A New Team!

An incredible and energy packed team has arrived! I can’t believe that I am in my last week here in Bolivia, or that they year is nearly over. Almost all of the team is here for the first time, but they are going non-stop. They jumped right into helping the boys write letters to their sponsors and Sidewalk Sunday Schools.

Several of us took a morning hike with some of the grandes to watch the sunrise. It was cloudy, but the time with the boys was great. Not all teams can really connect with the teenagers, but somehow this team has been incredibly successful! We found giant flowers on the cactus plants all along the ridge and the boys were everywhere picking them for us :)

We had planned on having a chill “family visits for the holidays” kind of week, but our flooded volleyball court was filling with frog eggs and it is nearly impossible to keep our little boys out of any available water, so the team graciously spent an entire morning digging a trench to drain the water. Both strategic and back breaking! But it successfully eliminated that health risk. The team has also taken advantage of our relaxed schedule to open up the library every morning for reading and games with the boys. They LOVE the time and attention!

(sailing boats in the drainage trench)

Since I arrived earlier in the fall, I have been asking the boys how they usually celebrate New Years (it will be my first Bolivian NY celebration!) They haven’t given me much, and one of them finally just told me they don’t really do anything special. I’m determined to fix this, and the team is right in it with me! They are choreographing a dance and everything!

Bed Making Machines

I have 24 hours between the Christmas team and the New Years team. And I am all alone to clean and flip the apartment! With everything put away, cleaned, and restocked I finally took a break late in the evening. I found two of the older boys hanging out at the bottom of my steps. The rest of the grandes were watching a movie, but these two have a hard time sitting still for that long. We talked a little and when I told them I had to get back to work, they begged to help me. All that I had left was to make all of the beds. Sometimes the boys really like to help. Sometimes the boys say they are helping when in fact they are just playing. I was tired, so I gave them a little lecture on how they needed to really be serious and do a good job if they were going to work with me in the apartment. I wasn’t willing to babysit them and then have to redo the beds later. They promised, so we headed upstairs. They were machines. They talked and laughed and were bed making marvels. Next time I have to flip the apartment, I know who I am requesting to help me!

Merry Christmas!

Last night Santa Claus made his first official visit to the BLC! After Christmas dinner Santa made his appearance to the cheers of the boys. The team acted as elves to assist Santa in gift distribution and then the wrapping paper flew! Thank you Thank you Thank you to everyone who gave gift and money donations to make this night possible!!! The night was made all the more special with a surprise marriage proposal. Beau, one of the team members, proposed to his girlfriend, also a team member, with the help from one of our boys. There was just as much cheering for them as there had been for Papa Noel!


This morning we headed down early to present the Christmas stockings to the boys. Christ Fellowship has done such a wonderful job of stuffing as much gift into one tiny stocking faithfully for several years. The basic agenda for today and the rest of the time the team is here: play :)

Invasion!

Gringos have invaded! It’s just so different to be with a bunch of English speaking North Americans!! But it is so wonderful to see so many familiar faces and to have friends here for the holidays. The Christmas team has safely arrived and with all the joy is a little sadness from knowing that it means my time here is nearly up. But the team provides plenty of distraction!


The luggage all arrived on time and crammed into the busy schedule of sorting stockings and wrapping presents we are still finding plenty of time to play. The volleyball court has been flooded by recent rain. God knows the desires of our hearts and has given us a swimming pool!!

We also had the chance to go to an amazing Sidewalk Sunday School. It was INCREDIBLY far away. And HIGH up in the mountains. Civilization was far behind and the church crew told me that in this particular village the girls are only allowed to go to school until they are 12 years old. After that, they are considered to be old enough for marriage and need to focus on their family. They really needed Jesus!

Car Trouble

A good friend of mine here is moving to the USA to go to school. Today he picked me up from the BLC to go into town so that I can help him search for housing online. We had barely gone 2 minutes down the road when we passed over a man-hole cover. It wasn't a stable one and flipped up crashing onto the bottom of my friend's truck. After that, the truck started making terrible noise, so we slowly and painfully drove to the other side of Sipe Sipe in search of a mechanic. Luckily we found one. We waited for the next 2 hours while he located the broken part, took it off, cut the bent metal in half, reshaped it, fused it back together, and reattached the piece. Grand total...about 10 bucks. Gotta love that.

Christmas Prep

Christmas is nearly here and I am SO excited! The team will be here Sunday and I'm trying to get all prepared. The boys were helping today by making lots of stars to hang on the ceiling in the cafeteria as part of our Christmas decorations. The boys all seem to think that I am going over the top this year with decorating for Christmas, but I love Christmas and I need all the help I can get to feel festive since it is the middle of the summer here! Some of the boys are really catching the spirit and sat with me for hours working on simple paper decoarations. That made me happy. Hopefully we are building some long standing holiday traditions. If even one of them makes a paper chain with his kids one day...I'll know I have succeeded.

Concert and End of School Picnic

We were visited by a children's orchestra today! They performed a full concert at the BLC for all of the boys and even had a short teaching time when they demonstrated the different sounds that each instrument makes.
Afterwards we took all of the tables and chairs out of the cafeteria and drug them out to the park. There we declared the end of the BLC school year and presented awards to the best students in each class.

After that we had a picnic lunch in the park! Lunch included vegetable fried rice, so I especially enjoyed walking around the tables and telling the boys they had peas in their rice :)

The Senate

Today we had an official Senate election. Every boy at the BLC was given a copy of his birth certificate. Then they had to go to their polling location (3 tables depending on age) and show their ID to receive a ballot. After they cast their votes, an official ceremony explained how votes are counted and tallied (this was especially interesting to me as all blank ballots are added into the winner's final total, potentially making it look like they won by a lot more. This is how real ballots are counted throughout Bolivia...really makes me rethink those presidential wins with +50% of the votes. Add on that all Bolivians are required to vote by law and the numbers look even less realistic.)

Our official election site run by volunteers.

Waiting in line to cast their votes.

In the end, one boy was elected BLC Senator with 3 runners up. This election was not run by us, but by an organization connecting many orphanages. The BLC Senator will write and present a report to the group every 6 months with suggestions of ways they can help and support all orphanages. Pretty cool. The ceremony ended by praying over our newly elected representatives.

The Ark

Some of the oldest boys have been asked to paint the ark in nearly life size. No kidding, this canvas is HUGE. They are loving the opportunity though and on several nights have stayed up till nearly midnight (they are such silly teenagers they normally put themselves to bed by 10pm!). I remember doing some murals in my church and plenty for VBS when I was in high school and I love knowing that they are also getting that experience. It is very free-ing and empowering to see your creativity pour out in such grand scale. And it's just plain fun!

Christmas with Levi

Tonight was the Christmas dinner for my Tribe (Levi). We went to a giant house and played games while some of the men folk cooked steaks on grill. Then we ate and exchanged gifts. I was so thankful to be included in this group and truly feel that I have a small group family here!

With some of my Tribe friends.

More good friends.

Claudia and Arturo have been such a blessing. Not only in their friendship, but they are the ones that persuaded me to become a part of the Tribe. They also drive me all the way back to the BLC after every meeting. They live in town, so round trip is almost 2 hours out of their way! Love them dearly!

Convenient Corn

Round 1 of corn is being harvested. The cows are happy about getting all the scraps and I'm told that Monica will produce more milk when corn is added to her diet. We had corn chowder for lunch and I *LOVED* it!

The second round harvesting will happen right before Christmas so that fresh corn can go into the Christmas salad - also known as my favorite food on earth.

Apparently you can eat corn cane just like you can eat sugar cane and it is only slightly less sweet. The little boys keep stealing big stalks from the coys to get their sugar fix. Okay, I admit it, I've tried it too :)

Our First Graduate!

Alfredo is our first to graduate high school and we are so proud of him! The ceremony was today at his school in Sipe Sipe.

With Tia Claudia and I before the ceremony.

Receiving his diploma from the principal.

Several of the other boys came in support and to see first hand what they will soon be doing themselves!

Back at the BLC, trying on the suit jacket to his very first tailored suit compliments of Tio Arturo.

My Headless Monsters

You just never really know what you are going to find around here!

Plenty to eat

Two boys harvesting alfalfa for the cows.

Kassandra Update

Kassandra, our baby cow, has turned out to be a dog. Or maybe a horse. She is as friendly and comfortable with the boys as our dog is and is currently sporting a USA bandana around her neck (no, it wasn't from me). In the mornings we take her off her rope and let her run around. She is very curious about everything and is starting to taste the grass although she doesn't actually eat it. And she is a runner! She knows she has a big yard and she runs every which way just because she can. Sometimes a brave boy will chase her, and she kicks and bucks like a wild horse.

How To Clean A Well

Apparently some of the little boys got caught throwing rocks into the well tank. So it needed to be cleaned out. After shutting off the pump that brings the water up to the tank, we ran the water until it wouldn't pump any more out of the tank. Leaving only about a foot of water, we lowered a ladder and then a couple of the older boys down into the tank. They passed up bucket after bucket of water and then squeegeed it clean.

They used little cups and brooms until every last drop was gone and the tank was clean. After hauling the boys and ladder back up, the water was turned back on! It was good to know we had such clean water.

Potatoes!

(One round of future french fries)

(Finished dome. Ready for fire and then potatoes.)

Potatoes are in full harvest! Humberto actually harvested the vast majority (and there was a ton) earlier this week. Everything left over is for the boys to "glean" or play with. I am presented with mountains of dirty potatoes by small groups of boys begging me to make french fries for them. The older boys have a little freedom in the kitchen in the evenings, so they dig them up to cook later on, but always stop by my door with a gift of potatoes for me. I've been eating potatoes non-stop. But they are still really good! And I've been peeling and chopping potatoes until I literally have blisters. I even bought some ketchup for them only to find out they prefer mayonaise.

This weekend the boys have been showing me how to make potatoes "in the ground." Apparently in some parts of Bolivia this is the traditional way to cook many things, from potatoes to chicken to rice to bananas. I forget what they call it though. Basically, they find a spot where the ground is very hard and the dirt packed very tight. Then they use a pick axe to dig a whole, preferably keeping the earth in large, hard chuncks. They use those dirt chunks to build a dome over the whole and then build a fire inside. They burn it down until the whole is filled with red coals. The potatoes go directly into the coals and then the dome is knocked down over the entire thing. The chunks are stompped on until they break down and everything is buried. About 20 minutes later you dig up the hot baked potatoes! It works best if you count your potatoes as you put them in, so that you don't loose any, and if you don't do this at dusk. In the dark it is difficult to distinguish between a potato and the coals and it isn't fun to grab the wrong one!

Dancing

Dancing is an important part of worship here. My first summer here, another host and I were talking to one of the dancers from the church. When he heard that we both went to churches that don’t dance, he was shocked. “After all the Jesus did for you? You don’t dance for him?!?!” I totally see his view point, and I love that the church here dances for the Lord. But seriously, I’m not a dancer.

Tonight I sat with my new tribe. That was a lot of fun. But Claudia talked me into going down to the front, where they dance. And while I was down there, I figured it out. I don’t like to dance because I am a perfectionist. And I don’t know the steps. And I don’t like not doing it just right. I’m frustrated. I don’t enjoy it. And it hit me. I was there to praise God with a joyful heart. My desire for an impossible perfection was turning my heart away from the joy of praising God. Whatever your definition may be, that sounds like sin to me. So I asked God for help. I started watching my fellow tribe members instead of the dance team on stage. I moved a little more. I don’t think that I have conquered this sin. I think it is going to be a long hard fight for me. I think I will find similar examples in other areas of my life too. But I have discovered it. And if I keep asking God for help, I am confident that I will one day be set free. It is a hard thing to know that there is bondage in your life, but God’s promise of victory is sweet.

Christmas Is Coming

I just couldn’t wait any longer. Decorating for Christmas doesn’t really happen in Bolivia until the week of the big day. But I just can’t take it. So today I started sketching out the plans and buying the materials to decorate the cafeteria. The boys are curious and some of them fed my fire with ideas, while others rolled their eyes at my girly excitement for decorating. The plan is all drawn out, and I’ve got a lot of hands to help me! I’ll be ready soon :)

Out of School, Back to Work

The boys are now out of school. But the work has just begun. The pequeños and medianos are still in class time here at the BLC, but the grandes are working full time. They are in every part of the home cleaning and working. They enjoy their work too. It is good for them to work hard and be able to see the fruits of their labor. I can tell they are proud.

Good To Be Home In Levi

The youth group is divided into tribes. The tribes always sit together during the service. They also have a small group Bible study during the week. When the teams visit, we encourage them to sit with different tribes. So I haven’t been consistent with any tribe. Lately, I have been sitting with the boys in different tribes too.

Last week, a couple of different boys asked me which tribe I was in. When I told them I moved around, they wanted to know why I didn’t just pick one. I thought about it. I didn’t have any reason. Especially now, when I don’t have a group here. And Claudia and Arturo have offered to drive me home after their tribe meeting. On Saturday, I sat with some of the boys in Benjamin. Someone approached me and told me they were from Levi, but they wanted me to come to their meeting. So I agreed.

Tonight was the meeting. There were only about 15 of us. I REALLY enjoyed it. Made me miss my old small group a lot. At the end, we started talking about Christmas. They wanted to plan a special dinner together. They picked the day after the team arrives, meaning I wouldn’t be able to go. I was okay with that. I wasn’t going to ask them to change plans when I was at my very first meeting! But then someone turned to me and asked if I would come. I had to say no, and explained why. That started an uproar! The date of the dinner was quickly changed to make sure I would be there. It felt really good to be a part of this group.

Afterwards, Arturo, Claudia, and I met Karen for dinner. That was also a lot of fun and we talked about everything under the moon. I am blessed with magnificent friends!

The First Thanksgiving

Earlier this week, Pastor David invited me to have dinner at his house Thursday. “Just with the family” he said. When I got there last night, I found a looong table set. Slowly, all of the pastors, most of the church staff, and there families arrived. A table was laden with food. With plenty of jokes and laughter, we dug in. Pastor David asked for people to share what they were thankful for.

Last year, the pastor and his wife were in the States for Thanksgiving. It was their first experience with the holiday, and they loved it! As we neared the end of dinner, the Pastor explained that he had invited everyone to come and have their first Thanksgiving experience, and next year he expected them to continue the tradition in their own homes. He declared that a day of giving thanks would be a tradition of their church and every year, the day after Thanksgiving, there would be a special church service to give thanks to the Lord.

Before dessert was served, Hermana Lita approached me and asked me if I knew how to make pumpkin pie. When I told her that I did, she explained that she had had it the year before and enjoyed it so much that she had tried to make it herself. She wanted me to try it and see if she had done okay. IT WAS DELICIOUS!! I must confess that I was a little sad before, thinking that I wouldn’t have Thanksgiving this year, but it turns I had it to its full :) I am so very blessed.

Higher Education

This morning after I dropped Julio off at school, I joined Alfredo and Marcos for a trip to one of the Universities. Alfredo is our first graduate, and will start classes in January. We did a little exploring, but were disappointed when we inquired about the entrance exams for his chosen major. His major won’t be offered next year. Which means that none of the Universities here in Cochabamba have the major that he wants. And different from the states, you have to know your major upon entrance, and if you change it, nothing transfers.

We were bummed. So we went to eat Salteñas at Marcos’ sister’s restaurant. Feeling better, we got to talking. Most of the work for this major would be found in Santa Cruz. And we were pretty sure that the universities there would have the major. So we picked up Julio and headed back to the BLC. We checked it out on the internet, and sure enough, the first place we check had it! Alfredo was a little nervous about the idea of leaving Cochabamba. He has never lived anywhere else. He was also worried about not knowing anyone. But we do have the church plant in Santa Cruz, so he will have a place to stay, and he will know a few people. I talked to him about my own trek from Oklahoma to Florida for the University, and he started feeling a bit more confident. He declared that if he just joined a game of soccer, he would leave with friends. Cocky. But true. Next step is getting permission and then entrance exams!

Happy Thanksgiving by the way! It is not a holiday here, but I am going to have dinner at the Pastor’s house tonight. More tomorrow!

Bad Day

Today was a bad day. Really just this morning. Julio and I left late for school. He wanted to run in circles instead of getting his backpack. And when we finally got to the gate, I realized he was still wearing yesterday’s shirt. So we had to go all the way back to his dorm to get him changed. I hadn’t even crossed the street after dropping him off at school when it started to rain. I had to praise God that there was a tiny covered bus stop across the street, because the rain was terrible. It POURED. Even with a little cover and my umbrella, I was soaked by the time it let up enough for me to walk to church. When I got there, I called to confirm that someone else would be picking Julio up, but I was informed that that had fallen through, and it was all me for the rest of the week. So I had to wait in the church, soaking wet, for four hours. And then it was public transportation home.

Yeah, it was a bad morning.

It's A Girl!

I woke up early this morning to take Julio to school, and as always I went to the window to see if there was rain towards Cochabamba. But as I looked out over the park, something wasn’t quite right. I had to count again. One. Two. THREE. Three cows. Last night there had only been TWO.

I got dressed quickly and ran downstairs. A little baby cow lay sleeping near her mom. I called Humberto to let him know, and he promised to come right away with a vet. As I watched, the vacita (little cow) stood up for the first time. She started her search for milk, but unfortunately began at her mom’s neck…a long way from the udder! She did eventually find it. Soon, the boys came swarming downstairs for breakfast and spotted the baby too. She was quite the show. She was also very friendly and let everyone gather around and pet her. I started asking the boys for names. Several got voted down, but eventually someone said “Kassandra” and no one had a problem with that. I decided to keep going with it, and asked for a name for the middle cow, who 6 months into her life at the BLC still was nameless. Amanda was chosen.

The boys have a million questions about the baby, and I’ve had to do a lot of explaining about simple things. Why doesn’t she walk well. Why can’t she eat grass. Why doesn’t she know where to get milk? Is she a boy or a girl (the drying umbilical cord was enough to convince most of them that she was a boy). Throughout the day all of the staff have come to sit with her too. We are all happy to welcome her to the family!

Lessons

I just finished giving a two hour lesson on how to work Photoshop to two of the grandes. Really just to one, but the best place for the lesson tonight was in the apartment, so two came and the one who wasn’t as interested listened to the ipod and half slept. The other left afterwards saying that his imagination was going crazy and he would be back in a couple of days after he had the chance to take all the pictures that he wants to edit and transform.

The boys here are so creative and artistic it blows me away. They are constantly showing me things that they have drawn that are far better than I can do after years of art classes at school.

The Talk

Four of the oldest boys sat me down for a serious talk today. Many of the boys are constantly full of questions and jokes about girls and dating, and I understand that this is because they are trying to figure out the whole dating thing so I am usually pretty open with them (although I do realize there are certain limits and am cautious not to get too close to those). Today, these four were only half playful as they made a recommendation to me of a certain young man from the church that they all think highly of. They were all in agreement that I should marry this man and stay in Bolivia. One went so far as to tell me that if I marry and stay in the USA, that God won’t let me be happy. Only if I marry a Bolivian and stay with them will I be happy.

It was an amusing conversation…it included a reenactment of how they heard God’s booming voice while they were praying in church for me…but I took the more subtle point to be the main point. There was an expression of desire that I not abandon them. While “being wanted” feels good, I hate that they have such a concern. I so wish that my boys only had a conceptual understanding of abandonment, instead of pasts full of it.

Birthday Outing

I got a message from my dear friend Marcos this morning asking if I was free for a little late birthday celebration. He picked me up at the BLC in the afternoon and then we picked up Claudia and started the search for Arturo. I say it that way because we were supposed to pick him up at work, but none of us were quite sure of where that was. We did a lot of “sight seeing” in the mountains while we tried to find him!!

After we finally had Arturo with us, we picked up the kids from school and then went to Marcos’ house to wait for his dad. For dinner we went to a little restaurant. I really don’t understand how Bolivians eat so much. We were each served one plate overflowing with salad, yucca, and cheesy rice. Then we were each served another overflowing plate of meats. I had a full size steak, ¼ chicken, and sausages. And it is very rude to not finish your plate in Bolivia. It was seriously about 3 days worth of food for me!

A real sight seeing drive was in order as we let all that food settle. I really enjoy doing this and getting to know the city better. Also, I always find the things that they point out to me amusing: “that’s the hospital...that’s a university but only for medical students…” Um… okay?

Normally we hang out pretty late, but I am in charge of giving one of the boys a shot every night this week, so Arturo and Claudia drove me back home early. They didn’t mind at all, because it meant they got to spend some time visiting the medianos and grandes before heading back to town.

This was the first time that I have gone out just to hang out with friends. I see people in passing at the church, but I now realize that I can not spend all of my time with the boys and remain a sane adult. We need our friends. I am so grateful to God that he has given me wonderful friends in multiple countries.

A few pictures

While I have a good internet connection, I will post a few pictures. My camera has been broken most of the time, though, so there aren't that many...

His plan of attack: hug me and step on my foot. Guess who fell off the log first?

I couldn't resist this opportunity.


It is so different to see everything green in Cochabamba. Here you can see the corn, alfalfa, and onions that we are growing. We also have potatoes, radishes, and carrots.

What handsome gentlemen we have!!

Just Julio and Me

Today started a different adventure for me. All this week I am responsible for taking Julio to his school in Cochabamba. So I'm up at 5:30am to get myself ready in time to get him ready in time to walk to Sipe Sipe and catch a trufi to Quillacollo to find a bus to Cochabamba. Julio goes to a special school near the church.

And it was still raining this morning (good thing I brought my clothes inside last night). But we made it! Julio held my hand and talked the entire way. I headed to the church to get some work done on the internet, and then picked Julio back up at noon. We made it home safely.

In the morning one of the boys had told me that Monica the cow had "secretions" and might have her baby at any minute. I was so pumped! In the afternoon, the vet came, but he said it wouldn't be until early December. He did take the time to instruct a group of grandes in how to "clean the cow out" which should be done every 3 weeks. Basically, you tie the cow up as tightly as possible, and then just stick your arm in and scoop out the poo that collects inside. No gloves required.

Rain but No Water

What a weekend! Saturday morning I got up early to do my laundry. I threw a load in the washer, and then filled the sink to do a second load. I had only rinsed one sock when the electricity went out. Without electricity, there is no way to pump the water up from the well. This happens occassionally and it comes back on before too long. But this time it didn't.

All day. No electricity. No water. In the afternoon, the older boys tied an old sheet to a bucket and started lowering that into the well so that they could clean up before church. I took by own bucket down for water to do the same. Half an hour before we left, the electricity came back on! I didn't get to finish my laundry until after the church service.

Sunday morning I woke up, confident that my clothes would be dry after spending the night out on the line. Then I looked out the window to discover it was raining!! Luckily I hadn't washed all of my church clothes, so I was okay for the morning. It rained all day, though, so my clothes are still wet. I am bringing them inside tonight, hoping to have something dry for tomorrow!

My Boys Can Dance!

The boys have been begging me to come to their school today for their presentation. I went, and they were so impressive! In their physical education class, every grade learns different traditional dances. Then, they have a day of dances, each grade presenting what they have learned in full costume. Many of the dances are rooted in the indigenous worship of Pacha Mama, including a "Dance of the Devils" that one grade presented. Needless to say, we're not real hot on our boys participating in this, but the dance presentation is their final grade for the class. This year, our boys asked if they could choreograph their own dance and present that instead. They were given approval.

They picked a Christian song, and have been practicing every night since I have been here. I spent long hours walking with them around the market looking for the right "outfit" for the presentation. They even made masks. And the grandes and medianos mastered their breakdance.

This morning I went to their gym. Parents and costumed children everywhere. Basically the morning was chaos, with kids running everywhere, even through the middle of other dances. But things changed when our boys presented. The grandes took the stage. I watched as the crowd grew silent, then cheered and whistled. There was no running around, no interruptions. Just staring and then wild clapping! They rocked!!

In the afternoon, the medianos presented their dance. Same reaction from the crowd. I was actually sitting farther back and had to change my seat because so many people crowded in front of me to watch. Cheers and whistles! The grandes also presented a second time, and on the way home they proudly declared that they had been invited to present the dance at the colosium the next day. I guess that means they all passed :)

Birthday!

Today is my birthday! It is the first time I have been able to be here in Bolivia for my birthday. Today is also Javier's birthday. He turns 12, I turn...more. I got up early this morning and headed to the church by public trufi. There is high speed internet there :) so I got some work done and bothered Sergio a little. I went back to the BLC around lunch time. In the afternoon, Sandra found me and asked me to help her with a project. But when we walked into the cafeteria, I found all of the staff and all of the boys clustered around one table. As the parted the way, I found a gigantic birthday cake!! It was so beautiful and I couldn't understand how they had gotten it there with our trufi still broken. The staff explained that the boys had cooked it. I was so impressed! It was delicious too!!

It was adorable to watch all of the little boys wait so patiently as everyone was handed a slice of the cake. No one touched it until everyone had some, and then Carlos prayed for me. Normally they eat so fast, I'm not really sure where all of the food goes. But the cake they ate slowly, savoring all 5 layers individually! The staff then gave me roses. So beautiful! I love flowers :)

For dinner, there was funnel cake. Apparently this is a normal meal here. My mom also called in the evening, and that really cheered me up. It was a good Bolivian birthday and I celebrated with some wonderful people.

Provider

God won’t leave me alone. Seriously. He has been talking to me a lot this week, and it is only Tuesday!

I’ve been thinking about writing this blog for a couple of hours, and even through that He has been teaching me. Originally, I wanted to title this “Anna Hart: Blockade Runner, Trufi Killer.” It’s been an exciting morning.

Sergio called me early because I have the trufi (a van) and he wanted me to bring it to the church to pick up some new tile for the BLC. So off I went. Just past Quillacollo, I ran into a blockade. So I decided to go around it. Sometimes this can be very difficult. This time it wasn’t so bad. There was a steady flow of cars running around it, and I just followed them. I got to the church and was pretty proud of myself. Sergio told me I was a little more Bolivian, since I got around it by myself. I was even prouder.

Somewhere in the big book I lug around on Sundays, it says something about pride.

On the way home, there was no flow of traffic to follow. I did some turning around. Then I decided I would just go up the mountain for a while, then over, then back down, and hope I made it around. No, I don’t know any of the roads. With a quick prayer, I headed up. I got worried. I wandered around. Mountain roads don’t run in nice grid patterns. I turned around. Every once in a while, I would pass something familiar. I thanked God for that day in July when the LFC Team 2 just had to have more materials for their project and I had gone to town alone with Cristobal and there was a blockade but we decided to go around it and he had taken me far up the mountain and pointed out peculiar landmarks along the way. I figured I couldn’t be too lost when I spotted some of these places. Not that I could even tell you which direction I was trying to go anymore. I got worried again. I said another half prayer. Finally I came across a bus and a chicken truck. I decided to follow them. They had no business up in the mountains, so they must be trying to get around the blockade too. At this point I didn’t care if they were headed towards Cochabamba or Sipe Sipe. I just wanted out of the mountains. So I followed them.

After some time, I spotted a familiar road. Looming before me, was the beautiful main road. And I was on the side nearest the BLC! I was free and clear. And boy was I proud. I had passed another blockade, a much more complicated blockade, wandering the back mountain roads alone. Woo Hoo!!

And then the motor died.

In the middle of the road, the trufi died. I panicked. I tried to restart it. I prayed. I called Sergio. Just as he answered, the motor started back up. I hung up. I drove a block. And it died again.

In the middle of the road. Blocking two of the three lanes of traffic. A stream of other cars trying to get to the main road after passing the blockade furiously honking behind me. And the trufi would not start. There was a taxi parked on the side of the road and the driver and a man standing by his car were clearly watching me and discussing my ordeal as I desperately cranked the engine to no avail and called to the BLC for help with shaking hands. After what seemed an eternity, they approached my window. “It runs on gasoline?” they asked me (in Bolivia, cars run on diesel, gasoline, natural gas, or a mixture). “Yes,” I answered. They told me I was out of gas, but I assured them that I had filled the tank as I was leaving Cochabamba. They said no more, but their faces did not appear convinced. They offered to push me over to the side. I was so thankful!

I began making calls again, saved from the honking of horns. I talked to Mau, who was going to send the bus from the BLC to pick me and the supplies up. I talked to Juan Carlos, the mechanic from the church, who was going to send a tow truck out for the trufi. I was so thankful to God that this had happened in a place that I recognized and not up in the mountains where I was completely lost.

After an hour and a half sitting in the hot car alone and worried, I spotted a group I recognized. Sandra and three of the boys from the BLC were passing by. I had called Sandra too, so she was looking for me. They joined me in the hot car and chatted a while about the policeman who had approached me and asked me to move the car (I was parked directly under a no parking sign) and then apologized for confronting me after I explained that the motor was dead and I couldn’t move it. Moments later, I spotted the bus from the BLC. Tio Rodo was on the phone with the mechanic as he approached. As we loaded the supplies onto the bus, he offered to stay with the trufi until the mechanic arrived.

Two hours after my first call for help, I was in the bus and on my way home. It was true that my way had not been smooth or comfortable, but God had shown up to Provide for me in so many ways: the landmarks, the other blockade runners, the timing of the breakdown, the taxi driver and his friend, the welcome sight of friends, and the slew of people that came to my rescue. Even Sergio called me back to make sure I was okay!

My pride is gone and I have such gratitude for His provision. Thank you God, for breaking me down to teach me, and seeing me through. What was I reading before I left this morning? Isaiah 2:3, “...He will teach us His ways, so that we may walk in His paths…”

Lazy Weekend

We had a pretty lazy weekend here at the BLC. Lots of fooling around and movie watching. I was up late both Saturday and Sunday watching movies with the Medianos in the movie room. The boys even made popcorn on Saturday. Sunday I got to drive the trufi home from church, so I took advantage and stopped at the grocery store. I also figured out that I can send and receive text messages internationally. So drop me a note if you like! 591-779-49362 (yes, there should be an extra number)

Oh So Good

I’m feeling great! The “Cochabamba Crud” (sinus problems that always set in around week 2) has nearly passed and my tummy is full of pizza this evening. One of our boys had a check up scheduled this evening and Sandra invited me to go along with them because there was a cheap pizza place nearby. A lot of rice is eaten around here, and I can only take so much. On top of that, Bolivian culture states that it is incredibly rude to not finish the entire plate you are served. So I’m cooking for myself pretty often, and my meals tend to be very simple as cooking here takes so much more time. Well, the doctor actually called and canceled the appointment before we left, but the idea of pizza was so wonderful that we headed as far as Quillacollo to find some! I’m just so glad we did!!

Friday is market day in Quillacollo and the streets were packed. There was a long row of booths all selling the same thing and Sandra took me to one to explain them. The first Friday of every month (today) these favors are sold for the believers of Pacha Mama (basically the worship of Mother Earth and animal spirits). They are small squares made of pressed sugar with various designs on them. The people buy a bunch and the seller places them on a newspaper, throws a handful of confetti over them, and then wraps it all up in the newspaper for the buyer. The sugar squares were by far the most popular, but many other items were available at the same booths for use in the worship of Pacha Mama including various herbs and dried llama fetuses.

A-Okay

Quick update: our little one is back home, walking and all, but with instructions not to run around or play hard for 2 weeks. That’s quite a challenge for an 8 year old boy!

A Long Night, A Lunch, and An Emergency

What a night! I’m exhausted today and about ready to head to bed. The overnight staff for the youngest boys was not able to come yesterday and I was asked to step in once again. It is simply exhausting for one adult to try to bathe and put to bed 27 boys under 10 years of age. I had to call in reinforcements from Sandra and then later again from one of the oldest boys! Then there is the midnight wake up call for some of the boys who still wet the bed. And they are awake by the time the sun comes up at 5am! Half of them have to get ready for school in the morning (the other half go in the afternoon) and then we take all the dirty clothes to the wash house before breakfast.

I barely had time to change clothes before I had to start the trek into town. A walk to the plaza in Sipe Sipe where I can catch a trufi to Quillacollo, and then crossing the plaza to catch the next trufi into Cochabamba. Pastor Reynaldo and Sandra (who graciously agreed to accompany me) met me at the church and then we took a taxi to Pastor Reynaldo’s church. He is the brother of Lita, who is the wife of David, the pastor that we partner with in Cochabamba. He showed us around his small church and then served us a traditional lunch that I can not remember the name of. Apparently, everything was cooked in the ground…chicken, rice, potatoes, and bananas. It had a very different flavor than what I have eaten before and was pretty good. Just as we were finishing, Sandra got a call that there was an emergency and we had to rush back home. The Pastor was very understanding and helped us to get a taxi to get home faster.

I’ll start by saying that everyone is okay. At the time, that wasn’t what we thought. The call Sandra got said that one of our younger boys had been climbing a tree and fallen, landing on his back, on a brick, and wasn’t moving. We were terrified. By the time we got back to the BLC, he had been moved into the clinic and was moving his arms and legs and talking. He was in pain though, afraid to sit up and unable to walk. We put him into the taxi and were off to Cochabamba again. At first he was still afraid, but with a little joking around he started to relax and giggle. He even played games on my cell phone until the battery died. When we arrived at the doctor’s office he was given a shot for the pain and it wasn’t long after that, that he was playing and joking around like normal. He was able to sit up, but was still afraid to walk. X-rays revealed no breaks or fractures. The doctor decided he will have to stay over night for observation, to make sure the impact did not damage any organs. He was in good spirits when we left, and we all prayed together.

We took the trufies home, and as we neared I got a little nervous thinking of the long dirt road we would have to walk in the dark. As we approached our stop, I spotted our two oldest boys lounging on the wall. They were waiting to walk us home! We really do have good boys…crazy monkeys and all :)

Anniversary and the Department of Transportation

Yesterday was the anniversary of the church that we work with here in Cochabamba. 23 years!! We took all of the middle and older boys into town for the celebration in the evening. It lasted 6 hours! It began with praise and worship and a sermon, then was followed by videos of the founding of the church, and finally by skits and dramas from the youth group. Chocolate cake and Coke were passed out to everyone in attendance and the church was packed (about 1,500 people)! It was an awesome celebration.

This morning I traveled back into town by myself for the first time…public transportation all the way! I have to admit that I was nervous, but everything went perfectly and it was a good test run for tomorrow when I have a lunch meeting with a pastor in town. I met Sandra at the church and we went to La Cancha for lunch. There are booths that sell fruit salad. I’m in love with these places! They serve a gigantic bowl of fresh fruits with a little yogurt…almost more than I can eat…for only 5Bs. (7Bs = $1) I would happily eat that every day if it were a little closer to the BLC. We then bought bread, as I was unable to find any on Sunday due to All Saints Day (the bakeries have only been making cakes and cookies for the holiday). Then we headed to the Department of Transportation to inquire about my getting a Bolivian driver’s license. This would be so helpful for me to have now, and especially when there are teams here. I’ve needed to drive on many occasions in the past and had to do it unlicensed. The result of the visit was not very promising though. I either have to take classes for a month or pay about $150. Either way, I also have to show my birth certificate, which I do not have here. Maybe some day…

All Saints Day

Today is All Saints Day in Bolivia. It goes hand in hand with the origins of Halloween, and because it fell on a Monday, the celebration is now on it’s third day. Sandra and I walked into Sipe Sipe after lunch; you would have thought they were having a parade. There was a constant flow of people walking together, arms laden with flowers and baskets of food, balancing buckets filled with juice or checha (the popular home brewed alcohol). We followed the flow of people and through the streets that were now lined with booths selling more flowers and sweets, ice cream, fried meats of all kinds, toys, etc. The flow led us straight into the cemetery.

It was the first Bolivian cemetery I have been in and it was hard to walk down the path because of the crowd! The path was lined with tall shrubs and walkways branched off to small areas of mausoleums. These areas were also filled with people “visiting” their relatives. Further back, was the “poorer” area, as Sandra explained. Here, the graves were all in the ground. It was just as full of people as the front and even had a live band playing on one side. The graves were laid haphazardly wherever there was space. As we followed a trail that looped around one side, we stepped from mound to mound. I felt bad at first, coming from a culture that looks down upon stepping or standing on someone’s grave, but the culture here clearly speaks differently about this. All of the graves had flowers and piles of sweet breads, some had blankets and candles. The more elaborate had every square inch covered in foods and flowers, heaping high so that no dirt showed.

As we left the cemetery and made our way back home, I asked Sandra about the beliefs surrounding these practices. Family members bring the favorite foods of the deceased to their grave to share with their spirit. As more people come to visit, they ask each person to pray for the soul of the deceased, and then share the food that they have brought. This is especially important the first year after someone has died as, on this night, the other souls in the cemetery will “punish” and beat the new souls. The prayers provide them with protection to ease their suffering. At night, the people are supposed to dress in black so that these angry souls can not see them. As Sandra shared with me the words of her own grandmother about these beliefs, I commented about how terrible they must believe it is to die and how I found it interesting that all of the souls were mean. I thought a little more about this later and realized that their belief is really very light, only receiving a beating one night a year assuming their family does not provide adequate protection. The reality of hell that faces these who are lost is in reality significantly worse.

The holiday is, apparently, beneficial for many children. Sandra explained that many children, the poor and homeless, will travel through the cemeteries during this season offering to pray for souls and accepting the food that is given to them for these prayers. Many children collect enough food to last them the entire next week. Some of our boys at the BLC used to do this.

Exhaustion

The overnight staff for the littlest boys was not able to come last night and so I stayed with them. I’m EXHAUSTED today…only got 3 hours of sleep so I’m headed to bed now.

Pancakes and Creativity

Brick houses are really catching on around here. More boys are building them in more places and some of them are getting pretty elaborate. I love seeing their creativity and team work!

We’ve also seen some creativity in the kitchen. Last weekend 3 of the older boys came up to the apartment to make pancakes. Jose had apparently learned the recipe at school, memorized it, and wanted to practice. So pancakes they made! I would actually equate them to crepes, as they were very thin and the boys put fruit preserves on them and then rolled them up to eat them. They also wanted to make “experiments” with the last few, such as adding powdered flan to the mix.

Last night the same boys appeared at my apartment door and asked to borrow the skillet that we had used, explaining that they were teaching Alejita (the head cook) how to make pancakes. I gave them the skillet and followed them to the kitchen expecting a small demonstration. Instead I found two other large skillets currently in use beside two huge bowls of batter. They were not only teaching, but also making enough pancakes for all of the boys to have for breakfast in the morning! I stayed to help and there was a lot of interest in who could make the roundest pancake, the biggest, etc. Towards the end, the boys began experimenting again. One bowl of batter was chocolate and the other vanilla, so they began mixing the two to make elaborate designs in their pancakes. It was a lot of fun, but also a lot of work! I’m glad I don’t have to cook for 75 hungry boys 3 times every day!!

Bonus Days

The kids are having some kind of bonus days at school. I haven’t figured it out exactly, but apparently once a year each child in school receives a bonus amount of money from the government. Some kind of celebration is going on and the kids keep talking about what they are going to buy with their money. Because of this, the boys have had a little more free time the last two days. And when they have time, their creativity really takes off! Today, three boys went out to the brick pile and started building a house. They made it big enough that one at a time they could actually enter it. They also found broken tiles and laid a complete mosaic floor in the house and used cardboard to put up a nice roof. They also found a very thin, flat rock and put that on top of a brick in the center of the house for a table. It was a masterpiece really!

The boys are constantly asking about the teams and for team members by name. They don’t want to wait until December for the next group to come! For all of you who have been here before: the boys miss you very much!

Prayer Run

PRAYER RUN!! What a wonderful morning! The boys were raring to go long before the group from the church arrived to help us with supervision. We made a change in our route after talking a little. We chose a way that would put the kids on the main road a lot less. Safety is a good thing. So we walked to the plaza in Sipe Sipe, circled around, and then went the long way home. It was quite a walk!! The older boys had been saying all morning (loudly and frequently) that it was a bad idea to take the little boys with us because they wouldn’t be able to go that far. When the little ones arrived back at the Center, they were beaming with pride, every single one of them having walked the entire way! I stayed back with the older boys at the Center until the younger boys had a loooong head start, and then we ran all of the way to the plaza. Or they did anyway. I was totally left in the dust! Throughout the walk, the older boys would find shady spots and wait while the group went far ahead, and then they would run to catch up. If we had given them the okay (and had a supervisor who could keep up) I am certain they would have run the entire route at full speed! Two of my highlights were watching Ervin and Simon, brothers, walk the entire way with their arms around each other’s shoulders, and watching Luis give a piggy back ride to a tired friend. I am so thankful I was here to take part in this.

There was a semi-dark spot in the afternoon. We were all in the dorm to watch a movie, when one boy started fighting with another. When I took him out of the room, all vengeance was turned upon me. Rather than try to dodge him, which could be perceived by him as a type of game, I decided only to give physical redirections, and take a good deal of his anger. I’m a little bruised for it, but I am glad I made this decision. After his energy was spent, he began to cry and clearly felt terrible about what had happened. I don’t think he has the tiniest bit of control over his anger at this point. After a good cry, we went for a walk together. He listened attentively as I explained that I loved him even when he is angry and how much I hated what had just happened. He had a huge smile as I told him how proud I was of him for the changes I have seen in him in the past 3 years, and nodded as I explained that, because I love him, I want to help him change some more things in his life so that he can have a great life as he grows up. A little later, he saw me writing in my journal and was insistent that I include in my day that he and I had gone for a walk. I’ve been plotting all evening different activities that I can do with him to help him get control of his anger and am excited to get started on these!

Nothing Like a Good Blockade

I’m exhausted! Yesterday there was a blockade in Quillacollo (a city between the BLC and Cochabamba) so the staff could not get here. The ladies that cook and clean thankfully live within walking distance of the BLC, so they were here, but otherwise, it was just me! It was a good day, but tiring. At dinner time, I realized there was another problem. The overnight staff for the middle boys lives near as well, so he arrived on time, but the Tia for the little kids lives in town and the blockade was still going strong. I was in charge of the little ones for the night! After dinner I got them all showered, teeth brushed, lotion on, clothes put away, prayed together, watched a little TV, final bathroom break, and tucked into bed. I won’t pretend it wasn’t a fierce struggle. The Tia arrived very late. She described the blockade and how she had left her house early but had to walk from the beginning of the blockade to the next town before she could get a taxi. We talked a little and then woke the boys that still wet the bed for a midnight trip to the bathroom. Then we got to work preparing for the next day. All of the socks and underwear arrive in a pillowcase, so it has to be sorted. She has to go through it all and decide who gets the bigger pairs of underwear, the smaller, the boxers, the briefs… And then the socks! Matching and distributing. I didn’t get back to my room until 1:30am!

Today the blockade was gone, so there was a lot more help. Once the boys were all in class, I got the chance to rest a little. Then my suitcase arrived! After 4 days, I am so glad to see a clean pair of socks :) I am now officially unpacked and completely settled into the apartment. I also spent some time in each of the dorms in the evening to talk about tomorrow’s Prayer Run. The boys are excited and loved seeing the shirt with Israel’s photo.

Home Sweet Home!

I’ve made it to Bolivia! Unfortunately, only I have made it. We aren’t sure where my suitcase is.
Mau picked me up at the airport and we talked a little about our families and about the other people visiting the BLC on the way home. When I arrived at the BLC, the boys were all in class and I didn’t want to interrupt everything for just me to say hi, so I went on up to the apartment. I got to meet Luke, who has been here for nearly 2 weeks and talk with him a while. Seems like a great guy. We talked about him bringing a team or coming back to host. Once you have been here, it is very hard to stay away!!

I headed downstairs a little before lunch time so that I could see all the kids as they switched tutoring and school. It was so good to see them! I told them all that I was going to stay for a long time without having a team, so I would have plenty of time to bug them! They tried not to let it show, but I think they are nearly as pleased as I am that I will have so much time to spend on them now.

Once all of the boys were back in class, I retreated to the apartment for a little rest. I figured I would just hang out, as I have never taken a nap my first day (I’ve never had the time!) and I have the blessed ability to sleep the entire time I am on a plane. But apparently that wasn’t enough. I woke up three hours later as the boys were finishing their dinner! I hurried downstairs to chat with them as they washed their clothes. We talked until 9:30, when I finally told them good night and returned to the apartment to make dinner.

Now they are all getting ready for bed and the apartment is so quiet. Teams, I miss you! If I am lucky enough to have my suitcase arrive tomorrow, I will head into town for that and probably do a little grocery shopping along the way. Otherwise, work starts in the morning!

My end of the beach for 2009

Since I'm still here in Florida, my friend Kirsten and I decided we should have some quality time before I leave the country for the rest of the year. So we decided to do an activity that can only be done in Florida: we got up to watch the sunrise over the ocean, then drove to the west coast of Florida to watch the sun set over the ocean. I really enjoy doing this. We explored Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel Island, and looked for shells in Captiva while we waited for the sun to go down. Unfortunately, a cold front was coming through so it was cloudy, windy, and cold all day!!

Trip Canceled

I was supposed to be on my way to Oklahoma today, but unfortunately had to cancel last night because of health issues in the family. I am really sad, as I leave for Bolivia next week and now will not be able to see my family until some time next year. God still knows what He is doing, I'm just not enjoying it at the moment!!

The end of Nicaragua and just a little Costa Rica

On Friday, we decided we should probably start heading to Costa Rica. Eduardo and I were going to take the overnight bus, but I had a little stomach issue and we decided that we shouldn't risk the 6 hours in a bus. Saturday morning we got up early and headed to the bus station. It was about a two hour ride to the border. I was sad to be leaving the dirty city that I enjoyed so much and the family that made me feel so welcome. At the border, we went through immigration and got on another bus, the bus took us to the other side of the terminal (which was apparently in Costa Rica) and we had to get off and go through immigrations again. We had a quick meal and were off again.

Have you ever seen a windmill (the kind used to produce electricity) in real life? I've always assumed from pictures that they were big, but we passed a field of them going through Costa Rica and they are ENORMOUS!! I literally stared out the window with my mouth open in awe of their sheer size. Wow.

This morning Eduardo got called to check out a potential job site. So we met Mario and went to meet a wealthy old gringo who has bought an old hotel and wants to turn it into his house. After that, I had to head to the airport. It is very sad for me to leave and not have an exact plan of return. But God will do what He wants and make a way if this is truly what He desires. That is what I remain confident in.

Nicaragua: the Lake

On Wednesday evening, Eduardo's uncle came back to the house. He drives a taxi and he wanted to take us out. He brought his daughter and another girl (I couldn't figure out if she was a friend or a cousin or what) and we all piled into the car. He took us out to see Lake Managua, which is huge. You would have thought we were at the ocean. There was a pier and a little park. I got to play with Diana a lot and enjoyed that.

Tonight we were sitting out front of the house. Eduardo has decided that he wants to pave a sidewalk in front of the house in addition to building up the wall. So we were all out there to admire how far he had gotten that day. His mom was carrying drinks out, when the dog went tearing around the corning and completely wiped her out. It terrified me! But both Eduardo and his sister were laughing hysterically as she swore a fit and got back up. The dog has been hiding ever since!

Turtle eggs, by the way, are gross.

Nicaragua: Birthday, Eggs, and Work

I am in Nicaragua to visit Eduardo, who is in Nicaragua to do a construction project on his mom's house. She has a wall that surrounds the house, as is typical, but it was very low and did not really offer any security. So Eduardo has been hard at work, with another guy or two, mixing cement and building the wall nice and high. He is up around 5:30am each day and works until it is just too dark to see.

Monday was his mom's birthday. Two sisters and thier three kids came over to the house along with his uncle and aunt. I swung the kids in the hammock and spent a while talking to his uncle. I actually met him in Costa Rica, too. I really like the uncle and aunt. They have been married 30 years and still seem smitten with each other. At one point, everyone was in the house doing things except for the uncle and I, and he took the opportunity to explain to me that he could do anything in the world...except live without his wife. The two of them stayed so late however, that I had to excuse myself and go to bed. There is a certain time of night when my brain just stops registering spanish.

Nicaragua: feeling at home

I'm down in Nicaragua for the first time! It was planned at the very last minute, but I am here to visit Eduardo and his family. I arrived on Saturday. My first impression of Managua, the capital city, was from the air: the city is HUGE! But I love cities and was ready to explore. Eduardo picked me up at the airport and it took about 15 minutes by taxi to get to his mom's house. I met his mom before I met him in Costa Rica, so it was nice to see her again and she welcomed me warmly. I got to meet one of his sisters that I had not met before and her son as well as his grandfather. They all share the small 3 bedroom 1 bathroom house. His mom has lived here for 40 years, so it is where Eduardo grew up. There was lots of meeting, and some eating, and a trip to the little market too. The market reminds me of the one in Bolivia, but much smaller. And it is just a few blocks walking distance.

There are lots of churches very close to the house and we heard the praise music much of the day. In the evening, Eduardo and I took Leo and Diana to a service. I recognized several of the songs and it was fun to have the kids with us. Eduardo and I were back in the market in the afternoon with his mom and they wanted me to try all kinds of foods. So I had a burrito and a hot dog and they bought a bag of turtle eggs that they will cook tomorrow.

Nicaragua is definitely the dirtiest place that I have visited, there is a lot of trash in the streets, but I still really like what I have seen of the city. I feel welcome, not like I stick out like a gringa, and am happy to be here!