiculously spolied here. The guest mom cooks for me 3 meals a day. In addition I have access to a sanctuary space, library/movie room and not to mention clean bathrooms with hot showers (yes HOT). The ladies all left Tuesday morning, so I have been solo at the guest house. However, I do have the company of the house mom and her 7 year old daughter who has become my companion.

La Villa is where roughtly 70 children ages 2-15 live. There are 8 casas that house anywhere from 8-10 children and a Mama lives in each casa with the children. There is a gymnasium, music room, playground and library. There are a couple casas located in a different area which house 16-18yr olds. Amistad looks after the children until they graduate college, and yes these children do go onto college. Right now there are 15 children in college. The children here are really taken care of.

I go to La Villa at 9am and come back to the guest house from 12:30-2:30 and then back to La Villa until 5:30ish. Ximena has been helping me recruit the teenagers for art (Incorporating my Masters Project by asking them to paint what they like and what makes them happy). I was a bit intimidated at first... I was not sure how long it would take for the teens to warm up to me, but they have all been wonderful. A couple of them have opted out of participating but generally they seem to all enjoy the process of painting with either watercolors or temperas. It has been fun for me to observe their process with deciding what to paint and then how to go about accomplishing their picture. I have also had fun chatting with them. One boy in particular was very interested in what certain words are in English. The youth have all been gracious with my limited Spanish. Overall they are just typical teenagers; shy and guarded at times and outgoing and loud at other times.

Several of the gals and I created a mural Thursday afternoon. Even with a bit of typical girl drama, we managed to create a beautiful painting of a paradise. Friday I went in the morning to play with some of the children, then it was bye for now. Everyone at the orphanage works very hard to ensure the children are well taken care of. This is a wonderful place to support and visit for mission trips. I am excited to recruit people for upcoming mission trips in the coming years.

For my last day in Cochabamba, Ximena took me to see the world´s largest Christ statue (it beats the one in Brazil by several centimeters). I took a trolley car up to top. The view of Cochabamba from the top of the mountain was also really beautiful. It was a great ending to a wonderful trip.

What Lovely Feet!

Wow.. where to begin.. so I came to La Paz figuring it would be just a pre cursor to my real work in the orphanages in Cochabamba and Peru. BUT God had different plans for my time in La Paz and now I see things so differently. First, I meet Ron, Ronda, and Sam (6 beautiful feet), I decide to stay in Bolivia and everything is coming together... or rather, I am understanding that the plan God had for me was so much greater than I had ever expected.

A little about Ron, Ronda and Sam. They moved to La Paz last September from Tennessee because they felt God was calling them to mission work in Bolivia. Here is the website for their ministry- http://www.lovelyfeet.org/
How awesome is it that the name of their ministry is lovely feet? We all had big smiles on our faces after coming to the realization we were drawn to the same Bible passage.
Here is a link to their blog- CHECK IT OUT! This is a seriously amazing ministry and I feel so blessed that God clearly crossed our paths.
http://www.esperanzadebolivia.blogspot.com/

After deciding to join the family on a visit a church in El Alto for poor children (one of the 6 churches they support in La Paz) I met with Ron Friday and went shopping for some art supplies. Specifically, sock puppet supplies. We raided an outdoor market and left with colored childrens socks, buttons (for eyes), red fabric (for tongues) and yarn for hair. The rest of the evening I worked on what to say to the children since I was warned in advance that the Pastor would want me to address them. Ron told me to speak about myself, my work and my walk with God... sounds so simple but I was up late writing notes and re-writing notes.

Saturday we arrived to El Alto and were greeted by Gustavo, the other Pastor of the small childrens church- Remanente De Israel. As we drove down a bumpy dirt road Gustavo asked me how long I would be in La Paz. I told him for the rest of August after I return from Cochabamba. I could see his smile in the rearview mirror- He said that God told him that a woman would be comign from the North and staying for the month of August. Gustavo had been praying for more women to come to La Paz to speak to the women of Bolivia.

We arrived at our destination- a gate infront and behind a small outdoor shed like space. Gustavo and Doris started this church for the poor children of El Alto 15 years ago with the very little money they had. They travel from their home to this space to host a church service 4 days a week. On

average there are 40 children who attend. Doris plays music on a small boom box and hands the children who are present tamborines. The music is also a way for the children to know it is time for service. The children (all girls this day) begin choreographed dances with their tamborines. Sam and I got handed tamborines and we stood in the back and followed along. I was instantly reminded of my lack of coordination.Thanks to Ronda, there is a video :)

After dancing for what felt like an hour (yes I was tired even though I was embaressed to admit so), Doris explained that the children were going to pray for me. I kneeled down and Gustavo, Doris, and the girls surrounded me, putting their hands on me.

While Doris and Gustavo prayed for me, Ronda translated. I felt a wave of emotion and immediately I began sobbing. At one point my nose was dripping and I opened an eye to see a hand holding a tissue infront of me attempting to wipe my nose for me. Icould hear that I was not the only one crying. My heart felt like it was going to explode... there was such strong emotion in such a small space. I raised to my feet and was instructed to pray over the children. I walked to each child and placed my hand on their head, shoulder or palm. After the prayers, the children began sharing their prophesies. During the prayer time, many of them had had visions from God. One child said that she saw the children I work with at the hospital in La Paz. She said not to worry, that they will be healed. I lost it again. So many amazing words were spoken from these young girls who held so much faith and truth in their eyes.

I wiped my tears, reached for some composure and joined Ronda and Sam for our puppet show. We made the puppets dance and sing to 2 songs. Then it was time for my words. I spoke and Sam translated for me. I spoke about the path that brought me to La Paz and how God had prepared the way for me from art therapy to missionary work.Ron and Ronda bought the children all Bibles so now they have their own :)

Finally we busted out the puppet making supplies. Two children asked me to help them with sewing on the button eyes.... maybe it was the pressure of the situation, but I was struggling! (Sorry Mom, I know you taught me a million times). Clearly sewing is NOT my gift! Upon completion of the puppets we replayed the puppet songs, this time with everyone joining in with their newly created sock puppet. It was so wonderful to witness the smiles and laughs.

Soon it was time to say our byes to Gustavo, Doris and the children. I have never experienced anything close to what occurred that day at Remanente de Israel. A small space but so obviously filled with The Spirit of God. I am forever changed from the few hours I spent among a faithfully devoted couple and a group of spirit filled children. What a day... in the life of a missionary.