I love this place called Bolivia

This last week is a blur. We were pretty busy and I feel like I saw a lot of things that were difficult to wrap my mind around. Here is a run through of a typical week...

Mondays are our days off, so we usually go to the internet and catch up with people back home. I know I mentioned having dreams about friends and family, but they honestly are happening every night. I don´t know what to think about them, except for the fact that I´m starting to miss people, so I´ll take the dreams!

Tuesdays and Wednesdays consist of going to the community center. Last week was my first time and it was quite the experience. The first child that came walking down the road had no pants on and was perfectly fine walking around naked. I went to say hi to him and he just smiled. I wanted to squeeze his chubby cheeks because he was so cute! The kids at the community center are all from the surrrounding community, basically from the streets. They are not as sweet and innocent as the kids in the orphanages. They really need Jesus and get to hear about Him every time they come to the center. We do a bible lesson with them everyday, it´s great!
Thursdays are a long day because we go to the orphanage that is an hour away. The ride there is amazing and is a cultural experience in itself. I will post a video of that ride on my next entry. This orphanage is in the middle of nowhere, in a very poor part of town. There are 8 boys and 1 girl there. THe boys are crazy and love to play. We usually go to the nearby ¨park¨ and come back and tudor for an hour. It has been so funny to tutor in spanish, the kids like to laugh at me. Below is a picture of the ¨Villa Isreal¨ kids.

Friday and Saturdays consist of going to the other orphanage (Frutillar Orphanage). We also play with them and tutor both days. I love this group of kids, they are more laid back and open to our activities. There is a sweet spirit in most of them, therefore they are a joy to be around! I have been working with a girl named veronica and we have lots of fun together. She even helps me with my spanish. :) Here is pic of some of them.

Sundays are one of my favorite days of the week. I have found a great Bolivian church, full of really friendly and welcoming people. This week was my second time and I feel like I’m at home when I go, except for the Spanish. The worship is amazing and the pastor is a man who loves God a lot. So I think I may commit to going to this church during my time here, I’m not quite sure yet. Another thing we do on Sundays is baby washing. We all head to the square where women are waiting with their children. These indigenous women bring their children to us and we bathe them. Some of these kids have not been washed for weeks. The first time I participated, I was so humbled and I could not have done it without the Lord’s strength. These children are all so precious; there are no words to describe the looks on their faces. Below is a picture of an indigenous woman and her child. So that is our schedule in a nut shell. Our nights consist of bible studies or other activities through our churches.

This video below is of the “Cancha”. This is the huge Bolivian market that runs everyday, across 10 blocks of the city. I definitely felt culture shock my first time there, it is like another world. There are people everywhere, vendors on the streets, buses clogging the streets, taxis driving in the midst of the market, weird smells, and everything for sale that you could think of! I hope you enjoy the video and get a feel for the streets of Bolivia. I love this place!

Well, this Wednesday is Bolivia’s Independence Day, so I will be sure to blog about that. There is so much to write, I wish you could all come here and see it first hand. Praise God for loving all people and for creating all different cultures in this world. What a boring world it would be if we were all the same.